I preordered this lens asap and it got here the other day. It’s absolutely fantastic as an ”everyday” lens and is so much lighter than what I had before. 11/10, would lens again.
Adorama delivered mine today. I can’t wait to go home and try it. I can’t believe they made a f/2.8 full frame zoom that’s lighter than many crop lenses.
@@RyanREAX IMO, the 20-40mm makes sense as a secondary lens, whereas 28-75mm is more of a primary lens that can be an only lens. It combines well with my 50, 65, 85mm primes, or with my 35-150mm, because it’s tiny in the bag and doesn’t overlap too much, and because of that, I’m actually more likely to use it, whereas my 28-70mm didn’t get used much because most of my favorite lenses are normal to short telephoto and 28-70mm is too similar.
@@Thai.H I mean the embargo lifted at midnight. If he hasn’t posted a video yet it means he doesn’t have it. Either that or he chose not to post it for some reason which makes absolutely no sense as every creator races to have their video posted the second the embargo lifts to avoid a huge disadvantage of loss of views.
I'm thankful that the most thorough camera gear reviewer also happens to shoot mostly with Sony. It's a real plus for us Sony shooters out here. Thanks!
Love your reviews! The comparison between Sony PZ16-35 F4 and Tamron 20-40 F2.8 would be great help and I’m sure lots of people would appreciate it. Thanks!
I have both, the Tamron is much lighter and just as sharp. You lose 16-20 mm. but that's the trade off. Also the Sony has OSS. The Sony is soft at f 4.0 at 35 mm. as well.
Just got my first camera, the sony a7s iii. To go with it I picked up the Sony 20mm 1.8 G. The focus breathing was so bad I almost swapped the camera for the A7iv. The guys a NCE said it was the lens, not the camera. They sold me this Tamron 20-40 and what a difference. I'm shocked on how bad the breathing was on the G lens. Great review and I love your recording area.
Another great review, Gerald! I'm mainly a 15/21/35/40mm street, lifestyle and travel hobbyist shooter here, usually pairing the 40 with either of the wides so I got pretty excited when I saw the lens announced. My main use for the lens will be for travelling, just avoiding the hassle of changing between lenses on the go all the time and exposing the sensor to dust, besides being a lighter and smaller lens. Great to know better its strengths and weaknesses in depth, and YES, an f2 and not too larger version of it would be certainly fantastic! And congrats for the baby :)
At this price point this is not meant to replace prime lenses (except for the overpriced f/2.8 or f/2.5 primes), but it serves as the perfect kit lens for compact FF cameras like A7c and even FX3 if power zoom is not needed.
You’re reviews are always so detailed. Thanks as always. Just here to say there’s nothing to hide about being in a nursery! If anything it’s good for the world to show indicators of men doing care work at home.
If it was a 20-50 2.8 even if it was a bit bigger it would be perfect. I’ve always thought the 70 end of a 24-70 is kinda pointless but I could use a bit more at the wide end.
20-60 for me. Rumor is tamrons older 24-70 is a touch wider than advertised. And im using a speed boosted panasonic 4/3rds to get a 1.4x on a tamron 17-50mm 2.8 to get something similar. Or 1.3x canon with the same lens as a 22-68mm.
Haha i shoot at the 70mm end of my 28-70 all the time. I always feel like the 28 end is useless. My perfect length is 75mm. But the tamron 35-150 is on my next buy list!!
i always thought the 24-105 f4 was my ideal lens as you go from really wide all the way into telephoto and you can still get shallow dof at full frame.
The tamron 28-75/F2.8 has been our work-horse for the last 2 years now. We absolutely love it and wouldn't change it for anything (even the G-master). For travel, we believe, its the holy-grail for its price point. We are trying to understand how the 20-40 has an edge here. Is it just the price point, size and weight?? Would love to here what the experts think😀
As a "webcam lens" I can recommend the 28mm f2, it gives a nice amount of separation and it's not too close or too wide as well. Has worked well for me.
Well, personally I couldn't do much with a 20-40mm on full-frame. 20 is not really wide enough for landscapes (ok but not great), 40mm not really long enough for portraits. For a vlogger/ UA-camr this might be a good range. But for everything else.... don't know, quite boring focal length range in my opinion. It can do everything but it isn't really optimal for most things ("nichts Halbes und nichts Ganzes", as we say in Germany). I would rather use a proper wide angle zoom lens (e. g. Sigma 16-28 2.8) and a proper portrait lens.
My two lenses are the Sony 20mm FE lens, and the Tamron 28-75 G ii lens. They're an excellent duo, but I sometimes wish the Tamron was wider, on the wide end, and had a faster f/stop than 2.8. Still, these days, I get more versatility with my 20mm, since I can use the crop mode on my A7C to get a tighter focal length.
How do you find your Tamron lens? Currently I also have the Tamron 28-75 but I find it a big lens for my a7c. I was thinking of switching it for a Tamron 20-40 and pairing it with a Sony 85 1.8. That would be my 2 lens combo
@@tupac1971fulhonestly, for portraits, the Tamron 28-75 is excellent. This was also my desired use for it. That said, if it was 24-75, that would have been a more versatile range.
Interesting to see a modern lens with such painterly bokeh character (in part due to the slightly bright rings around the bokeh at f/2.8). I thought that feature to be lost with vintage glass. Decently sharp, zoom, AF with nice punchy colors, lots of character esp. for modern glass .. actually tempted to buy it!
Thanks Gerald! Great review like always! At around 11:46, while the Sony does look sharper (and less fringing) to my eye as well, the Tamron somehow produces more detail among the thinnest four horizontal lines across the frame. So I can differentiate the different lines with the Tamron, but the Sony mushes them together. Are you seeing what I am seeing here?
Great Review! I have the 20-40 along with the 35-150 and the 50-400. Love this setup. Every lens is super versatile and delivers top notch for the price
About to start vlogging. Got my eyes on this lens as my Tamron 28-75mm is too tight even with an outstretched arm. Love that this lens can go wide for walk and talk, and if I want to zoom in to show something, I can zoom to 40mm, APS-C and if necessary Clear image zoom on top, essentially turning it into a 90mm lens. Looking forward to nabbing one.
Seems tremendously more useful than 17-28. I don't need crazy 17mm wide. But the 20-40 would save me from swapping lenses around a lot Wish it was f2 or 2.2 though
Aside from the lens, how is the newest member of the Gerald Undone family doing? and how is Mom doing? Hope You both are getting some sleep. Still waiting to see photos, we need to know whether the little one takes after Mom or you and is there any purple in the outfits.
I think this is the first video where I realized Gerald is a dad? That's awesome! And, Gerald, you know you gotta do a "I am Gerald Undone, and I am a cool dad!"
This is the best review of this lens for my use case, because you are comparing it to one of the Sony primes (20mm/f1.8). In most reviews sharpness and other optical qualities are ranked quite high for this lens, but everything is relative. I bought this lens for documentary/event photography as a solution to combine my two-prime-lens setup (Sony 24/2.8 and 35/1.8) into a single lens. While the Tamron is probably the best option in terms of weight, size and prize, the overall image qualitiy and especially the sharpness does not quite match the prime lenses. It still is good enough though, knowing that the other option is a lot pricier and larger (16-35GM2).
I believe this review is somewhat harsh and unbalanced. This is a 20mm lens at wide and it will have some issues of field of curvature and performance at the edges especially wide open. You close a few stops and the problem goes away. The focus breathing does not look that much to be worried about and the lens is nice and punchy. I think it makes a good combo with the 35-150mm which is stratospheric but also much bigger lens. The lack of AF-MF button on the lens I do not recall having used that on any lens I own since years so that is not an issue either. Well done to Tamron for going off the beaten track with an interesting focal length for what looks a really interesting lens for video and photos
Would you consider doing a video on the differences in active steadyshot between native and 3rd party lenses? For lenses like this one, 17-28, etc, it is a pretty big consideration given who are targeting. aka, vloggers. cheers!
When you compare the 20mm Sony to this lens, the difference is negligible IMO. Yes the Sony can give you more shallow depth of field but that's about it. In terms of sharpness and color reproduction, the gap is small. The Tamron does give you zoom range that the prime does not though, so it just depends what your needs are. Cant go wrong either way.
Just got a used sigma 18-35 f1.8 lens with ef-e converter, with continuous af in video. It is apsc but still wotks very very well with my a7m4. Also it demonstrates that it is doable for zoom lens to have wide aperture. So why can't they do it nowadays?
I thought this would be a really useful small travel vlog lens for an a7c... Especially imagining that being able to do laps mode and go in to something more like 60mm... but the video doesn't mention this use case at all. Am I imagining it with rose glasses on?
Man! I was waiting for this review! I already bought this lens and this is like the first time I bought a lens that you hadn't reviewed yet! I was worried maybe you didnt like it - mine arrived today I am VERY excited to use it!
Thanks for the nicely-organized review. I like the low-key presentation. This looks like a great lens for event work, especially use on reception dance floors with flash. It'll replace my 17-28 as a complement to my 35-150 for event work. I'm a little surprised you found sharpness only average, as LensTip and Dustin Abbott are more enthusiastic. Regardless, for event work it's probably more than sharp enough. I'll have to test it against my 28-60 to see which makes a better compact walkabout lens for high-rez scenic stuff.
@@geraldundone definitely worth showing, but you can improve the usefullness of max aperture corner sharpness tests by increasing the subject distance so the effect of field curvature becomes negligible. But in your case that would just need a massive cutting mat 😂
Considering how much love 35-150mm gets, it would be nice to get an extension in the form, say 16-35mm F1.4-2.0, with continuous both range and aperture.
These new tamrons are parfocal from the MFD of the long end and onwards only. Are you sure that this lens is not the same as well? For this lens it would mean it should be parfocal focusing on anything that 30 cm or further away...
This is the reason why Sony mirrorless system wins out right, a wide selection of third party glasses, even though this one seems to be a little worse than expected. Blocking third party lenses is a massive miscalculation for consolidating their foothold in this highly competitive market.
Awesome review really ! I'm hesitant between the Tamron 20-40mm and the 17-28mm. Does anyone know which lens performs best overall ( I know the 20-40mm is newer) ?
Not sure if I would get this over a 24-70 2.8. Doesn't look to me that being a little wider and sometimes faster is worth of getting rid of 30mm of tele range.
No one talks about this in reviews of this lens but it suffers from very bad focus compatibility issues on the Canon R6 camera. The focus often misses in face detection / eye.
Currently I own Tamron 28-75 but I find it a big lens for my a7c and not that comfortable for all around traveling lens. Also owning a sony 28mm f2. I was thinking of switching those two for a Tamron 20-40 and pairing it with my Sony 85 1.8. That would be my 2 lens combo
1:04 I actually hate all the switches. They seem to always be moving by themselves and I don't really mind switching things in the camera. I will never even switch aperture in the lens, because why? That would mean using my left hand that is supporting the camera.
I fell in love with Tamron’s glass recently! I’ve spent a couple of years trying to find decent lenses for my BMPCC4K with an EF speedbooster - I was looking for something that’s wide on 4/3, yet fast, with good optics, yet relatively affordable. I’ve been down retro FF and s16 route, used EF-S glass I’ve tried all sorts of other things and nothing quite clicked, until… I came across the older Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 APC-S lens (the non-VC, of course) and boy was I happy with it! It turned out to be great in everything, especially in CA and flare/glare control. The only things lacking are distortions at 17 and 50mms and shallow DoF. I’m now looking at modern Tamron glass for my photography with Sony a7)
Not a pro, but just another response for you... I use the Tamron 11-20mm on my a7iv and like it but have been wanting to meet the occasional need for wide instead of ultra-wide. AND using the FF I paid for in the a7iv. I have no other Sony E lens- my longer lens is on my Nikon D7500. So my thinking is the price of the T20-40mm is good for a step up on my a7iv and I placed the order today. My plan is to keep the T-20-40mm on the camera and switch to the wider T-11-20mm APS-C when needed. I'm sure there is a hole in my strategy somewhere... but I'm not a prime-lens kind of a guy. 😂🤣
Even though it's advertised as a full friend lens would I be able to use this on an APS-C camera? (I'm aware that it will crop in) is there any potential downsides other than the crop in?
In the sharpness comparison it looks to me that the Tamron has some rather ugly mushiness/ghosting where light areas bleed into darker ones (which should go away when stopping down), but the separation of lines is clearly superior on the Tamron, assuming this was recorded using the same sensor.
So rare to see such a "photocentric" review from you (very nice) ;) As a photographer, I don't really see the point of this focal range, especialy if they can't achieve a beter apperture than f/2.8 . F2.8 @20mm is way to much DOF for my taste. Thanks for your review
Slightly offtopic, but since you mentioned this in your video: do you have any problems with A7 IV overheating when using as a webcam? My laptop doesn't have a webcam, so I sometimes use A7 IV for it, and in overheats in maybe 30 minutes, despite being used in 720p30fps mode (usb port is slow)
Is your environment hot? Make sure you flip the screen out and set the temperature threshold to "high" in the menu. With it on "standard", it does overheat after a while, but it hasn't for me with it set to "High".
@@geraldundone not hot at all, 22C. The screen is also flipped out; threshold is set to high also, but still overheats in half an hour or so. Well,at least I know it can be solved, I will look into it. Thank you for your answer.
@@rusparmesan Have read many, many reports of the A7 IV overheating frequently for some, and rarely for others. Suspect there is a combination of settings that causes the over heat. Perhaps internal 4k recording, while outputting over HDMI, while powering with USB, each of which create add to the heat. Either that or Sony has an issue with quality control. Whatever the reason, the overheating issue has kept me from buying one.
A curious observation talking about his focal length being a dream for you when the Leica 10-25 for MFT is the same with a slightly large range actually, although I still suspect you had a bad copy of the lens because its behavior was odd to say the least. My buddy is considering this lens strongly for his work!
Yeah, that Leica would also be in my ideal focal range. I don't think it's too curious as it's not like I complained about the focal range on that Leica lens. In fact, the reason why I reviewed it was because it's in my ideal zone. However, that Leica is also approximately 732.6x bigger than this Tamron lens and is even less shallow for depth of field. 😜
@@geraldundone for sure! I didn’t think you complained about the focal length but they are totally different use cases obviously. You gotta but really serious to bring that big old Leica with you to something.
@@CharlieVN really? I haven’t used many sharper lenses than the Leica but if you’ve got a higher res body then that doesn’t matter much. I mean Gerald even says this lens is just ok in the sharpness dept
Does anyone know if the Tamron 20 - 40 supports lens breathing compensation. I wish to buy a A7R5 which I know supports lens breathing compensation so wondered if this lens does - thanks for any guidance 👍
Okay, Gerald, get ready for your free lunch to arrive! (otherwise known as your huge B&H commission). I have been on the fence about what lens I needed for my a7iv and your wonderful review-along the lines of well, it ain't too bad for the price- won me over. I just placed the order off your link and delivery is 11/22, which B&H calls "expedited." 🤣 Thank you for poking me into action; that fence was getting uncomfortable.
I wish I had the money to use a FF camera as my webcam XD. I'm looking at all these Sony FF bodies and the ones with good rolling shutter are so damn expensive!
I use Sony's 35mm f/1.8 and 24-105mm f4 and have several other lenses but those 2 are the ones I keep going back to. The 35mm is a good walkaround lens and gives me dark shooting potential while the zoom covers a useful range, has OSS, and is MUCH lighter than any offering from Tamron or Sigma that might be competitive. I can't help but think that Tamron and Sigma could put OSS in a lens like this or make it f2 and still keep the weight down. In any case, it's an option and a pretty good one, too. It's good to see Sony alpha cameras getting lens evolution.
Wondering how you setup your a7iv for webcam? I was using Sony's imaging edge webcam feature to get away from getting a capture card, but I believe Sony limits the output to 1024 x 576, so you aren't really getting 1080p output, much less 4k. Are you using anything to get better output resolution?
With the a7 IV and newer cameras, you don't need software. It's recognized as a webcam over USB and you set the quality in camera up to 1080p60. (Or 4K15, but that's lame)
Nice review Gerald! Will not buy this lens but the way you review made me watch the whole video. My go-to lens for run and gun vlogging is the 16-35 PZ G lens which you also reviewed. Putting the dual ISO switch on the FX3 ISO button and using a VND for the two base ISOs has upgraded my vlogging game. Greets from Berlin!
I preordered this lens asap and it got here the other day. It’s absolutely fantastic as an ”everyday” lens and is so much lighter than what I had before. 11/10, would lens again.
Adorama delivered mine today. I can’t wait to go home and try it. I can’t believe they made a f/2.8 full frame zoom that’s lighter than many crop lenses.
Tamron 28-75 makes me not care about this lens. Which i own. And if you say “well what about 20mm-27mm, well i have the 17-28 tamron also
@@RyanREAX I am also thinking to buy these 2
together with a sony fx3
@@RyanREAX IMO, the 20-40mm makes sense as a secondary lens, whereas 28-75mm is more of a primary lens that can be an only lens. It combines well with my 50, 65, 85mm primes, or with my 35-150mm, because it’s tiny in the bag and doesn’t overlap too much, and because of that, I’m actually more likely to use it, whereas my 28-70mm didn’t get used much because most of my favorite lenses are normal to short telephoto and 28-70mm is too similar.
Ugh , I’m kind of not happy with Canon not getting you the R6ii. The best reviewer in the business and they don’t get the man a camera 🤦🏾♂️
Did he say that? I'm sure the video will come out soon!
@@Thai.H I mean the embargo lifted at midnight. If he hasn’t posted a video yet it means he doesn’t have it. Either that or he chose not to post it for some reason which makes absolutely no sense as every creator races to have their video posted the second the embargo lifts to avoid a huge disadvantage of loss of views.
@@janissaryfilms yeah he said in the other comment canon didn't send it to him
Because he’ll expose the camera unlike the other fanboys lol
@@itsaaronmiller he answered the question already
Glad to see Tamron adding a USB port! So many years of 3rd party lens companies requiring a lens sent back them to fix compatibility issues.
I'm thankful that the most thorough camera gear reviewer also happens to shoot mostly with Sony. It's a real plus for us Sony shooters out here. Thanks!
Love your reviews! The comparison between Sony PZ16-35 F4 and Tamron 20-40 F2.8 would be great help and I’m sure lots of people would appreciate it. Thanks!
That will be great..
I have both, the Tamron is much lighter and just as sharp. You lose 16-20 mm. but that's the trade off. Also the Sony has OSS. The Sony is soft at f 4.0 at 35 mm. as well.
@@vienna517 If/when you need PZ the Sony is the obvious choice! I have it but I'm contemplating getting the Tamron for low light situations.
Totally agree! If they made an F2 using the same quality as the 35-150 it would be killer!
Yeah, at f/2 this would be a no brainer
Sigma 24-35 f/2 is the closest option for now.
F2 or even f1.8 would be perfect
@@frankfeng2701 24mm is way narrower than 20mm.
@@frankfeng2701 900g vs 350
Just got my first camera, the sony a7s iii. To go with it I picked up the Sony 20mm 1.8 G. The focus breathing was so bad I almost swapped the camera for the A7iv. The guys a NCE said it was the lens, not the camera. They sold me this Tamron 20-40 and what a difference. I'm shocked on how bad the breathing was on the G lens. Great review and I love your recording area.
Another great review, Gerald! I'm mainly a 15/21/35/40mm street, lifestyle and travel hobbyist shooter here, usually pairing the 40 with either of the wides so I got pretty excited when I saw the lens announced. My main use for the lens will be for travelling, just avoiding the hassle of changing between lenses on the go all the time and exposing the sensor to dust, besides being a lighter and smaller lens. Great to know better its strengths and weaknesses in depth, and YES, an f2 and not too larger version of it would be certainly fantastic! And congrats for the baby :)
At this price point this is not meant to replace prime lenses (except for the overpriced f/2.8 or f/2.5 primes), but it serves as the perfect kit lens for compact FF cameras like A7c and even FX3 if power zoom is not needed.
You’re reviews are always so detailed. Thanks as always. Just here to say there’s nothing to hide about being in a nursery! If anything it’s good for the world to show indicators of men doing care work at home.
If it was a 20-50 2.8 even if it was a bit bigger it would be perfect. I’ve always thought the 70 end of a 24-70 is kinda pointless but I could use a bit more at the wide end.
20-60 for me. Rumor is tamrons older 24-70 is a touch wider than advertised. And im using a speed boosted panasonic 4/3rds to get a 1.4x on a tamron 17-50mm 2.8 to get something similar. Or 1.3x canon with the same lens as a 22-68mm.
Haha i shoot at the 70mm end of my 28-70 all the time. I always feel like the 28 end is useless. My perfect length is 75mm. But the tamron 35-150 is on my next buy list!!
i always thought the 24-105 f4 was my ideal lens as you go from really wide all the way into telephoto and you can still get shallow dof at full frame.
Such a great and comprehensive review. I was looking to get this lens and it’s great to understand it’s compromises before purchase
The tamron 28-75/F2.8 has been our work-horse for the last 2 years now. We absolutely love it and wouldn't change it for anything (even the G-master). For travel, we believe, its the holy-grail for its price point. We are trying to understand how the 20-40 has an edge here. Is it just the price point, size and weight?? Would love to here what the experts think😀
It's lighter which is easier to carry or use on a gimbal. Plus you get 20mm on the wide end vs 28mm.
@@kifley19 ah yes… we completely missed the wider aspect… 🤦♂️
As a "webcam lens" I can recommend the 28mm f2, it gives a nice amount of separation and it's not too close or too wide as well. Has worked well for me.
Was looking at this lens also. Loved this review. Thank you 🙏
Blue-orange LoCA is so much nicer than the purple-green you normally see
A 20-60 f/2 would be incredible, but I’m sure it’d be MASSIVE like the Canon 28-70 f/2
Well, personally I couldn't do much with a 20-40mm on full-frame. 20 is not really wide enough for landscapes (ok but not great), 40mm not really long enough for portraits. For a vlogger/ UA-camr this might be a good range. But for everything else.... don't know, quite boring focal length range in my opinion. It can do everything but it isn't really optimal for most things ("nichts Halbes und nichts Ganzes", as we say in Germany). I would rather use a proper wide angle zoom lens (e. g. Sigma 16-28 2.8) and a proper portrait lens.
My two lenses are the Sony 20mm FE lens, and the Tamron 28-75 G ii lens.
They're an excellent duo, but I sometimes wish the Tamron was wider, on the wide end, and had a faster f/stop than 2.8.
Still, these days, I get more versatility with my 20mm, since I can use the crop mode on my A7C to get a tighter focal length.
This is a great combo 🙌
How do you find your Tamron lens?
Currently I also have the Tamron 28-75 but I find it a big lens for my a7c.
I was thinking of switching it for a Tamron 20-40 and pairing it with a Sony 85 1.8.
That would be my 2 lens combo
@@tupac1971fulhonestly, for portraits, the Tamron 28-75 is excellent. This was also my desired use for it.
That said, if it was 24-75, that would have been a more versatile range.
Interesting to see a modern lens with such painterly bokeh character (in part due to the slightly bright rings around the bokeh at f/2.8). I thought that feature to be lost with vintage glass. Decently sharp, zoom, AF with nice punchy colors, lots of character esp. for modern glass .. actually tempted to buy it!
Thanks Gerald! Great review like always!
At around 11:46, while the Sony does look sharper (and less fringing) to my eye as well, the Tamron somehow produces more detail among the thinnest four horizontal lines across the frame. So I can differentiate the different lines with the Tamron, but the Sony mushes them together. Are you seeing what I am seeing here?
Yep, I can see that too. 👍
Kickass nursery, right shade of purple and everything
I had been waiting for you to review this for a while now. Well done Gerald
I have Tamron 17 to 70mm 2.8. Best purchase I have ever had.
that's apsc
Great Review! I have the 20-40 along with the 35-150 and the 50-400. Love this setup. Every lens is super versatile and delivers top notch for the price
I'll be joining you with this exact setup. I've rented this trio and it handles a lot of situations. You'll miss less shots at these zoom ranges.
About to start vlogging. Got my eyes on this lens as my Tamron 28-75mm is too tight even with an outstretched arm. Love that this lens can go wide for walk and talk, and if I want to zoom in to show something, I can zoom to 40mm, APS-C and if necessary Clear image zoom on top, essentially turning it into a 90mm lens. Looking forward to nabbing one.
Any chance you're going to look at the Tamron 50-400? I haven't seen an in-depth review of it for video use.
how would the optics/color/contrast compare with my Sigma 24-70mm ART lens?
Seems tremendously more useful than 17-28.
I don't need crazy 17mm wide. But the 20-40 would save me from swapping lenses around a lot
Wish it was f2 or 2.2 though
Agree. Can't wait for this to be available in my country 😀 Time to sell my 17-28 once this is available.
I have the 17-28 and the 28-75 so this 20-40 is useless to me
@@RyanREAX I was going to get the 17-28 and 28-75 like you. Now with this 20-40, I'm thinking about skipping the 28-75 and go straight to 70-180.
@@firpofutbol makes sense, if u dont need like 30-60 or anything wider than 20
@@RyanREAX Yes, you keep saying that ;-)
Aside from the lens, how is the newest member of the Gerald Undone family doing? and how is Mom doing? Hope You both are getting some sleep. Still waiting to see photos, we need to know whether the little one takes after Mom or you and is there any purple in the outfits.
Everyone is doing well. Thanks a lot for asking! :)
That was a trippy outro. Very artsy
Been waiting for this review. Thank You 🙏
Exactly what I was hoping for from this video. Thanks for such a detailed review as always, Gerald!
I think this is the first video where I realized Gerald is a dad? That's awesome! And, Gerald, you know you gotta do a "I am Gerald Undone, and I am a cool dad!"
This is the best review of this lens for my use case, because you are comparing it to one of the Sony primes (20mm/f1.8). In most reviews sharpness and other optical qualities are ranked quite high for this lens, but everything is relative. I bought this lens for documentary/event photography as a solution to combine my two-prime-lens setup (Sony 24/2.8 and 35/1.8) into a single lens. While the Tamron is probably the best option in terms of weight, size and prize, the overall image qualitiy and especially the sharpness does not quite match the prime lenses. It still is good enough though, knowing that the other option is a lot pricier and larger (16-35GM2).
I believe this review is somewhat harsh and unbalanced. This is a 20mm lens at wide and it will have some issues of field of curvature and performance at the edges especially wide open. You close a few stops and the problem goes away. The focus breathing does not look that much to be worried about and the lens is nice and punchy. I think it makes a good combo with the 35-150mm which is stratospheric but also much bigger lens. The lack of AF-MF button on the lens I do not recall having used that on any lens I own since years so that is not an issue either. Well done to Tamron for going off the beaten track with an interesting focal length for what looks a really interesting lens for video and photos
Hmm. Do I keep the 17-28 tamron or trade up for the 20-40 for a streaming/mild video lens now?
Gona stay with my old 17--28, don't think I would upgrade my ultra wide until I get a lens that is 1.8 or faster.
Hello, i need help. I'm confused which one should i get. 17 - 28 or this lens? For photography and also for music video.
If you do portraits you would want the 35 range. So 20-40
Does this lens work with active stabilization?
Sooo glad solid trusted reviewers are finally getting this. I want it.
Would you consider doing a video on the differences in active steadyshot between native and 3rd party lenses? For lenses like this one, 17-28, etc, it is a pretty big consideration given who are targeting. aka, vloggers. cheers!
Unbiased as always. Much appreciated!
When you compare the 20mm Sony to this lens, the difference is negligible IMO. Yes the Sony can give you more shallow depth of field but that's about it. In terms of sharpness and color reproduction, the gap is small. The Tamron does give you zoom range that the prime does not though, so it just depends what your needs are. Cant go wrong either way.
You used the Undone Purple in your nursery closet! Nice
Just got a used sigma 18-35 f1.8 lens with ef-e converter, with continuous af in video. It is apsc but still wotks very very well with my a7m4. Also it demonstrates that it is doable for zoom lens to have wide aperture. So why can't they do it nowadays?
18 to 35F 1.8 for a crop sensor is a focal reduction of a 27 to 53 F2.7. The aperture is equivalent.
Would the sigma 16-28 be sharper?
focus breathing and af is better on tamron 20-40mm or 17-28mm?
Great review. That is some bizarre bokeh! I like how you turned it into a kaleidoscope.
Now I need to try this lens 👀
I thought this would be a really useful small travel vlog lens for an a7c... Especially imagining that being able to do laps mode and go in to something more like 60mm... but the video doesn't mention this use case at all. Am I imagining it with rose glasses on?
Any plans to review the new sony 15mm f/1.4?
Man! I was waiting for this review! I already bought this lens and this is like the first time I bought a lens that you hadn't reviewed yet! I was worried maybe you didnt like it - mine arrived today I am VERY excited to use it!
Outside of the size, I really liked the Sigma 24-35mm f/2 Art lens. I would love a 20-40mm f/2, even it it was a manual lens.
Thanks for the nicely-organized review. I like the low-key presentation.
This looks like a great lens for event work, especially use on reception dance floors with flash. It'll replace my 17-28 as a complement to my 35-150 for event work.
I'm a little surprised you found sharpness only average, as LensTip and Dustin Abbott are more enthusiastic. Regardless, for event work it's probably more than sharp enough. I'll have to test it against my 28-60 to see which makes a better compact walkabout lens for high-rez scenic stuff.
9:56 this is also due to field curvature. The 90, 60, and 30 are not at the same distance from the lens
Yes, I understand that. Still worth showing though, no?
@@geraldundone definitely worth showing, but you can improve the usefullness of max aperture corner sharpness tests by increasing the subject distance so the effect of field curvature becomes negligible. But in your case that would just need a massive cutting mat 😂
@@chrisogrady28 Starts searching on Amazon... :P
How does it compare with Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens?
Considering how much love 35-150mm gets, it would be nice to get an extension in the form, say 16-35mm F1.4-2.0, with continuous both range and aperture.
Can only imagine how chunky that would be though, as great as it sounds
These new tamrons are parfocal from the MFD of the long end and onwards only. Are you sure that this lens is not the same as well? For this lens it would mean it should be parfocal focusing on anything that 30 cm or further away...
Just bought it yesterday at (HK$5840, US$750) for my a7iv. Initially quite happy with it. Will shoot a lot to test on it.
1:04 - I'm glad this doesn't have a physical MF/AF switch because I'd rather switch these on the fly in-camera or via external controls.
Love these new outros!
This is the reason why Sony mirrorless system wins out right, a wide selection of third party glasses, even though this one seems to be a little worse than expected. Blocking third party lenses is a massive miscalculation for consolidating their foothold in this highly competitive market.
Great review i am having some problems with focus when i am using tilta nucleus handle for zooming. Lens is heavy on focusing when zooming in and out.
I would have liked 1.8 and internal focus... but happy to see Tamron getting outside the box
I would have liked 1.2 but smaller than what they made and cost half the price
confused as to why you only compared this to primes. why not the 16-35s?
What’s a good vlogging lens for a Sony body ?
Just love your reviews Gerald! 😊 Thank you!
The lack of AF/MF switches on these lenses is a bummer to me. Otherwise I love having these more affordable options
Awesome review really ! I'm hesitant between the Tamron 20-40mm and the 17-28mm. Does anyone know which lens performs best overall ( I know the 20-40mm is newer) ?
Not sure if I would get this over a 24-70 2.8. Doesn't look to me that being a little wider and sometimes faster is worth of getting rid of 30mm of tele range.
But its not even faster then the 24-70. I dont really see the point of this lens.
No one talks about this in reviews of this lens but it suffers from very bad focus compatibility issues on the Canon R6 camera. The focus often misses in face detection / eye.
Been waiting for for this Video.
Currently I own Tamron 28-75 but I find it a big lens for my a7c and not that comfortable for all around traveling lens. Also owning a sony 28mm f2.
I was thinking of switching those two for a Tamron 20-40 and pairing it with my Sony 85 1.8.
That would be my 2 lens combo
Hey Gerald, may I know if you were using auto iso during your webcam test for the a7iv?
1:04 I actually hate all the switches. They seem to always be moving by themselves and I don't really mind switching things in the camera. I will never even switch aperture in the lens, because why? That would mean using my left hand that is supporting the camera.
I fell in love with Tamron’s glass recently!
I’ve spent a couple of years trying to find decent lenses for my BMPCC4K with an EF speedbooster - I was looking for something that’s wide on 4/3, yet fast, with good optics, yet relatively affordable.
I’ve been down retro FF and s16 route, used EF-S glass I’ve tried all sorts of other things and nothing quite clicked, until…
I came across the older Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 APC-S lens (the non-VC, of course) and boy was I happy with it!
It turned out to be great in everything, especially in CA and flare/glare control. The only things lacking are distortions at 17 and 50mms and shallow DoF.
I’m now looking at modern Tamron glass for my photography with Sony a7)
Is this full frame?
I only use the panasonic 12-35 2.8, so I understand your opinion
14:41 Your dad jakes make it apparent that you're a parent XD!
Is this lens needed if I already have the Tamron 11-20 f2.8 aps-c lens that I use on the ff Sony A7C? Talking about video work only!!
Not a pro, but just another response for you... I use the Tamron 11-20mm on my a7iv and like it but have been wanting to meet the occasional need for wide instead of ultra-wide. AND using the FF I paid for in the a7iv. I have no other Sony E lens- my longer lens is on my Nikon D7500. So my thinking is the price of the T20-40mm is good for a step up on my a7iv and I placed the order today. My plan is to keep the T-20-40mm on the camera and switch to the wider T-11-20mm APS-C when needed. I'm sure there is a hole in my strategy somewhere... but I'm not a prime-lens kind of a guy. 😂🤣
Even though it's advertised as a full friend lens would I be able to use this on an APS-C camera? (I'm aware that it will crop in) is there any potential downsides other than the crop in?
It comes with a 'hood' which is 'good'!
They really should use this line and thank Gerald later.
Good thorough review, thanks :) Do you think you will be reviewing the new Samyang V-AF line of Cine Lenses? They look interesting
im thinking about grabbing the 35 - 150mm f2.8 any other suggestions for a lens besides the 70-200?
Honestly, if you're okay with the size of the 35-150, it can't be beat. You'll love it.
In the sharpness comparison it looks to me that the Tamron has some rather ugly mushiness/ghosting where light areas bleed into darker ones (which should go away when stopping down), but the separation of lines is clearly superior on the Tamron, assuming this was recorded using the same sensor.
So rare to see such a "photocentric" review from you (very nice) ;) As a photographer, I don't really see the point of this focal range, especialy if they can't achieve a beter apperture than f/2.8 . F2.8 @20mm is way to much DOF for my taste. Thanks for your review
Slightly offtopic, but since you mentioned this in your video: do you have any problems with A7 IV overheating when using as a webcam? My laptop doesn't have a webcam, so I sometimes use A7 IV for it, and in overheats in maybe 30 minutes, despite being used in 720p30fps mode (usb port is slow)
Is your environment hot?
Make sure you flip the screen out and set the temperature threshold to "high" in the menu. With it on "standard", it does overheat after a while, but it hasn't for me with it set to "High".
@@geraldundone not hot at all, 22C. The screen is also flipped out; threshold is set to high also, but still overheats in half an hour or so. Well,at least I know it can be solved, I will look into it. Thank you for your answer.
@@rusparmesan you can also use a dummy battery (no heat discharge from battery) or battery grip (heat discharge, but further away)
Hmm. That's odd. It shouldn't at 22C. Any chance you're resting it on a warm surface? Haha. Just guessing now.
@@rusparmesan Have read many, many reports of the A7 IV overheating frequently for some, and rarely for others.
Suspect there is a combination of settings that causes the over heat. Perhaps internal 4k recording, while outputting over HDMI, while powering with USB, each of which create add to the heat.
Either that or Sony has an issue with quality control. Whatever the reason, the overheating issue has kept me from buying one.
1:41 - Why can't Sony allow for these lens adjustments in-camera such as what Panasonic, Canon and Fuji allows their cameras to do?
A curious observation talking about his focal length being a dream for you when the Leica 10-25 for MFT is the same with a slightly large range actually, although I still suspect you had a bad copy of the lens because its behavior was odd to say the least. My buddy is considering this lens strongly for his work!
Yeah, that Leica would also be in my ideal focal range. I don't think it's too curious as it's not like I complained about the focal range on that Leica lens. In fact, the reason why I reviewed it was because it's in my ideal zone. However, that Leica is also approximately 732.6x bigger than this Tamron lens and is even less shallow for depth of field. 😜
@@geraldundone for sure! I didn’t think you complained about the focal length but they are totally different use cases obviously. You gotta but really serious to bring that big old Leica with you to something.
Doubt the Leica can hold detail like the Tamron, I have that lens and the 20-40 Tamron is on the way!
@@CharlieVN really? I haven’t used many sharper lenses than the Leica but if you’ve got a higher res body then that doesn’t matter much. I mean Gerald even says this lens is just ok in the sharpness dept
Undone kit: what is that black and white mat he was using to show distortion and chromatic aberrations?
It's a cutting mat. You can find them in various sizes and colours on amazon, etc.
I want it for my r5.
If Canon doesn't get their stuff together I'll be getting an fx3 for my lightweight documentary rig.
Does anyone know if the Tamron 20 - 40 supports lens breathing compensation.
I wish to buy a A7R5 which I know supports lens breathing compensation so wondered if this lens does - thanks for any guidance 👍
Okay, Gerald, get ready for your free lunch to arrive! (otherwise known as your huge B&H commission). I have been on the fence about what lens I needed for my a7iv and your wonderful review-along the lines of well, it ain't too bad for the price- won me over. I just placed the order off your link and delivery is 11/22, which B&H calls "expedited." 🤣 Thank you for poking me into action; that fence was getting uncomfortable.
I wish I had the money to use a FF camera as my webcam XD. I'm looking at all these Sony FF bodies and the ones with good rolling shutter are so damn expensive!
Love this lens 😍😍😍
I would really love to see 16-35 F2 someday..
Why not use the 20G 1.8 or 24GM for your Webcam? Replacing the 35GM would still be cheaper
Too wide. I want ~32mm.
@@geraldundone can't you just do apsc crop on on the 20? Or do you prefer it to be full sensor for video calls?
I use Sony's 35mm f/1.8 and 24-105mm f4 and have several other lenses but those 2 are the ones I keep going back to. The 35mm is a good walkaround lens and gives me dark shooting potential while the zoom covers a useful range, has OSS, and is MUCH lighter than any offering from Tamron or Sigma that might be competitive.
I can't help but think that Tamron and Sigma could put OSS in a lens like this or make it f2 and still keep the weight down.
In any case, it's an option and a pretty good one, too. It's good to see Sony alpha cameras getting lens evolution.
Wondering how you setup your a7iv for webcam? I was using Sony's imaging edge webcam feature to get away from getting a capture card, but I believe Sony limits the output to 1024 x 576, so you aren't really getting 1080p output, much less 4k. Are you using anything to get better output resolution?
With the a7 IV and newer cameras, you don't need software. It's recognized as a webcam over USB and you set the quality in camera up to 1080p60. (Or 4K15, but that's lame)
@@geraldundone Ahh gotcha, I've been using an a5100 or a7iii, didn't realize newer models work right out of camera. Thanks for letting me know!
Nice review Gerald! Will not buy this lens but the way you review made me watch the whole video. My go-to lens for run and gun vlogging is the 16-35 PZ G lens which you also reviewed. Putting the dual ISO switch on the FX3 ISO button and using a VND for the two base ISOs has upgraded my vlogging game. Greets from Berlin!