News Sony explores buying Tamron outright.

[Snapshot]

I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned this, but Sony has sent a memo to Tamron about a possible acquisition. Lots of speculation about what it means for the third party lens industry. Apparently an activist investor group out of Singapore is making a play to control Tamron, and Sony isn't having it. Sony owns about 15% of Tamron stock, and this investor group now owns more. It's an interesting idea.

It’s official: Sony wants to acquire Tamron | sonyalpharumors

Tamron Japan made it official. In a press release they stated: Yesterday, there were some media reports in Diamond Online stating that there had been an acquisition proposal made regarding our company, but this was not announced by us. It is true that we have received a non-binding proposal from...

www.sonyalpharumors.com

Sony's Tamron Buyout: What Photographers Should Actually Fear | Fstoppers

Sony's proposed acquisition of Tamron has sparked fears about killing rival-mount lenses. But the real concerns are subtler: Tamron's pricing strategy, product roadmap, and whether Sony will preserve the value-brand ethos that made it essential.

fstoppers.com

 

[Chris 3754]

This is going to something interesting to watch and a few questions come to mind:
Will Sony unlock the ability to use teleconverters on Tamron lenses?

How will a major camera brand owning a third party lens manufacturer impact the lenses they make for competitor camera brands?

Tamron’s space is largely at a price point much less than Sony lenses, and at a quality point (though not necessarily in every case) a bit lower. Will this cause crossover to either brand?

 

[Alan Clark]

Another question is will Sony unlock the ability to use the fastest frame rate on Tamron lenses?

 

[mathu_stans]

I suspect sony wants to limit Tamrons ability to manufacture lenses to Sony's competitors like Nikon

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I suspect sony wants to limit Tamrons ability to manufacture lenses to Sony's competitors like Nikon

Quite possible! I would more understand if they want to protect their investment in Tamron as they currently have some shares and might not want an unknown buying majority shares and then steering Tamron away from Sony support.

Will Sony unlock the ability to use teleconverters on Tamron lenses?

Off the cuff, I'd say no because the lenses designed for Teleconverter support are physically designed with space for the teleconverter's inner barrel (my guess from looking at pictures since I do not own any).