Verdict

It’s good that the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 is finally available for Nikon Z-mount as the lens has a lot going for it: It’s small and lightweight for a standard zoom lens with a constant f2.8 focal ratio and delivers good to very good resolution across the full frame and over the complete zoom-range. It also shows very good resistance against flare, glare, and ghosting which lets you shoot confidently in adverse contra-light situations. The lens achieves a magnification of 1:2.5 – 1:3.7 (depending on focal length). It is also thoroughly weather-sealed including a fluorine coating against moisture and dust on the front element and has a focus set button plus USB-C port to make the focus ring and button configurable via computer and Tamron’s Lens Utility (“TLU”) software. And at 949 EUR / 999 USD / 849 GBP the lens is attractively priced.

What’s not to like? Well, the short end starts only at 28mm which restricts the widest angle of view to 75 degrees compared to the 84 degrees zoom lenses starting at 24mm focal length offer. And image quality at very close distances is limited especially at the short end: better use the lens at 75mm and stop down to at least f8.0 for close-up shooting.

Let’s put this into perspective and have a closer look at how the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 compares to Nikon’s f2.8 standard zoom lenses.

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S (left), Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 (right)

Compared to Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8

Compared to the Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 (based on Tamron’s 1st generation design) Tamron’s G2 lens is better regarding resolution, Bokeh, coma, flare and glare resistance, maximum magnification, and focus speed. There is only one area where the Z-Nikkor is better: image quality at close-up shooting. The Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 is still a good lens but I’d rather get Tamron’s 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 for Z-mount, it’s simply better in the most important aspects.

For more details see my Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 review where it earned a recommendation.

Compared to Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S

The Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S performed very well in all of my tests regarding contrast, resolution, focus speed and reliability, colour aberrations, and coma, producing very good image quality even with pixel shift shooting at 180MP resolution. It is equipped with a useful OLED display and a dedicated focus ring (in addition to the multi-function ring). Like the Tamron it also has a customizable function button and is well-sealed against the elements. Regarding optical quality the Tamron is neck-and-neck with the Z-Nikkor with a slight advantage for the Tamron at the short end while the Z-Nikkor is better at the long end, sharper in close-up shooting, and has the more consistent autofocus. But the Tamron is better regarding flare and (veiling) glare and it costs less than half of the Nikon. So price/performance ratio certainly favors the Tamron – if you are OK with the missing 4mm focal length (9 degrees angle of view) at the short end.

For more details see my Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S review where it came Highly Recommended.

Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 final verdict

Tamron’s 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 is optically right up there with the best from other manufacturers. Plus, it’s small and lightweight and attractively priced. And Tamron didn’t skimp on features: The lens is fully weather sealed and has a focus set button plus USB-C port to make the lens highly configurable via computer and their Lens Utility software. Only its close-up performance is disappointing – and you might ponder whether 28mm is wide enough for your purposes. But other than that Tamron has designed a compelling standard zoom with an attractive price-performance ratio which clearly earns a Highly Recommended!

Good points:

• Good to very good resolution across the full frame and over the complete zoom-range.
• Slim, light, and inexpensive.
• Almost no longitudinal colour aberrations or coma.
• Very good resistance against flare, glare, and ghosting.
• Configurable focus ring and focus set button.
• Extensive weather sealing plus fluorine coating against moist and dust.

Bad points:

• Wide end starts at 28mm focal length, not 24mm.
• For usable close-up performance better use at 75mm focal length stopped down to f8.0.
• Autofocus produces some outliers.