Tamron calls time on 15 lenses – some after over 20 years

Hannah Rooke
·3 min read
Tamron lenses
Tamron lenses

Tamron has announced that it will no longer be able to repair a number of lenses for Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Canon cameras due to shortages or discontinued parts. Luckily this news only affects older lenses for DSLR cameras, while the latest lenses for mirrorless cameras are unaffected.

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The company shared the news on its Japanese website, which detailed of a total of 15 lenses consisting of Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K and Sony A mount. Most of the optics have also been discontinued, and can only be bought second-hand. Some lenses affected date back as far as 1997, so it's no surprise that Tamron has finally called it quits on repairs.

The full list of lenses is as follows:

• Tamron SP AF 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di II LD Aspherical [IF] (EF, F, A)
• Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] (F)
• Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F, K, A)
• Tamron AF 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F, K, A)
• Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F)
• Tamron AF 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Di II LD Macro (EF, F, K)
• Tamron SP AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical [IF] (EF, F, K, A)
• Tamron AF 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 XR Di Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F, K, A)
• Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F, K, A)
• Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (F)
• Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical [IF] Macro (EF, F)
• Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 XR Di LD Macro (F)
• Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (F)
• Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD [IF] Macro 1:1 (EF, F, A)
• Tamron SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD [IF] (EF, F, A)

While this may be disappointing news for photographers who shoot on older DSLR systems such as a Nikon D3200, a Canon EOS 1200D or the Sony A99, perhaps this will be the deciding factor in upgrading their camera setup.

Founded in 1950, Tamron was once viewed as a cheap third-party brand whose lenses didn’t compare to first-party products. These days, however, Tamron lenses have remained more affordable and often deliver excellent optical quality, too.

Since 2014 the company has sold more than 5 million lenses, and in 2017 its lenses made up nearly 75% of all sales. Sony now holds a 12.07% share in the company, and has helped push it in the right direction and make it the well-respected company it is today, with lenses such as the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD and the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 offering alternatives to standard zooms.

Check out the best budget DSLRs perfect for beginner photographers, or the best DSLRs for all users. And if you're thinking about upgrading, take a look at the best mirrorless cameras.