The Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD is a highly-rated travel zoom that packs 16.6x of zoom versatility into a single lens – and now the lens is finally coming to the Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts.
When the Tamron 18-300mm lens originally launched in 2021, it was the first such lens to achieve a 16.6x ratio. But, the APS-C lens initially launched for just the Fujifilm X and Sony E Mounts. Now, however, Tamron is bringing that versatility to the Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts, the company announced on August 07.
The Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD is an all-in-one lens that can capture wide angles and telephotos – and everything in between – without lens swaps. That versatility extends even to half macro with the lens’s maximum 1:2 magnification ratio at 18mm.
The lens is optically identical to the previous X Mount and E Mount variants, which Digital Camera World’s reviews team gave 4.5 stars. There are some differences to the newly launched lenses, however. The Canon RF mount variant has an AF/MF switch as well as a stabilization on and off switch.
The lens uses a linear autofocus motor designed to balance speed and noise from the motor. In DCW’s tests of the earlier mounts, the design proved to offer a quick, efficient autofocus performance, including effective subject tracking.
The optically stabilized lens is constructed from 19 elements in 15 groups along with a seven-blade circular aperture. As a crop sensor lens, the lens delivers a full-frame equivalent focal length of 27-450mm (28.8-480 on Canon RF). The lens offers moisture-resistant construction, as well as fluorine coating on the front to help protect the glass.
Despite the large zoom range, the lens weighs around 22oz / 625g for the RF mount version and 22.4oz / 635g for the Nikon Z variant. The lens will take up about a five-inch slot in a camera bag and accepts 67mm filters at the front.
Both the Nikon and Canon mounts can also be updated using Tamron Lens Utility when new firmware is released.
The Nikon Z Mount variant of the lens will be available beginning on August 28, with the Canon RF mount to follow on September 26. The lens retails for $629 / £529 / AU$1,149.
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