TAMRON ANNOUNCES 18-200MM Di III FOR SONY NEX CAMERAS

December 8, 2011, Saitama, Japan – Tamron Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Morio Ono; Headquarters: Saitama City), a leading manufacturer of optical equipment, announced the introduction of an exciting new lens, the 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III** VC (Model B011). The new high-power zoom lens is designed for the Sony E-mount system of its NEX series interchangeable-lens, lightweight and compact digital cameras. Sales in Japan will commence from December 15, 2011.

18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (Model B011)
Product Features

• High-power 18-200mm*1) lightweight and compact zoom lens weighing 460g with a 62mm filter is designed for the E-mount system of Sony's NEX series mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. Equipped with Tamron's acclaimed VC (Vibration Compensation), the lens enables easy handheld shooting from 18mm wide angle to 200mm full telephoto.
• Striking appearance worthy of the NEX series design. The metallic lens barrel exterior is available in two colors: black and silver.
• Stepping motor adopted for the AF drive, a construction that accommodates Contrast-detection AF and shooting video.

The 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (Model B011) (referred to below as 18-200mm Di III VC) is a high-power zoom lens, developed by zoom lens pioneer Tamron, for use with the E-mount system of Sony's NEX series compact interchangeable-lens cameras. Tamron brings 19 years of high-power zoom lens development technologies to this product.
Tamron has created a lens that is compact and lightweight, featuring a 62mm filter and weighing only 460g, at the same time delivering superlative image quality. This size allows users to easily enjoy shooting across the whole range - from wide-angle to full telephoto - with just one lens.

Featuring a striking appearance befitting the NEX series design, the lens is available in silver and black.

The AF drive has a stepping motor that is optimal for the Contrast-detection AF system employed by NEX series cameras. This has also enabled improvements in AF performance when shooting video. In addition, ease of operation is enhanced with the Direct Manual Focus (DMF) function, which allows the user to make fine manual adjustments after initially focusing by AF.

The focal length coverage is 18-200mm. Converted to the coverage of a the 35mm format, this is equivalent to a range of 27mm wide-angle up to 300mm full telephoto. This allows the user to take wide-angle shots of expansive landscapes and powerful telephoto images that enlarge the details of distant subjects—all with one lens. In addition, by setting the lens at the telephoto end (200mm) and moving in to the minimum focus distance of 0.5m, flower petals, jewelry and other small objects can be shot as expanded close-ups.

Equipped with Tamron's acclaimed VC (Vibration Compensation), and thanks to its light weight and compact size, this lens allows easy handheld shooting of sharp images with no camera shake over a wide range of settings, from everyday snapshots to memorable travel scenes.




This lens was developed, manufactured and will be sold based on the specifications for the E-mount that was disclosed by Sony Corporation under Tamron's license agreement with Sony Corporation.

• The B011's autofocus mechanism uses a stepping motor that is an ideal match for the Contrast-detection AF system used in Sony's NEX series cameras. The stepping motor's actuator allows finely tuned control of angular rotation, and since it drives the focusing mechanism directly without an intermediate reduction gear, it also provides superbly quiet performance.
• VC (Vibration Compensation)
• Tamron's VC mechanism employs a three-coil system, whereby three driving coils activate the shake-compensating VC lens group electromagnetically via three steel balls. The VC lens elements are held in place only by contact with the steel balls, achieving smooth movement with little friction. This provides a stable viewfinder image with excellent tracking performance that eliminates the blur from handheld shots for cleaner, crisper shots.
• About the new VC mechanism (moving coil system)
• Tamron's conventional VC (Vibration Compensation) unit has a moving magnet system with heavy magnets in the vibration-compensating lens. However, the new VC mechanism adopts a lightweight moving coil system that reduces the load on the drive system. This allows the drive to be operated with smaller coils and magnets, reducing the weight and size for the entire VC unit. In addition, improvements to software and other elements of the VC mechanism used in the 18-200mm Di III VC have made the mechanism even quieter