Tamron Lenses

Est. 1950 · Saitama City, Saitama, Japan · 18 lenses

Tamron began in November 1950 in Urawa, now part of Saitama City, as Taisei Optical Equipment Manufacturing, founded by Fujio Watanabe and Takeyuki Arai to make camera and binocular lenses. The business was incorporated in 1952, when optical designer Uhyoue Tamura joined and helped establish its design department. His surname inspired the Tamron trademark registered in 1958; Taisei Optical adopted Tamron Co., Ltd. as its corporate name in 1970.

The company built its early interchangeable-lens identity around mount flexibility and practical zoom design. It developed the T-mount system in 1957, began mass-producing its affordable 95-205 mm f/6.3 telephoto zoom in 1959, introduced Adapt-A-Matic in the 1960s, and followed with Adaptall in 1976. The SP, or Super Performance, series arrived in 1979, the same era that produced the first SP 90 mm f/2.5 macro. That 90 mm line became a Tamron signature, evolving through autofocus, 1:1 reproduction, internal focusing, VC stabilization, and mirrorless versions.

Tamron expanded beyond interchangeable still-camera lenses into broadcast, surveillance, automotive, medical, and industrial optics. It acquired Bronica in 1995 and merged that medium-format camera company into Tamron in 1998. In photography, the company helped popularize compact all-in-one zooms, then broadened its premium SP primes and zooms and built extensive native mirrorless ranges. Modern lenses such as the 28-75 mm f/2.8, 35-150 mm f/2-2.8, and 150-600 mm continue its role as a major independent alternative to camera-system manufacturers.

Notable designs: T-mount, Adapt-A-Matic, Adaptall and Adaptall-2, SP 90mm Macro series, SP AF 60mm f/2 Di II Macro, SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro, 28-200mm all-in-one zoom, 28-75mm f/2.8, 35-150mm f/2-2.8, SP 150-600mm