Tamron has announced the 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD for Nikon Z-mount, bringing a lens originally released for Sony E-mount in 2022 to a second full-frame mirrorless system.

The optical formula is unchanged from the E-mount version — 12 elements in 11 groups, with four low-dispersion elements, two molded glass aspherical elements, and one hybrid aspherical. Minimum focusing distance is 17 centimeters at the wide end, with a maximum magnification of 1:3.8. The aperture diaphragm uses nine blades and the front filter thread is 67mm. Autofocus is handled by Tamron’s VXD linear motor, the same system used across the company’s other recent full-frame zooms. The lens is dust- and moisture-resistant.

The Z-mount version measures 89mm in length and weighs 380 grams — dimensions consistent with the lens’s appeal as a compact wide-to-standard zoom. The 20-40mm focal range is deliberately unusual: it starts wider than a typical standard zoom and ends shorter, occupying a range that has no direct equivalent among native Nikon Z lenses. Within the Z-mount ecosystem, the lens fills a specific gap between Tamron’s own 12-20mm f/2.8, which covers the ultra-wide end, and the 35-100mm f/2.8 or 35-150mm f/2-2.8, which handle the telephoto range, allowing a three-lens f/2.8 system without overlap. The closest comparison from a third party is Sigma’s 20-60mm f/2.8-4 Contemporary, which has a similar weight and starts at the same focal length, but is not available for Z-mount and reaches f/4 by the time it extends to 60mm.

Here are some sample pictures, courtesy of Tamron: