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News

Tamron 25-200mm G2 Nearly Doubles Its Close-Focus Power With One Update

Nilofer Khan

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Last updated on 07/30/2026

07/30/2026

2 Mins read

A black Sony camera with a Tamron lens rests on a padded green camera bag, strap attached.

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Last Updated on 07/30/2026 by Chris Gampat

Tamron has been one of the few brands that have invented some wonderful zoom lenses. The company has created all-in-one zooms that cover a broad focal range, at a relatively low price. In fact, some of their lenses work best with Sony and Nikon cameras, allowing photographers a chance to invest in third parties, without mulling over their performance. As part of their updates, Tamron has announced that the 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 G2 for Sony will receive a meaningful update, one that can help photographers get closer to subjects.

What’s Different

According to Tamron, the new firmware, Version 3, allows the lens’ maximum magnification ratio to improve. In other words, the ratio between 25-70mm is now at 1:2, which makes the lens a half macro. Then, at 35-50mm, Tamron states that the lens can reach a magnification of 1:1.7, which exceeds half-macro performance.

The improvement is impressive at the 50mm mark. Here is a look at Tamron’s comparison chart:

Firmware	Max. Magnification Ratio at 50mm
Ver. 2 or older	1:3.1
Ver. 3	1:1.7

That’s nearly double the magnification at the same focal length, on the same physical lens, achieved purely through a firmware update. One can update the lens through Tamron’s Lens Utility.

The Tamron 25-200mm is a standard lens, but it offers some pros, including a nice lens flare, lightweight, a good range, fast focusing even on older camera bodies and dreamy image quality. As we had added in our reviews:

But where the Tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 has a unique advantage is with autofocus. You see, Sony owns a part of Tamron. So, if you were to compare it to something another brand might have, the focusing difference is negligible. The same goes for even comparing it to Tamron’s older lenses.

How this helps photographers

Tamron lets people get better close-up shots without buying a new lens or a magnifying filter. Those who own the Tamron 25-200mm can now get closer to subjects for commercial or casual macro shots on their travels.
The company’s aim is to cater to travel photographers, and now, these people can use a small, compact lens with an additional capability. There is also improved close focusing at the wider end, which adds genuine half-macro capability to that same all-in-one package. Every day, photographers or those shooting events and parties will get a chance to explore more.
Those who like shooting food or nature can now get more details, thanks to half macro shots. This includes the texture or patterns on flowers, certain dishes, product photography of jewelry and more. All of this without cropping the images in post-production.

The Phoblographer will update its review of the 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 G2 soon, since now we have the 2x close-focusing distance. So, do keep an eye out on our website for an update soon.

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Photography Culture

This Image Isn’t AI. But I Wouldn’t Blame You if You Thought it Was

Chris Gampat

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Last updated on 07/27/2026

07/30/2026

3 Mins read

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In my 20 years of making photographs, I’ve realized something: people have always loved images with soft shadows and soft light. There have surely been instances and times where people loved hard shadows, hard light and direct flash. And now in the age of AI, AI is creating images that hold photography to the place once reserved for paintings. More specifically, it’s holding good photography to that standard.

A man in an immersed shirt stands outside holding a VR headset, with buildings visible in the background.

The lead image in this article isn’t AI. I shot and edited that image for our Sony a99 II review. Then I edited the image in Capture One. It had soft lighting and I purposely set the scene up to do that by adjusting the exposures in-camera and also probably with some post-production. In contrast, the photograph that’s part of an ad on the left is likely to be AI. Something about the shoulders, the arms, the hands, and even the lighting just seems really off. I don’t believe that everyone always goes out to find soft lighting and to make pictures that way.

AI is working to emulate a look that humanity has valued and loved for many years: the light, airy, shadowless look where everyone appears to be flattering. It’s rarely creating ugly imagery or something that really makes you feel something other than the fact that something may be off.

I wouldn’t blame you if you thought that some of the images above were made with AI. But they weren’t. I made them all in-camera and at times there was some post-production. What my images are lacking though is the manicure and fauxtoshop where things look too smooth.

I could go on and on about this. But if I did, then I’m sure that I’d feed some tech bro who would try to break humanity and mimic the processes that working photographers do. And why would I do that?

Another thing to consider is that rarely does AI make imagery that appears to emulate a film look. Can it do so? Sure. But the people who are selecting those images aren’t looking for that look. They’re instead aspiring to something that’s otherwise highly unobtainable unless they’re paying lots of money.

Does this all seem odd? Yes. And I believe that everyone should question commercial images that they see and others. Just the other day, I was looking at a food menu and saw lots of AI imagery that looked nothing like what the restaurant would actually make. None of it seemed believable and so I couldn’t in good faith go and buy anything from that restaurant.

AI has some good uses. I can say this very firmly as a high functioning blind man. But it shouldn’t replace humanity; though that’s how people are using it. People essentially need to learn ethics — if they don’t want themselves to be replaced, then they shouldn’t use tools that replace others unless they’ve specifically learned those trades that the person being replaced could do.

Process those words for a while. At the same time, know that this entire article was written by a human.

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Features

Burned by Echolens? Consider These Instead

Chris Gampat

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Last updated on 07/29/2026

07/30/2026

3 Mins read

A collection of various vintage and retro-style cameras arranged on a table.

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Recently, a reader reached out to tell me that after I removed our Editor’s Choice award from the Echolens review and called the company out for some serious problems, the brand took their website down. And for the moment, consumers may be safe. There’s a chance, however, that you still want a camera. Lucky for you, I’ve overseen the work here at the Phoblographer where the staff and I have tested loads of modern compact cameras. Here are some of the staff’s favorites.

Before I wrote this roundup, know that I got on the phone with Reviews Editor Alberto Lima to check on the Manual NYC Holo camera he reviewed. He couldn’t even remember it; and that told me everything that I needed to know.

We both agreed that many of the modern compact cameras are essentially the same thing but with different shells. There’s a bit more than that though. So with this in mind, I’m going to discuss what makes each camera different.

Table of Contents

Flashback 35 V2: The Best Digicam Style Cam for Serious Photographers

A hand holding a black and orange Flashback camera, with an aloe vera plant in the background by a window.

By all means the Flashback 35 V2 has become my top choice for compact cameras. This little ode the a digicam shoots RAW and has the full experience of a disposable camera. That means that you need to wind the camera up before it can shoot. Plus, it has a real flash and doesn’t have any shutter lag issues the way that the Echolens does. Yes, it’s a real flash, not just an LED lamp.

Most importantly, they’ve offered more and more image filters as time has gone on and they’ve been able to fix issues around shooting in RAW.

Here are some sample images that we shot for you to feast on.

A man plays an arcade punching game, with plush toys displayed on shelves in the background.

Empty industrial room with large windows and exposed ceiling beams, in green monochrome pixel art style.

Three women smile and walk on a busy city street near a bus and a church on a cloudy day.

A cobblestone path runs beside a metal fence with bare trees and a person with a backpack visible in the background.

Colorful dragon and lantern decorations hang from a glass ceiling in a shopping mall.

Chuzhao TLR Camera: The Most Charming Camera on This List

A vintage Chuzhao twin-lens camera sits on a dark wooden table in a cozy, sunlit room. — CHUZHAO Vintage Mini Digital camera product image

The Chuzhao TLR style camera is one of the weirdest but coolest cameras that I’ve used. Once you memorize how it works and the button functionality though, you’ll really be in love with it. Most importantly, people around you will also fall in love with how small, adorable, and stylish it is.

At its core, it’s a color and black and white camera with little else besides the shell and how you interact with it.

Here are some sample images that we shot for you to feast on.

Man in glasses, cap, and backpack standing indoors in front of wood panel wall and framed photo.

A person in an orange jacket with a Leica M6 camera hanging from their shoulder.

Tree-lined sidewalk with a person walking, cars parked on the right, and a brick building ahead.

Black and white photo of a tree by a street, with sunlight streaming through the branches and people walking.

A red newspaper vending box labeled GRATIS stands against a blue wall on a sidewalk.

Yashica Funtastic: If You Must Take Selfies

An orange Game Boy with Pokémon on screen and a small orange Hello Kitty camera on a dark fabric background. — Yashica Funtastic Hello Kitty Edition

The Yashica Funtastic improves on what the Kodak Charmera is with a screen that flips up. That, and they chose a completely different fashion niche to go after. Both of these cameras more or less function the same way and shoot the same styles of images otherwise. But if you’re the type who wants to shoot a lot of selfies, you’ll prefer the Funtastic if you want a preview of the image to look at. Otherwise, you can shoot them the way we did back in the days before 2009 — by extending your arm out and hoping that you got the shot.

Here are some sample images that we shot for you to feast on.

Smiling person with straight, dark hair, standing indoors in front of green leafy plants. Date: 2026/06/03.

A television displays a close-up of a clownfish underwater above posters and a framed picture on a wall.

Two men smiling indoors near a door, with hats on the wall and sunlight coming through the entrance.

A pair of sneakers hanging by their laces from overhead power lines against a clear blue sky.

Camp Snap 2

A Camp Snap camera rests on a black and white graphic t-shirt and a brown jacket. — Camp Snap 2 product image

You’d probably be wondering why I chose the Camp Snap 2 over the Camp Snap Pro. In my review, I noted that the 2 basically does everything that the Pro does without the dedicated dial and a more conventional lens filter size. This is more of a hackers camera then anything. The community has tons and tons of filters available that you can upload to the camera and make into a part of it. Once you figure out the ones you like, you’ll be just fine. Note that it also has an LED flash similar to your phone. Additionally, it serves a different aesthetic than the Pro.

Otherwise, it’s hard to tell the difference between images from this camera and the others. But the whole thing is the experience. There’s a cadre of folks who are bound to love this over the others.

Here are some sample images that we shot for you to feast on.

An older man with a long white beard wearing a Jets shirt stands on a city street corner near a red brick building.

Older man in a hat leans against a pole on a city street corner, arms crossed and eyes closed.

People standing outside in sunlight, talking; one person wears an orange shirt and sunglasses.

Two men stand outside a brick building; one looks surprised, the other holds a phone and looks at the camera.

A man in a white shirt sits at a table, smiling with one eye closed, in front of a brick wall.

Get rid of the ads!

An ad-free experience
A free mystery box for Lightroom or Capture One
All the books in our store
20% discount on Capture One
30% discount on Imalume Photo Theft Protection
20% off Herbs and Kettle Tea Company.
20% off your order from MPIX printing services.
5% off Viltrox Products via their eCommerce store.
10% off all film developing, printing and scanning services from Blue Moon Camera and Machine
15% off 7Artisans products: The lens and accessory maker is offering a sweet discount for Phoblographer's readers.