Conclusion

The 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is the first Tamron lens for Nikon's full-frame Z-series mirrorless camera system, and just like the Sony version that we tested three years ago, it's an excellent third-party alternative to the Nikkor lenses.

This is especially true on the Nikon system because, unlike Sony, there is no direct equivalent of the 70-300mm, either in terms of the focal range on offer or perhaps more significantly the price.

The closest "rivals" are probably the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S or the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S zooms,but they're both larger, heavier and much more expensive.

Priced at around £649.99 / $599.99, the Tamnron 70-300mm for Nikon is much more affordable and arguably covers a more popular focal range, making it a great partner to a standard zoom lens like the Nikon Z 28-75mm F2.8.

Despite being ever so slightly heavier than the Sony version, this lens is more than compact and light enough to carry around all day, so if portability is key, this is the telephoto zoom to go for.

We won't get into the pros and cons of buying a 70-300mm zoom with slowish maximum apertures - some people love the versaility, others can't really see the point of them - but what we will say is that the 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 Di III RXD for Nikon is an excellent example of this kind of lens.

Centre sharpness is satisfyingly high wide-open throughout the focal range, and although performance drops off at the edges, optically this lens has a lot of good things going for it, and not too many drawbacks.

There's some obvious vignetting at the maximum apertures and the bokeh effects are never going to be as good as faster lenses, but overall this is a great 70-300mm all-purpose telephoto zoom that's a real testament to modern optical technologies.

The lack of optical vibration reduction will prove to be a turn-off for Nikon's APS-C sensor cameras which don't have IBIS, but when paired with a full-frame body you can enjoy up to 4-stops of stabilisation.

The first lens from Tamron for the Nikon Z full-frame system fills a distinct gap and fills it well at a very attractive price-point., making it more than worthy of our Highly Recommended / 4.5 Stars award.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4
Value for money	4.5