Tamron Had to Add a Footnote to Keep Calling This Lens 'Smallest and Lightest'

The original Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 launched without image stabilization, trading that feature for a size and weight advantage over Sony's own 70-200mm F2.8 GM. The second-generation G2 model closes that gap by adding Tamron's VC stabilization system — normally the kind of feature that adds bulk — while holding onto nearly the same compact dimensions as the unstabilized original.

That's the reason for the specific footnote in Tamron's own marketing: it's the smallest and lightest lens in its class specifically among stabilized F2.8 telephoto zooms, a distinction that matters because the unstabilized competition (including Tamron's own first-generation model) technically remains lighter still. At 855 grams with VXD autofocus for fast subject tracking, it completes the wide-to-telephoto trio alongside the 17-28mm and 28-75mm G2 lenses already in this shop.