Last Updated on 11/27/2024 by Chris Gampat
If you’re like me, you like to shoot prime lenses. Seriously, there’s something so beautiful about not having to worry about a variety of focal lengths. However, I also acknowledge how useful zoom lenses are. And these days, I think that we’re seeing some of the best zoom lenses ever made. These lenses are sharp, durable, lightweight, focus quickly, and give us all the utility we really need. So if we had to choose one zoom lens to do everything we needed, we’d select one of these.
This article is presented in partnership with Tamron.
Table of Contents
Why You Should Trust Us
The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:
- AI Can’t Do This Job: These days, other publications do roundups, sometimes using generative AI. That’s the same as a person researching products and then making a decision without actually trying it. All of our reviews and guides are written not just by humans but by working photographers — not AI. Computers don’t use cameras, so why would you trust AI to recommend cameras for you?
- Research and Practical Experience: Here at the Phoblographer, humans consult on what roundups to do with guidance from an editor. Then, a human goes through our database of reviews and selects the best products based on our own internal research. The human creating the roundup has practical experience with photography gear and will apply their knowledge of what’s best to the already human-based experience provided in our reviews.
- We Block AI Bots: The Phoblographer blocks indexing bots from reading our site, so what’s here can only be read here.
How We Test and Choose the Best Zoom Lenses That Can Do Everything a Photographer Needs
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
Our Choice for The Best Zoom Lens That Can Do Everything a Photographer Needs: Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
We’re declaring that our favorite lens on this list is the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD. That’s because it goes from a semi-wide angle to a telephoto focal length while giving photographers fast apertures to work with. It starts out at f2 and then ends at f2.8. In many ways, it can replace both your 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm lens that you’ve already got.
This lens is one of the most innovative of the past decade. It incorporates a USB-C port that lets you update the firmware and customizes functions easily. Plus it’s a unique focal length with an aperture range that’s very useful to photographers. Additionally, it boasts weather resistance, workable weight, fast autofocus, and beautiful image quality. It’s our go-to lens for working on projects and gigs. Overall, it provides us with versatility that’s otherwise really hard to get.
This is one of the best zoom lenses that can do everything a photographer needs if you’re shooting events, people, or most commercial work.
Tech Specs
These specs are borrowed from the Lensrentals listing
| Angle of View | Diagonal 63° 26’- 16° 25’ (for full-frame mirrorless format) |
| Aperture Blades | 9, Rounded |
| Aspherical Elements | 3 |
| Autofocus | Autofocus |
| Brand | Tamron |
| Compatibility | Full Frame |
| Filter Size | 82.0mm |
| Focal Length | 35.0-150.0 |
| Groups/Elements | 15/21 |
| Hood Included | Yes |
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Item Type | Lens |
| Length | 6.2″ (Sony)/ 6.3″ (Nikon) |
| Lens Type | Telephoto |
| Low Dispersion Elements | 4 |
| Max Aperture | 2.0 |
| Maximum Magnification | 1:5.7 (Wide) / 1:5.9 (Tele) |
| Mfr. Model Number | A058 |
| Minimum Aperture | 22.0 |
| Minimum Object Distance (M.O.D.) | 13″ (0.33m) (Wide) / 33.5″ (0.85m) (Tele) |
| Mount | Sony E / Nikon Z |
| Weight | 1,165g/41.1oz (Sony) / 1,190g/42oz (Nikon) |
What We Think
In our review, we state:
“The first time Tamron’s colors really hit me was when they came out with their 35mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 for DSLR cameras. The colors from the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD hit me pretty much as hard, but the colors here are a bit more muted. I adore that. And it’s also so much more important for anyone shooting portraits.”
A Look at Several Other Incredible Zoom Lenses that Can Do Everything You Need
Just because we chose a favorite doesn’t mean that the others aren’t great too. Here are a bunch of other lenses that we really like along with our recommendations for different photographers.
Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2: For Portraiture
We used this lens for portraits mostly, and we really liked the vivid results it gave us. Extra points for the swirly bokeh at times!
- It’s only around $1,200 after $100 Instant Savings (thru Jan. 5, 2024)
- Good image quality, if not a little too sterline
- Equipped with Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation mechanism
- Far better autofocus than anything we’ve ever tested from Sigma
- Moisture resistance
- Easy to update the firmware when needed and customize functions via Tamron Lens Utility software
- Lightest in its class among F2.8 telephoto zoom lenses
- Swirly bokeh is a big plus
In our review, we state:
What I really like about the Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 G2 is how it renders skin tones across the board. I’m not sure what kind of magic is happening here, but colors otherwise are also fairly saturated where they need to be too.
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD: For Birding and Wildlife
We truly don’t need to say much about one of the objectively best birding lenses around, do we?
- Smaller than competing lenses
- Handheld telephoto shooting
- Versatile zoom range, with close-up ability of 23.6” at 150mm
- Great color and background separation
- Reasonable price
- Weather-sealing
- Fantastic for Fujifilm X mount
- An excellent option for the Nikon Z mount and Sony E-mount
In our review, we state:
“The Nikon Z mount has been working very closely with Tamron recently. In the case of the Tamron 150-500mm lens, it’s now available for the system. This lens has some of Tamron’s highest-end technology inside of it — like the autofocus motors and the optics. For what it’s worth, it performs admirably on the Nikon z9.“
Tamron 18-300mm f3.5-6.3 Di III-A2 VC VXD: For Travel Photography
One of the best vacation lenses that Tamron makes for the Fujifilm X mount and Sony E mount is this one.
- Incredibly versatile
- Lightweight
- 1:2 close-up shooting
- $699
- Good sharpness
- Weather-sealed
In our review, we state:
The Tamron 18-300mm f3.5-6.3 Di III is the first APS-C lens with a 16.6x zoom ratio. It covers the 18mm of most kit lenses, but, instead of stopping at 55mm, heads all the way up to 300mm. 300mm is a popular telephoto length for more affordable zooms. Putting all of that in a single lens is pretty exciting for photographers who want to carry as little as possible.
Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2: For General Shoots
If you’re shooting a ton of different genres, this lens will help you do it affordably and effectively. Better yet, your images will look great too!
- Beautiful image quality
- Works with Sony’s autofocus algorithms
- Weather sealing
- Integrated USB port
- Lightweight
- Feels great in the hands
- Works very well on older Sony cameras if you’re on the appropriate autofocusing type
- Can do pretty well in continuous autofocus
- It’s only $879
In our review, we state:
“The autofocus on the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 is very good. The only time I had any sort of trouble was with tracking a cat moving closer to the camera. (Specifically this was on the Sony a7r III; with the Sony a1 it was a bit better.) And for what it’s worth, I don’t think anyone would buy this lens with the intention of photographing their pets moving closer. You should also know that Sony owns part of Tamron, so the autofocus is bound to be fantastic!”
Using This Guide to the Best Zoom Lenses That Can Do Everything a Photographer Needs
If you’re considering purchasing anything from this list of the Best Zoom Lenses that can do everything a photographer Needs know the following:
- This is a sponsored roundup, but any professional will tell you that Tamron makes the best lightweight zoom lenses for pros and semi-pros. The image quality, autofocus performance, price, and overall quality are unparalleled.
- This roundup is targeting photographers who don’t want to spend a lot of money when shooting but want great image quality and performance.
- Originally, these lenses were available only for the Sony E mount. But that has since expanded to Nikon Z for a few key gems in this list as well as Fujifilm X mount. Perhaps more mounts will be covered in the future.
- Tamron is partially owned by Sony, so the autofocus performance is typically better with them than with other third-party options. However, it’s also very good on Nikon and Fujifilm from what we’ve tested.
- Did you know that Nikon rebadges many of Tamron’s own lenses after making some external updates to them. But if you’re looking to save money, get the available Tamron lens.
- Our Editor in Chief owns three Tamron lenses for the Sony E mount. In fact, they’re the only zoom lenses he owns, and he’s famous for never wanting to use zooms.
- All of these lenses offer some of the best weather resistance on the market.
- As time has passed, we’ve found that these lenses get better with age. With newer camera sensors, we’re finding little tidbits of character come out that we’re really enjoying. As it is, we’re artists first and not technical at all.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.