Compare lenses

Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS vs Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD

The Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS and the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS if you want a lighter lens (308 g against 525 g). Pick the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD if you want a brighter f/2.8 (1.0 stops more light), for dim light and softer backgrounds and a fit on more cameras (106 against 41 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS and the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
Spec	Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS	Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
Maker	Sony	Tamron
Focal length	16-70mm (zoom)	17-70mm (zoom)
Full-frame equivalent	24-105mm on APS-C	26-105mm on APS-C
Maximum aperture	f/4	f/2.8brighter
Made for	APS-C	APS-C
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF
Stabilised	yes	yes
Autofocus	yes	yes
Zoom range	4.4×	4.1×
Weight	308 glighter	525 g
Cameras it fits	41 in this guide	106 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS: 16-70mm on APS-C, like 24-105mm.

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD: 17-70mm on APS-C, like 26-105mm.

Aperture

Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS: f/4 wide open.

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD: f/2.8 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

41 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS fits 41 and the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD 106.