Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-11-30)

42 30 November 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

Testbench BEST LENSES OF 2019

THISwideanglezoomforSony

mirrorlesscamerasmaintains

muchthesamedesignphilosophy

asTamron’shighlyregarded

28-75mmF/2.8DiIII RXD,being

a large-aperturezoomthat

achievesa compactsizeby

employinga relativelymodest

focal-length range. This approach

makes sense, as most users will

surely pair it with a 24mm or

28mm standard zoom.

In fact the 17-28mm is surely

the smallest and lightest f/2.8

full-frame wide zoom on the

market, weighing in at just 420g.

It also uses relatively small 67mm

fi lters, the same size as the

28-75mm f/2.8. As befi ts a lens

that’s ideal for landscape work,

the barrel features moisture-

resistant construction for

shooting outdoors in

challenging

conditions, with

fl uorine coating

on the front

element to repel

raindrops and

fi ngerprints alike.

Most importantly,

Tamron has

succeeded in

delivering the optical

characteristics that are

most valuable for this

kindof lens,withhighresolution

right across the frame even at

f/2.8, low distortion, and strong

resistance to fl are. In addition, the

RXD autofocus drive is super fast

and essentially silent in operation,

and works well for both stills and

video. The net result is a lens that

delivers excellent images with the

minimum of fuss.

Indeed, the Tamron 17-28mm

f/2.8 is now arguably the standout

choice for Alpha 7 users who are

looking for a small, lightweight

wideangle zoom. It’s an

extremely likeable

lens, and landscape

photographers in

particular should

appreciate its fi nely

judged combination

of strengths.

Olympus M.Zuiko ED

12-200mm F3.5-6.3

● £799 ● http://www.olympus.co.uk

SERIOUS photographers tend to
be suspicious of all-in-one lenses,
on the grounds that the larger the
zoom ratio, the lower the optical
quality must be. On that basis, it
would be easy to overlook this
24-400mm equivalent, 16.6x
superzoom. But Olympus
has already shown, with its
exceptional 12-100mm F4 IS
Pro, that it knows how to make
this kind of lens, and in practice,
the 12-200mm performs much
better than expected.
Indeed for some photographers
this might be the perfect lens for
travelling light. Its massive range
is complemented by impressively
short close focus, with a 0.46x
equivalent magnifi cation at full
zoom. The lightweight plastic
barrel benefi ts from dust- and
splash-proof construction,
making it a great companion to
E-M5-series cameras for
shooting outdoors in
less-than-perfect
weather. This
really is a lens
that can
tackle almost
every subject.
In terms of
optical quality,
this isn’t the
best choice for

pixel-peepers.Likemost

superzooms, it’s pretty good at its

wider settings, but gets less sharp

as you zoom in, and is plain soft

at telephoto. So it’s not the best

choice if you’re looking for crisp

detail corner to corner when

viewing your images up-close

onscreen. However, thanks to

integrated software corrections,

images are free of the unsightly

distortion and colour fringing

that are usually associated with

superzooms. For those who value

the creative potential of having

a huge range of

focal lengths in

a single lens,

it’s a really

interesting

option.

What we like

● Massive zoom range gives huge

compositional flexibility

● Good for close-ups

● Weather-sealed construction

What we like

● Bright maximum aperture

● Excellent optical quality

● Compact size and light weight

Tamron 17-28mm

F/2.8 Di III RXD

● £899 ● http://www.tamron.eu/uk

Recommended GOLD

The 12-200mm is

sharpest at wider

angle settings

This large-aperture

wide zoom is great

for low-light

interiors