@@chryseass.5143 I shoot with GR III and GR IIIx and I was planning to buy the wide converter. I'll sell the GR III x and I'll pick this lens for my a7III as all around lens. I'll keep the GR III because it's just my favourite camera ever (GR with 28mm in general).
I was thinking of letting my 17-28 go in favor of this lens. This could be a perfect walk around lens where as the 17-28 comes up short on the long end. Don't know. I wish someone could do a side-by-side with the 17-28. I was thinking of pairing this with a 50-400 as a two lens solution for an all around landscape work.
@@boristahmasian9604 I am sure that there will comparison videos out once this new lens is actually released! I have the same issue with the 17-28. I find it too limiting on the tele end plus I also find it feels a bit unbalanced on the A7C. I can think of several two lens pairings for the 20-40 and plan to get one if user reviews continue to endorse it once it is in circulation!
@@chryseass.5143 Thank you for your reply. I am an all Tamron shop with my lenses! I have the 17-28, 28-75 G2, 70-180, 70-300 and 150-500 which I use on my A7RIV. I have to thin the herd down a bit! Too many lenses. On a recent trip to Colorado, I used the 17-28 and the 70-300 the most. They are not the best of the bunch but they did very well. The star of the bunch is the 70-180. It is a pro lens of the highest quality. I shot some interiors for a broadcast facility a couple of weeks ago. I used the 17-28. Thinking that 17mm wa not enough, I borrowed my friend's Sigma 14-24 to go wider. That is why I like the 20-40 as it is longer and losing 3mm is not a big deal.
It's the ideal lens for me personally, as it allows 20/24/35 without being huge or expensive. Currently, I have to solve that need with two lenses. So down the line, I'll likely swap setups. Tamron is nothing if not disruptive!
Think this lens is going to be perfect for hobbyists and families. As a parent of 2, this fits my needs rather than carrying two primes in this range. I don’t necessarily need to shoot wide open at 1.8 especially when i have 3 or 4 subjects in the shot. Think this will pair well with the 70-180 tamron.
Tamron is making some excellent lenses & many with unique ranges. They made 2.8 primes of 20/24/35 with 7 blades & great semi macro. Now they have made a zoom lens from it - albeit without the semi macro. I really like the rendering of the lens & your lovely model brings this out with great pleasure!
Ive been shooting hybrid almost exclusively for clients who post to social media, I honestly can't think of a job I couldn't have used this lens on, and considering I've been paid for this work for the last 8 years, that's a pretty useful lens. Ive used my 20mm multiple times for interior work my 24 and 35 for for on stage work or groups of people and my 50 for portrait or product - (no problems with the 40mm there)
Got mine yesterday and spent the day test-shooting in the streets. It’s very good in terms of sharpness, weight/size, and focal length coverage, but I found that the distortion was quite noticeable and uneven. It wasn’t possible to fully correct in camera or in LR. I’ll continue using it because it’s an excellent street lens and I really want to love it, but as of right now, the jury is out on it.
Jury is back. Despite the shortcomings that would frustrate the pixel-peepers, on balance, it’s a great street/vacation/family lens. Focal range coverage is superb. Sharp enough and distortion won’t be a factor especially after the profiles come in. At the price it’s offered, and for its intended use, it’s a keeper.
@@retropixer Thanks for your update! Whew! I just ordered this lens for my A7C to pair with Tamron's 28-200 for a lightweight travel kit. It will be replacing the Tamron 17-28 lens in my bag.
This is an interesting lens. I find I need to pair my Tamron 2875 with the 1728, and constantly switch between the two for a walk around family gathering shoot. This 2040 might just work. For travel, I would match this 2040 with the Tamron 70180, and also my favorite Zeiss 55 to cover 20 to 180.
Just got this lens and traded in my Sony 16 35 F4. Early thoughts are very good, pin sharp between F8 / F14 and produces a very clean image. Tamron are fast becoming my choice for quality and affordable lens. Thanks for the vlog👍😊
Nice clear review, thanks! My only doubt about buying it is 2 things - In Europe this lens for some strange reason is 30% more than it is in the US (when most other lenses are generally a similar price in Euros as they are in dollars...weird). Second thing is that if it was the only lens you take out with you 40mm is still quite short. Especially for candid photos I really like a bit more reach. most 24/28-70mm f2.8 lenses are just a bit too bulky on the other hand (I have a Sony A7C). Having said that the Sigma 28-70 is also relatively light and small.. so that might be more suitable. Maybe carry a small 18mm prime if it's likely I need to go wider than 28mm. Maybe I'll just by the sigma 28-70 for now... whilst I wait for the price of the Tamron to go down here in the EU. Dilemma :-D
i've traded in my 17-28 to pre-order this lens. For a walkabout/family lens i usually use my 55mm zeiss but i frequently find it a bit too tight, tried using the 17-28 but it was a bit big to be called compact and too wide unless i was on crop mode constantly. Now i can use this for general playing about/video and if i'm feeling in a portrait mood take the 55mm. I couldn't have designed a better lens myself to fill in my use case 🤩
Thanks Stefan! I think this really would be a great urban lens, especially for travel, and it is wide enough for me for most applications. The image quality looks sound. I think may be a dream pairing for the a7C . I am thinking that this lens, plus the 85 f1.8, could be a great, tiny two lens kit for everyday. For travel I can see this happily pairing with Tamron's 28-200 and throwing in one fast prime for low light! Were you reviewing a pre production lens? I am assuming not since Tamron has okayed an early review so this is the quality we can expect out of the box! I really appreciated you including all those still shots as this lens is primarily being touted for video/vlogging. I wonder if Sony had a hand in keeping this lens stripped down ( no focus hold,etc,) in order to avoid more direct competition with its own 16-35 f4 PZ lens.....?
This is a retail version of the lens. If I ever got a pre production model I would disclose it. As you know, I don't leave anything out which may not be the greatest for brand relationships but that's the way I do it. This one is a winner in my books!
I already have an A7C with the Tamron 28-200mm and it's just perfect.. I could almost just manage with this. However I'd like the option of carrying something a little smaller some times, and as you mention also a little brighter. And wider would be a bonus. I've got a Sony 28mm f2 for the bright (with the ultra wide extender).. so in that sense everything is covered. However, if I don't want to take out the 28-200 I need a small zoom to cover a reasonable range.. So that's why either this 20-40 or maybe the Sigma 28-70 is an option. I'd miss the wider shots with the later.. unless I also take out a little wide prime.. but that seems like extra weight and hassle just in case 28 isn't wide enough. But the 20-40 40mm.. might just get frustratingly short on it's own.
@@brenwarren2301 I am thinking that the 20-40 plus the 85f1.8 would make a small but versatile combo covering a wide range from wide to short telephoto. With the crop factor thrown in the 20-40 can cover all the way to 60mm and the 85 can cover almost to 130mm ! And all at bright apertures!
@@chryseass.5143 I can’t help feeling that 85mm would in practice be annoyingly restrictive and you’d almost never use it, unless it’s a proper portrait shoot where you know there will always be plenty of distance to the subject. A 28-70 2.8 sigma is only a little bit bigger than the 20-40, and with the digital / crop zoom that’s up to 105mm or more. For normal use f2.8 is fast enough for low light and still gives nice bokeh / separation. Then you could carry a little 24 or 18mm with you just on the off chance you want to go wider. But then again if your more a vlogger, the 20-40 could indeed be more useful. Too many choices! 😂
I think its a good blogging & travel photography lens All in one place in your bag pack with sony a7c with in budget . but for wedding photography & cinematography need more wide to need more closer. Thank you for good informative video
hey man nice review and explanation, but let me ask some question right now i have the sigma art 24 70 but as long i used that sigma ( 1 year ) i feel holding a rock, so my hand tired and fcked up this lens like solution to my problem i planning to sell my sigma art and buy this lens, but i am still not sure if its worth it or not my setup is Dji RS2, Sony A7III (W Smallright Cage) what do u think ?
I've been more excited about this lens than literally any other lens ever made. I think that ~ 21mm-45mm F2.8 zoom lenses will become the standard moving forward. This appears first true zoom designed fully to take advantage of the mirrorless flange distance - that is the real reason for the focal length. That being said, the bokeh quality looks terrible compared to Sigma's modern lenses. Hopefully the lack of distortion makes up for it in some way... Honestly though, it might as well be F4 but much smaller if the out of focus rendering is going to be so bad.
Great review as usual. Thanks Stefen. I'm pretty confused between this one and 16-35 f4 Zeiss and sigma 16-28 f2.8 for travel photography. I've already own a tamron 28-75 f2.8.
hmmm, it's 1000€ in Germany. I hoped it to be 700€. I'm gonna wait for the price to drop. Its expensive for 20mm of zoom range imo. If i keep my dual camera setup i need a compact lense for the second body but if i sell both for an a1 i don't need it since i can use the 35-150 for everything
Testshots looks promising! Though I really hope it extends littler more on the tele end. At 40mm, crop mode 60, falls litter too short than a classic 75mm. So 20-50 would make it "perfecter." But I still think this will be an ultimate travel/lightweight/HIKING/family kit when paired with 50-400, (maybe a fast prime for lowlight). TWO lens covers 20-400 with good IG AND weight total 1.5kg is insane.
I like the 3D pop in this lens as it is visible in your sample shots. Just wished it was smaller. It's ridiculous tamron is sticking to 67mm while definitly could make this lens smaller...sony 16-35 f4 is smaller and with it's very better focal range makes it hard to buy this over that.
i had a 20mm 2.8 Tamron and I sell it because it wasn't sharp enough (but most important: the focus was terrible) why should I consider this lens. I was considering the 20mm 1.8 Sony or waiting for another zoom..
You can't really call this lens "not professional". It's not exactly even trying to be specialized lens. Lake landscape photographers most prized prime lens. It's certainly not a conventional portrait photographers pick... But with as fast aperture and pretty high resolution.... This is exactly what a professional photographer would likely use as a travel walk around lens.... And once you stop it down at the wider end it's actually a very competent landscape portrait lens for professional work. Assuming you're not using is super high resolution sensor.
Bit too wide at the short end and way to limited at the long end for a walk around lens. There’s a reason why the 24-70mm lens is used by so many photographers.
The Sony 24-70 f2.8 v2 is that lens. But almost twice as heavy and 3x the price of this new lens. I personally love my 24 1.8 prime which I can punch into 35mm fov in apsc mode but sometimes wish I could go wider so there is definitely a market for this 20-40.
24 is not wide enough indoors, and 70mm is too awkward as a portrait focal length (85 or more looks nicer). 20-40 and throw in a small crop for a 50mm equiv seems like a good alternative to a 24-70. The 20-40 + 85mm prime could be better than something like a 16-35 + 24-70 just to get the wide angle focal length.
for a walk around lens, I expect that I can take some selfie with friends, 24mm is too tele for doing this. Also 35/40mm is perfect in doing some snapshots on street.