Tamron Bringing 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 APS-C Zoom Lens to RF and Z Mounts

Tamron will bring its popular 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061) telephoto zoom for APS-C mirrorless cameras to Nikon Z and Canon RF mount later this year.

The lens, initially released for Sony E-mount and Fujifilm X Series cameras in 2021, delivers a roughly 27-450mm equivalent focal length on Nikon Z APS-C cameras and 29-480mm on Canon EOS R-series cameras with crop sensors. It was the world’s first APS-C lens for mirrorless cameras to achieve a 16.6x zoom ratio, an achievement Sigma just recently bested with its new 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS zoom lens, which is available for Sony E, L-Mount, Canon RF, and Fujifilm X mirrorless cameras, but not Nikon Z.

“The 16.6X zoom range lets you enjoy taking photos from wide-angle to ultra-telephoto without having to change lenses, “Tamron explains. “With its 18mm wide to 300mm ultra-telephoto reach (450mm plus full-frame equivalent on crop sensor cameras)[3], it’s ideal for a wide range of scenes, including landscapes, snapshots, portraits, animals, and sports.”

As Ryan Mense wrote in PetaPixel‘s Tamron 18-300mm Review in 2021, the all-in-one zoom lens is very useful, quite impressive in terms of its performance, and a strong value. The E-mount and X versions are $699, although Tamron has not yet committed to pricing for its Nikon Z and Canon RF versions. Some Tamron lenses for Nikon Z have come at a slight premium, so it would not be unusual for that to occur with the 18-300mm lens, too. As of now, both the release date and pricing will be announced later.

The Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD features 19 elements arranged across five groups, a seven-bladed rounded aperture diaphragm, and Tamron’s excellent Vibration Compensation image stabilization system. The “VXD” in the model name refers to the Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive linear autofocus motor, which promises swift and smooth focusing performance. The lens can focus quite closely, 15 centimeters (5.9 inches), enabling a 1:2 reproduction ratio, basically “half macro.”

The E-mount version of the weather-sealed lens is 125.6 millimeters (4.9 inches) long and 75.5 millimeters (three inches) across. It has a 67mm filter thread, like many of Tamron’s lenses, and weighs 620 grams (21.9 ounces). While Tamron has not specified the size and weight of the upcoming RF and Z versions, they are slightly different in length, which accounts for the different mount designs. Further, the RF version has AF and VC control switches on the barrel, while the Z mount version does not. Otherwise, features and performance should be identical, and Nikon and Canon shooters will soon have a new all-in-one telephoto zoom lens to consider.

Within the Canon EOS R system, Canon has no true competitor to the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 lens — just the much shorter RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. On the Nikon Z side of things, there is the Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, which is very similar to the Canon’s all-in-one APS-C zoom lens in size and reach. Tamron’s upcoming offering is a welcome addition to both systems, especially for Nikon Z since Sigma isn’t launching its 16-300mm zoom for that format.


Image credits: Tamron. Featured image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.