# Tamron Announces Development of Full Frame 15-30mm f/2.8 VC



## Canon Rumors Guy (Sep 12, 2014)

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<p><strong>September  12,  2014,  Saitama,  Japan.  –  Tamron  Co.,  Ltd.</strong>  (President  &  CEO:  Morio  Ono),  a  leading  manufacturer  of  precision  optics,  announces  development  of  a  new  ultra-wideangle  zoom  lens  for  full-frame  DSLR  cameras  with  a  fast  F/2.8  aperture  and  VC  (Vibration  Compensation),  the  world’s  first  in  its  category.  The  price  and  launch  date  are  to  be  determined.  The  lens  will  be  showcased  at  the  Tamron  booth  at  Photokina  2014,  September  16-  21,  2014  in  Cologne,  Germany  (Photokina  Booth  Number:Hall  4.2  D10  –  E19).</p>
Since  2012,  Tamron  has  been  expanding  its  lineup  of  interchangeable  lenses  for  35mm  full-frame  DSLR  cameras.  SP  24-70mm  F/2.8  was  the  first  in  the  series,  being  integrated  with  VC,  followed  by  the  70-200mm  F/2.8,  90mm  F/2.8  Macro,  and  150-600mm  F/5-6.3.  The  array  of  those  new  lenses  have  been  highly  acclaimed  among  the  photo  enthusiasts  and  working  pros  around  the  globe.  To  address  the  needs  for  more  towards  the  wider  angular  field,  Tamron  spearheaded  the  development  of  SP  15-30mm  F/2.8  Di  VC  USD,  a  fast  ultra-wideangle  zoom  lens  with  the  image  stabilization  feature,  setting  itself  apart  from  the  rest  of  zooms  in  this  category.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><strong>Product  Highlights</strong></p>
<p>Superb  image  quality  and  performance</p>
<p>With  an  optical  construction  of  18  elements  in  13  groups,  inclusive  of  XGM  (eXpanded  Glass  Molded  Aspherical)  element  placed  at  the  front  group  and  several  LD  (Low  Dispersion)  glass  elements  in  the  system,  aberrations  such  as  geometrical  distortion  and  lateral  color  are  efficiently  compensated  for  enabling  the  zoom  lens  to  deliver  outstanding  image  quality  throughout  the  entire  range  from  corner  to  corner.</p>
<p><strong>Prominent  competence  of  VC  when  shooting  night  scenes  and  under  low  light  conditions</strong></p>
<p>Recognizing  the  needs  for  image  stabilization  capability  on  a  wideangle  lens  voiced  by  a  number  of  photographers,  especially  for  a  full-frame,  fast  F/2.8  ultra-wide-angle  zoom  lens  category,  VC  is  tuned  for  providing  discernible  competence  throughout  the  entire  zoom  range.  The  feature  enhances  image  depicting  capabilities  for  shooting  night  scenes  and  under  low  light  conditions.</p>
<p>B<strong>enefit  of  the  eBAND  and  the  improved  BBAR  coatings</strong></p>
<p>Tamron’s  acclaimed  BBAR  (Broad-Band  Anti-Reflection)  coating  is  further  refined  to  render  uniformity  in  transmissivity  across  the  critical  bandwidths.  Coupled  with  the  eBAND  coating,  ghosting  and  flare  typically  observed  on  ultra-wideangle  lenses  are  efficiently  eliminated,  resulting  in  crisper  and  crystal-clear  images.</p>
<p><strong>Fluorine  coating  on  the  front  element,  Tamron’s  first</strong></p>
<p>Due  to  the  large  diameter  and  the  prominent  convex  profile  of  the  front  element,  it  is  not  practical  to  deploy  a  protective  filter.  For  the  first  time,  a  fluorine  coating  is  applied  to  the  front  element,  which  repels  water  or  any  type  of  dirt,  while  making  it  easier  to  remove  such  smudge  when  contaminated.</p>
<p><strong>Fascinating  background  “bokeh”  with  the  fast  maximum  aperture  of  F/2.8</strong></p>
<p>Natural  and  smooth  blur  on  the  subject  background  enhances  depictive  capabilities  of  wide-angle  photography  when  a  subject  is  located  in  the  close  distance.  The  9-blade  diaphragm  construction  retains  a  near-circular  aperture  opening  even  when  stopped  down  by  two  steps  from  its  full  open  position  and  delivers  ideal  bokeh  effects.</p>
<p><strong>Easy-to-use  autofocus</strong></p>
<p>Speed  of  autofocus  and  control  accuracy  are  further  improved.  USD[4]  (Ultrasonic  Silent  Drive)  delivers  tack-sharp  images  due  to  the  high  torque  and  fast  response  speed  with  least  amount  of  lag  time,  yet  with  extremely  low  acoustic  noise.  Equipped  with  a  full-time  manual  focus  mechanism,  fine  focus  adjustments  are  enabled  without  exiting  from  the  AF  mode.</p>
<p><strong>Comes  with  “SILKYPIX  Developer  Studio  for  Tamron”,  RAW  image  processing  software  customized  for  Tamron  SP  lenses</strong></p>
<p>The  SILKYPIX  Developer  Studio  software  provides  an  added  feature  to  generate  high-quality  images  from  RAW  data,  while  performing  adjustments  to  reflect  a  personal  style  and  a  taste  of  the  photographer.  These  include  white  balance,  color,  sharpness,  and  the  tonal  curves  recorded  by  digital  cameras.</p>
<p>The  SILKYPIX  Developer  Studio  for  Tamron  provides  a  range  of  functions,  in  addition  to  the  basic  adjustment  capabilities,  such  as  correcting  aberrations  (lateral  color,  distortion,  relative  illumination  fall-off)  referring  to  the  optical  design  data.  Optimal  use  with  Tamron’s  SP  series  lenses  –  renowned  for  their  high-depiction  capabilities  –  delivers  images  that  meet  photographers’  most  exacting  demands.</p>
<p>[4]  USD  (Ultrasonic  Silent  Drive)  is  Tamron’s  proprietary  ring-type  ultrasonic  motor.</p>
<p><strong>Detailed  Feature  Explanation</strong></p>
<p><strong>VC  (Vibration  Compensation)</strong></p>
<p>VC  (Vibration  Compensation)  is  Tamron’s  proprietary  image  stabilization  system.  Tamron’s  VC  is  a  three-coil  system,  whereby  three  driving  coils  activate  the  shake-compensating  VC  lens  group  electromagnetically  via  three  ceramic  ball  bearings.  The  VC  lens  elements  are  held  in  place  only  by  contact  with  the  ceramic  ball  bearings,  achieving  smooth  movement  with  little  friction.  And  since  the  VC  mechanism  is  moved  in  parallel  using  only  the  motorized  control,  the  mechanical  structure  has  been  simplified,  enabling  the  development  of  a  more  compact  lens.</p>
<p><strong>The  Ultrasonic  Silent  Motor  (USD)</strong></p>
<p>In  the  ultrasonic  motor,  a  piezoelectric  element  arranged  in  a  ring  formation  generates  ultrasonic  vibrations  in  a  metallic  ring  stator,  and  the  vibration  energy  is  used  to  rotate  a  metallic  ring  rotor  that  is  attached  to  the  stator.  The  rotation  energy  is  in  turn  transferred  from  the  metallic  ring  rotor  to  operate  the  focusing  mechanism  of  the  lens.</p>
<p><strong>eBAND  (Extended  Bandwidth  &  Angular-Dependency)  Coating</strong></p>
<p>eBAND  Coating,  developed  by  Tamron,  is  a  new  coating  technique  that  radically  improves  anti-reflection  properties.  A  nano-structured  layer  (1nm  =  1/1,000,000mm),  with  dimensions  smaller  than  the  wavelengths  of  visible  rays  of  light,  is  deployed  on  top  of  multiple  coating  layers  to  maximize  efficiency.</p>
<p>Reflections  occur  at  the  interface  between  the  lens  and  the  air  because  of  the  difference  in  refractive  indices  of  the  two  substances.  The  nano-structure  of  the  eBAND  Coating  renders  an  extremely  low  refractive  index  by  minimizing  the  differential  with  that  of  air  while  actively  inducing  air  to  its  own  structure,  thus  significantly  suppressing  the  extent  and  degree  of  reflections.</p>
<p>In  addition,  a  total  anti-reflection  efficiency  at  the  lens  surface  is  further  improved  by  means  of  integrating  the  conventional  coating  technique  based  on  an  active  utilization  of  the  “interference  of  light”  principle,  attenuating  an  amount  of  reflections  by  overlaying  reflected  light  on  the  coating  front  surface  and  that  of  the  back  side  with  its  phase  shifted,  thus  increasing  the  net  transmissivity.</p>
<p>As  a  hybrid  technology  between  the  newly  developed  nano-structured  layer  with  an  extremely  low  refractive  index  and  conventional  multiple-layer  coatings,  the  eBAND  Coating  provides  superb  anti-reflection  performance,  delivering  crisp,  razor  sharp  images,  and  remarkably  eliminating  the  flare  and  ghosting  that  can  tangibly  damage  image  quality.</p>
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## matt4p (Sep 12, 2014)

Want one!


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## tayassu (Sep 12, 2014)

A very nice lens indeed!  may work as a crop standard lens also :
Let's see how it compares to the Nikon 14-24 and the Canon 16-35...


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## expatinasia (Sep 12, 2014)

I have never purchased a non-canon lens, but I must admit I am interested in this one. Looking forward to the reviews.


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## EchoLocation (Sep 12, 2014)

This lens sounds great. I had the old 17-35 f2.8-4 DI Tamron lens for Nikon and it was pretty darn good on my Nikon D700. 
I'm very curious about the price of this lens and the weight. This could be a great travel lens.


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## Balb0wa (Sep 12, 2014)

looks a bit like its styled on the new sigmas


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## BozillaNZ (Sep 12, 2014)

Got the Tokina 16-28mm 2.8 recently and I have to say, it totally kicks Canon 16-35 2.8 II's ass. Actually is there any wide zoom that didn't kick 16-38 2.8 II's ass?


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## steliosk (Sep 12, 2014)

looks promising if its sharp from edge to edge wide open,
unlikely though

However Canon lacks a sharp and fast ultra wide angle zoom.

The 16-35 2.8 II is good for 5D not good for 5D2 5D3 and the 16-35 f/4 IS is great but f/4 

I'm very dissapointed with the canon line,
no new L fast primes, no fast UWA, no 14-24 or even wider, sigma has 12-24, no new high megapixel cameras for landscape photographers.

They invest too much on video and they have completely forgotten photographers and don't tell me, a good photographer doesn't need evolution and good photographers take good pictures with any equipment. If thats the case lets go back to film then.


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## pknight (Sep 12, 2014)

expatinasia said:


> I have never purchased a non-canon lens, but I must admit I am interested in this one. Looking forward to the reviews.



I once only owned Canon lenses. I now have three Tamrons and a Sigma. Both are doing great things at a great price, compared to Canon.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Sep 12, 2014)

I had a head's up that this was coming, and I can't wait to get my hands on one. I'm currently testing the 16-35mm f/4L IS, so I have a pretty good frame of reference. I'm hoping Tamron can get me one before I return the Canon 16-35L so I can compare them head to head.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Sep 12, 2014)

pknight said:


> expatinasia said:
> 
> 
> > I have never purchased a non-canon lens, but I must admit I am interested in this one. Looking forward to the reviews.
> ...



That's my story, too. I've even got a Rokinon thrown in there now and am considering keeping the 12mm f/2 Rokinon in the EOS M mount that I am testing right now.


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## mackguyver (Sep 12, 2014)

I was excited at first, but I really like the extra 5mm at 35mm and the bulbous front that precludes (or makes it a a pain to use) filters is a non-starter for me. I am very happy with my 16-35 f/4 IS and after taking some shots in really dim lighting the other night, I realize I don't miss f/2.8 all that much.


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## sleepnever (Sep 12, 2014)

The bulbous front element of the UWA Tamrons preventing any filters is what stops me from picking one up. I have a 24-70L now that I love, but would be great to get a bit wider sometimes. I've used the 17-40L, but the vignetting is pretty bad wide open. f/4 isn't horribly bad, especially if you have a newer camera like a 5D3.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Sep 12, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> I was excited at first, but I really like the extra 5mm at 35mm and the bulbous front that precludes (or makes it a a pain to use) filters is a non-starter for me. I am very happy with my 16-35 f/4 IS and after taking some shots in really dim lighting the other night, I realize I don't miss f/2.8 all that much.



The bulbous front element is definitely the buzzkill here.


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## SoullessPolack (Sep 12, 2014)

steliosk said:


> looks promising if its sharp from edge to edge wide open,
> unlikely though
> 
> However Canon lacks a sharp and fast ultra wide angle zoom.
> ...



They invest 'too much' on video? That's what's making them money, and that's what they see continuing to make them money. Why would a company go away from that, just because a few photographers don't meet that description?


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## Radiating (Sep 12, 2014)

tayassu said:


> A very nice lens indeed!  may work as a crop standard lens also :
> Let's see how it compares to the Nikon 14-24 and the Canon 16-35...



Yeah when Tamron released their 24-70mm VC it was amazing. If this lens is anything like that they could easily be the best wide angle lens in the world.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Sep 12, 2014)

P.S. I was just told that this lens won't actually hit the market until the end of the year. I may get one a bit early for testing, but this isn't a "just around the corner" kind of announcement.

It's probably a good idea that they limited the focal length to a 2x time zoom ratio (although we're all greedy for more). That should allow them to focus on killer optics (and hopefully low distortion). This could be a real winner for wedding photographers!


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## mackguyver (Sep 12, 2014)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> P.S. I was just told that this lens won't actually hit the market until the end of the year. I may get one a bit early for testing, but this isn't a "just around the corner" kind of announcement.


By Canon's measure (did someone say 200-400 1.4x?), that's almost an immediate availability announcement!


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## KacperP (Sep 12, 2014)

Sounds interesting.
I wonder how fisheye variant of it would work out.


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## andrewflo (Sep 12, 2014)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> P.S. I was just told that this lens won't actually hit the market until the end of the year. I may get one a bit early for testing, but this isn't a "just around the corner" kind of announcement.
> 
> It's probably a good idea that they limited the focal length to a 2x time zoom ratio (although we're all greedy for more). That should allow them to focus on killer optics (and hopefully low distortion). This could be a real winner for wedding photographers!



Thanks for the extra info! Guess I'm postponing my UWA zoom purchase even further  Patience is a virtue!

Agreed, the 35mm reach of the Canon seems very very nice, as is 14mm of the Nikon on the wider end.

So it seems like Tamron hit the happy medium of 15-30mm. Even if it was 15-24mm with f/2.8 and VC, it would be an intriguing lens no doubt.

Personally I'd prefer 14-24mm, but if it were 14-24mm f/2.8 no-VC or f/4 VC vs. this 15-30mm f/2.8 VC, I think Tammy made the right decision!


PS: Would love to see your comparison/review against the Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS if you get your hands on it in time


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## CarlMillerPhoto (Sep 12, 2014)

Tamron must be reading my posts here on CR  : 



CarlMillerPhoto said:


> My ideal UWA is a 14-30mm f/2.8. I'd gladly give up 5mm on the long end for 2mm on the wide in regards to the current 16-35mm. And despite the number of people here who don't think f/2.8 is necessary, it comes in very hand for wedding receptions and night photography.



I think I can give up 1mm on the wide end for VC ;D Glad I've been able to resist picking up the new Canon 16-35 f/4. Here's hoping Tamron's UWA is a good as their 24-70 and 70-200 VC lenses!!!

It really is the year of the lenses for third party manufactures lol. Pretty soon my kit will be nothing but Tamron zooms and Sigma primes.


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## YuengLinger (Sep 12, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> I was excited at first, but I really like the extra 5mm at 35mm and the bulbous front that precludes (or makes it a a pain to use) filters is a non-starter for me. I am very happy with my 16-35 f/4 IS and after taking some shots in really dim lighting the other night, I realize I don't miss f/2.8 all that much.



Samples??? Please!


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## Luds34 (Sep 12, 2014)

CarlMillerPhoto said:


> It really is the year of the lenses for third party manufactures lol. Pretty soon my kit will be nothing but Tamron zooms and Sigma primes.



+1


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## Rudeofus (Sep 12, 2014)

A while back I tried Canon's 20-35, and to be honest, the zoom ratio was so small it did not really impress me in the view finder. Let's not forget that every zoom has to make some compromises in terms of image quality, so a really sharp prime plus cropping may fare better than such a zoom. Allow me here to doubt the usefulness of a zoom with only 2x focal length ratio, even the 200-400 included an optional TC for this reason.


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## AcutancePhotography (Sep 12, 2014)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> The bulbous front element is definitely the buzzkill here.



I am the type of tog that likes to keep a protective filter on. Kinda wish this lens enabled that.

But I look forward to reading the tests and reviews of this lens.


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## mackguyver (Sep 12, 2014)

AcutancePhotography said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > The bulbous front element is definitely the buzzkill here.
> ...


Me, to and a ND or C-PL when needed.


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