Tamron has designed a compact 75mm f/1.4 prime – and I think there will be plenty of takers

A Tamron patent highlighting an autofocus (AF) 75mm f/1.4 prime lens for full-frame cameras came to light not too long ago – and the compact design combined with the low competition for this focal length has me thinking that, if the lens comes to fruition, it could do rather well.

Patent 2026-016892 was published in February on the Japan Patent Office platform and reveals a full-frame 75mm f/1.4 prime lens, with an optical design consisting of 8 elements arranged in 2 groups. This is a more refined approach to 75mm prime lenses, as you typically see primes covering this focal length made up of at least 10 optical elements.

While the patented Tamron lens would do well to become the smallest and most lightweight 75mm prime on the market (the Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE, which measures just 65x69mm and weighs a mere 8oz / 230g, currently wears this crown) the optical design paired with the suggested f/1.4 aperture would surely put it in market-leading position.

Bolstering this potential is Tamron’s strong reputation as a top-tier third-party lens manufacturer and the fact that only a select few 75mm prime lenses exist for full-frame cameras.

These factors in themselves work strongly in Tamron’s favor. But, if Tamron did manage to build the patented design in an even more compact way than the Samyang 75mm f/1.8, then surely there would be no doubt as to the lens’ success.

I could easily see this potential Tamron 75mm f/1.4 becoming a go-to piece of kit for portrait and street photographers wanting something a little different to the established 85mm, but this would be determined by the price. What do you think?

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