04/06/2026 9:30 pm
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I am honestly so fed up with lugging my Sony 16-35 GM up mountains every weekend. My back is killing me and I find myself leaveing it in the bag half the time because I am terrified of scratching the glass or getting it wet when the weather turns crappy in the PNW. It is just too heavy and way too expensive to be practical for the kind of rugged hiking I do. I am seriously ready to ditch the prestige of the G Master label and just get a solid Tamron that I can actually use without a panic attack every time I set my tripod down on some gravel.
I have a trip to Zion coming up in three weeks and I need a replacement for my a7IV pronto. My budget is around 1200 dollars and I really need something lightweight so I dont feel like a pack mule. I have been looking at a few things:
- Tamron 17-28mm f2.8
- Tamron 20-40mm f2.8
- Tamron 17-50mm f4
The 17-28 seems like the classic choice but I worry it is a bit old now compared to the newer stuff. I feel like the 20-40 might be more versatile for walking around but I dont want to lose that ultra-wide look for the big canyons. What is actually the best Tamron lens for Sony a7IV landscape photography if I want to stop hating my gear...
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04/06/2026 9:55 pm
- Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is fantastic and super reliable!
- Try Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD for extra reach.
- Check Dustin Abbotts site for weather sealing tests!
10
04/06/2026 9:30 pm
I've been shooting with Sony for years and I went through that exact same phase of thinking I needed the heaviest glass to get pro results. Honestly, youre making the right move by downsizing. For Zion and the PNW, you'll appreciate the weight savings way more than a red G badge. I would suggest you be very careful with the 20-40mm choice tho. While it is tiny, 20mm often feels surprisingly cramped when youre standing at the base of massive red rock walls. You are gonna wish you had those extra 3mm on the wide end. I would strongly recommend looking at the Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD instead. Since you are doing landscapes, youre likely shooting at f/8 or f/11 most of the time anyway, so losing the f/2.8 aperture isnt a massive deal. The range is just so much better for hiking because you wont have to swap lenses as much, which helps keep dust off your sensor in places like Zion. One thing to watch out for... make sure to keep a close eye on the weather sealing. It is decent, but I wouldnt let it get totally soaked in a PNW downpour without some kind of rain cover. If you really think you will need the low light for astro or something, then the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is still a solid, lightweight workhorse, but the 17-50mm is basically the better tool for general landscape work.
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04/06/2026 10:15 pm
Lugging that heavy glass is genuinely taxing and the constant anxiety about damage is the absolute worst. Make sure you've checked the Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD weather seals before Zion.
