Tamron has finally revealed the price and release date of its new ultra wide-angle zoom lens for the Canon RF system. The new Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD for APS-C cameras supports autofocus and will be released on December 12. The price will be $659. The company has received an official license (and Sigma) from Canon.
The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens is already available for Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts. It will soon debut for Canon RF. Like Sigma, Canon has licensed Tamron exclusively for APS-C lenses for the mirrorless RF mount system. The resolution does not apply to full-frame optics since Canon does not want competition with its “native” lenses.
The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Canon RF is a compact, lightweight zoom lens that combines portability with a fast aperture, making it an ideal choice for travel photography. Tamron says it is designed to strike a good balance with compact mirrorless cameras.
The optics include a 12-element construction in 10 groups. Tamron has designed this setup with two GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lenses to maintain high resolution across the entire image area, along with one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) lens and two LD (Low Dispersion) lenses to suppress aberrations.
Tamron RF mount lens can provide an advanced level of autofocus due to the use of the Tamron RXD (Rapid-eXtra-silent stepping Drive). According to Tamron, it works “surprisingly quietly,” quite quickly and smoothly. Thus, the optics are perfect for both photo and video shooting.
One of the notable differences between this version of the RF mount and the Sony and Fujifilm versions is that Tamron has added a manual focus/autofocus switch to the outside of the lens barrel.
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Canon RF price and release date
As mentioned earlier, the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD will go on sale on December 12, 2024. At the same time, its retail price will be lower than the Sony and Fujifilm versions: $659 versus $699 on Bhphotovideo and Adorama online stores.
The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD requires users to change the focus mode through the camera’s menu. In contrast, the Canon RF version includes a physical focus mode switch, providing a more convenient and tactile option that many will consider a significant improvement.
The ultra wide-angle zoom lens includes a connection port that lets users update the lens through the proprietary Lens Utility software.
Sigma also announced prices for its prime lenses for Canon RF, with four additional lenses set to launch in December 2024. These include the Sigma 16mm F/1.4, 23mm F/1.4, 30mm F/1.4, and 54mm F/1.4, all featuring autofocus support. The first lenses to hit the market will be the Sigma 30mm F/1.4 DC DN | Contemporary and Sigma 56mm F/1.4 DC DN | Contemporary, scheduled for release on December 5, 2024. Sigma will sell the 30mm F/1.4 for $369 and the 56mm F/1.4 for $529.
