tamron 28-200mm
For the last few months, I've been using the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8. It's a wonderful lens, but it comes with serious drawbacks. Will it replace my all-time favorite Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6?
Look at that size difference 😲
I got two new lenses. Big, heavy, fat lenses. I’m still not sure why I did it. It’s not because I needed them; I didn’t.
My best guess is that I wanted a change. For the past five years, I’ve taken the vast majority of my photographs with a superzoom: my beloved Tamron 28–200mm.
I love that thing: simple, versatile, reliable. So good that it’s boring. I wanted something I could use instead of this little gem, to switch things up.
So, I picked up the Tamron 35–150mm. A much bigger, much heavier lens. Surprisingly, the weight hasn’t bothered me as much as the narrower reach. It’s faster and definitely sharper, but I’m still trying to figure out if the trade-off is worth it.
I also grabbed the Tamron 150–500mm. For the last six years, I’ve relied on the Sony 70–350mm for telephoto work, but I wanted an upgrade with more reach. Still, I’m not sure I’ll keep it long term. At almost 2kg (4lbs), it’s not something I’ll be carrying around all the time, so we’ll see.
This road trip I’m on now seemed like the perfect time to test them out. I bought them used, both good deals, I think. Especially with camera prices going up because of the tariffs. The upside is, if I decide they’re not for me in a couple of months, I should be able to get most of my money back.
I have no idea whether my images will get better or worse. Most likely, they'll be very similar to the ones I was making before. If nothing else, I might get bigger arms from this experiment. Who knows. I'll keep you updated.
For the past five years, I’ve been using high-resolution full-frame cameras for my photography -- starting with the A7Rii, and now the A7Riv. This choice might seem surprising, especially given the type of images I create.
The reason is very simple: cropping.
I crop every single photograph I take, even when I get the perfect framing in-camera. Creating square images means I “discard” a third of the pixels, every single time.
A7Riv’s 61MP let me crop even further, and I often do. Switching to APS-C mode gives that extra reach I sometimes need, effectively turning my 28-200mm superzoom into a 28-300mm, while still producing large, detailed files.
In fact, in APS-C mode, the A7Riv matches the 26MP of a dedicated crop-sensor camera like the a6700. This means I can mount a lens like the 70-350mm and get an equivalent 525mm focal length in a compact setup -- much smaller than the full-frame counterparts. Or mount a prime like the 35mm 1.4 and "switch" to 50mm with the press of a button.
So, it’s not about having 61MP images; I couldn’t care less about that. It's about the flexibility those megapixels give me: I don't have to carry as much gear; or I can shoot in bad weather and not have to worry about switching lenses to get the focal length I need. I like camera gear that gets out of the way, because I can focus on what really matters: subject and composition.
...that'd be the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6.
I never had a super zoom lens before, and I had a lot of doubts about this one before getting it. And now I can't see myself with it. In many ways, it is the replacement of my now dead RX100VII.
I just love the range, image quality, and speed in that small package. It's also relatively affordable, especially for a full-frame lens.
Of course, it comes with some compromises, like strong vignetting (fixable in post for the most part), variable aperture (it goes down to f/3.2 by 32mm, and it reaches f/5.6 at 158mm) and, above all, it lacks stabilization - this could be a problem when shooting at long focal lengths. Personally, it wasn't a deal breaker for me.
I love walking, and I love photography. So, of course, a big part of my photography is done during my daily walks.
The camera gear I carry with me has changed quite a bit over the years, as I try to find the balance between flexibility, versatility, convenience, image quality, and low light performance. In this video, I talk about my current gear.
You can find a more exhaustive list of the camera gear I use for photography and video here: my camera gear.
