Tamron Brings 120FPS to 50-400mm Telephoto Zoom With Usual Caveat

Following its firmware update for the 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 in November, Tamron had improved the performance of another of its popular E-mount telephoto zoom lenses, the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD.

Firmware version 4.0, available for download now, promises two major improvements. First, autofocus performance is improved while zooming the lens. This is a common improvement found in recent Tamron firmware updates, and in the case of the 50-400mm, an especially welcome one given the massive zoom range. Second, also following suit, is enabling the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD lens to work with the 120 frames-per-second shooting mode on the Sony a9 III.

The latter improvement, as has become par for the course with third-party lenses on Sony E-mount cameras, comes with a significant caveat. The lens only supports 120fps shooting when set to AF-S, direct manual focus (DMF), or manual focus modes. There is no support for continuous autofocus at 120 frames per second. In fact, third-party lenses on Sony E-mount cameras are capped at just 15 frames per second when using AF-C.

As PetaPixel wrote when the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 was updated last year, “So far, third-party lenses have gotten the short end of the stick regarding Sony cameras’ fastest shooting speeds.” And so far in 2025, that remains true.

Concerning the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens, it is designed to provide a more versatile alternative to the more typical 100-400mm telephoto zoom lenses. The 8x zoom lens works well for various photography scenarios, including travel, sports, and wildlife.

“The Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 VC also features Tamron’s legendary BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating that minimizes ghosting and flares and expresses the minute details of subjects even under backlit conditions. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 VC delivers clear and crisp images shot after shot,” Tamron explains.

The lens came to Nikon Z-mount last year and is available now for $1,199 for E-mount and $1,299 for Nikon Z.

As mentioned, the new firmware update for the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens is available to download now directly from Tamron. The firmware should be updated via the Tamron Lens Utility, which is also available for download from Tamron.

Image credits: Tamron