Looks like Canon is opening up its RF mount to more 3rd party manufacturers. Just hours after we reported the launch of four new Sigma RF mount APS-C lenses, we were party to the news of the announcement of the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD. This is the first ever RF mount lens from Tamron and its announcement comes at an exciting time for Canon mirrorless camera users.
Hot on the heels of the announcement of four new Sigma RF mount lenses for Canon comes the news of an all-new RF mount lens from Tamron. An ultra wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD is set to hit the shelves of your favourite photography stores on December 12. Typically, such lenses, especially the APS-C kind, are known to have slower apertures around f4 or even variable aperture ranges. It’s really cool to see a constant f2.8 setting all throughout the zoom range. Of course, this is an RF mount extension of the compact and lightweight Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lenses currently available for Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts.
We can’t imagine this lens would be massively different, if at all, from the other mount versions we’ve reviewed in the past. In our Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Fujifilm X mount version review, we said:
“If you’re looking for a wide-angle lens that’s very affordable for the Fujifilm camera system, this is probably one of your best bets. It’s more affordable than the Fujifilm 10-24mm f4 R WR, which is around $1,000. The Tamron option is much more affordable.”
We gave it four out of five stars when we reviewed the Sony E mount version a few years ago:
“As a travel lens, the Tamron 11-20mm f2.8 delivers plenty of ultra-wide character, versatile close-up focusing capabilities, and durable weather sealing. It’s an excellent lens for Sony’s a6XXX series cameras because it tells a story with an ultra-wide view, blurred background, and the light gathering capabilities of an f2.8. I loved capturing wide landscapes, stars, and environmental portraits with this lens. The Tamron 11-20mm f2.8 has plenty of great character, ultra-wide versatility, and easy portability that will make plenty of Sony crop sensor shooters happy”
Is Canon Finally Understanding The Value of 3rd Party Lenses?
Are Canon seemingly late to the (3rd) party? I, for one, think so. It took them long enough, but at least now Canon seems to understand that opening up their RF mount to other manufacturers is a good idea. Whether this stems from their lack of manufacturing capability to produce more lens types and models or if they’ve taken Nikon’s route and accepted that Tamron is capable of producing good-quality lenses at a more affordable price point, I’d argue it’s a step in the right direction. It remains to be seen how many more lenses Tamron will bring out for them in the coming years, especially for the full-frame segment. Let’s also not forget that Canon has a cinema camera lineup and I know some cinematographers who’d have their radars tuned in to Tamron RF lens announcements now.
Images taken with the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens can be seen below. You can purchase this a couple of weeks before the Christmas holidays, for $699 USD.
All images seen in this article were supplied for usage by our Tamron reps using tha Tamron 11-20mm f2.8 lens.