Tamron unveils 18-200mm E-mount lens, ups your NEX glass selections

With a whopping total of eight official lens choices (and two wide angle converters), saying that Sony's NEX cameras could use a few more options in the decent glass category would be putting it lightly. Thankfully, Tamron today announced its latest zoom lens, the BO11 18-200MM F/3.5-6.3 DI III VC, which is made specifically for E-mount shooters. The BO11 weighs in at just over a pound and features a built-in stepping autofocus motor, along with Tamron's moving coil-equipped Vibration Compensation technology -- a must given that Sony's NEX shooters rely on their lenses for image stabilization. While there's no mention of price, the lens will be shipping to dealers starting December 15th and you'll have your choice of either black or silver. Of course, we'd be remiss not to point out the option of lens mount adapters, but if you're set on dedicated solutions you'll the full press release just past the break.

Update: Tamron has announced pricing at $739.

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TAMRON ANNOUNCES THE 18-200MM F/3.5-6.3 DI III VC (MODEL B011), TAMRON'S FIRST HIGH-POWER ZOOM FOR SONY'S NEX-SERIES MIRRORLESS INTERCHANGEABLE-LENS CAMERAS

Innovative lens is lightweight, compact, and features a striking new form factor with two color options to suit the NEX design.

December 8, 2011, Commack, New York ― Tamron Co., Ltd., 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 all-in-one zoom lens is designed for the Sony NEX (E-mount) series of interchangeable-lens, lightweight and compact digital cameras. Tamron, the zoom lens pioneer, brings 19 years of high-power zoom lens development technologies to this new product. The lens will begin shipping in the U.S. December 15, 2011.

With the 18-200mm Di III VC (Model B011), Tamron has created a high-power all-in-one zoom lens that is compact and lightweight, featuring a 62mm filter and weighing only 16.2 oz., while at the same time delivering superlative image quality. This compact size lets users easily shoot across an extended range - from wide-angle to full telephoto - with just one lens. The focal length coverage is 18-200mm. Converted to the coverage of the 35mm format, this is equivalent to a range of 27mm wide-angle up to 300mm full telephoto. This allows the user to easily 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 19.6", flower petals, jewelry and other small objects can be shot as expanded close-ups.

Product Features
Compact and lightweight
The high-power 18-200mm all-in-one lens is a lightweight and compact zoom weighing 16.2 oz. with a 62mm filter, designed for exclusive use on the E-mount lens system on Sony's NEX series mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.
Built-in stabilization enables easy handheld shooting from 18mm wide angle to 200mm full telephoto

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.
Stepping motor adopted for the AF drive, a construction that accommodates contrast-detection AF and shooting video

The AF drive has a stepping motor that is optimal for the Contrast-detection AF system employed by NEX series cameras. This also gives the drive a quieter operation, which is ideal for shooting video in which voices are recorded. 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.

Striking appearance worthy of the NEX series design.
The metallic lens barrel exterior is available in two colors: black and silver.

About the stepping motor
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.

About the VC (Vibration Compensation) system
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.