Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Review on the Nikon Z8: Portrait Photos and Video

The Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is a lightweight telephoto zoom for Nikon Z mount, and I took it to a portrait shoot on the Nikon Z8 to see if the convenience of such a huge focal range compromises on image quality. I'm mostly focusing on photography here, with a few video tests at the end.

Every photo in this post was edited with my Disposable Film Lightroom preset pack. In the video you can also see heaps of straight out of camera files with 100% crops.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Tamron 70-300mm specs and price

Tamron 70-300mm for portraits

This lens makes me so lazy: I can stand in one spot and get both a close-up and a full body shot. I'm really pleased with how flattering it is for portraits, even with such a slow aperture. Skin looks nice and smooth, it's sharp enough to see all the details without being overly sharp, and there's a really nice character to it. The colours straight out of camera look quite neutral, which makes them an easy base for editing. See the portrait shoot.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Unedited

Edited with Disposable Film

Unedited on the left, edited with my Disposable Film preset on the right.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Autofocus on the Nikon Z8

I relied on human detection autofocus for the whole session, and it kept up with everything, even when we were both moving around. The majority of photos were sharp on the eyes or face. It does misfocus occasionally, landing on the neck or shirt instead, but I had so many photos with critical focus that I'd call accuracy good overall. See the autofocus in action.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Design and features

The 70-300 has an external zoom and weighs only about 580g, which is pretty amazing considering the focal range. There aren't many bells and whistles: just a zoom ring, a focus ring and a USB-C port for firmware updates without buying a dock. With such a big zoom range, I'd love a focus limiter switch, but I assume they left extra switches out to keep the size and weight down. See the lens up close.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Bokeh and background separation

The lens has seven circular aperture blades. By putting more distance between my model and the background and using the longer focal lengths, I could still get nice separation with creamy bokeh, and the out of focus rendering looks smooth too. I've got a simple trick for using the footpath as a background in the video. See the bokeh examples.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Chromatic aberration and lens flare

Chromatic aberration is really well controlled. In well-exposed backlit photos it was very difficult to find any, with only the smallest amount of purple fringing in an overexposed spot, which is easy to remove in editing. Flares are soft and subtle, though there's some ghosting in extreme backlight at the long end. See the backlit tests.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Unedited

Edited with Disposable Film

Unedited on the left, edited with my Disposable Film preset on the right.

Limitations: low light and no stabilisation

With a variable f/4.5-6.3 aperture, the main limitation is low light: you either need a camera with good high ISO performance, or plenty of light. I shot around 1pm, but it turned overcast, so I had to use quite high ISOs to keep my shutter speed fast enough. The longer your focal length, the faster your shutter speed needs to be. There's also no stabilisation in the lens, so you'll want a body with IBIS or a tripod. See my settings.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

Edited with my Disposable Film preset.

70mm to 300mm focal length comparison

To finish the photo test, I photographed my model from the same spot at 70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm, so you can see how much the framing changes, from a full body shot to a tight portrait. See the focal length comparison.

Video on the Nikon Z8

For video, the footage is extremely sharp and clear at both 70mm and 300mm. When I hid my face, it was quick to find focus again, and it did a pretty decent job of tracking me as I walked towards and away from the camera. See the video tests.

Is the Tamron 70-300mm worth it?

If you need an all-round long zoom and tend to work in brighter light, this is a fantastic lens. It's light enough to travel with or carry on long days of shooting, and it's great for portraits, sports, wildlife, landscapes and travel during the day. Add a wide angle zoom, and you'd cover your whole focal range.

Tamron 70-300mm FAQ

Is the Tamron 70-300mm good for portraits?

Yes. Skin looks smooth and flattering, it's sharp without being overly sharp, and the longer focal lengths give good background separation despite the slow aperture.

Does the Tamron 70-300mm have image stabilisation?

No. It has no optical stabilisation, so use it on a body with in-body stabilisation, like the Nikon Z8, or on a tripod.

How heavy is the Tamron 70-300mm?

About 580g, which is very light for a 70-300mm zoom.

Is the Tamron 70-300mm good in low light?

Its f/4.5-6.3 aperture means you'll need higher ISOs in dim or overcast light, so it's best in brighter conditions.

What preset did you use for these photos?

All the photos were edited with my Disposable Film Lightroom preset pack.

All the photos in this post were edited with my Disposable Film Lightroom preset pack. You might also like my Nikon Z8 portrait photography with the 85mm f1.2 and 35mm f1.8, 6 reasons your photos are not sharp and my Tamron 28-75mm G2 review. Browse all my packs in the Lightroom Presets for Portraits collection, and if you're stuck between a few, you can buy any 3 presets and save 10%.