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Tamron AFF004N700 SP 90MM F/2.8 DI MACRO 1:1 VC USD For Nikon 90mm IS Macro Lens for Nikon (FX) Cameras - Fixed
Brand | Tamron |
Lens Type | Macro |
Compatible Mountings | Nikon FX |
Camera Lens Description | 9 |
Maximum Focal Length | 90 Millimeters |
About this item
- advanced coating technology improves lens performance
- Minimum Focus Distance : 0.3m (11.8 in), Focal Length : 90 mm
- Moisture-resistant construction helps prevent moisture from penetrating the lens
- New VC anti-shake mechanism with 4-stop advantage, Fast F/2.8 aperture
- USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) for quick and quiet focusing
- Lens not zoomable
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This Item Tamron AFF004N700 SP 90MM F/2.8 DI MACRO 1:1 VC USD For Nikon 90mm IS Macro Lens for Nikon (FX) Cameras - Fixed | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $478.00$478.00 | $623.99$623.99 | -22% $699.00$699.00 List: $899.00 | $399.00$399.00 | $669.00$669.00 | $499.00$499.00 |
Delivery | Get it Mar 25 - 28 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27 | Get it Mar 26 - 28 | Get it Apr 2 - 5 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Image stabilization | 4.0 | — | 3.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
Auto focus | — | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.4 |
Quality of material | 4.2 | — | 4.5 | — | 4.0 | — |
Sold By | Premier Camera =Japan= Our Japanese staff will send you with care. | Xpress Products (We track Serial Numbers) | Norman Camera & Video | Port Hole Renewed | Unique Photo, Inc. | CameraSpot |
lens type | Macro | Telephoto | Wide Angle | Macro | Telephoto | Telephoto |
compatible mountings | Nikon FX | Nikon F (FX) | Nikon F | Canon EF | Nikon F (FX) | Nikon F |
lens design | Prime | — | Prime | Zoom | Prime | Prime |
focus type | Ultrasonic | Ring-type ultrasonic | Auto Focus | Micromotor | Auto Focus | Manual Focus |
minimum focal length | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | — |
max focal length | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | — |
fixed focal length | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 90 millimeters | 105 millimeters | 100 millimeters |
model name | F004-N | — | f045 | macro lens | 258306 | — |
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Tamron SP 90MM F/2.8 DI MACRO 1:1 VC USD Lens
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 4.53 x 2.99 x 2.99 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1.21 pounds |
ASIN | B00A49ZPLQ |
Item model number | F004-N |
Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #568 in SLR Camera Lenses |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | November 6, 2012 |
Manufacturer | Tamron |
Warranty & Support
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Product Description
Tamron has updated their legendary 90mm Macro lens with a new, state-of-the-art optical design. The lens, reborn for the age of digital photography, offers VC (Vibration Compensation) and USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive). Adopting a state-of-the-art optical design and a rounded diaphragm, this lens carries on the long tradition of Tamron's 90mm Macro lens in delivering spectacular blur effects. Two XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) glasses and one LD (Low Dispersion) element reduce chromatic aberrations, yielding sharp images and outstanding resolution. Tamron's newly developed eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) Coating delivers a dramatic improvement in antireflection performance-significantly reducing flare and ghosting for clearer, crisper images. The VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization mechanism reduces camera shake to deliver sharp images. This lens also features USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) to power a speedy AF drive together with a continuous manual focus mechanism. It also incorporates IF (Internal Focus) system, which focuses by moving only the internal lens group, rather than the front lens elements. The overall length of the lens therefore does not change when focusing, thus ensuring a broad working distance. Moisture-resistant construction helps prevent moisture from penetrating the lens. Specifications: Focal Length 90mm, Maximum Aperture F/2.8, Angle of view (diagonal), 27°02′ (with full-size SLR cameras) 17°37′ (with APS-C sized sensor digital SLR cameras), Lens Construction 14 elements in 11 groups, Minimum Focus Distance 11.8in (0.3m), Maximum Magnification Ratio 1:1, Working Distance 5.5 in (139mm), Filter Size Ø58mm, Length 4.5 in (114.5mm), Entire Length 4.8 in (122.9mm), Diameter Ø76.48mm, Weight 19.4 oz. (550g), No. of Diaphragm Blades 9 (rounded diaphragm), Minimum Aperture F/32, Standard Accessory Lens hood.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the lens for its sharpness, quality and image quality. They mention that it is an excellent lens for macro and portraits, with quick and quiet autofocus. They also appreciate the depth of field and area of focus are extremely sensitive. Customers also say that the lens is very sharp out of the camera and produces great macro shots. They say that it holds up very well when stopped down. Customers are also impresseded with the bokeh and the optical performance of the lens.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the lens. For example, they mention it's a great macro lens and excellent portrait lens. The stabilisation is good, and the lens does magic. It's sharp out of the camera and outstanding after editing.
"...So, all in all, a very nice lens with great utility, but because of the AF issues, not a 5 star lens.---------..." Read more
"...has delivered great macro shots as well as doubling as an excellent portrait lens and I personally like the focal length for street photography as..." Read more
"...The lens seems to be good although my use of it has been limited." Read more
"...initial shots I took were very sharp out of the camera and outstanding after editing, and it's $200 cheaper than the Canon...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the focus control of the lens. They mention that the autofocus has been greatly improved, the full-time manual focus override is seamless, and the depth of field and area of focus are extremely sensitive. They also appreciate the virtually silent image stabilization and the clarity and performance of the product.
"...Bokeh is smooth and rounded at all apertures. Full-time manual focus override is seamless, simply turn the focus ring and shoot; no more fussing..." Read more
"...The depth of field and area of focus are extremely sensitive even at F8 and smaller apertures...." Read more
"...AF is fast and accurate on both my Canon 600d (T3I) and 5D Mark3...." Read more
"...Focus is soooo quiet. It's spooky. It's a bit slow on my Canon 60D but I think that's the camera's fault more than the lens.*..." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the sharpness of the lens. They mention that it produces very sharp pictures, and is great for portraits. Some say that the lens is razor sharp for both video and photo, and that it delivers great macro shots.
"...Sharpness and contrast are superb wide open across the field. Ghosting, flare, distortion and chromatic aberration are almost non-existent...." Read more
"...at the level of the 200mm Canon L II lens -- amazingly clear and sharp images. The autofocus issue is really only noticeable in relatively low light...." Read more
"...The 90mm VC 1:1 macro lens has delivered great macro shots as well as doubling as an excellent portrait lens and I personally like the focal length..." Read more
"This lens produced very sharp pictures, and was great for portraits...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the lens. They mention that it is well-made, excellent, and holds up well when stopped down.
"...This lens holds up very well when stopped down...." Read more
"This is a great lens and it is nicely built, too. I bought it partly because of some enthusiastic comments I had read by other reviewers...." Read more
"Compared to the more expensive Canon I really like the features and quality of this lens. In fact my last 3 lens purchases have been Tamron...." Read more
"...I'm no expert on the hardware side but this seems a very solidly constructed lens.* Focus is soooo quiet. It's spooky...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the image quality of the lens. They mention that it produces very sharp and crystal clear pictures, with a really nice bokeh. The lens is quiet and is optically excellent. The contrast is superb wide open across the field.
"...This lens holds up very well when stopped down. The image quality is very good all the way down to f/22 and surprisingly usable at smaller apertures..." Read more
"...Generally seen, I agree that this lens is producing very sharp and crisp pictures. I like it a lot for that reason...." Read more
"...Considering the quality of the images, and the condition of the lens when received, it was a bargain!..." Read more
"...It has a really nice bokeh (such a fun word) and the compression is so flattering to the facial features...." Read more
Customers like the performance of the camera lens. They say it works well, produces great results, and has good AF performance at macro distances. Some customers also mention that the image stabilization steadying is clear.
"...The AF works at macro distances and there is clearly image stabilization steadying the viewfinder in the macro range, which helps take the shot...." Read more
"...The lens performs well as a (actual) 144 portrait telephoto with my small chip 60D Canon EOS camera...." Read more
"...The lens is very balanced on the camera. The results are great! I am glad that I bought it, and I highly recommend it." Read more
"Unfortunately, this lens does not work in Live View on the Canon 80D. I was able to set up a shot, but then when I triggered the shutter the camera..." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the camera lens. They say it's worth the value they paid for.
"...actually comes in with a slight edge in many respects and is the better value...." Read more
"Exceeds my expectations and is worth the value I paid for. Photos are of exceptional quality." Read more
"...Quiet, quick focusing, and certainly worth checking out. Works well with all my Nikon DSLR cameras." Read more
"A good macro for the price when you compare it to the canons macro" Read more
Customers like the light of the camera lens. They mention that it is relatively small and light.
"...This lens has very nice bokeh and is fairly light." Read more
"...It is relatively small and light and a pleasure to work with" Read more
"Love the VC on this macro lens. It's a light lens with solid construction. I'm having no problem with the auto-focus. It's taking great macro shots." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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This is the third model in Tamron's line of 90mm f/2.8 macro lenses and the first to offer image stabilization (called vibration correction or VC by Tamron). It's available for Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts--I purchased the Canon mount version. Tamron lenses have always been considered a low-cost alternative to the brand name lenses albeit with a reputation for lower build quality, quality control, and optical quality. This has started to change however, as they have been producing some real winners lately, in particular the 24-70mm Di VC that was released in the spring of 2012.
Happily, this new version of their 90mm Macro continues that trend. It's predecessor, the AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP 1:1 Macro, was already a well-regarded contender in a somewhat crowded field of ~100mm macro lenses also occupied by Canon, Sigma, Tokina, and Zeiss. It remains the lightest most compact lens of the group at 400g and is optically excellent, however the lack of image stabilization leaves something to be desired.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS is the standard bearer, but is also quite heavy at 625g. The new Tamron has gained an inch in length and is now nearly as long as the Canon, and the weight has increased to 550g, so it is no longer as compact. Still, the difference of 75g or 2.6 oz can matter if you're carrying it around all day, and it's still 50g lighter than the Canon non-IS 100mm Macro.
Here are some of my initial impressions: Auto focus has been greatly improved; the new ultrasonic silent drive motor lives up to its name and is quiet, snappy and accurate. Sharpness and contrast are superb wide open across the field. Ghosting, flare, distortion and chromatic aberration are almost non-existent. Light fall-off (vignetting) is typical at f/2.8, virtually gone at f/4 and completely gone by f/5.6. Bokeh is smooth and rounded at all apertures. Full-time manual focus override is seamless, simply turn the focus ring and shoot; no more fussing with that push-pull clutch mechanism. In short, Tamron has hit it out of the park with this lens and I really like it!
I compared this lens in several tests against the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS and the Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens, two Canon lenses with a similar field of view that consistently rate at the top of the Canon line in terms of image quality. Here are the results:
Sharpness and contrast: It's a virtual tie with all three lenses. If I have to set them apart I would say that wide open the Canon 100L is a hair sharper than the other two, because the blacks are the deepest. But the Tamron really impresses with how sharp it is into the corners, and you have to zoom in to 1:1 magnification or higher to really see any difference. Canon 100L wins, but only by a hair. Stop them down a bit and there is no difference at all.
Light fall-off (peripheral illumination, or vignetting): The Canon 90mm TS-E wins by a landslide with no light fall-off even at f/2.8; as would be expected for a tilt-shift lens. The Canon and Tamron macros have similar amounts of vignetting wide open which is almost gone by f/4. The Canon 100L has an edge over the Tamron if you own a newer camera like the 5D Mark III with built-in lens aberration correction and you only shoot JPEG. Otherwise, if you shoot RAW, you can just correct this in post.
Brightness: Sometimes called the T-stop value in the motion picture industry, it's how much light the lens actually gathers at a particular f-stop. In my tests, the Tamron is 1/3 stop brighter than my Canon 100L which is 1/3 stop brighter than the 90 TS-E (tested at f/5.6).
Weight: Canon 100L. 625g; Canon 90 TS-E, 610g; Tamron 90 VC, 550g. Tamron is the winner.
Cost: The Tamron is the clear winner; the price is $200 more than the non-VC version but it's still a bargain compared to the Canon 100L. Check current pricing as the cost has dropped nicely since it was released.
Field of View: Just for reference, the Tamron 90mm actually falls right between the Canon 90mm TS-E and the Canon 100L.
The following apply to the Canon and Tamron Macro lenses only (The Canon TS-E is a manual focus lens with no IS):
Autofocus: Both the Canon and Tamron macros have a focus selector switch with Full, Normal limit, and Macro limit ranges. In focusing back and forth between a close and far subject, they performed equally well, even in low light. This is very impressive for the Tamron since auto-focus is one area where third party lenses tend to lag. They both hunt a bit in the true macro range, or if there is nothing contrasty to lock in on. After some practice, I was able to get the Tamron to auto-focus in the macro range, but many dedicated macro shooters shoot in manual and simply move the camera to focus. A tie.
Image Stabilization: With the Tamron I was able to get sharp results hand-holding down to 1/6 of a second before the keeper rate started to drop off, while with the Canon 100L, the keeper rate started to drop off at 1/10 second. Plus, the Canon IS motor constantly makes a high-pitched whine; it's not very loud but is a bit annoying compared to the Tamron which is virtually silent! I was pleasantly surprised that the Tamron won here.
In summary, the Tamron actually comes in with a slight edge in many respects and is the better value. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Tamron macro lens above any 100mm 1:1 macro lens, including the Canon 100L, which has until now held the top spot in this field. Check out some of the images I posted. Happy shooting!
UPDATE 3/21/2013: After having used this lens for nearly three months now, my opinion of it has only gotten better. It balances on my camera better than the front-heavy Canon 100L, and the virtually silent image stabilization (aka Vibration Correction) is a real dream. This has become my favorite macro lens. I also still really like the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro OS for its great image quality, but the size and weight of the Tamron is so much easier to manage.
UPDATE 5/7/2013: I posted some photos shot at very small apertures (f/25 - f/32) with a macro flash. This lens holds up very well when stopped down. The image quality is very good all the way down to f/22 and surprisingly usable at smaller apertures; even the f/32 shot is OK, on the full res version you can make out the eye of an ant! The AF works at macro distances and there is clearly image stabilization steadying the viewfinder in the macro range, which helps take the shot. I don't understand why this lens hasn't caught on yet. (AS OF 2114, AMAZON HAS HIDDEN THE CUSTOMER IMAGES, SEE COMMENTS SECTION ON THE LINK TO BRING THEM BACK.)
UPDATE 1/25/2014: This has become my go-to lens for product photography. The focal length and macro ability gives the ideal framing and depth perspective for products ranging from jewelry to large TV studio video cameras. You never have to worry about running up against the close focusing distance of standard lenses. Though I have the Canon macro 100 L, I keep this Tamron on my camera 90% of the time. Note: I'm disappointed that Amazon has decided to hide the customer uploaded images from the site. It makes for a MUCH less useful buying experience not to have customer images for lenses and cameras. I encourage everyone to complain to Amazon to get the customer images back. SEE COMMENTS SECTION FOR THE LINK TO UN-HIDE THE CUSTOMER IMAGES.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2013
This is the third model in Tamron's line of 90mm f/2.8 macro lenses and the first to offer image stabilization (called vibration correction or VC by Tamron). It's available for Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts--I purchased the Canon mount version. Tamron lenses have always been considered a low-cost alternative to the brand name lenses albeit with a reputation for lower build quality, quality control, and optical quality. This has started to change however, as they have been producing some real winners lately, in particular the 24-70mm Di VC that was released in the spring of 2012.
Happily, this new version of their 90mm Macro continues that trend. It's predecessor, the AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP 1:1 Macro, was already a well-regarded contender in a somewhat crowded field of ~100mm macro lenses also occupied by Canon, Sigma, Tokina, and Zeiss. It remains the lightest most compact lens of the group at 400g and is optically excellent, however the lack of image stabilization leaves something to be desired.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS is the standard bearer, but is also quite heavy at 625g. The new Tamron has gained an inch in length and is now nearly as long as the Canon, and the weight has increased to 550g, so it is no longer as compact. Still, the difference of 75g or 2.6 oz can matter if you're carrying it around all day, and it's still 50g lighter than the Canon non-IS 100mm Macro.
Here are some of my initial impressions: Auto focus has been greatly improved; the new ultrasonic silent drive motor lives up to its name and is quiet, snappy and accurate. Sharpness and contrast are superb wide open across the field. Ghosting, flare, distortion and chromatic aberration are almost non-existent. Light fall-off (vignetting) is typical at f/2.8, virtually gone at f/4 and completely gone by f/5.6. Bokeh is smooth and rounded at all apertures. Full-time manual focus override is seamless, simply turn the focus ring and shoot; no more fussing with that push-pull clutch mechanism. In short, Tamron has hit it out of the park with this lens and I really like it!
I compared this lens in several tests against the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS and the Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens, two Canon lenses with a similar field of view that consistently rate at the top of the Canon line in terms of image quality. Here are the results:
Sharpness and contrast: It's a virtual tie with all three lenses. If I have to set them apart I would say that wide open the Canon 100L is a hair sharper than the other two, because the blacks are the deepest. But the Tamron really impresses with how sharp it is into the corners, and you have to zoom in to 1:1 magnification or higher to really see any difference. Canon 100L wins, but only by a hair. Stop them down a bit and there is no difference at all.
Light fall-off (peripheral illumination, or vignetting): The Canon 90mm TS-E wins by a landslide with no light fall-off even at f/2.8; as would be expected for a tilt-shift lens. The Canon and Tamron macros have similar amounts of vignetting wide open which is almost gone by f/4. The Canon 100L has an edge over the Tamron if you own a newer camera like the 5D Mark III with built-in lens aberration correction and you only shoot JPEG. Otherwise, if you shoot RAW, you can just correct this in post.
Brightness: Sometimes called the T-stop value in the motion picture industry, it's how much light the lens actually gathers at a particular f-stop. In my tests, the Tamron is 1/3 stop brighter than my Canon 100L which is 1/3 stop brighter than the 90 TS-E (tested at f/5.6).
Weight: Canon 100L. 625g; Canon 90 TS-E, 610g; Tamron 90 VC, 550g. Tamron is the winner.
Cost: The Tamron is the clear winner; the price is $200 more than the non-VC version but it's still a bargain compared to the Canon 100L. Check current pricing as the cost has dropped nicely since it was released.
Field of View: Just for reference, the Tamron 90mm actually falls right between the Canon 90mm TS-E and the Canon 100L.
The following apply to the Canon and Tamron Macro lenses only (The Canon TS-E is a manual focus lens with no IS):
Autofocus: Both the Canon and Tamron macros have a focus selector switch with Full, Normal limit, and Macro limit ranges. In focusing back and forth between a close and far subject, they performed equally well, even in low light. This is very impressive for the Tamron since auto-focus is one area where third party lenses tend to lag. They both hunt a bit in the true macro range, or if there is nothing contrasty to lock in on. After some practice, I was able to get the Tamron to auto-focus in the macro range, but many dedicated macro shooters shoot in manual and simply move the camera to focus. A tie.
Image Stabilization: With the Tamron I was able to get sharp results hand-holding down to 1/6 of a second before the keeper rate started to drop off, while with the Canon 100L, the keeper rate started to drop off at 1/10 second. Plus, the Canon IS motor constantly makes a high-pitched whine; it's not very loud but is a bit annoying compared to the Tamron which is virtually silent! I was pleasantly surprised that the Tamron won here.
In summary, the Tamron actually comes in with a slight edge in many respects and is the better value. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Tamron macro lens above any 100mm 1:1 macro lens, including the Canon 100L, which has until now held the top spot in this field. Check out some of the images I posted. Happy shooting!
UPDATE 3/21/2013: After having used this lens for nearly three months now, my opinion of it has only gotten better. It balances on my camera better than the front-heavy Canon 100L, and the virtually silent image stabilization (aka Vibration Correction) is a real dream. This has become my favorite macro lens. I also still really like the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro OS for its great image quality, but the size and weight of the Tamron is so much easier to manage.
UPDATE 5/7/2013: I posted some photos shot at very small apertures (f/25 - f/32) with a macro flash. This lens holds up very well when stopped down. The image quality is very good all the way down to f/22 and surprisingly usable at smaller apertures; even the f/32 shot is OK, on the full res version you can make out the eye of an ant! The AF works at macro distances and there is clearly image stabilization steadying the viewfinder in the macro range, which helps take the shot. I don't understand why this lens hasn't caught on yet. (AS OF 2114, AMAZON HAS HIDDEN THE CUSTOMER IMAGES, SEE COMMENTS SECTION ON THE LINK TO BRING THEM BACK.)
UPDATE 1/25/2014: This has become my go-to lens for product photography. The focal length and macro ability gives the ideal framing and depth perspective for products ranging from jewelry to large TV studio video cameras. You never have to worry about running up against the close focusing distance of standard lenses. Though I have the Canon macro 100 L, I keep this Tamron on my camera 90% of the time. Note: I'm disappointed that Amazon has decided to hide the customer uploaded images from the site. It makes for a MUCH less useful buying experience not to have customer images for lenses and cameras. I encourage everyone to complain to Amazon to get the customer images back. SEE COMMENTS SECTION FOR THE LINK TO UN-HIDE THE CUSTOMER IMAGES.
However, the AF does a lot of hunting in less-than-optimal light conditions, which is a general issue with AF in Tamron lenses. I had hoped, based on some of the reviews, that the problem was taken care of, but that does not seem to be the case. For instance, I compared it to the (cheaper) Canon EF 100 mm 1:2.0 USM AF and the Tamron lens does a lot more hunting in AF mode that the Canon, particularly when the light is not so bright. To be fair, this is partly due to the slightly different aperture, but the AF difference is big enough that it is bothersome. In dim light conditions, the Canon will still focus in, while the Tamron will not find a focus at all and you have to switch to manual. That's fine, just as it is fine to do macro pics in manual mode, but the point is, sometimes you want to be able to rely on a fast and precise AF because you're missing the shot otherwise.
So, all in all, a very nice lens with great utility, but because of the AF issues, not a 5 star lens.
---------
Update Dec. 20 2015: I corrected the 4 stars to 5. The more I use this lens, the more I am impressed with the sharpness of this lens. It is delivering at the level of the 200mm Canon L II lens -- amazingly clear and sharp images. The autofocus issue is really only noticeable in relatively low light. I can live with this, given the other qualities of this lens, including the fact that it shows very little vignetting and almost no ghosting and flaring. Compared to other lenses up and down between 50mm and 135, it has indeed extremely little flaring even at 2.8. The lenses I compared it to were a manual Pentacon 135mm 1:2.8 (M42 mount with EF adapter), a Canon 100mm EF 100 mm 1:2.0 USM AF, and a manual Rokinon 85mm 1:1.4. All had pretty serious flaring at 2.8, except the Pentacon (which is a cheap, fine East German lens from the late 60s) . The subject was our Christmas tree with some (challenging) LED lights, photographed with a tripod at 2.8, ISO 800 and Tv of 1/5.The first image (on the left) was taken with the Canon 100mm, the second (right) with the Tamron 90mm lens. Compare the left half of the two images. Amazing difference.
However, the AF does a lot of hunting in less-than-optimal light conditions, which is a general issue with AF in Tamron lenses. I had hoped, based on some of the reviews, that the problem was taken care of, but that does not seem to be the case. For instance, I compared it to the (cheaper) Canon EF 100 mm 1:2.0 USM AF and the Tamron lens does a lot more hunting in AF mode that the Canon, particularly when the light is not so bright. To be fair, this is partly due to the slightly different aperture, but the AF difference is big enough that it is bothersome. In dim light conditions, the Canon will still focus in, while the Tamron will not find a focus at all and you have to switch to manual. That's fine, just as it is fine to do macro pics in manual mode, but the point is, sometimes you want to be able to rely on a fast and precise AF because you're missing the shot otherwise.
So, all in all, a very nice lens with great utility, but because of the AF issues, not a 5 star lens.
---------
Update Dec. 20 2015: I corrected the 4 stars to 5. The more I use this lens, the more I am impressed with the sharpness of this lens. It is delivering at the level of the 200mm Canon L II lens -- amazingly clear and sharp images. The autofocus issue is really only noticeable in relatively low light. I can live with this, given the other qualities of this lens, including the fact that it shows very little vignetting and almost no ghosting and flaring. Compared to other lenses up and down between 50mm and 135, it has indeed extremely little flaring even at 2.8. The lenses I compared it to were a manual Pentacon 135mm 1:2.8 (M42 mount with EF adapter), a Canon 100mm EF 100 mm 1:2.0 USM AF, and a manual Rokinon 85mm 1:1.4. All had pretty serious flaring at 2.8, except the Pentacon (which is a cheap, fine East German lens from the late 60s) . The subject was our Christmas tree with some (challenging) LED lights, photographed with a tripod at 2.8, ISO 800 and Tv of 1/5.The first image (on the left) was taken with the Canon 100mm, the second (right) with the Tamron 90mm lens. Compare the left half of the two images. Amazing difference.
Top reviews from other countries
somehow, after 4 months the lens's auto focus lost.
and also can not adjust aperture and shutter.
the focus button can not be released.
no damage no knock no water damage no mold.
tried to clean mount and connector. but doesn't help
just handful indoor use, the lens is dead.
Reviewed in Australia on February 12, 2023
somehow, after 4 months the lens's auto focus lost.
and also can not adjust aperture and shutter.
the focus button can not be released.
no damage no knock no water damage no mold.
tried to clean mount and connector. but doesn't help
just handful indoor use, the lens is dead.
本来ならば新品が欲しいけどこのご時世。
持っているタムロンマクロ90mmが最近不調なのでVR付きに決断中古で購入しました
やはり配達に不安があったが多分大丈夫だったみたい
カメラ本体側キャップがΣのマークだった(笑)
これから登場回数が増えるレンズだと思う
早急の納品ありがとうございました
Lo primero que tengo que decir es que me equivocaba. Tiene una calidad muy buena, se ven todos los defectos (polvo, pelos...) de cualquier cosa que fotografíes. Quizá tiene algo de halo oscuro en las esquinas a f2.8, pero funciona muy bien a f4 y f5.6. El enfoque es algo lento en el rango de 0'3 a infinito, pero mas rápido en sectores ('0,3 a 0,5), aunque recomiendo usarlo siempre en modo enfoque manual y sin estabilizador VR (yo disparo siempre con trípode). Es de calidad plástica aunque se nota robusto. Estoy muy muy satisfecho con el y el precio ha sido increíble desde luego. Pero como siempre, no es un objetivo profesional total.
Os dejo unas fotos de Flickr hechas con este objetivo
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