Our Favorite Weird Zoom Lenses That Buck Conformity

February 1, 2025 MMOOP

The photographic world tends to flow into a state of normality, order, and conformity. Certain lenses just work for most situations, and the popular choices of the professionals quickly become the traditional tools of the masses. It seems everyone starts with a general-purpose lens that covers a rough full-frame range of 28mm to 70mm or so, and then eventually, you end up with something wider and something longer.

Maybe this is the best way to go, or maybe it’s the way the system pushes people to conform but now we have choices that truly go against the flow. Welcome to the world of “weird” focal lengths, which I must say includes a variety of strange and wonderful optics. However, for the sake of this article — and brevity — I want to talk only about the ones that I have personally reviewed.

A person with short, gray hair and a beard is sitting at a wooden table indoors. They are gesturing with their hands toward a row of camera lenses in front of them. Shelves with books and photos are visible in the background. — If you don’t break out of the traditional lens ranges you might miss out on a wonderful optic.

The Weirdest Zooms: Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD

The Tamron 35-150mm is a fast lens with excellent optics.

Let’s start with the king of them all. The Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 astounded me when I first played with it. It is such a strange focal range with a floating aperture range that you don’t see often and comes with both a hefty lens design and a fairly costly price tag. However, there is no denying its versatile range which couples perfectly with a 16-35mm type of lens.

A man with short brown hair and a beard is wearing large over-ear headphones. He gazes at the camera with a neutral expression. The background is softly blurred with sparkling lights. — Because the Tamron 35-150mm has such a fast aperture, its easy to make nice portraits.

You get a lens that provides plenty of light and has all the optical performance to go with it. I can’t think of a better all-in-one event photography lens for concerts and weddings, and you might only need an additional ultra-wide zoom lens to cover everything you need.

The Weirdest Zooms: Tamron 50-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD

A black camera lens with a hood is positioned on a wooden surface against a dark background, occupying the right side of the image. — The Tamron 50-300mm lens might not seem that unconventional but it allows you to cover everything with two lenses.

One of the most ubiquitous lenses around is the classic 70-300mm zoom lens. It is almost always the second lens that a novice photographer acquires and provides a very useful extension beyond the general-purpose range.

Aerial view of a wide river flowing through a snowy landscape. The river is partially iced over near the banks, surrounded by barren trees and brown, snowy fields stretching into the distance under a cloudy sky. — A telephoto lens that is also able to capture wider scenes is very helpful indeed.

Enter the Tamron 50-300mm f4.5-6.3, which I’ll admit doesn’t seem that radical a mutation of the classic formula, until you consider the utility of having a telephoto that starts at the most normal of ranges. By pushing the wide range only 20 more millimeters you can now couple this lens with an ultra-wide zoom like a 16-35mm or 20-40mm and find yourself covered for all your travel photography needs with only two optics. If you want even more versatility, Tamron pushes a little further with its 50-400mm as well.

The Weirdest Zooms: Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art

The Sigma 28-45mm has a limited range but with all the fast aperture and image quality of a trio of prime lenses.

Sigma may stick to more conventional lens ranges but it does break the mold once in a while. It makes a very interesting Art series 28-45mm f/1.8 lens which delivers prime-like sharpness and enough light-gathering potential for any situation. I was impressed by how good the bokeh looked and even the flare response and sunstars add a unique flavor to this Sigma professional lens. Admittedly, the actual span of the focal range is limited and it doesn’t venture any wider than 28mm. I would rather have a fast 24mm prime and an accompanying 50mm fixed lens myself, but there is a lot to be said for a compact zoom lens that can replace three prime lenses in the camera bag.

A black and white image of a man and woman sitting closely on a wooden bench, facing away. The woman wears a visor and the man has a graphic T-shirt. Buildings and a construction site are visible in the background. — The Sigma 28-45mm might be the ultimate street-photo lens with its fast aperture and ability to tell a story.

The Weirdest Zooms: OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F/4.0 PRO

A black Olympus camera lens with an 8-25 mm focal length, placed on a wooden surface against a dark background. The lens has a hood attached, and its surface reflects soft lighting. — M43 lenses also cover some interesting ranges and the OM 8-25mm takes care of all your wide-angle needs.

So far we have a lot of third-party lenses but the world of strange focal lengths does not only belong to them. The OEM manufacturers also delve into the realm of the weird and OM System has a versatile 8-25mm f/4 lens that gives a full-frame equivalent of 16-50mm. The 8-25mm is part of the PRO series and is both rugged and compact, with a lens that covers any photography from ultra-wide to normal.

Man wearing a headscarf and sunglasses driving a boat on a lake, with a wooded shoreline and a house in the background. — Ultra-wide lenses can give a sense of depth when up close and the OM 8-25mm can travel anywhere easily.

Couple this lens with an OM System 40-150mm zoom and you can handle almost anything with two lenses. Consider also that many users doing street photography or landscapes might not ever need to take another lens in the camera bag. They can simply wander the world with the 8-25mm and be satisfied immensely.

The Weirdest Zooms: Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 ASPH

A black camera lens with various adjustment rings and markings, including "25-50," is placed on a wooden surface against a dark background. The lens is positioned centrally and vertically. — The Panasonic 25mm-50mm covers all the popular portrait lens ranges in one.

Speaking of Micro Four Thirds, Panasonic also makes a 10-25mm f/1.7 lens which does a similar job to the above OM System lens. Both lenses would make for a perfect partner for the next lens we will discuss, which is the Panasonic 25-50mm f/1.7. If ultra-wide to normal isn’t your thing, how about a lens that can cover all the common portrait lenses in one go?

A young boy stands on a gravel path in a forest. He wears a red jacket, blue shorts, flip-flops, and a black cap. The path is surrounded by lush greenery and trees. The boy looks to the side with a thoughtful expression. — Jordan Drake loves the Panasonic 25-50mm because of its fast aperture and sharp optics.

The fast f/1.7 aperture can still give those desirable soft backgrounds and everything from group portraits to a classic head-and-shoulders shot is handled in one package. It doesn’t hurt that both the 10-25mm and 25-50mm are Leica-designed DG lenses and you have ideal twins to handle any situation. They also happen to be ideal for video work and Jordan Drake can’t think of a better combination to mount on a Panasonic GH7.

The Weirdest Zooms: Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS

A large white camera lens with a black and silver body rests on a wooden surface against a dark background. The lens features several control switches and a tripod mount. — The Canon is a big lens, but for sports and action shooters its incredibly versatile.

Canon may have revolutionized the sports and journalism world with its latest L lens designs. First, it came out with a 24-105mm lens that sports an f/2.8 aperture. Then it followed it up with the equally astounding 100-300mm f/2.8. Two lenses that can provide the light that full-frame shooters want with the focal lengths that they need.

A hockey player in full gear skates along the ice, reaching out to fist-bump teammates over the bench. The scene is in black and white, capturing the energy and camaraderie of the game. — The Canon 100-300mm might be big but the weight is manageable and the results are sharp.

The 24-105mm is a great lens but it is also a big one to handle, but what I am really impressed by is the 100-300mm f/2.8 giving all the versatility of a zoom without being appreciably larger or heavier than the fixed 300mm f/2.8 lens. It’s optically excellent and rugged enough for the most adventurous of wildlife photographers, and couples beautifully with a teleconverter when more reach is required.

The Weirdest Zooms: Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G

A black camera lens with markings and various controls is placed on a wooden surface against a black background. The lens is positioned upright and slightly to the left. — I wish more companies would make lenses like the Sony 20-70mm f/4.

I saved my favorite for last. The Sony 20-70mm f/4 G lens is not one of Sony’s prestigious G-Masters. Nor is it the flashiest of lenses either. In fact, what I love about it is just how unassuming and yet terribly convenient it is for my photography. When I first reviewed it I was excited by the prospect of a general-purpose lens that goes way wider than normal. I have to admit that I also expected it to be an optical dog of a lens.

Close-up of a rocky stream with smooth flowing water. Ice formations cover several rocks, creating a contrast with the dark stones and the clear, gentle motion of the water. Some green moss is visible on the rocks. — The Sony 20-70mm G lens is the ultimate lens when you only want to bring one.

Turns out that the 20-70mm f/4 is optically brilliant with plenty of sharpness and a really nice-looking bokeh. More so, it is compact and lightweight which makes it my ideal walk-around lens and I would absolutely use it for anything from travel landscapes to street-side portraits. I’m surprised that no one else has jumped onto a similar kind of lens, but I hope they do.

If I’ve learned anything from testing out all these weird and wonderful lenses let it be this: everyone has different needs for lens coverage and often these alternate focal ranges can satisfy the needs of a photographer with only one or two lenses. If you find yourself only shooting wide to normal ranges or perhaps you never go wider than 35mm or never wider than 20mm, these lenses might make your camera bag that much smaller and lighter. Figuring out what ranges you really shoot the most is the first step. Checking out some of these useful alternatives is the next. You might just fall in love with the weirder side of photography.

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