Tamron’s 16-50mm F2.8 A is a constant-F2.8 APS-C zoom for Sony E, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, and Nikon Z. DPReview lists it at $529 for Sony E and Fujifilm X, and $549 for Canon RF and Nikon Z. The “A” is Tamron’s new mark for APS-C, and the model code is B091.
On Sony, Fujifilm, and Nikon that range is about 24-75mm equivalent. On Canon RF it is about 26-80mm. There is no stabilization. It sits next to Tamron’s larger 17-70mm F2.8 VC, and DPReview says the new lens is 42% lighter and about half the volume, at least $170 less, with 7 aperture blades instead of 9.
One optical design, four different barrels
DPReview quotes a length of about 80mm, a maximum diameter a little over 64mm, a weight of 305g, and a 55mm filter. Digital Camera World’s spec box splits that by mount. The Nikon Z version is the outlier: longer and a few grams heavier. Those millimeter figures are the ones in DCW’s table. The inch conversions printed next to them do not match the millimeters, so the table below uses the millimeter and gram numbers.
| Mount | US price | Length / weight | When it ships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony E | $529 | 79.6 mm / 305 g | DCW: October 29. DPReview: late October. |
| Canon RF | $549 | 77.6 mm / 305 g | DCW: October 29. DPReview: late October. |
| Fujifilm X | $529 | 79.9 mm / 305 g | DCW: December 17. DPReview: about a month after the first two. |
| Nikon Z | $549 | 121.3 mm / 315 g | DCW: November 19. DPReview: before the end of the year. |
Sony, Canon, and Nikon versions have a USB-C port. DPReview says the Fujifilm X version does not. DPReview also notes that a Nikon-licensed lens competing with Nikon’s own Z DX 16-50mm F2.8 VR is unusual. That Nikon zoom starts around $900, and Sony’s 16-55mm F2.8 G is listed at $1,700.
| 16-50mm F2.8 A | |
|---|---|
| Optics | 14 elements / 10 groups (1 LD, 2 molded glass aspherics, 2 hybrid aspherics) |
| Blades | 7 |
| Closest focus | 15 cm at the wide end, 0.22x. DCW lists 0.29 m and 1:4.8 at 50mm. |
| Filter | 55mm |
| Stabilization | None |
What the first reviews actually saw
PetaPixel scored a Sony-mount copy 8/10 and said to buy it. Chris Niccolls found the center at 16mm already excellent at F2.8, with the extreme corners clearing up by F5.6, and 50mm sharp across the frame wide open. Focus is a VXD linear motor. He calls the bokeh pleasant rather than special: no onion rings in his frames, some busy highlights, minor ghosting when stopped down, and a little longitudinal color fringing at F2.8. Close focus is on his con list. He also likes the new darker finish and the gold mount ring, and he reports the barrel as weather-sealed. There is no aperture ring and no custom button, only zoom, manual focus, and the USB-C port.
Digital Camera World’s hands-on, also on Sony, is more cautious and has no score yet. Hillary K. Grigonis saw barrel distortion at both ends and vignetting that a lens profile cleans up, plus minor purple fringing in backlit branches. She also saw onion ringing in smaller distant highlights, which is a different bokeh read from PetaPixel. The zoom extends as it goes to 50mm.
Against the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN, DPReview says the Tamron is only about 4% longer and 5% heavier when both are retracted, and it starts wider. PetaPixel adds that the Sigma’s stepping motor is slower and noisier. The Sigma is not sold for Nikon Z.