I recently traveled to Peru to photograph and document the cities of Huaraz and Cusco, as well as nearby mountain hikes and summits. Being from Peru, I try to visit often and continue discovering different regions. From the ruins of Machu Picchu, to the colors of rainbow mountain, to the summit of Pisco mountain, the views are so diverse that you really need to give yourself time to explore. The key lens for the entire trip was the TAMRON 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD (Model A058) for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. With its wide focal range and fast aperture, it gave me all the flexibility needed to capture everything from landscapes, to cities, to people.

A lot of what I photographed revolved around sunrises and sunsets and being able to shoot at F2 with a zoom lens was amazing. Not only did it keep my ISO low, but the photos came out really sharp, even wide open. Another benefit of this lens is its build. Size-wise, it’s comparable to other F2.8 zooms, and it’s construction is high quality and moisture resistant. This meant I had no issues taking it up mountains where I was surrounded by snow or when rain started to fall.

This lens also has a MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 0.33m (13 in) at 35mm, which was great to shoot the native flowers I encountered up close. That coupled with an aperture of F2 gave me a ton of separation and really soft, dreamy backgrounds. Overall, this lens felt like having multiple primes in one. 150mm at F2.8? I didn’t know I needed it until I started this trip. I ended up shooting a lot like that, especially when capturing the mountains up close when the sun was setting.

Another pleasant surprise was the fast-autofocusing system. With its VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor, it was totally silent, but always quick and precise. Even though I wasn’t shooting too much action, I encountered a llama running full-speed and a few condors flying above, and I had no problem capturing them with continuous autofocus and high-speed bursts. As an avid hiker and constant traveler, having this lens around means needing less gear to carry. I can shoot portraits for a job, landscapes while on a trek, and even my dinner inside a dimly lit cafe. All in all, a high-quality lens with killer optics that is a must have in your bag.