No stranger to producing unique focal length lenses in recent years, a new report suggests that Tamron could be dropping an absolute banger of a lens soon. I’ve never been a Tamron user, and even I’m rooting for them to get this one out ASAP. If this news report turns out to be true, the photography world will find a whole new way of manufacturing lenses that were never deemed possible before. And something like that could mean life-changing possibilities for a lot of photographers
Do You Have A Lens Trinity
For years, most photographers who wanted to turn pro aimed to get the “lens trinity” of 2.8 lenses for themselves. The 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm (all f2.8) lenses by leading manufacturers are often sharp, versatile, but hardly ever cheap. Their premium cost is primarily due to the fact that together, these three lenses represent a focal range that covers quite a lot of scenarios that most pros shoot. Barring architecture, sports, and wildlife photographers, the average working photography professional can get a lot of their jobs done using these three lenses. These lenses are known for their superior optics, producing sharp, high-contrast images with minimal distortion. They are professional-grade, designed for heavy use, and deliver excellent image quality shot after shot. However, be it for DSLRs or even mirrorless cameras, these three lenses, across brands, tend to be bulky and heavy when it comes to the full-frame bracket.
Teamwork Makes Dreamwork
I’ve also often heard of many older photographers who were seasoned pros in the film era, switching to the m43 format to be able to have a lighter trinity of lenses. Full-frame versions of such lenses ended up being too heavy for them to carry around. Some began switching to all-in-one zooms as they began doing less pro work, sacrificing wide apertures for the ability to have just one lens that they could carry around all day. You can argue that 24-200mm lenses and 28-300mm lenses can do the job at times too, but the tradeoff you make in terms of sharpness and image quality can’t be understated. I suppose Nikon realized soon enough that the high prices and weight considerations of their mirrorless trinity were stopping photographers from switching to their Z mount series. They roped Tamron in to create the 17-28mm, 28-75mm, and 70-180mm f2.8 lenses at a much more affordable price point to entice other brand loyalists into dipping their tokes into Lake Nikon.
Yes, these lenses are Tamron manufactured with Nikon styling and finishing, and it’s one of those great partnerships that makes life easier on the pocket for many new photographers. Tamron still kept innovating on its own, making one of the more coveted lenses I’ve seen in recent times, the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD. A lens that took home our Editor’s Choice Award, it’s a wonder that other lens brands haven’t yet made a similar one. According to a new report, it seems like Tamron might be leaving all other lens brands in its wake once it releases its next stunner of a lens.
What Does The Report Say?
PhotoRumors has reported that Tamron’s next lens will be a 28-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD. This is an unheard-of focal range for a fixed-aperture lens. Effectively, Tamron seems to have figured out a way to combine their 28-75mm f2.8 lens and their 70-180mm f2.8 lens. Forget the idea of a trinity; you’d probably have a duad of two lenses in your camera bag if the Tamron 28-180mm f/2.8 is released in the near future. This one lens could shoot your cityscapes, landscapes, portraits and more. Gosh, it would totally be the absolute perfect travel lens for anyone from a portability and focal range perspective.
Imagine being able to walk around the most picturesque cities of the world with just one camera and one lens, not having to worry about your additional lenses getting stolen from your backpack or having to change lenses in dusty conditions outdoors. Also, the f2.8 wide aperture would totally aid you in low-light scenarios after sunset. Find an appealing face while you’re outdoors in Morocco? Turn the lens closer to 100mm and snap that beauty away. Want to shoot the expansive landscapes in Tuscany or Reykjavík? Go wide to 28mm and stitch a panorama if you want to go wider. Are the Rocky Mountains a little too far away in the distance? Zoom in all the way to 180mm and fill the frame. When it arrives, this lens will be a one-stop shop for many new photographers, going one-up over all those super zoom lenses that don’t have a fixed aperture.
Let The Innovation Continue
Tamron is innovating like there’s no tomorrow, and we love it. Lenses like this really raise the standards higher and higher for the photography industry in general and lead to intense competition among brands. I can’t wait until it comes to the Z lineup, which hopefully won’t be too far away in the future. Tamron did say it’s launching 7 lenses in 2024, of which 3 have already been announced. Let’s hope the Tamron 28-180mm is among the ones yet to come this year. I can’t imagine it to be a cheaply priced lens, but it already seems like it’ll be worth every penny
The lead image in this article is a mockup of what we envision this lens to look like when it’s released.