TAMRON 70-180mm F2.8 (Model A056) for Sony E-mount x extreme sports by Noriyuki Watabe

The thing that really surprised me when I first tried using Tamron’s 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056) was how light it is. Once I start shooting, I often find myself holding my equipment all day long, but because the 70-180mm F/2.8 is so compact and lightweight, it is very easy to handle, and I hardly felt tired at all when I was using it. Until now, mainstream telephoto lenses have always been large and heavy, and with regard to this point the 70-180mm F/2.8 was very easy to use. I often shoot extreme sports, and in many cases I have to chase after wildly moving subjects myself, with my equipment in hand. For this reason, I place importance on ease of handling. With the 70-180mm F/2.8, I was able to handle the camera and lens easily even during shooting over extended periods, so it was very good in this respect.

Another thing that surprised me was the AF performance. It is very fast and precise, and it enabled me to shoot moving subjects with confidence. I also tried out the various AF modes, including the “continuous” and “single” modes with various focusing patterns. In whichever mode I choose, I was able to shoot the way I aimed to, and this felt very consistent and reassuring. I really recommend this lens for photographers who often shoot moving subjects.

The feel of the lens during operation is another significant concern for photographers, perhaps even more than you might think. Both the focusing ring and the zoom ring of the lens worked smoothly, enabling me to concentrate on shooting, and I didn’t feel any unnecessary stress while using it.

During my shooting this time, I also had to handle quite a few backlit scenes. The 70-180mm F/2.8 enabled me to shoot cleanly without picking up unnecessary light, and I could really feel that the lens coating was effective.

The 70-180mm F/2.8 is a very easy-to-use lens, so I would definitely like E-mount users to make use of it. You can approach to a MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 0.85m (33.5 in) in AF shooting, but the lens also has the interesting feature that when set to manual focus mode. You can approach closer, to a distance of 0.27m (10.6 in) (at the 70mm setting). I felt that this option of being able to move in closer when shooting would be a useful feature when composing shots. Since it enables you to shoot images that are unlike telephoto zoom lenses, I would recommend photographers to try using it.