Lens Consolidation Follow Up: The Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD.

I recently wrote a post about this lens change.

The goal was to replace the lenses above with the 20-40mm.

While I am happy with it I am still getting my head around the 20-40mm. Here are sample images followed by my first thoughts.

What better place to test this lens out than Duke Gardens.

A couple more on the way home.

First thoughts.

The 20-40mm has shifted my thinking on zoom focal ranges similar to the Tamron 35-150mm and 70-180mm before it. I did not think it made sense when it came out but it makes a ton of sense in use. 20mm is plenty wide for my purposes and, as I learned with the Sony 40mm f/2.5 G, 40mm comes close enough to 50mm that it can be used as a normal walkaround/portrait in a pinch lens.

It is surprisingly light and small while still feeling well built.

The price is surprising. $200 less than the full price of the 17-28mm which made the trade less painful.

Still processing this thing. I am past being concerned that I traded the two lenses and kind of wondering why it took me so long to notice this lens.

Compared to the 17-28mm.

I did not really grasp how wide 20mm is since I used my 17-28mm at 17mm much of the time. 20mm is still pretty flipping wide. As in if I did not know any better I would not be able to tell the difference in use.

Compared to the 40mm.

At 40mm it behaves just like the Sony 40mm prime I like so much. The only difference is a slightly larger lens and f/2.8 instead of f/2.5 which, like 17mm vs 20mm, I would never notice in actual use.

But the main thing is this. The 17-28mm is wide angle to less wide angle like a 70-200mm is tele to very tele. The 35-150mm is such a big deal because it went from just below normal to pretty deep into tele territory. The 20-40mm pulls off a similar trick by going from pretty wide to just short of normal. So it traverses two different lens categories instead of being a variable of one focal range.

Because of the focal range I rarely used the 17-28mm since, like every other wide zoom I have owned, it was useless for people pics. So I had a small wide lens and a small prime, the 40mm, to go with it. This lens does both.

Also helps that I gave up on the small full frame with AF in a rangefinderish frock thing with the A7C. Despite the rangefinderish form factor it is functionally a small A7, not a camera meant to be an X100 competitor, Leica Q, or a compact camera alternative. Which is a good thing. Properly kitted with a strong zoom lens option like this it is technically better than all of them if perhaps not as “fun”.

There are other options. But the 20-40mm is a better fit for me.

Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G

20mm works better as a 17-28mm replacement for me.
The Sony is fairly priced but the Tamron’s lower price helped.

Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art

Starting at 28mm it is not a 17-28mm replacement.
Larger, heavier and more expensive than what I am looking for.

In addition it makes a perfect companion to the 35-150mm.

It also brings the USB-C connector for easy firmware updates and adjustments. The looks do not make for better pictures but I do like that the 20-40mm has Tamron’s newer design language and improved materials.

So, that about wraps it up. Success.

Happy capturing.

-ELW