Tamron 10-24mm f/3.54.5 Di II VC HLD

£499/$499 A big zoom range with some fancy features

This DX lens has plenty of overlap with a standard zoom lens, reducing the number of times you need to swap between the two. Updating early models to firmware V2 via Tamron’s TAP-IN Console ensures full compatibility with Z-mount mirrorless cameras via an FTZ or FTZ II adapter.

A huge upgrade over Tamron’s original 10-24mm lens, this one has an HLD (High/low toque-modulated Drive) AF system. It’s faster, quieter and improves handling as the focus ring no longer rotates during AF. Image stabilization is added and better build quality features weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. The new optical path includes an enhanced aspherical element and LD (Low Dispersion) elements.

Performance

Due to the size of test charts, lab-tests for ultra-wide-angle lenses need to be carried out at close range. Results for the Tamron proved lacklustre, but it was a different story in our real-world ‘landscape’ tests, with ace sharpness at all zoom settings, along with minimal colour fringing and distortions.

N-photo verdict

This is currently the best ultra-wide zoom for Nikon DX format cameras, beating all of Nikon’s own lenses. Sharpness Close-range lab-results look pretty poor, but corner-tocorner sharpness is superb in landscape photography. Fringing Lateral chromatic aberration at the corners of the image’s frame are all, thankfully, quite minimal. Distortion Short-zoom barrel distortion will generally go unnoticed in landscape shooting and is easily corrected.