It’s Time to Photowalk! Enjoy It with These Lightweight Lenses

No one wants to drag along something heavy, so check out these lightweight lenses!

If you’re a passionate photographer, then you probably love photo walking. It’s a fantastic social activity that can also be done solo. And no matter what, it’s a great idea to bring along a lightweight lens. There’s nothing worse than having extra weight on your hike. Similarly, a lightweight lens is just what the doctor ordered to help you clear your mind on a photo walk. So we went into our Reviews Index and found some of our favorites. These lightweight lenses are bound to be some of your favorites.

Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored post from Tamron.

Table of Contents

Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD

E Mount Lenses

How Light Is It?: The Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD lens is 14.82 oz. That’s around as heavy as an American football! But it’s nowhere as large and it’s much easier to grip onto. It’s one of our favorite lightweight lenses for photowalks.

In our review, we state:

“The autofocus on the Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD is mostly what surprised me. Of course, it’s going to be fast to focus because this is a wide angle lens. But then I remembered that Sony owns part of Tamron. And so I’m pretty sure the two are probably talking and working together in some ways. Photographers using the AF-C function with face detection and AF-Lock tracking will have a lot of joy using the Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD. Not only is it fast, but it’s also accurate most of the time. We had very few misses and mostly a lot of hits. Tamron should be thoroughly praised for this. In our tests, it even worked for wide angle street photography. It surely works for travel work and leisurely shooting. Even better, it also didn’t suffer when working with the Sony a7r III in low lighting. Lots of third party lenses do, but this lens’ performance was still right up to par!”

Buy Now: $899

Tamron SP 35mm f1.4 Di USD

How Light Is It?: The beautiful Tamron SP 35mm f1.4 Di USD weighs 28.7oz. That’s almost as heavy as a liter of water. Mounted to your camera, you’ll realize it’s one of the most pleasant lightweight lenses you’ll use. Plus, there’s that beautiful f1.4 aperture and color!

In our review, we state:

“If you’re worried about the weight, don’t be. It’s a larger lens than Canon’s 35mm f1.8 IS, but it also lets in slightly more light. To be honest, it was a joy to use the Tamron SP 35mm f1.4 Di USD, and is small enough for most uses.”

Buy Now: $899

Pro Tip: Every single lens in this roundup is weather resistant. We painstakingly tested each one in the rain, and they all held up. Make sure that when you use them you’re also using a weather-resistant camera. That’s the only way you’ll get the full effect.

Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD

How Light Is It?: The Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD weighs 1.27 lbs. That’s around four times as heavy as an American Baseball. Ergonomically speaking, there’s a lot more real estate to grip onto with this lightweight lens.

In our review, we state:

“We used the Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD in the rain a bit. NYC was subject to a dust storm that came across the Atlantic ocean and hit us pretty hard for a few days. The Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD on the Sony a7r III survived it all. Its design lets you grip it with ease while remaining usable–even in slippery conditions. More and more, I’ve wanted metal lenses, but I’m not sure I’d want a zoom lens that’s metal because of the apparent weight issues. With that said, the Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD doesn’t have a lousy plastic feeling to it. Instead, it’s pretty solid. Tamron does indeed have lenses with metal built-in, but this isn’t one of them. So, in this case, I’m very impressed with the build quality of the Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD. If it can survive the abuse we gave, you’ll be happy to know that you’re bound not to have an issue in most situations with this lens.”

Buy Now: $729

Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 Di III-A VC RXD

How Light Is It?: The Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 Di III-A VC RXD weighs only 18.5oz. That’s like one and a half cans of soup. It’s one of the best lightweight lenses you can get for the Sony system. Even better, it also boasts a constant aperture throughout the zoom range.

In our review, we state:

“Make no mistake; the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a massive lens for an APS-C camera. But overall, it’s still smaller than a Canon 50mm f1.2 RF prime lens. It’s also far lighter. The lens is built solidly. It’s a plastic body that doesn’t feel cheap at all. Tamron is a specialist at constructing lenses like this. There are also nice rubber rings for grip. 

Of course, this lens is also weather-resistant. We’re confident that it will outlast the Sony bodies it was designed for. Overall, this lens is built to be the only one you need. It’s lightweight and fairly small. Stuff it into a camera bag slot, and you’ll be good to go. 

Again, Tamron has built one of the most perfect lenses for APS-C cameras. It’s again a shame it’s being wasted on a format that I don’t think sees its future in APS-C.”

Buy Now: $799

Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored post from Tamron.