Today I’m reviewing the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 VXD G2 lens.
This lens is an upgrade from the original version, which I found to be a compact, lightweight, and sharp lens despite some flaws in flare characteristics and bokeh.
Great Features of Tamron 28-75mm lens
Build Quality and Design
The new G2 lens has an improved focusing motor and optical design, boasting an even lighter weight (around 540 grams) and maintaining its compactness.
It continues to have a plastic construction, with the addition of weather sealing and a rubber seal around the mount.
However, the focus ring seems slightly better in the newer version.
Autofocus Performance
The new Tamron 28-75mm VXD G2 boasts a faster-focusing motor system, replacing the stepping motor of the original version.
The new motor is silent and quick, ideal for wildlife or street photography.
Unfortunately, despite the many upgrades, the lens still has issues with reflections and loss of contrast when shooting toward the sun.
Bokeh and Focus Breathing
The original 28-75mm lens had a harsh soap bubble effect in its bokeh.
This has been considerably tamed in the new version, with a smoother and less distracting effect.
The new lens also handles focus breathing quite well, especially useful for video focus pulls.
However, the lack of a manual focus switch on the side of the lens was a minor inconvenience.
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Optical Performance
As for the chromatic aberration, the lens handles it quite well with minimal color fringing in the foreground and background autofocus areas.
Sunstars remain the same as the first lens – average and nothing particularly interesting.
In terms of sharpness, the new Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 VXD G2 lens performs very similarly to the older version in the center but shows significant improvements in the corners.
It delivers better overall image quality and corner sharpness. The only aspect that hasn’t improved is the control of flare, leading to distracting reflections and ghosting.
Conclusion
This lens is particularly ideal for Sony E-mount full-frame camera users.
Those who prioritize the quality of bokeh might prefer the Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art over the new Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 VXD G2, as long as they can handle a slightly heavier lens with slower autofocus.
Although the Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art lens offers great optical performance, the new Tamron lens stands out for its speed and compactness.
Konnichiwa! (Hello!) I'm Pat Tokuyama, a Japanese tofu cookbook author, who travels for music, food, and adventure. If you like Japanese tea, checkout some of the newestorganic japanese tea, matcha bowls and noren and more!
** Curious about the Plant Based Japanese Cooking Club? ** Learn more here!