There has always been a big gap in Canon’s APS-C strategy. Although the company has plenty of capable APS-C cameras, it hasn’t always produced professional lenses that match the body.
it is right here Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD Lens fits into. It is a super-wide, fast zoom lens designed to be the small format equivalent of larger, heavier and expensive full frame wide angle zooms. think something like canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L USM lensBut at a fraction of the size, weight and cost.
Fundamentally, a lens like this raises the question of whether APS-C is a “stepping stone” format for a larger sensor camera or whether it is an independent option in its own right. Canon has occasionally shown commitment to the latter philosophy, releasing the occasional fast zoom, but for the most part, it has ceded that area to third-party lens makers.
So even though Canon may not be answering the question directly, I will aim to do so in this review.
build quality
From a build quality standpoint, it’s a beautiful lens, as it should be for a $659 piece of APS-C glass. The Tamron has been around for quite some time now, matching (and in some cases even bettering) the look and feel of first-party manufacturers. The company has also thoughtfully included a lens hood in the package, which Canon makes you pay for at a lower price than the L lens.
In the case of this particular 11-20mm lens, the metal and plastic construction is solid, feels good in the hand, and has all the necessary coatings and gaskets to live up to the company’s claimed “weather-sealed construction.” This isn’t something I put to the test in the lens the company loaned me for this review, but it’s comforting to know that if it starts raining, I’ll probably just need to put it back in the bag immediately. Will not happen. Just make sure you have a sealed body that matches the weather. Three of the four Canon APS-C bodies for which this lens is designed do not have weather-sealing (the) eos r7 being the exception) I tested on one eos r50,
The lens itself is 3.3 inches long and weighs 12 ounces. Combined with my R50, the entire package is a little over 1.5 pounds. The closest comparison I have in my full-frame lens bag is Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lensAnd he alone is 1.35 pounds and 4.5 inches long. on one R5 body with Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS RThat’s just over 3 pounds, which is more than double the weight of the Tamron/R50 setup. Here’s what it looks like in practice:
Other features and one omission: The lens has a USB-C port on the side for firmware updates and has a welcome 67mm filter thread. This is much smaller than the more common 77 and 82mm threads on full frame lenses, and makes it a cheaper filter all around. Sadly, since the design is shared across multiple systems, there is no control ring for additional camera functions around the barrel, like on many Canon RF lenses. It’s a pretty no-nonsense design with the only switch being for manual or autofocus. Surprisingly, some of Canon’s own lenses, such as Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens This removes this basic function and forces you to dig through menus to switch to manual focus, so it’s nice of Tamron to include it. I find myself using the Switch all the time for landscape photography, for which this lens is ideally suited. The focus ring rotates smoothly and allows fine manual focus adjustment.
The lens is not stable, but at wide angle, this is less of a problem than at telephoto. I would prefer to take the weight and size savings by eliminating stabilization on a wide angle lens.
Really can’t fault much about the build of this lens.
image quality
However, there is more to lenses than just good looks. From an image quality standpoint, it presents itself well. It’s nice and contrasting, and the color is beautiful and accurate. The lens exhibits some typical ultra-wide angle lens problems. It vignettes a bit at f/2.8, and sharpness is slightly reduced in the corners, but at f/5.6 it all goes away. The lens is quite sharp in the center, even wide open. There’s also some distinct wide angle distortion at the edges of the frame. You can see the comparison here:
Distortion and vignetting can be easily corrected by choosing the correct profile in Adobe Camera Raw. The lens is a very recent release (in fact Tamron’s first for RF systems), so at the time of this article it doesn’t default to the profile for correction, but the lens is built for other systems, and the profile exists if you add it manually. Select form. This worked wonders in correcting the distortion, as you can see in this photo from the horizon:
While I’ve tried all kinds of ultra-wide lenses that Canon themselves have made for the APS-C format, from Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lenssometimes to a very high level Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lenstill Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM LensAll of these lenses have ultimately been a disappointment which has led me to reach for my full-frame f/2.8 and f/4 wide angle lenses with the red rings around them. It was not just the lack of a constant aperture, but also numerous chromatic aberrations and softness.
But with the Tamron, having a fast, continuous aperture in a portable package made me want to carry it more. A lens is no good if the weight discourages you from carrying it. This is probably the best case scenario for Tamron. It packs a bigger punch in terms of image quality and usability in a smaller package than you’d need for a full frame.
And even though the lens naturally has a greater depth of field due to the APS-C format, it can still come impressively close to a wide-angle lens, resulting in some potential for shallow depth of field : :
With modern APS-C cameras these days you’re not giving up much by not going full frame. This has become a more attractive option in 2024 than before.
who is it for?
This is where I struggled the most with my thoughts on this lens. When you’re a Fuji shooter, buy this lens X-mount Makes sense. Fuji puts all its rear end into its APS-C cameras because it’s not pushing you into its full frame cameras that don’t exist. Fuji APS-C cameras are considered by the company to be professional-grade cameras.
Canon does not appear to follow the same philosophy, and so it puts third-party lens makers such as Tamron, Sigma, Samyang, and others in a bit of a pickle: this RF-S lens is, by all metrics, a The lens is great. Although it is derived from other mounts, more or less, Tamron has brought its A-game to this lens as have many of its other recent releases. But, while a professional wedding shooter, astro photographer or landscape photographer shooting a Fuji camera could make an easy case for an APS-C-only lens of this caliber, the waters would have been muddied had Canon had a full-frame option in its lineup. Which are not that far off in terms of cost. Here’s a comparison of the R50 with the R5 shooting the same scene, at the same settings, with the above 16-35mm lens on the R5:
The Tamron holds its own against full-frame cameras and lens combos, but R% and the 16-35mm combo takes a slight hit in terms of detail, especially viewed at 100%. This is no knock on the Tamron; This is more an indictment of how even Canon’s highest-end APS-C cameras don’t come close to the resolution or features of something like the R5. I know it’s an R50 and not an R7, but there’s still a wide resolution and feature difference between those two cameras (45 MP for the R5 vs 32.5 for the R7, with the R50 clocking in at 24.2 MP).
And while we’re talking about lawsuits, Canon continues to ban companies like Tamron from making full-frame lenses for the RF mount. This is really what is forcing Tamron to come in here along with other third party lens manufacturers. This explains how third-party manufacturers make some very professional-grade and esoteric lenses for the APS-C mount.
So then, who would benefit from such lenses? Photojournalists are not always shooting in the dark like wedding photographers, and so they can get the mobility and stealth benefits of using such lenses on an APS-C body. Devoted hobbyists of the format can certainly benefit from the fast, ultra-wide zoom. It’s a step up in terms of image quality from any kit-grade lens Canon makes for the RF-S mount, so it’s an upgrade path for hobbyists who want to add more professional polish to their work. And finally, it makes a great travel lens because of its size and weight, or lack thereof.
All of those groups are certainly a big piece of the photographer’s pie, but it would be great to see what Tamron could do if it were allowed to open up its full frame lens lineup to RF mounts. “This is certainly a promising start,” he said.
conclusion
Although it’s a bit awkward when placed in the Canon ecosystem, there is room for a solidly built, fast-aperture ultra-wide lens in the APS-C format. Although it’s not necessarily the easiest on the wallet, it’s definitely worth the money for this type of lens based on its image quality and portability. It’s certainly an excellent first lens for the company’s RF efforts. For Canon shooters, the biggest decision in purchasing this lens will be whether they intend to commit to Canon’s approach to APS-C cameras.
what i liked
- Good build quality; feels good in the hand
- good image quality
- very portable and lightweight
what i didn’t like
- The $659 price tag is very close to the full frame professional ultra-wide scope, which will give you more detail on a full frame Canon body at the expense of size and weight.
- no control ring
Purchase
You can buy this lens for $659 here at this link: Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD Lens (Canon RF),
