Tamron has a new firmware update for the 28-200mm since I've filmed this review that further improved autofocus tracking. www.tamron.com/global/consumer/support/download/firmware/a071/sony_e/
I was assigned the 28-200 for the Tamron Magazine publication as a wee bit of homework from our friends at corporate :) I took it to the Railroad Museum in Golden, CO, honestly ready to be un-wowed by yet another all-in-one lens. I learned my lesson 😅 I do work for the company that invented the superzoom lens after all. I don't question, any more: The 28-200 is one of the lenses I recommend to any photographer, regardless of expertise. It is the go-to travel lens for the Sony system, hands down. And I'm also pleased to report that it works a treat on the Nikon Z system when using the Megadap ETZ21. Really glad you still approve, Dustin! Thanks for all your hard work. You remain arguably the best reviewer on YT.
I use the lens with my A7C - a really compact and powerful travel combo. I had it first with the A7RIII but then I sold that camera and for the Z7 and just for this lens I also got the Megadep ETZ21 adapter, but it wasn't working all that well for me. It works fine some times, but then in some situation it would just hunt and I would miss shots or it would take some time to make shots. I just upgraded to the latest ETZ21 firmware and is not much better - maybe it got even worse from the initial testing (I guess Megadep optimized performance for new Z bodies - not the old Z7).
@@Dave_Andre an excellent question and one I've no answer to! Honestly the 28-200 has no natural predator, at the moment... With the latest V4.0 firmware update, it's even more relevant to the newest camera bodies. I personally don't see the need to replace it, myself.
Because of your review from 3 years ago, I finally bought this lens last year before going to Patagonia and it is my all around lens for hiking, backpacking and general traveling. It's so versatile along with a Sony 20mm f1.8. I've always found the general 24-70 zoom way too short on the long end and changing lenses can be a pain most of the time. Thanks for doing this updated review as I am looking at higher megapixel cameras next year (I have an A74).
After watching your original review I sold my original Sony 24-105 F4 for my A7R3. No regrets as its a great travel lens and just as sharp. Great for travel and hiking. I usually have my 17-28 Tamron in the bag for the wide end. A great pairing and the common filter size is excellent too.
Great video, Dustin! Love that lens, too. Bought it mostly for hiking. Paired with the 16-28 f2.8 from Sigma and the Sony A7 C it makes the perfect addition to a nice, compact set up for the outdoors. 👌
Thank you Dustin. As usual your insights and real-life examples are very telling and much appreciated. I had the lens on loan for a few weeks. I would say it is stronger on the wide end but perfectly acceptable on the longer focal lengths. This lens, paired with the 17-28 is a fantastic light package for travel and possible assignment work.
I travel for a living and this is always with me. Composition is seamless with a range this big. Plus it’s lightweight and like you said, punches above its class optically.
Great new review of an "old" lenses that many times get forgotten! It was already in my radar, was a bit acared how it would hold on along the years, but looks quite good. AF seems very good and resolution more than enough. And the rendering and colours is what i like the most! It just has a great feel and look to it! Great job and thanks for that very good real world review
Very true, it is an acceptable do all lens. The photographer renting my studio for the last two days had this lens on a Sony A7RIII. For ecommerce, it did the job at f8, never missed focus, and was light enough for hand holding.
Very nice update, Dustin. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Hopefully, you had fun on your trip. I had this lens and sold it earlier this year and tried some other offerings that cover this space. I’m thinking of buying this one again, as it’s hard to beat for its size and price.
It's funny, but I've heard something similar from a lot of people. They bought the lens, sold it, and then regretted it and often ended up buying it again.
The Tamron 17-50 and this would complement each other so well as a travel landscape duo. Versatile to minimize lens changes, light, and has everything from 17-200 covered.
Great review! One huge issue though.. This video is maxed at 720P. So we cannot see any of the arguments you make due to the low resolution of your video. These kind of videos have to be at least 4K for the viewers to see the actual sharpness.
I had been in the point of selling mine due to the auto focus until I discovered the software upgrade. Now it’s spot on. Would’ve been nice if Tamron had let me know earlier.
Thanks for the firmware tip. This is an amazing travel lens the size of the 28-75 f2.8 that's compact enough for air travel when you may want a one lens solution. Or two with the accompanying 17-28 f2.8.
720p? I'm thinking something went a little haywire either with the export or upload. Any chance you can link to the 4K video stored somewhere in the cloud in description? With 61MP, it's important to see all the detail which we can't see at 720p. Thx!
That’s true, and I didn’t know until someone pointed it out. No problem, I thought, I’ll upload a new version. Unfortunately I shot this several months ago and no longer have the raw footage to re-edit.
Great updated info. I wonder if DXO lens correction would fix the corner issues. The 28-200 is about half the weight of the 35-150 plus you get wider angle and longer reach. Although you loose 1.5 stops at the tele end.
Thank you Dustin for doing this great long term follow up review of the Tamron 28-200 (especially with respect to the higher MP cameras) and for the heads up about the new firmware! I really appreciate your excellent reviews and insights as so many in the photography community! I wonder if Tamron were to “refresh” and come out with a G2 version of this lens in the future, what might be on your update wishlist? …VC, focus hold, additional weight/size reduction?
The typical upgrades will be more features, a slightly nicer build, and - possibly - VC. I don’t find I miss VC all that much on it, as Sony’s bodies have gotten better with IBIS at longer focal lengths.
I don't think Tamron needs to do anything with current design, it's already pretty good and inexpensive. Adding any bells to it would just increase its price and reduce demand. I think sooner or later Tamron will come up with 28-300mm superzoom, perhaps f2.8-6.3.
I just wish it has VC as it can be helpful for getting lower shutter speed and lower ISO when it's getting dark. Even the APS-C Tamron 18-300 has VC and it helps a lot.
When I switched from canon and got my A7iv the first thing I wanted was a super zoom type lens and your review convinced me on this one. For what it does, costs, and weighs, I feel like every photographer out there who wants to enjoy a trip should slap this on their camera and go. It’s a FANTASTIC LENS, i have mine paired with a 20 1.8 and 35 1.8 for indoor stuff. Likely I’ll get the 35gm, but if I do, 20 1.8 will have to work alone with this for travel, I doubt I’ll lug the gm35 with me. Of course the the 30-150 may be calling me for my home town (London) stuff! @dustin did you ever compare the 35gm (new) with the 1.8? It’s a lot of portability and cash to part with! I am still holding the rx-1 because the it is so good! Keep up the great work, it’s nice to see a revisit and very long term review.
Here is a thing not everybody knows. If you use DXO software and it has a particular lens profile then it can do such a great job sharpening that even not so sharp lenses look spectacularly sharp.
The biggest challenge for someone like me who uses a huge variety of gear is that I don't want to have to go to a different piece of software for every brand or lens.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Totally understandable. I didn't divorce Lightroom myself, was using it for years. But I've got DXO PR to process raw files in a batch and then edit DNGs in Lightroom. DXO has extensive and very precise camera and lens profiles and it does raw conversion a lot better than LR reducing noise and doing sharpening. So that extra step is well worth the efforts.
Thank you for the review. Lovely images and great down to earth over view. For someone about to get into the Sony system, how much extra IQ would I gain buying the 20-70mm F4 and 70-200mm F4 ii lenses over this?
That combo is definitely sharper (particularly the 70-200), but obviously you are going to pay a LOT more. If you are looking for absolutely image quality, then go with the Sony combo, but if you are on a budget or want convenience, this lens is obviously a very solid performer.
Nice review...I sold my 24-240 and mis this focal range, the Sony has OSS the Tamron has not... is that a isue on the 200mm focal lenght? I shoot with the A9... thanks
I have this lens and the A9 (and A1), I'd say you are more likely to compensate for subject movement than for lack of OSS. At 1/200 or more it's fine I'd say. Highly recommended!
Frankly I haven’t noticed the lack of OS much on the lens as Sony’s IBIS has gotten better and better. A9 wasn’t as good as recent bodies, but I think you’ll do fine.
I had 24-240 and couldn't get over poor image quality. When I got Tamron I liked it immediately. And the fact that it holds f2.8-4 upto 70mm makes it usable even indoors.
I travel and almost everything else I do with mine, on an A7Riv. I don't really do "events," portraits, indoor sports, or the like where I might want f2.8 or faster farther out in its focal length range. It's a big advantage to not need the size and weight of a 70-200 or similar lens and it's pretty much the same size or smaller than the 24-70 or 28-75 2.8s and gets me reach for details, long shots, too. I do think there are "destinations" where the 17-50 or 20-70 in hand - with this in the bag might be a better set up than 28-200 in hand and a wide in the bag. Now, if a new generation came along pared down some, it would be fantastic on an A7RC.
I missed a setting during output, and, because it was a good month before I released the video, by the time I discovered it, my original files to do a fresh render from had been deleted.
Yes, that was a mistake on my part. The rendering output setting was wrong, and then I didn't have the original files to re-render because I discovered it weeks later.
Dustin produces the BEST camera/lens reviews on the internet, hands down. Maybe a better comment to him would be 'thanks for all the hard work in your reviews'
@@DustinAbbottTWI somewhat related to this video, but I ordered the A7CII and this lens. What an amazing combo. Having been a Fuji user, I find the raw images from Sony to be unpleasant and tough to get them to my style. What’s your thoughts on this and do you have a video with any tips?
Tamron has a new firmware update for the 28-200mm since I've filmed this review that further improved autofocus tracking. www.tamron.com/global/consumer/support/download/firmware/a071/sony_e/
Done thanks, great review, I wouldn't have checked. I traded my 70-180 f2.8 for this lens. Travel is priority and this will be fantastic on the a7cr.
I was assigned the 28-200 for the Tamron Magazine publication as a wee bit of homework from our friends at corporate :) I took it to the Railroad Museum in Golden, CO, honestly ready to be un-wowed by yet another all-in-one lens. I learned my lesson 😅 I do work for the company that invented the superzoom lens after all. I don't question, any more: The 28-200 is one of the lenses I recommend to any photographer, regardless of expertise. It is the go-to travel lens for the Sony system, hands down. And I'm also pleased to report that it works a treat on the Nikon Z system when using the Megadap ETZ21. Really glad you still approve, Dustin! Thanks for all your hard work. You remain arguably the best reviewer on YT.
I use the lens with my A7C - a really compact and powerful travel combo. I had it first with the A7RIII but then I sold that camera and for the Z7 and just for this lens I also got the Megadep ETZ21 adapter, but it wasn't working all that well for me. It works fine some times, but then in some situation it would just hunt and I would miss shots or it would take some time to make shots. I just upgraded to the latest ETZ21 firmware and is not much better - maybe it got even worse from the initial testing (I guess Megadep optimized performance for new Z bodies - not the old Z7).
It definitely exceeds my expectations for a lens like this.
@setaside2 you think there are any chance tamron might release a G2 version of this lens anytime soon?
@@Dave_Andre an excellent question and one I've no answer to! Honestly the 28-200 has no natural predator, at the moment... With the latest V4.0 firmware update, it's even more relevant to the newest camera bodies. I personally don't see the need to replace it, myself.
@@setaside2 I see. Thank you for your input.
Because of your review from 3 years ago, I finally bought this lens last year before going to Patagonia and it is my all around lens for hiking, backpacking and general traveling. It's so versatile along with a Sony 20mm f1.8. I've always found the general 24-70 zoom way too short on the long end and changing lenses can be a pain most of the time. Thanks for doing this updated review as I am looking at higher megapixel cameras next year (I have an A74).
Glad that my reviews have helped.
This is the video I've needed before deciding to upgrade from A7R III to A7CR. Thanks a lot Dustin.
My pleasure!
Love this lens for travel landscape photography. Can’t beat the versatility for the size.
For sure - that kind of zoom gives you a lot of framing options.
After watching your original review I sold my original Sony 24-105 F4 for my A7R3. No regrets as its a great travel lens and just as sharp. Great for travel and hiking. I usually have my 17-28 Tamron in the bag for the wide end. A great pairing and the common filter size is excellent too.
That’s great feedback.
Great video, Dustin! Love that lens, too. Bought it mostly for hiking. Paired with the 16-28 f2.8 from Sigma and the Sony A7 C it makes the perfect addition to a nice, compact set up for the outdoors. 👌
Definitely a great hiking option.
The 17-28 and 28-200 are my two main lenses for my A7Riii - an infrared converted camera. Makes for a nice IR kit.
Nice!
Thank you Dustin. As usual your insights and real-life examples are very telling and much appreciated. I had the lens on loan for a few weeks. I would say it is stronger on the wide end but perfectly acceptable on the longer focal lengths. This lens, paired with the 17-28 is a fantastic light package for travel and possible assignment work.
That’s a fair assessment.
I travel for a living and this is always with me. Composition is seamless with a range this big. Plus it’s lightweight and like you said, punches above its class optically.
That’s fair.
I just got my new second Tamron 28-200 from amazon. I sold older, but till now I was missing it very much.
It’s a very useful lens.
Great new review of an "old" lenses that many times get forgotten! It was already in my radar, was a bit acared how it would hold on along the years, but looks quite good. AF seems very good and resolution more than enough. And the rendering and colours is what i like the most! It just has a great feel and look to it! Great job and thanks for that very good real world review
Glad it was helpful!
Very true, it is an acceptable do all lens. The photographer renting my studio for the last two days had this lens on a Sony A7RIII. For ecommerce, it did the job at f8, never missed focus, and was light enough for hand holding.
That’s a good bit of anecdotal feedback.
Very nice update, Dustin. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Hopefully, you had fun on your trip. I had this lens and sold it earlier this year and tried some other offerings that cover this space. I’m thinking of buying this one again, as it’s hard to beat for its size and price.
It's funny, but I've heard something similar from a lot of people. They bought the lens, sold it, and then regretted it and often ended up buying it again.
This was my main lens two weeks in Korea last year and 4 weeks in Japan this year. My fav lens
It really is so useful.
I was in Mexico, Cancun end of October to November. Such a great place !
It is a great place. I always enjoy it.
The Tamron 17-50 and this would complement each other so well as a travel landscape duo. Versatile to minimize lens changes, light, and has everything from 17-200 covered.
For sure.
Great review! One huge issue though.. This video is maxed at 720P. So we cannot see any of the arguments you make due to the low resolution of your video. These kind of videos have to be at least 4K for the viewers to see the actual sharpness.
Yes, unfortunately there was a rendering error in the video output, but by the time I caught it the original review footage file had been deleted.
NIce update and absolutely consistent with my experience with this lens. This lens is my daily driver since your original review.
Great to hear!
Very versatile focal range! I hope you enjoyed your trip. I've been to Cancun, and thoroughly enjoyed it!
I’ve been to Cancun a couple of times and really enjoyed it both times.
I had been in the point of selling mine due to the auto focus until I discovered the software upgrade. Now it’s spot on. Would’ve been nice if Tamron had let me know earlier.
It would be nice to be able to register to receive email notification of firmware updates
Thanks for the firmware tip. This is an amazing travel lens the size of the 28-75 f2.8 that's compact enough for air travel when you may want a one lens solution. Or two with the accompanying 17-28 f2.8.
Totally agree!
Is there any chance Dustin to wait in the next months for a VC MKII version of this lens??
Another great review! Thank you. I also still use this for travel, general outdoor shooting. It just holds up so well
It really does.
Any rumor of a G2, with VC, and some improvement on IQ?. I love mine by way of
Nothing that I've heard.
Extremely helpful video thank you!
My pleasure.
720p? I'm thinking something went a little haywire either with the export or upload. Any chance you can link to the 4K video stored somewhere in the cloud in description? With 61MP, it's important to see all the detail which we can't see at 720p. Thx!
That’s true, and I didn’t know until someone pointed it out. No problem, I thought, I’ll upload a new version. Unfortunately I shot this several months ago and no longer have the raw footage to re-edit.
Great updated info. I wonder if DXO lens correction would fix the corner issues. The 28-200 is about half the weight of the 35-150 plus you get wider angle and longer reach. Although you loose 1.5 stops at the tele end.
The two lenses do different things, in my opinion. I own both and find plenty of separate use for both.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks. I agree, I need to add the 28-200 to my kit.
Thank you Dustin for doing this great long term follow up review of the Tamron 28-200 (especially with respect to the higher MP cameras) and for the heads up about the new firmware! I really appreciate your excellent reviews and insights as so many in the photography community! I wonder if Tamron were to “refresh” and come out with a G2 version of this lens in the future, what might be on your update wishlist? …VC, focus hold, additional weight/size reduction?
The typical upgrades will be more features, a slightly nicer build, and - possibly - VC. I don’t find I miss VC all that much on it, as Sony’s bodies have gotten better with IBIS at longer focal lengths.
I don't think Tamron needs to do anything with current design, it's already pretty good and inexpensive. Adding any bells to it would just increase its price and reduce demand. I think sooner or later Tamron will come up with 28-300mm superzoom, perhaps f2.8-6.3.
I just wish it has VC as it can be helpful for getting lower shutter speed and lower ISO when it's getting dark. Even the APS-C Tamron 18-300 has VC and it helps a lot.
Waiting for the Mark II version of this lens. Or even better, if Tamron makes a 24-105 (or 120) f4, I will order it immediately.
I think the lens has been popular enough that they will revisit it in the future.
When I switched from canon and got my A7iv the first thing I wanted was a super zoom type lens and your review convinced me on this one. For what it does, costs, and weighs, I feel like every photographer out there who wants to enjoy a trip should slap this on their camera and go. It’s a FANTASTIC LENS, i have mine paired with a 20 1.8 and 35 1.8 for indoor stuff. Likely I’ll get the 35gm, but if I do, 20 1.8 will have to work alone with this for travel, I doubt I’ll lug the gm35 with me. Of course the the 30-150 may be calling me for my home town (London) stuff!
@dustin did you ever compare the 35gm (new) with the 1.8? It’s a lot of portability and cash to part with! I am still holding the rx-1 because the it is so good!
Keep up the great work, it’s nice to see a revisit and very long term review.
I haven’t done a direct comparison between the 35GM and the F1.8. The 35GM is a very special lens. I personally think it is worth the upgrade
@@DustinAbbottTWIthanks for the reply and advice!
Thanks for the review , this is exactly what I was looking for . a lens for A7CR!
My pleasure!
Here is a thing not everybody knows. If you use DXO software and it has a particular lens profile then it can do such a great job sharpening that even not so sharp lenses look spectacularly sharp.
The biggest challenge for someone like me who uses a huge variety of gear is that I don't want to have to go to a different piece of software for every brand or lens.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Totally understandable. I didn't divorce Lightroom myself, was using it for years. But I've got DXO PR to process raw files in a batch and then edit DNGs in Lightroom. DXO has extensive and very precise camera and lens profiles and it does raw conversion a lot better than LR reducing noise and doing sharpening. So that extra step is well worth the efforts.
My favorite travel lens
It continues to surprise me.
Great Dustin. What do you think about video with it? I think this is the best overall travel lens.
Video is great. No complaints.
Thanks Dustin, Cheers
My pleasure.
Video is 720p at highest resolution available? Good lens though !
Something went wrong in the rendering of the video, and now I don’t have some of the source videos…so unfortunately 720P it is.
Thank you for the review. Lovely images and great down to earth over view. For someone about to get into the Sony system, how much extra IQ would I gain buying the 20-70mm F4 and 70-200mm F4 ii lenses over this?
That combo is definitely sharper (particularly the 70-200), but obviously you are going to pay a LOT more. If you are looking for absolutely image quality, then go with the Sony combo, but if you are on a budget or want convenience, this lens is obviously a very solid performer.
Thank you very much for the reply. :-) I’m more tempted than ever to get this lens and pair it with a 16-35mm.
You shot the images with a 61mp Sony but your video 720p upload - doesnt show the quality very well that the 61mp sony can do...
Hmmm, that's odd. I wonder what happened.
Очень сложно увидеть прирост в детализации если видео всего HD 720p
Да, очень странно, что не про грузилось в 4к
Nice review...I sold my 24-240 and mis
this focal range, the Sony has OSS the Tamron has not...
is that a isue on the 200mm focal lenght? I shoot with the A9...
thanks
I have this lens and the A9 (and A1), I'd say you are more likely to compensate for subject movement than for lack of OSS. At 1/200 or more it's fine I'd say. Highly recommended!
@@henrikw377okay, thanks I have the 28-75 and 70-200 f4 with the 28-200 I need just one lens...
Frankly I haven’t noticed the lack of OS much on the lens as Sony’s IBIS has gotten better and better. A9 wasn’t as good as recent bodies, but I think you’ll do fine.
I had 24-240 and couldn't get over poor image quality. When I got Tamron I liked it immediately. And the fact that it holds f2.8-4 upto 70mm makes it usable even indoors.
I travel and almost everything else I do with mine, on an A7Riv. I don't really do "events," portraits, indoor sports, or the like where I might want f2.8 or faster farther out in its focal length range. It's a big advantage to not need the size and weight of a 70-200 or similar lens and it's pretty much the same size or smaller than the 24-70 or 28-75 2.8s and gets me reach for details, long shots, too. I do think there are "destinations" where the 17-50 or 20-70 in hand - with this in the bag might be a better set up than 28-200 in hand and a wide in the bag. Now, if a new generation came along pared down some, it would be fantastic on an A7RC.
I’ve heard from a lot of people of how useful they have found the lens. It’s nice to hear that others have had a similar experience to mine.
why the video is 720p?
I missed a setting during output, and, because it was a good month before I released the video, by the time I discovered it, my original files to do a fresh render from had been deleted.
Video is stuck at 720p max for me so quality is far from great.
Yes, that was a mistake on my part. The rendering output setting was wrong, and then I didn't have the original files to re-render because I discovered it weeks later.
👍
I bought this lens for my 60mp (not 61 or 62) Sony A7Riv for travel...
From Sony: 61.0 MP full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS sensor
Gosh. The composition is awful in those images
In what way, exactly?
Dustin produces the BEST camera/lens reviews on the internet, hands down. Maybe a better comment to him would be 'thanks for all the hard work in your reviews'
This video is only in 720p @DustinAbbottTWI
That’s unfortunately true, and even worse, I deleted the master video file before I realized that, so I can’t do a new render.
@@DustinAbbottTWI somewhat related to this video, but I ordered the A7CII and this lens. What an amazing combo. Having been a Fuji user, I find the raw images from Sony to be unpleasant and tough to get them to my style. What’s your thoughts on this and do you have a video with any tips?