Tamron 50-400mm for the E-mount
Tamron 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di III VC is the latest releases Super-Telephoto Zoom lens for the Sony E mount, compatible with full-frame Sony FE mount cameras. The 50mm on the wide end makes this a very attractive lens many people due to its versatility compared to 100-400 lenses, so it has the potential to be a very popular lens amongs the E-mount shooters. In this review, we will be comparing the Tamron 50-400mm with the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS and the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS lenses for the E-mount to see how these three options do against each other, starting with the real life scales size comparison: (Bonus: For APS-C shooters, check the section at the end of this post for the comparison with the Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS )
Tamron 50-400mm vs Sony FE 100-400 vs Sigma 100-400mm OS Size and Feature Comparison
Tamron despite its wider range is the most compact of the three lens, kudos to Tamron engineers. Yes the Sony is a little faster on the tele-end with f5.6 vs the f6.3 of the Tamron but still, Tamron is a 8X zoom lens vs the 4X of the others, we can't expect miracles.
And now we have a feature and spec comparison to help you further with your decision:
What stands out beside its compact size is the huge 0.50x max magnification ratio! This gives the Tamron a big close-up capability only bested by the dedicated macro lenses.
Price Comparison
Price wise, the Tamron 50-400mm with an MSRP of $1299 is located somewhere between the other two lenses where the Sigma 100-400mm sells for $849 and the Sony 100-400 sells for a whopping $2499 !
Final Thoughts
The 50mm on the wide end, relatively compact and lightweight body combined with the reasonable price for this class makes the Tamron 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di III VC a great choice for many E mount owners!
Bonus Section for Sony APS-C Shooters: How does Tamron 50-400mm compare with the Sony E 70-350mm?
For those who are happy with their Sony APS-C cameras such as our favourite the Sony A6400, we already have the Sony E 70-350mm compact telephoto zoonm with very compact size and excellent image quality. So let's check how the size is this APS-C hero compares with the new Tamron:
Tamron 50-400mm vs Sony 70-350mm
The 70-350mm is significantly more compact and lighter than the Tamron 50-400mm but lacks 50mm at the tele end which corresponds to 75mm FF equivalent extra reach, and 20mm on the wide end which is 30mm on the FF equivalency.
Here is the specs comparison of these two lenses:
FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON Model Tamron 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 VC Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G Lens Type Zoom Zoom Lens Mount Sony E Sony E Focal Length 50-400mm 70-350mm Max Format 35mm FF APS-C / DX Image Stabilization Number of Diaphragm Blades 9 7 Optical Elements 24 19 Optical Groups 18 13 Minimum Focus Distance 0.25m 1.1m Max Magnification 0.5x 0.23x Weight 1155g 625g Length 183mm 142mm Diameter 89mm 77mm Filter Thread 67mm 67mm Weather Sealing Price Amazon B&H Photo Amazon B&H Photo
