Five f/2.8 standard zooms worth your money right now

Quick answer: if you shoot APS-C, Tamron’s new 16-50mm f/2.8 A is the one to look at first: it’s a constant f/2.8 zoom at 305 grams for under $550, available across four mounts. If you shoot full frame and want a pocketable walkaround zoom, the choice is between Sony’s own FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G at $1,100 and the Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 at $649, which covers almost the same ground for close to half the price. Check current prices before buying; none of these launch figures move in your favour over time.

A crowded year for fast standard zooms

Standard zooms with a constant f/2.8 aperture used to mean choosing between a native lens that cost more than your camera body or a third-party lens the size of a soup can. That’s changed fast. Tamron just announced the 16-50mm F2.8 A, a constant f/2.8 standard zoom for APS-C cameras across Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Fujifilm X mounts, and it arrives into a market that already has credible options from Sigma, Fujifilm, Sony and the smaller Chinese brand Thypoch. None of these lenses is a direct substitute for another: some are APS-C only, some are full frame, and the prices span from $529 to $1,199 at launch. The point of this guide is to lay the real numbers side by side so you can work out which trade-off actually fits how you shoot.

The APS-C field: Tamron, Sigma and Fujifilm

Tamron’s 16-50mm F2.8 A (model B091) is the newest and, on paper, the most disruptive. The lens remains remarkably lightweight and compact at just 79.6mm long, a mere 305g, and a φ55mm filter size. It covers a full-frame equivalent of 24-75mm for Sony E-mount, Nikon Z mount and Fujifilm X mount, and 25.6-80mm for Canon RF mount, and autofocus runs on Tamron’s VXD linear motor, the same system used in some of the company’s full-frame glass. It’s weather sealed, takes common 55mm filters, and Fstoppers reports pricing of Sony E at $529, Canon RF at $529, Nikon Z at $549, and Fujifilm X at $529, with mounts shipping on staggered dates between late October and mid-December.

Sigma’s 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN has held the “smallest f/2.8 zoom” title since 2021. The lens is currently the smallest and lightest in its class, boasting a maximum diameter of 65.4mm, a length of 74.5mm and weight of 290g, yet still maintains a constant aperture of F2.8. It’s available for Sony E, L-mount, Fujifilm X and Canon RF-S at a launch price of $549 near the end of October 2021. The trade-off against the Tamron is reach: Sigma tops out at 50mm versus Tamron’s wider start at 16mm, and Sigma uses a stepper motor rather than a linear motor, which tends to be a touch slower for continuous autofocus on moving subjects.

Fujifilm’s own XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II is the premium native option for X-mount shooters, and it got a serious diet in its second generation. Dustin Abbott, reviewing the lens for his site, notes the redesign is both smaller and lighter and yet sharper at the same time, and comes to market at the same MSRP as the original ($1199 USD). The weight dropped from 655 grams to just 410g (14.5oz), which is still more than the Tamron or Sigma, but it buys a bigger 72mm filter thread, an 11-blade aperture, and Fujifilm’s LM linear focus motor built for its higher-resolution bodies.

The full-frame field: Sony and Thypoch

Sony’s FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G is the lens that proved a constant-aperture full-frame standard zoom didn’t have to weigh 700 grams. At launch, Sony specified a filter diameter of φ67 mm, maximum diameter 74.8 mm, length 92.3 mm, and weight approximately 440 g. It carries twin linear AF motors, an aperture ring with a de-click switch for video, and a fluorine coating on the front element. DPReview reported the lens would be available in May for $1,100 following its February 2024 announcement.

Thypoch, better known until now for manual-focus M-mount primes, used its first autofocus lens to go straight after that Sony lens. The Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 matches the focal range and aperture almost exactly. Dustin Abbott’s review states the Thypoch is 70mm in diameter and 432g, a little narrower than the Sony’s 74.8mm and only a touch lighter than the Sony’s 440g, with both lenses sharing a 67mm front filter thread. The gap that matters is price: the Sony’s MSRP is $1,298, though the current price is $1,198 due to a sale, while the Voyager comes to market at $649, exactly half the Sony’s MSRP. Thypoch’s own listing confirms the lens keeps a fixed barrel length because of its internal zoom design, and B&H lists weather sealing at the mount, control rings and front element.

Spec sheet: five lenses side by side

Lens	Format / mounts	Focal range	Weight (g)	Filter (mm)	Launch price (USD)
Tamron 16-50mm F2.8 A	APS-C: Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, Fujifilm X	16-50mm	305 (315 on Nikon Z)	55	529-549
Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN	APS-C: Sony E, L-mount, Fujifilm X, Canon RF-S	18-50mm	290	55	549
Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR II	APS-C: Fujifilm X	16-55mm	410	72	1,199
Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G	Full frame: Sony E/FE	24-50mm	440	67	1,100
Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm F2.8	Full frame: Sony E	24-50mm	432	67	649

What the numbers actually tell you

Focal range decides what the lens is for before anything else does. The APS-C trio splits into a wide-biased option (Tamron’s 16mm start, useful for interiors and architecture) and two lenses that start at 18mm: Sigma’s 18-50mm and Fujifilm’s 16-55mm, the latter edging wider again. On full frame, both Sony and Thypoch commit to 24-50mm, which is narrower at the long end than the familiar 24-70mm but noticeably lighter for it.

Weight is the number every one of these lenses is actually marketed on. The Tamron 16-50mm weighs only 10.75 ounces, 305 grams, and takes 55mm filters, which Imaging Resource notes makes it lighter than many APS-C kit lenses despite the faster aperture. That’s the headline reason it’s worth a look even if you already own a slower kit zoom.

Filter thread size matters more than it looks on a spec sheet, because it sets your ongoing cost for ND grads and polarisers. The three APS-C lenses split into 55mm (Tamron, Sigma) and 72mm (Fujifilm); the two full-frame lenses both use 67mm. If you already own filters in one of those sizes, that’s a real point in a lens’s favour, not a trivial one.

Autofocus motor type separates these lenses more than the spec sheets suggest. Tamron’s VXD and Fujifilm’s LM are both linear motors, generally the fastest and quietest type for continuous video autofocus. Sigma and Thypoch use stepper motors, which are capable but typically a step behind linear designs for fast-moving subjects. Sony’s twin linear motors are built to keep pace with its fastest burst cameras, which DPReview’s announcement coverage ties specifically to tracking performance at high frame rates.

Launch price of current f/2.8 standard zooms

Best for… picks by use and budget

Best for APS-C travel and everyday carry: the Tamron 16-50mm F2.8 A. At 305 grams and under $550 across four mounts, it’s the lightest constant-aperture zoom on this list and the only one that covers Sony, Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm bodies from one design.

Best for the smallest possible APS-C kit: the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN. It shaves another 15 grams off the Tamron and has a four-year track record across reviews, though it gives up Tamron’s wider 16mm start.

Best for working Fujifilm shooters who need the sharpest native glass: the XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR II. It costs more than twice the Tamron, but it’s built for Fujifilm’s 40-megapixel sensors and carries Fujifilm’s own weather-sealing standard.

Best for full-frame video work on a gimbal: the Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm F2.8. Its internal zoom means the barrel never extends, so the lens doesn’t need rebalancing mid-shot, and it costs close to half of Sony’s own lens.

Best for full-frame stills shooters who want Sony’s AF tracking guarantee: the FE 24-50mm F2.8 G. It costs more, but Sony specifically engineered it to keep pace with the 120 fps burst mode on its flagship bodies, a claim that matters if you shoot sport or wildlife on a Sony full-frame body.

What this means for you

If you’re buying your first fast zoom for an APS-C body, start with the Tamron 16-50mm F2.8 A. It undercuts both Sigma and Fujifilm on price while beating the Sigma on wide-angle reach, and it’s weather sealed, which the Sigma’s spec sheet lists as unconfirmed on some mounts. Only step up to Fujifilm’s own XF 16-55mm if you’re shooting paid work on a 40-megapixel X-mount body and need every bit of resolving power and weather sealing it offers.

On full frame, the decision comes down to budget and risk tolerance. Sony’s own lens is backed by a longer track record and matched specifically to Sony’s fastest autofocus systems. Thypoch is a newer name without the same years of field reports, but independent reviewers including Dustin Abbott and OpticalLimits have already published full tests, and the core numbers, weight, filter size, focal range, line up closely with Sony’s lens at under half the cost. For video-first shooters who value the fixed-length barrel for gimbal work, that’s a genuine reason to choose it over the more established option.

Whichever lens you land on, treat every price here as a starting point. Launch prices listed by Tamron, Sigma, Fujifilm, Sony and Thypoch all predate retailer discounts, bundle deals and regional tax differences, so check current pricing at an authorised dealer before you buy.

Sources

Header image: official press images combined from tamron.com, press.sigmaphoto.com, store.thypoch.com.