Tamron 20mm 2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 für Sony E

The Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 is a bit of a complicated being. Obviously, it's not meant to be used without image auto-correction. Especially the massive (unusable) barrel distortion requires countermeasures. With all corrections in place, the center performance of the lens is just outstanding but there's a sharp drop in resolution towards the outer image field at f/2.8. The quality of the outer image field improves when stopping down and is decent albeit unimpressive at medium aperture settings. Lateral CAs are low. There is some vignetting at f/2.8 even with auto-correction but it's an acceptable compromise and fairly well-controlled when stopped down. The quality of the bokeh is good for an ultra-wide lens. If you have read our reviews of its cousins, you know already that we aren't all that thrilled by the build quality. The rather mediocre plastics and sluggish AF don't scream quality. However, in all fairness - this has to be seen relative to the low price tag. Keeping this in mind, it's almost surprising that the lens features some degree of sealing against moisture as well as an impressive close focus capability with an object magnification ratio of up to 1:2. Overall, the Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 is a good lens for a great price but it's not an obvious choice.

The Tamron 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 is a fairly fast, ultra-wide-angle prime lens for Sony's extensive range of full-frame and APS-C sensor mirrorless cameras. It features a maximum aperture of f/2.8, an Optimized Silent Drive focus motor for quiet AF operation, and a moisture-proof construction. The optical formula comprises 10 elements in 9 groups, including one moulded glass aspherical element and three low-dispersion elements.

The Tamron 20mm f2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 offers a fairly unique proposition for owners of Sony's full-frame mirrorless cameras. It's a small and light prime lens with weather sealing, delivering good to very good resolution in the APS-C image-circle at normal shooting distances. It lets you shoot confidently under adverse contra-light situations which is a boon especially with the very wide angle of view and at close-up shooting. On the downside, its unique selling point of 1:2 magnification delivered results that looked mushy outside of the centre in my tests and of course avoiding shadows at these distances is going to be hard with any ultra-wide lens. Plus the Tamron is very slow to focus, although this won’t be a big issue for mostly static subjects. Ultimately while Sony’s FE 20mm f1.8 G out-performs it in most respects, the Tamron comes in at comfortably lower price with the benefit of closer focusing - so long as you understand its limitations. And it’s this good price performance ratio that deservedly earns the Tamron 20mm f2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 a recommendation.

Editor's Choice – The Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 is a superb ultra-wide lens at a highly attractive price.