Tonight, Tamron announced a new 150-500mm f/5-6.7 ultra-telephoto lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. The lens marks Tamron’s first entry into ultra-telephotos for the Sony E-mount system.
Marketed as “compact enough for comfortable handheld shooting,” the lens features Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) and a VXD (Voie-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism.
At the wide end, the 150-500mm offers a minimum object distance of 23.6 inches, whereas at the telephoto end, it offers a minimum object distance of 70.9 inches.
Compact design
The 150-500mm is just 8.3 inches long. Even when extended to 500mm, the lens only reaches 11.1 inches long. The lens zooms from 150mm to 500mm by rotating the zoom ring through an arc of just 75 degrees — less than one-quarter of a turn. This enables rapid adjustment to the desired angle of view with minimal movement, avoiding missed opportunities and facilitating intuitive composition
High image quality
The optical construction features 25 elements in 16 groups. The generous and effective use of special lens elements including one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion), five LD (Low Dispersion) and two Hybrid Aspherical lens elements thoroughly controls aberrations including axial chromatic aberrations.
This 150-500mm is designed and constructed with strong emphasis on compact size and usability without compromising image quality, so users can enjoy exceptionally high resolving power across the entire image.
VXD motor that offers high speed, high precision and quietness
The 150-500mm features the same highly acclaimed VXD linear motor focus mechanism that was first introduced in the 70-180mm f/2.8. VXD delivers extreme high-speed and high-precision movement and ensures exceedingly responsive performance. Even when shooting at the ultra-telephoto end with a focal length of 500mm, the 150-500mm provides fast, comfortable and accurate focusing at all shooting distances, from near to far.
Focus tracking has been vastly improved to facilitate capturing fast-moving subjects like sports, birds and aircraft. This ensures that those dramatic, action-packed moments are never missed, whether shooting still photos or video. Additionally, the linear motor also reduces drive noise and vibrations produced during focusing (as compared to a conventional drive system), making it ideal for shooting both still photos and video in low-noise environments.
Vibration Compensation to match shooting conditions
The slim, compact 150-500mm F5-6.7 is equipped with Tamron’s VC mechanism. The lens features a VC mode selection switch with three settings (Mode 1: Standard, Mode 2: Exclusively for Panning and Mode 3: Framing Priority) so the ideal VC mode can be invoked to match shooting conditions. This functionality delivers excellent image stabilization performance, enabling efficient reduction of image blurring caused by camera shake.
Macro possibilities with focus as close as 23.6 inches
The 150-500mm offers excellent close-up shooting capabilities for an ultra-telephoto lens. The minimum is 23.6 inches at the 150mm end and 70.9 inches at the 500mm telephoto end. The maximum magnification ratio at 150mm is exceptionally high at 1:3.1.
Users can shoot powerful telephoto-macro images of subjects including flowers and insects while maintaining a reasonable shooting distance — closer than you can get with conventional ultra-telephoto zoom lenses.
Additional features
- Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount with strap attachment holes included
- Lens hood with flexible, protective front portion
- New switch design for improved operability
- FLEX zoom lock mechanism to support greater usability
- BBAR-G2 coating to minimize ghosting and flare
- Moisture resistant construction and fluorine coating for extra protection
- Compatible with camera-specific features like Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF
The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is slated to be available on June 10, 2021 at a retail price of $1399. For more information about the lens, visit Tamron’s website.
