Tamron’s three-coil system
Released in 2007, the AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical [IF] MACRO (Model A20), which has an independently developed Vibration Compensation (VC) image stabilization mechanism, is a tangible result of efforts toward the in-house production of actuators. Generally, the in-lens image stabilization mechanism has two axes: yaw and pitch. Tamron independently developed a three-axis control structure with three driving coils and three sliding ball bearings. This simple yet sophisticated structure supports not only the rolling frictions of the balls, but also the compensation lens. It was highly revolutionary, featuring enhanced responsivity and many other advantages.
VC units developed for individual products
No matter how good a product is, if it is not practical, its applications will be limited. There is an anecdote according to which when Tamron envisioned developing a high magnification lens, its target size was equivalent to the space taken up by one revolution of a pack of cigarettes. This suggests that products that are beloved by users achieve a compact size and low weight in addition to high performance and high image quality. Released in 2010, the 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD (Model B008) incorporated a modified or massively downsized VC mechanism and the Piezo Drive (PZD)*1 to achieve the world’s smallest size and lowest weight among 15x high magnification lenses.
*1 Piezo Drive (PZD): A standing wave type ultrasonic motor independently developed by Tamron. High frequency voltage is applied to piezoelectric ceramics elements to induce expansion, contraction and bending. The oval movement of a metal chip attached to the tip of the element turns the rotor of the rotation shaft and drives the focus lens. The PZD generates low noise and has the ability to focus rapidly.
Dual MPU
The higher the performance sought, the more inseparable are the hardware and the software. In 2009, Tamron began undertaking the internal production of software for controlling the VC mechanism and the auto-focusing mechanism. Adopting a dual MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) control system additionally equipped with an MPU exclusively for image stabilization processing, the SP 150-600 mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) released in 2016 produces a 4.5-stop*2 image stabilization effect, and the SP 24-70 mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032) released in 2017 produces a 5-stop*2 image stabilization effect, which is the highest*3 among the models in this range. It is a result of our continued efforts to advance the hardware and enhance the optimization of the software control algorithm.
*2 CIPA Standard Compliant. For Canon: EOS-7DMKIII is used. For Nikon: D810 is used
*3 Among 24-70mm F/2.8 interchangeable lenses for DSLR cameras (as of March 2018; Source: Tamron)
