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| Credit: Tamron |
Announced in August, Tamron’s unique 17-50mm F4 lens Di III VXD lens is almost ready for prime time. Tamron has announced more of this lens’s specs and says that it will be available starting October, 19, 2023 for a price of $699 for Sony E-mount cameras.
This is the first-ever 17-50mm lens for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras and it’s fairly compact at 114.4mm (4.5in) long and 460g (16.2oz). Moreover, since it’s an internal zoom design, the lens doesn’t get bigger as you zoom, keeping it compact.
The Tamron 17-50mm has a circular aperture with 9 blades, 15 elements in 13 groups, with three low dispersion elements and a glass molded aspherical element as well. Tamron says that the lens’s bokeh characteristics are “outstanding,” making it usable wide-open at F4 at all focal lengths.
TAMRON Announces World’s First[1] 17-50mm Wide-Angle Zoom Lens for Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras
17-50mm F/4 Di III VXD (Model A068)
Zooming from 17mm ultra wide-angle to 50mm standard, unique lens offers maximum versatility for still and video creators
September 20, 2023, Commack, New York–Tamron announces the launch of the 17-50mm F/4 Di III VXD (Model A068), a wide-angle zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. The lens will be available on October 19, 2023, at $699 USD / $949 CAD.
This groundbreaking lens zooms from 17mm ultra wide-angle to 50mm standard, the world’s first[1] with such a dynamic zoom range for full-frame mirrorless cameras. TAMRON’s new 17-50mm F4 for Sony mirrorless cameras is a wide-angle zoom with a constant F4 aperture covering ultra wide-angle to standard focal lengths, a zoom range ideal for both still photography and video recording. This lens achieves excellent optical performance across the entire zoom range, with crispness from edge-to-edge. The lens also incorporates VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism with superior quietness and agile performance and achieves high-speed and high-precision autofocus. Additionally, the physical length of the lens does not change while zooming. It’s the perfect lens for taking still photos and is also ideal for video shooting, in part since it’s easy to balance even when fitted to a gimbal stabilizer or other equipment. The excellent close-range shooting performance provides an MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 0.19m (7.5in) at the wide end and 0.3m (11.8in) at the tele end. This lets users get closer to the subject to capture one-of-a-kind photos in a broad range of situations. The ideal “walk around” lens, the new 17-50mm F4 zoom offers great portability and convenience and makes it possible to shoot a variety of content, both still images and video, from sweeping landscapes to snapshots, all without switching lenses.
[1] Among the zoom lenses for full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras (As of July 2023 — TAMRON)
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Zoom lens that covers ultra wide-angle to standard focal length at constant F4 aperture
No need to switch lenses— users can zoom from ultra wide-angle 17mm for dynamic expressions to snapshot photography at the 50mm standard focal length end, an angle of view close to that of human vision. What’s more, the wide-open aperture of F4 is consistent across the entire zoom range and thereby maintains constant exposure when zoomed in or out. Whether shooting still images or video, the new 17-50mm F4 has you covered.
2. High optical performance and image quality throughout the entire zoom range
With the expert arrangement of 15 lens elements in 13 groups, including three LD (Low Dispersion), a GM (Glass Molded Aspherical), and two hybrid aspherical lens elements. the new 17-50mm lens efficiently suppresses chromatic and other optical aberrations, ensuring clear capture of fine details from edge-to-edge in all images. The lens also delivers outstanding bokeh at the F4 wide open aperture, creating appealing shots in which subjects such as trees and flowers that color the seasons pop out against the background in natural landscape photography.
3. Compact for easy handling with internal zoom for superlative balance
The 17-50mm F4 weighs just 460g (16.2oz) and is only 114.4mm (4.5in) long, a form factor that is well-balanced on a Sony mirrorless camera body. The lens employs an internal zoom mechanism that keeps the lens barrel at its fixed length, so it’s easy to balance when framing still or video shots or when paired with a video rig or gimbal stabilizer. Additionally, the new zoom features Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating. The easy handling provided by its compact size makes it a great choice for active scenarios such as mountain climbing or other outdoor activities.
4. Fast and accurate AF for still and video shooting
The 17-50mm F4’s AF drive uses VXD linear motor focus mechanism to achieve class-leading high-speed and high-precision auto-focusing. With fast and accurate focusing of moving objects, plus excellent subject-tracking performance, users can readily shift into a fast-paced shooting rhythm. Thanks to the quiet operation during AF, the lens is superb when shooting still images or video for low noise shooting in silent settings.
5. Outstanding close-range shooting performance expands versatility
The MOD of the 17-50mm F4 are 0.19m (7.5in) at the wide end and 0.30m (11.8in) at the standard 50mm end. The working distance at 17mm is only about 5.7cm (2.3in), closer even than most non-zoom lenses. Users can freely get close to the subject and can enlarge the foreground against a blurred background, or comfortably focus without needing to change their shooting position even in places with limited space.
6. Additional features for greater convenience
7. Proprietary software tool TAMRON Lens Utility™ expands the possibilities of still imaging and video capture
8. User-friendly features (Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating)
9. 67mm filter size, same as most other TAMRON lenses for mirrorless cameras
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
