Sometimes travelling light is the way to go, and superzooms can be a viable option. Having used a few, the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5 to 6.3 for mirrorless APS-C cameras could possibly be the all-rounder lens one needs for travelling.
Big thanks to Tamron Singapore for loaning me the lens for the purposes of this mini review. I do not receive any compensation, neither did they have any say in the video before publishing.
The lens comes in multiple mirrorless mounts. Sony E, Fuji X, Canon RF and Nikon Z. I used this lens with the Nikon Z50II and shot a variety of photos, from landscapes to cityscapes and even some wildlife shots across my personal holiday trip to Malaysia.
Do note that Nikon will automatically set the camera to APS-C mode if it detects the lens used is APS-C. There are other lenses of similar caliber for full frame Nikon Z mount, such as the 24-200 and 28-400 lenses from Nikon. The 28-400 is an awesome lens, used it for my trip in China earlier in May 2025. I may do a review of that lens one day, but for now you can check out my Instagram page for photos with that lens.
Video review of the Tamron 18-300 here: https://youtu.be/smiPS089h58
Best prices of the 18-300 for Singapore (affiliate links):
Lazada Singapore
Nikon Z - https://s.lazada.sg/s.fT4eU?c=a
Canon RF - https://s.lazada.sg/s.fT4eP?c=b
Sony E - https://s.lazada.sg/s.fT4eo?c=b
Fuji X - https://s.lazada.sg/s.fT4eF?c=b
Shopee Singapore
Nikon Z - https://s.shopee.sg/W3V1we1pq?share_channel_code=3
Canon RF - https://s.shopee.sg/7fWfZ5VI29?share_channel_code=3
Sony E - https://s.shopee.sg/W3V1p3BqE?share_channel_code=3
Fuji X - https://s.shopee.sg/3g0WngwFPD?share_channel_code=3
All my other recommendations:
https://linktr.ee/ykteo/shop
Some of the above are affiliate links and using these links just before checkout does give me a small kickback that will help support this hobby and enable me to do even crazier stuff. I personally take photos and videos more for the joy of it, I am not an influencer or tech content creator, and am rarely compensated in any way for a very high proportion of the things I do, including global sporting events. So please consider using the links above just before you go through with the purchase. Thank you!
Part 1 - Build Quality and Handling
The 18-300 has quite a solid build for its price. As of recording my video review and publishing this, the lens is on sale at a suggested retail price of $788 SGD, down from its MSRP of $968 SGD. In Singapore, this lens comes with a 3-year warranty.
For Z mount, the lens weighs 635g. This is due to the mostly plastic construction with a metal mount. The lens is claimed to be weather sealed and has a weather sealing gasket. However, I would not recommend using the lens in heavy rain or snow without proper rain covers.
This lens has 2 rubber rings, the zoom ring with an effective full frame focal length of 27-450mm for Nikon Z offering a 16.7x effective zoom range. Here is how 18mm to 300mm looks using this one highly versatile lens, taken from my hotel room in Malacca.
The control ring can be configured to change focus, ISO, aperture within the camera should you wish.
A lock switch is present to keep the lens closed, 127.6mm (12.76cm) long at 18mm. The lens approximately doubles in length when zoomed in to 300mm. This lens has a double extending barrel design which are possible entry points for debris.
This lens is part of Tamron's 67mm unified filter size. I personally love this as I can now use smaller 67mm filters across multiple lenses, saving me from needing to buy multiple set of filters or filter adapter rings that can be clunky.
USB-C port allows for convenient firmware updates via Tamron Lens Utility, unlike old third-party lenses which required its own dock. However do note that Nikon Z mount variants have very limited compatible features with the Tamron Link Dongle which has recently been announced.
There is no other switches for vibration reduction and autofocus modes, just like most lenses for Nikon Z. All of these settings are configured in camera.
Part 2 – General Image Quality
Given its massive zoom range and 19 lens elements in 15 groups within the lens, superzooms will definitely have worse image quality than normal zoom lens. Ignoring the MTF curves and test charts, this lens has decent image quality on a sensor like the Z50II. The 20.9MP sensor is not as demanding as sensors with higher pixel density. That aside, I am quite happy with the images I got.
There are a few small downsides.
I feel 18mm on the wide end may not be wide enough for some people. I recommend pairing this lens with a wide-angle lens, such as the recently released Viltrox 9mm F2.8 for APS-C.
For night time photography, you may want to consider getting a prime lens, there are too many by third party brands and Nikon that are pretty affordable. Check out the links in my bio to see some of my recommendations.
Vignetting, darkening of the corners is present on such a superzoom. Mostly can be lightly corrected in post, but you may not be able to correct it completely. You can consider zooming out a bit and cropping to your final desired image.
Another common issue with such superzoom lenses are chromatic aberration. This lens does suffer from a small amount of aberratrion especially in high contrast situations. In most cases, it is rarely noticable but it can also be removed with a few clicks. I have provided an example in the video review.
Most of these pictures are lightly edited. Feel free to take a closer look.
Part 3 – Close Up Image Quality
On paper, this lens claims to have amazing reproduction ratio of 1:2 at 18mm and 1:4 at 300mm. True macro lenses have at least 1:1 reproduction ratio. Here are some shots of various products from roadside stalls along Jonker Street in Malacca.
I also took some photos of butterflies, beetles and flowers at Fortune Dragon Yong Peng, Johor. I really love the dreamy vibes and there is so much detail even on a sensor like the Z50II.
At Port Dickson, I took a few pictures of insects and my most favourite photo of the trip and honestly my wildlife adventures thus far. Two ants fighting over the rocks. Its crazy seeing the mandibles. Razor sharp, and definitely would be a painful bite if you were unlucky.
Part 4 – Autofocus
Unfortunately I did not have the tools to show you the camera interface, so you may take the following with a pinch of salt if you want to. This lens uses Tamron’s VXD linear focus drive and autofocus locks on very quickly with 3D and subject detection tracking on the Nikon Z50II, similar to my experience with other native Nikon Z lenses. Do note your results will vary depending on the camera model used. For the Nikon Z APS-C ecosystem, the Z50II has similar autofocus to the other flagship level cameras Z8, Z9 due to the Expeed 7 processor. You can still get decent shots with Expeed 6 cameras, but moving objects, especially fast ones may be more challenging.
Part 5 – Vibration Compensation
Vibration Compensation (VC) is present in the lens to help stabiles your shots and prevent shake. The Nikon Z50II does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and thus the lens is the one fully working in this case.
For photos, VC is decent. At the wide angle, stabilization is quite good. Here is a shot taken at 1/4s at 18mm. When zoomed in, I managed to get quite a lot of sharp shots at 1/25s. The lens has to work more at the long end and stabilization is definitely harder. Do not confuse stabilization with motion blur as moving subjects can cause blur. Use a proper shutter speed for the subject as always.
For videos, I did not shoot much video but at 300mm, my video footage is pretty shaky. Perhaps skill issue but you definitely should use a tripod or monopod. See the video review for examples.
Part 6 – On Camera Flash
Because of the long barrel, it blocks the built-in flash of the Z50II. You will see a huge blacked out section towards the bottom or side of your frame. Zooming in to 35mm it is still ever so slightly present. It is gone by 50mm. I recommend getting an external flash that is taller to fill the frame at 18mm. Feel free to check out some flash recommendations in the bio.
Conclusion
This lens reminds me vividly of the time I started my journey in photography. I started out with a Nikon D5600 and a Tamron 18-200 which I used for my first 4 years. That superzoom was definitely challenging to use, slow autofocus, not very sharp image quality.
But on the mirrorless mount, Tamron lenses are a whole different ball game. Superzooms are honestly not for everyone, but this 180-300mm is honestly good enough for anyone who wants a do it all lens, with fast enough autofocus to capture almost every subject.
Once again, thank you Tamron Singapore for loaning me this lens for my own personal trip and this review is 100% independent. I loved using this lens and I hope this non-technical review helps you in considering this lens to help you in your visual creative journey. It takes a lot of time to make content and I personally am a full-time undergraduate pursuing a highly difficult degree. I take photos and videos mostly for the joy of it and I earn zero compensation at all for most of my passion projects, even if there are involvements with big brands. So if you enjoyed this review, please do leave comments, suggestions, like and share this video.