Tamron has announced the development of a new zoom lens, the AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) Macro. It is being specifically designed for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized image sensors.

The lens will feature a 15x zoom with a 35mm format equivalent of 28-419mm and will come equipped with a vibration compensation (VC) mechanism to help eliminate handheld shake. The powerful zoom performs well in both telephoto and wide-angle settings and will have a minimum focusing range of 19.3 inches.

The zoom is made possible through an optical system using two low-dispersion glass elements and three aspherical elements to correct for any aberrations, yet keep the diameter of the lens small enough to help the VC mechanism.

The AF18-270 Di II VC will be made available in Canon and Nikon mounts, and comes equipped with a zoom lock and a flower-shaped lens hood. The price and launch date of the lens will be announced later this year.