How does the first third-party standard zoom for Sony full frame mirrorless cameras shape up? Michael Topham had the privilege to test the first working sample in the UK

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD review: Introduction

It was only a matter of time before the demand and popularity of Sony’s A7-series started to have an influence on the new lenses made by third-party manufacturers. At the beginning of the year, alongside Sigma’s news of making seven fixed focal length Art lenses available in Sony E-mount, Tamron released the first third-party standard zoom for Sony’s range of full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The arrival of the new Tarmron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is significant. Not only does it give Sony A7-series users an alternative standard zoom to choose from, it marks the first in a new series of Tamron lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Sony A7-series users have had four standard zoom lenses available to them until recently, excluding others that can be mounted via adapters like Sigma’s MC-11 mount converter. There’s the basic Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS, the popular FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Vario-Tessar Carl Zeiss T* (£749) and the sensational Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS (£1199), all of which benefit from optical steady shot (OSS).

We must not forget the ludicrously impressive Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master (£1849) either, but this is a premium optic that fetches a very high price.

Tarmron’s 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD doesn’t allow you to shoot as wide as three of the lenses mentioned above, still it has plenty going for it. If you’ve bought into the A7-series and are after a fast, yet affordable standard zoom, this could be the ideal lens for you.