£1279/$1299
Unique in this group, the Tamron sports an optical stabilizer or ‘Vibration Compensation’ system. Moreover, it’s an upgraded version in the G2 edition of the lens, with increased 4.5-stop effectiveness. Useful when shooting at dusk or indoors, but zero benefit for long exposures at night, where it’s best switched off.
There’s little change in the optical line-up, compared with the original lens. It’s still based on 18 elements in 13 groups, with XGM (eXpanded Glass Moulded Aspherical) elements and several LD (Low Dispersion) elements. However, the G2 adds a third ‘AX’ (Anti-Reflection eXpand) coating, which was developed for coating curved convex elements. Solid build quality includes a set of weather-seals and a reformulated, durable fluorine coating on the front.
Unlike the other zoom lenses on test, the Tamron has…