Fuji and Tamron - a new combo for me

[Tronhard]

OK... In order of use: I currently shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus. However, seeking to broaden my horizons, I got a couple of Fujifilm X-T4 bodies. One came with the Fuji 16-80mm kit lens, and for the other, I decided to go out on a bit of a limb and investigate the new Tamron 18-300 f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens. It is available to Fuji X-Mount and Sony E-mount bodies.

With a focal range of 18-300 on an APS-C body, it offers an equivalent Field of View of 27-450mm, which is pretty massive! I had always been aware that any lens with such a focal range as that had come at the cost of several types of compromise to performance, and of course it does, but not as many nor as much as I feared and depending upon one's purposes they may or may not be acceptable. For MY purposes, I was considering this for the ultimate walk-around unit, where I would not have to change lenses. Still, after extensive research, including reading or watching MANY reviews, I decided to take the plunge.

So, it arrived and I am impressed within the context of its purpose. If you want some sample reference material:
Specs and features https://photofocus.com/reviews/going...or-fujifilm-x/
Justin Abbott's review: https://dustinabbott.net/2021/10/tam...d-b061-review/
However there are lots more reviews out there.

I decided to try it out in a very casual test to see how it behaved, and I must say, I thought it did ok.

All shots are hand-held, in available light. Images have been reduced in size for posting, so are indicative rather than for massively detailed review.

161mm, f/11, 1/240sec, ISO-250


300mm, f/11, 1/450sec, ISO-800


18mm, f/7.1, 1/800sec, ISO-640


300mm, f/7.1, 1/800sec, ISO-640


18mm, f/7.1, 1/1500sec, ISO-320


300mm, f/7.1, 1/750sec, ISO-320



23mm, f/4, 1/15sec, ISO-2000

[DanK]

Did you buy any standard Fuji lenses also? And do you print A3+ or A2? If so, you might be able to contribute actual empirical data to the dispute on another thread, that is, whether you loose much in print quality at that size by shooting APS-C.

[xpatUSA]

OK... In order of use: I currently shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus. However, seeking to broaden my horizons, I got a couple of Fujifilm X-T4 bodies. One came with the Fuji 16-80mm kit lens, and for the other, I decided to go out on a bit of a limb and investigate the new Tamron 18-300 f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens.

Not being familiar with Fuji stuff, I looked at the X-T4 here:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x-t4-review

I was very impressed by it compared to my Lumix DC-G9 and I was even more impressed by the depth of your wallet!

Quite a lens, that Tamron too.

[DanK]

Indeed. The reviews of and testimonials about the XT-4 are quite impressive. It seems like the two weak spots are the small number of third-party lenses and an AF system that, while good, isn't up to the likes of the newest from Canon or Sony. At least until Canon releases its rumored APC-C R-mount body, this seems to be the king of the APS-C roost.

[Tronhard]

Did you buy any standard Fuji lenses also? And do you print A3+ or A2? If so, you might be able to contribute actual empirical data to the dispute on another thread, that is, whether you loose much in print quality at that size by shooting APS-C.

Honestly I shoot with zooms normally. As to printing. Frankly the only image I have printed to any size as a 'fine art' image was taken with a cropped image (to very close to APS-C size) from the Canon EOS R6 with the RF 100-500 lens. I printed to about A2 size and it came out really well, actually - according to the fine art session presenter.

Honestly, I look at it this way... Pixel peeping is something that photographers do to each each other's images. The average person stands some distance away and looks at the whole image, and when people freak out at resolution for larger prints, back in the day I took billboard-sized images with a 10MP camera. No-one in their right mind went close to them, they looked at them from a distance.

[Tronhard]

Hi Dan:
I was quite shocked by how well the Tamron superzoom was rated, and since I was getting it for a more casual purpose, having a single all-in-one lens was convenient. I agree that this is not as good as the R5 and R6 units, but I too think it is the pick of the APS-C options until (hopefully) Canon release and R7. Still, for me the technology was a driving force: I have, and shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus and had no experience of Fuji, so I went for it! I am unlikely to get any more Fuji compatible or native lenses.

Indeed. The reviews of and testimonials about the XT-4 are quite impressive. It seems like the two weak spots are the small number of third-party lenses and an AF system that, while good, isn't up to the likes of the newest from Canon or Sony. At least until Canon releases its rumored APC-C R-mount body, this seems to be the king of the APS-C roost.

[Tronhard]

I have not shot Panasonic, but tended to see their strength in video, although I know they use good optics. No comment on the economics!

Not being familiar with Fuji stuff, I looked at the X-T4 here:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x-t4-review

I was very impressed by it compared to my Lumix DC-G9 and I was even more impressed by the depth of your wallet!

Quite a lens, that Tamron too.