Verdict
Pros
- Good macro, nice design
Cons
- Average performance, slow AF
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £169
Tamron has formulated this lens to be suitable for digital cameras and film cameras, with an imaging circle covering the 35mm sized frame. The smaller APS-C sized sensors fall within this area, albeit giving a 1.5x magnification.
Tamron lenses usually have an attractive design, thanks in part to the gold trim and deeply grooved rubber zoom rings. It feels good too, with a nice balance and easy handling, however the focus motors are somewhat slow in comparison to some of the other lenses. The Tamron has its own pace – leisurely – especially when focusing from near to far distances. The motor is quite quiet though, so it won’t disturb wildlife as much as other lenses.
Image Quality
The lens performs best at smaller apertures, which is unusual, though it’s not a bad performer overall. Chromatic aberration is about average, showing no particular advantage of Tamron’s digitally-integrated lenses over other makers’ standard lenses.
Sample images
Verdict
Good macro and a nice design, but control over fringing fails to impress and you need to stop down to get best results
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 8
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Design 8
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Image Quality 8
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Features 9
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
