Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Now Supports 120 FPS on the Sony a9 III With the Usual AF-C Caveat

Photographers with the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD in their kit will be pleased to hear that Tamron announced a new firmware update for the E-mount version. It promises to improve autofocus performance and overall lens functionality.

Firmware version 5.0 promises to improve autofocus performance during zooming for stills and video recording.

It also unlocks continuous shooting at up to 120 frames per second for photographers using the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD on the Sony a9 III, as has been the case with some other Tamron lenses.

However, as PetaPixel has reported with previous firmware updates like this, which have arrived from Tamron and Sigma, there is a massive catch. While yes, the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 is now able to shoot at 120 frames per second on the Sony a9 III, it can only do so in AF-S, DMF, or MF focus drive modes. The lens remains capped at the 15 fps rate when using AF-C, as is typical with third-party lenses used on Sony mirrorless cameras.

While AF-S and manual focus modes can work in many photographic situations, there is not significant overlap between these scenarios and ones in which a photographer will want to shoot at 120 (or 60 or 30) frames per second. Fast shooting is often utilized for photographing wildlife or sports, both situations in which continuous tracking autofocus is necessary.

The Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD is available for Sony E and Nikon Z-mount cameras, although only the E-mount version received this latest firmware update. The Nikon Z version is on firmware version 2.0, which was released last May.

Continuous autofocus limitations on Sony mirrorless cameras aside, the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 remains one of PetaPixel‘s favorite lens. It was recently featured in PetaPixel‘s “Our Favorite Weird Zoom Lenses” video, seen above, thanks to its unusual focal length range, fast floating aperture, versatility, and excellent optical performance.

“You get a lens that provides plenty of light and has all the optical performance to go with it. I can’t think of a better all-in-one event photography lens for concerts and weddings, and you might only need an additional ultra-wide zoom lens to cover everything you need,” Chris Niccolls writes.

Image credits: Tamron