Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD review

Excellent travel credentials and all-round performance: the Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD is one super superzoom

Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD
(Image: © Future)

Digital Camera World Verdict

There are several own-brand 18-135mm or 18-140mm superzoom lenses for APS-C format cameras on the market, from a variety of camera manufacturers. With an ‘effective’ zoom range of around 28-200mm in full-frame terms, they tend to be fairly compact, lightweight and cover a useful range of focal lengths, making them ideal for travel and walkabout photography. Tamron brings the same formula to this full-frame compatible superzoom for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It wraps up a high-performance optical design and a fast autofocus system into a robust, weather-resistant package. This is a great travel lens at a very attractive price.

Pros

  • +

    Compact and lightweight

  • +

    Relatively fast aperture rating

  • +

    Impressive image quality for a superzoom lens

Cons

  • -

    No optical image stabilization

  • -

    Comparatively limited wide-angle potential

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The Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD is a superzoom lens for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It aims to give compact, lightweight and travel-friendly build, while also being capable of delivering seriously high-end image quality and all-round performance.

However, such aims aren't easy to achieve. Superzoom lenses are notoriously good and bad. On the plus side, they give you a mighty zoom range, stretching from generous wide-angle coverage to powerful telephoto reach, avoiding the need to swap the lens on your camera. The downside is that outright image quality tends to be compromised, especially in terms of irregular barrel distortion at short zoom settings, which is hard to correct, and poor sharpness at the long end.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.