Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review: The Daisangen Dream

Jul 10, 2025

Chris Niccolls

“Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three”. The Quest for the Holy Grail by the comedy troupe, Monty Python, had it right. There is a Holy Trinity, and many professional photographers abide by it.

Buy the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 new on Amazon.com Buy the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 used on KEH.com

Traditionally, a working photographer’s kit typically includes a telephoto zoom lens in the 70-200mm range, a standard zoom lens around 24-70mm, and an ultra-wide angle lens, such as the 16-35mm, all of which feature a fast f/2.8 aperture. Tamron has finally completed its updated triumvirate (or daisangen as Tamron calls it) of modern G2 series lenses, and they are doing things a little bit differently this time around.

A Tamron 16-30mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 camera lens stands upright on a gridded surface, with a dark, blurred background. — The Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 completes the trilogy of professional G2 lenses.

Tamron has a history of bucking the trend and offering slightly different focal length choices than its competition does. The odd, yet wonderful, 35-150mm lens comes to mind, and the same goes for its trinity of G2 pro lenses, starting with the 70-180mm f/2.8 and the 28-75mm f/2.8 standard zoom. However, the 17-28mm f/2.8 RXD lens was the last to be updated, and photographers did complain about its somewhat limited focal range. That brings us to the brand new Tamron 16-30mm VXD f/2.8 G2, which sports a slightly bigger range of zoom and some meaningful updates to its technology. Let’s dive into this affordable $929 lens.

Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 VXD di III G2 Review: How It Feels

I think Tamron makes slightly different designs to keep its lenses compact and portable. All three of the G2 lenses feature a small 67mm filter thread when everyone else is rocking 77mm or 82mm dimensions. This new 16-30mm is only 15.5 ounces (440 grams) and still supports a fully weather-sealed design. There is no AF/MF switch, but you do get a single customizable button option. The zoom ring and focusing ring turn a little bit loose for my taste, but in practical use, they are perfectly usable.

A camera lens lies on its side on a checkered surface, with its rear element facing forward and a lens cap placed beside it, set against a dark background. — The lens is weather-sealed like all of the Tamron professional lenses.

A close-up of a Tamron camera lens with a petal-shaped lens hood, set against a black background. The text "Tamron" and "Made in Philippines" are visible on the lens hood. — The hood is pretty basic. In fact, the entire lens looks understated.

A close-up of a Tamron 16-30mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 camera lens, showing focus and zoom rings, with a black background and a grid pattern beneath the lens. — The focus ring and aperture control feel a little sloppy. However, they are easy to find by touch alone.

The Tamron G2 lenses have a very clean and understated look, which continues with the 16-30mm design. The lens hood is a very basic plastic hood that simply bayonets into place, and the lens doesn’t quite look or feel as prestigious as its competitors. However, I’ve always found them to be functional and reliable, and I appreciate the ability to update firmware via the USB-C port built in, to keep things well supported as time goes by. The G2 lenses may have a humble outward appearance, but it is what’s inside that counts.

Close-up of a camera lens showing a textured focus ring, a micro USB port with two screws, and a section of the lens barrel with engraved numbers, all set against a black background. — Tamron have used USB-C connectivity for a long time now, and it is very helpful to have.

A wide-angle camera lens lies on its side atop a blue and white grid surface, with a dark black background. — What makes Tamron pro lenses stand out is the compact and lightweight nature of the lens designs.

Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 VXD di III G2 Review: How It Shoots

The first major upgrade to the new 16-30mm, other than the slightly increased focal range, is the addition of a powerful VXD voice-coil motor. This delivers substantially faster autofocus performance and would be better suited for ultra-wide-angle action pursuits like urban sports or street photography. The new lens worked perfectly well with both the Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount cameras that we tested it on.

A person sits on rocks by a river, facing a modern red pedestrian bridge and city skyscrapers, surrounded by green trees on a sunny day. — The 30mm range is nice as a walk-around street lens.

Close-up of vibrant yellow daylilies in bloom, with green leaves and more flowers blurred in the background along a sidewalk and brick wall on a sunny day. — The bokeh is fairly pleasant with maybe a hint of harshness.

A close-up, upward view of a modern white and black architectural structure set against a partly cloudy sky, photographed in black and white.

The aperture only consists of nine blades, but still creates fairly round-looking specular highlights. Bokeh has a strong soap-bubble effect to it and tends to look a little messy, but ultra-wide-angle lenses often mitigate this issue with extensive depth of field. When you do get soft backgrounds shooting up close, the overall impression is better than expected. There is a little harshness to the out-of-focus areas, but the look is still pleasing, and I enjoyed the close-up shots I got. The lens can focus fairly close, but the maximum magnification ratio is only 1:5.4. Still, you can get some fun shots that push the background far away and accentuate your subject.

Side-by-side photos of a brick wall against a partly cloudy sky, labeled f/2.8 (left) and f/13 (right), showing the effect of aperture on depth of field and image sharpness. — Flare is very well controlled. This is a great lens for sunny days.

Close-up of a tree trunk wrapped with green string lights, glowing with warm yellow bulbs. Blurred background shows more trees and lights, creating a festive outdoor atmosphere. — Specular highlights are a little messy-looking, but you have to get close to really knock the background out of focus.

A worn and weathered soccer ball sits on green grass, with a red-brick school building and blue sky with clouds in the background.

The Tamron “BBAR” coatings controlled any flare issues quite well. I didn’t notice any loss of contrast, and ghosting was very minimal. Sun stars won’t win any awards, but I felt confident shooting this lens around, and toward, bright sources of light. The admittedly cheap hood seems to do a good job of protecting the front element after all.

Skyscrapers with glass facades rise toward a partly cloudy sky, reflecting sunlight. The sun peeks between two buildings, creating a bright starburst effect. — Sunstars are pretty average if you want to do twinkling city lights or sunset landscapes.

A low-angle view of a modern red pedestrian bridge with a geometric, tubular structure and glass roof, stretching over a river toward city buildings under a partly cloudy sky. — The Peace Bridge in Calgary is a true Calatrava design.

A pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses rests on a blue perforated metal surface, with the glasses’ arms open and the surface extending into the blurred background. — The bokeh fall off is smooth.

My only real issue with the lens is sharpness. First, though, at the 16mm range, this lens excels. There is plenty of detail to be found shooting at f/2.8 in the center of the image, and I was also impressed by the corner sharpness wide-open. Stopping the lens down makes for a slight improvement in sharpness overall, but it’s minimal. The 30mm range is where I found some issues, because the lens seems to have a dreamy-soft look at f/2.8. This is most apparent when shooting up close, but even stopping the lens down to f/4 helps in a big way. The corners also suffer from softness and need around f/5.6 to look good again. I know that most people are going to shoot around the wider ranges of the zoom, where this lens is excellent, but given that the Tamron has slightly less range than its competitors, I would have hoped to see better results at the 30mm end.

A camera test chart with color bars on top, Canadian banknotes, and grayscale patterns is shown side by side; the left image is labeled "16mm @ f/2.8" and the right "16mm @ f/5.6". — At 16mm, this lens is sharp and contrasty. I like it at f/2.8 for sure.

Side-by-side comparison of test charts photographed at 30mm, f/2.8 (left) and 30mm, f/5.6 (right), showing differences in sharpness, contrast, and detail. — The 30mm end has a bit of softness at f/2.8. Stopping down is essential for better image quality.

A bee sits on a cluster of bright yellow flowers in sharp focus, with a blurred background of similar flowers and greenery. — You can see some softness and a “dreamy” effect when shooting 30mm wide open.

If you want to use the 16-30mm for video work, you’ll find the small size ideal for gimbal use. There is no vibration control, but most modern mirrorless cameras will have IBIS to help stabilize the lens when handheld. Breathing is a term that refers to when the field of view changes when you focus the lens, but luckily, the Tamron is largely free of issues. There is a tiny bit of breathing at 30mm and almost none at the 16mm end. The excellent photo autofocus translates nicely when shooting video work as well. This is a handy little ultra-wide for your cinematic pursuits.

A red brick wall with a peeling, light blue painted lower section meets a paved ground in bright sunlight, creating sharp shadows and visible weathered textures on the building’s surface.

A close-up of a single yellow daisy in focus, surrounded by blurred yellow daisies and purple flowers in a garden with green foliage in the background.

An older adult wearing a straw hat and colorful shirt sits on a blue walker at the edge of a curved bench, facing a park with green trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 VXD di III G2 Review: The G2 Line Completed

Now that Tamron has an updated second-generation line of mirrorless professional lenses, they have a viable alternative to the much more expensive OEM manufacturers. They also take up less space in the bag and are easy to carry for all-day shooting. Optically, there is a lot to like with Tamron lenses, and despite the occasional issue, I would easily advocate for the entire line for professional-grade work.

An ice cream truck with illustrated cones is parked on grass near a colorful mural that says "Have a Nice Day," with a person standing nearby. Trees and buildings are visible in the background.

Black and white photo of a modern, geometric pedestrian bridge with sunlight streaming through a triangular section, casting shadows on the pathway below; city buildings and clouds are visible in the background.

Reflection of trees, electric poles, and cloudy sky in a puddle on an asphalt surface.

Let’s also consider that in Nikon Z-mount, there isn’t a lot of choice in f/2.8 glass. Nikon only makes the 17-28mm f/2.8 — which is the older Tamron lens anyway — and the wildly expensive 14-24mm f/2.8 that is beyond the scope of the Tamron 16-30mm. Nikon Z-mount specifically does not allow for any full-frame Sigma glass, so Tamron becomes the main player as an alternative to Nikon glass. In Sony E-mount, the choices are far more varied, but the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 at $929 offers excellent value. The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 would be the natural competitor with its excellent optics, decent pricing, and still fairly compact sizing. I’m happy to see the G2 line now fully completed, even if it will be of more appeal to a largely Nikon-based audience.

Are There Alternatives?

In Sony E-mount, the obvious alternative is the Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 Contemporary. It is slightly larger but offers excellent optics and bokeh. I’d give the slight edge to the Sigma overall.

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In Nikon Z-mount, the Tamron lens makes a ton of sense. It out-competes the Nikkor 17-28mm lens, comes in at a lower price, and is way more affordable than the specialized 14-24mm f/2.8. The Tamron becomes the ideal choice in the Nikon Z-mount for an all-purpose ultra-wide lens, regardless of price.

Should You Buy It?

Yes. If you have E-mount versions of the two longer lenses, this makes sense to complete the set. However, it is the Z-mount users who should jump on this lens to cover the ultra-wide range.

Buy the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 new on Amazon.com Buy the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 used on KEH.com