Tamron began everything with lens polishing in 1950. A founding member, Takeyuki Arai, based on his experience in the research and development of precision optical equipment during the war, believed in the potential of lenses, focusing on the excellence and future potential of Japan’s optical technologies. Shortly after the end of the war, in November 1950, he launched a small factory with 13 staff members to produce camera lenses, binoculars and other optical equipment in the city of Urawa (currently known as the city of Saitama) in Saitama Prefecture. It was the start of Taisei Optical Equipment Manufacturing, the forerunner of Tamron.

Di Full-Frame Lenses

Di? Di-II? What do all the letters mean?

What do all the letters mean?

Tamron's 'Di' designation stands for 'digitally integrated' and indicates that the lenses were designed with the higher demands of digital imaging sensors in mind. There are currently three different Di designations you might see in a product name:

Di

The lens is designed to cover a full-frame/35mm imaging circle on common DSLR mounts. It will also work on crop-sensor systems.

Di-II

The lens is designed specifically for APS-C crop-sensor DSLRs.

Di-III

The lens is designed specifically for mirrorless camera systems. You'll find both full-frame and crop-sensor lenses marked with this same designation, so, be sure to check that it works for the sensor size in your mirrorless model.

What about all those other letters?

Tamron lenses utilize a lot of different technologies, and many of them will be indicated in the product names with various letter codes. To help you decipher what exactly you're looking at with their lenses, we have reproduced the meanings of these codes from a Tamron product catalog.

SP: Superior Performance

The Tamron SP (Superior Performance) series is a line of ultra-high-performance lenses designed and manufactured to the exacting specifications demanded by professionals and others who require the highest possible image quality. In creating SP lenses, Tamron’s optical designers put their foremost priority on achieving superior performance parameters—they are all designed to a higher standard with little regard for cost constraints. As a result, Tamron lenses bearing the SP designation feature impressive and innovative designs that have established an enviable reputation for excellence among those knowledgeable photographers that demand the very best.

IF: Internal Focusing

IF provides numerous practical benefits to photographers including a non-rotating front filter ring that facilitates the positioning of polarizing and graduated filters, and more predictable handling because the lens length does not change during focusing. Even more important, Tamron’s IF system provides a much closer MOD (Minimum Object Distance) throughout its entire focusing range. In addition, IF improves optical performance by minimizing illumination loss at the corners of the image field (vignetting), and helps to suppress other aberrations that become more troublesome at different focusing positions.

VC: Vibration Compensation

Tamron’s unique VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism uses a proprietary actuator and algorithms to deliver an extremely stable viewfinder image with excellent tracking. The mechanism uses a three-coil system to electromagnetically drive the lens element that compensates for vibration, which glides smoothly on three balls with little friction. This simple mechanical structure is one of the secrets to Tamron’s compact lenses.

USD: Ultrasonic Silent Drive

USD is an ingeniously upgraded AF drive system developed by Tamron to deliver the extraordinary autofocusing speed and precision needed to capture every nuance of high-speed sports action, along with virtually noiseless operation as required for discreet picture taking. Based on advanced motor technology and newly developed software, it employs a piezoelectric ceramic element to generate two high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations on the motor’s stator ring. This in turn causes the adjacent metallic rotor to rotate by means of deflective traveling waves when voltage of a specific frequency is applied. This advanced electronically controlled AF system is linked to a precision focusing helical that moves the lens to the precise focus point. The result: a remarkable new level of AF speed, accuracy, smoothness, and silence.

HLD: High/Low torque-modulated Drive

This energy-saving HLD motor generates outstanding drive torque, so focusing is precise and quiet. Because of its small size and arched shape, the HLD motor doesn’t take up much space, which meant the lens could be designed to be even more compact.

PZD: Piezo Drive

An exclusive Tamron innovation, PZD is an advanced ultrasonic, AF motor based on the latest piezoelectric technology—the standing wave principle. It utilizes high-frequency voltage to turn a ceramic piezoelectric element with a swiveling motion, causing the metal tip at the rotor’s contact point to rotate elliptically, thereby turning the rotor to focus the lens swiftly, silently, and with great precision. Standing wave ultrasonic motors like the one used in Tamron’s innovative PZD have a number of advantages. They’re smaller and lighter and also provide faster and quieter operation than DC motors for improved AF performance. Compared with their predecessors, their actuator system allows far greater flexibility in lens design, reducing the overall size and weight of the lens.

OSD: Optimized Silent Drive

OSD module allows silent focusing. This makes the lens ideal for situations in which absolute silence is needed during photography. The AF also reacts very quickly and focuses precisely. This is noticeable, for example, when tracking a subject: the photographer will never miss the perfect moment when shooting fast-moving subjects.

RXD: Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive Motor

RXD is a stepping motor with a drive element that precisely controls the angle of rotation. A sensor continuously determines the lens’s current focus setting, achieving quick and precise focusing that also allows videographers to keep moving objects in focus continually. All the while, the AF works so quietly that there is no interference in the video from focusing noise.

FLR: Fluorine Coating

Fluorine Coating was developed for optical systems in industrial production. It provides long-term protection to the front lens against oil and water. Any soiling won’t stick to the surface - you will be able to wipe it away easily.

MP+DR: Moisture-Proof and Dust-Resistant Construction

Moisture-Proof and Dust-Resistant Construction has been improved to an exceptionally high standard in lens protection, preventing any intrusion of dirt, dust, or raindrops. A rubber seal protects each switch on the lens, and sealant material is applied to the mechanical interface between the focus ring and the lens housing. The construction further expands opportunities for shooting, ensuring reliability even in harsh, windy conditions and immediately after rainfall.

MR: Moisture-Resistant Construction

For greater protection when shooting outdoors, leak-resistant seals throughout the lens barrel help protect your equipment.

LD: Low Dispersion Glass

LD glass elements in a lens help reduce chromatic aberrations, the tendency of light of different colors to focus at different points on the image plane. Chromatic aberration reduces the sharpness of an image, but glass with an extremely low dispersion index has less of a tendency to separate (diffract) a ray of light into a rainbow of colors. This characteristic allows the lens designer to effectively compensate for chromatic aberration at the center of the field (on axis), a particular problem at long focal lengths (the telephoto end of the zoom range), and for lateral chromatic aberration (toward the edges of the field) that often occurs at short focal lengths (the wide-angle end of the zoom range).

XLD: eXtra Low Dispersion Lens

XLD lens elements made from specialized ultra-high-grade glass allow Tamron lens designers to achieve much greater control over chromatic aberration (color fringing) and magnification aberrations, the two major factors that inhibit image quality enhancement. In combination with LD elements, XLD elements are used to achieve sophisticated lenses that deliver the highest possible contrast, the finest detail, and superior imaging performance throughout the entire zoom range.

AD: Anomalous Dispersion

AD glass is a special type of optical glass that is used to achieve more precise control of chromatic aberrations, thereby enhancing overall imaging performance. Glass of this type provides an abnormally large partial dispersion ratio (amount of diffraction) for light of specific wavelength ranges (colors) within the visible spectrum. By combining AD glass having these special characteristics with elements made of normal glass having different dispersion characteristics, it is possible to control the dispersion factors of a specific wavelength. This enhanced level of control results in much lower levels of on-axis (central) chromatic aberration for telephoto lenses (or zooms used at telephoto settings) and a significant reduction of lateral (peripheral) chromatic aberration for wide-angle lenses (or zooms used at wide-angle settings).

ASL: (Aspherical Element) Hybrid Aspherical Elements

Tamron uses several Hybrid Aspherical lens elements and other lenses bearing the aspherical designation. These innovative optics allow us to achieve the ultimate in image quality, and at the same time produce lenses that offer remarkable zoom ranges in extraordinarily compact packages. By perfecting these leading-edge advances for series production, Tamron has advanced the state of optical design and virtually eliminated spherical aberration and image distortion from the all-in-one zoom series. Through the effective application of Hybrid Aspherical Technology, one lens element can take the place of multiple elements without compromising performance. This is what allows us to produce remarkably compact long-range lenses that deliver a uniformly high level of image quality at all focal lengths and apertures.

XR, UXR: Extra Refractive index, Ultra-Extra Refractive Index

XR glass, with its superior light-bending power, makes it possible to design a short-barrel lens with the same light-gathering ability (aperture value) as a long- barrel lens—even with a smaller lens diameter. By using this principle Tamron has been able to shorten the length of the entire optical system and produce lighter, more compact lenses of the same speed, and also to provide greater zoom ranges in lenses that are much more convenient to carry and hand-hold.

GM, XGM: Glass Molded Aspherical, eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical

The XGM lens element is capable of efficiently correcting aberrations in the angle of view that changes significantly with an ultra wide-angle zoom lens. It has an especially significant impact on minimizing distortion and enhancing the sharpness of the image at its periphery. Furthermore, the molded- glass manufacturing method allows the fabrication of a wider range of lens shapes than the composite aspherical lens method. Moreover, XGM also effectively controls aberrations and reduces total lens size.

eBAND: Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency Coating

This coating technique developed by Tamron deploys a nano-structured layer (1nm = 1/1,000,000mm) of ultra-low refractive index, with dimensions smaller than the wavelengths of visible rays of light. This nano-structured layer coupled with the sophisticated multiple layer coatings underneath, yields significant anti-reflection properties, efficiently reducing undesired flare and ghosting to an absolute minimum to deliver sharp, crisp images.

BBAR: Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Coating

Tamron uses advanced multi-coating techniques to suppress reflections and light dispersion on lens element surfaces that result in reduced light transmission and may cause ghosting and flare images. The BBAR Coating technique also helps to provide the best possible color balance for vibrant and accurate color rendition. Tamron has developed an improved proprietary version of BBAR Coating that successfully increases light transmission in both longer and shorter wavelengths. Plus, SP 35mm F/1.4 (Model F045) applies newly-developed second-generation BBAR-G2 Coating, which provides vastly improved performance compared to the original coating. It corrects for ghosting and flare to an unprecedented extent, and renders fine subject detail with true clarity and stunning contrast even under backlit conditions.

AX: Anti-reflection eXpand Coating

A revolutionary AX Coating is accomplished through Tamron's proprietary deposition technology that addresses the difficulty of applying uniformed coating using existing technology. Now the coating can be applied uniformly edge to edge, even if the convex surface has a strong curvature. As a result, the reflectance and color rendition at the peripheral part of the element is the same as the center. The new AX Coating, which is especially effective for wide-angle lenses that tend to let in harmful light from peripheral areas, effectively minimizes ghosting and provides outstanding uniform image clarity.

ZL: Zoom Lock

Another original Tamron mechanical engineering concept is ZL, a simple convenience feature that prevents undesired extension (creep) of the lens barrel when carrying the camera/lens unit on a neck strap. This enhances responsiveness in the field and helps protect the lens.

DMPU: Dual MPU (Micro-Processing Unit)

This is a micro processing unit incorporating two different microchips. Two separate processor units mean that digital signals from the VC image stabilization and autofocus are processed separately at maximum speed. This means, for example, that commands from the camera and AF motor can be interpreted at lightning speed and implemented precisely.

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