Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD
Announced October 27, 2022
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD offers a compact, lightweight, and affordable wide-angle zoom that provides excellent image quality for travel and street photography. While it lacks physical switches and optical stabilization, it remains a highly versatile and sharp option for those who do not require an ultra-wide range.
Weighted from 22 reviewer scores
Pros
- Fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus
- Solid image quality and sharpness
- Compact, lightweight, and portable build
- High value and affordable pricing
- Versatile focal range and close focusing capabilities
Cons
- Noticeable distortion and vignetting
- Lacks physical controls like AF/MF switches and buttons
- Softness in corners and edges
- No built-in optical image stabilization
- Focus breathing issues
- Launch price $699 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 20-40mm f/2.8
- Mount & coverage Sony E Full-Frame
- Stabilization None
- Close focus 17 cm (0.26x)
- Filter thread 67mm
- Autofocus motor VXD
- Weight & size 365g · 74.4 x 86.5 mm (2.93 x 3.41 in)
What the Reviewers Say
All 22 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- PetaPixel 9/10
The lens is an excellent combination of price, performance, and size, and while it lacks bells and whistles, it packs excellent image quality into its tiny body.
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If you’re looking for covering your wide-angle needs with an f2.8 zoom the new Tamron 20-40mm f2.8 Di III is a compelling alternative to Tamron’s 17-28mm f2.8 Di III for those who don’t need to go ultra-wide.
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[T]his lens is not the dream lens I'd hoped to be. It's not a bad lens by any means and it's offered at a very reasonable price but the overall performance ranks at average or slightly above.
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The Tamron 20-40mm F/2.8 Di III VXD is a unique lens with an interesting blend of features. It’s compact and lightweight, while still offering a bright maximum aperture, and its image quality is more than respectable.
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Those looking for a modestly-wide-angle focal length range in a lightweight, compact, well-designed, high-performing, and affordable package should consider adding the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Lens to their kit.
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The Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD is an unexpected and yet welcome wide angle zoom option for Sony FE shooters.
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Guys and girls, whatever you might think of this lens's unusual zoom range, as a lens reviewer, I can honestly tell you I love testing something that's a little bit different.
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Our expectations we voiced at the beginning, that the limited focal range of 20-40 mm might allow Tamron to construct a handy, lightweight lens which would be also optically very efficient, proved to be right.
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Tamron have thought outside the box to create a truly unique lens that offers something genuinely fresh and most importantly of all useful, crucially backed up by excellent image quality, impeccable performance, solid build quality, just enough features and an attractive [...]
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All in all, it’s a very smart buy at the price.
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The Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD lens pairs well with gimbals for the vlogging crowd, and features an extra-wide view that photographers can appreciate too.
- Photo Review 9.0/10
Tamron’s 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is likely to delight prospective buyers, whether they purchase it for a specific purpose like real estate photography, or just for general use.
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While I think this Tamron 20-40 is going to make an excellent all-rounder lens for street photography or travel, landscape, or just as a daily lens, I do believe this is going to make a fantastic lens option for video as well.
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Clearly, for the money, it's a fantastic option.
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The Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD might be the best travel and vlogging lens on the market.
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This lens as a lightweight platform makes it a very easy lens to carry with you and just a great, really great application. Close focusing distance, lightweight, f/2.8.
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For me, I've enjoyed using this lens and it's worked well for the types of videos that I make.
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When we consider the uniqueness of this lens, the image quality, the overall performance, the lightweight nature of it, the fact that it also has weather sealing, I have no doubt recommending that this is the best value wide angle lens for Sony shooting.
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[I]f you are a seasoned pro or just a beginner, this lens ticks a lot of boxes.
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I was very happy with autofocus performance, I was just pleased with the lens overall, well worth the money.
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Further on my thoughts of this lens, I think this is a fantastic street photography lens just because we don't really have something that covers such a unique range.
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The versatility is the god. The range is so wide, which allows you to handle many situations with this one lens.
