Why am I doing it again?

It’s been two years since my comparison article between the Sony 24-105mm and the Tamron 28-75mm. It is still one of the most popular ones, together with the corresponding video. In that article I concluded that I will pick Sony over the Tamron, because of a few reasons. The Sony has optical stabilization (Optical Steady Shot or OSS). It has an assignable button. Has better corner sharpness. Has better range, and on a high megapixel camera like A7RIII or A7RIV you end up with a 37-152mm lens in APS-C mode.

Two years later, with a A7RIV in hand, and after 1-2 major firmware updates from Tamron, I decided to test and compare the two lenses again. First to see if Tamron improved the video autofocus, and second to see how both lenses handle the 61Mpx resolution. In addition, Tamron increased the price of their lens with $80 and Sony reduced theirs, so they are now even closer price-wise. I’m currently preparing two videos (comparing sharpness and AF speed in stills and video) to supplement this article. I will place a link here once they are live.

Since its release in 2017, Sony 24-105mm f/4 lens has been a hit. It is the beginning of July 2018 now and the lens is still on preorder in all camera stores.Yes, small batches have been released and if you pre-order it is most probably that you will receive one soon, but it is not available for direct buy online.

While waiting for this lens to come, Tamron announced, and later released, a brand new 28-75mm full frame lens with constant f/2.8 aperture. It was probably released to compete with the Sony GM 24-70mm f/2.8, as many of the reviewers jumped to compare the two. Yes, both lenses have similar focal length, and both have constant f/2.8 aperture, but pricewise are very different. While the Sony GM 24-70 F/2.8 is almost $2,200, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 is only $799.

Couple of weeks ago my Sony 24-105mm f/4 finally arrived. Because there were no signs that it can be delivered on time for the two upcoming events I had to shoot, I decided to rent the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 as well. At the end both lenses arrived on time, so I had the opportunity to shoot with both lenses at two weddings, and also use them for some casual family pictures.