yysc
Forum Enthusiast
So I got the much hyped Tamron monster couple of days ago. Until now I had the Sony G 24-105 f4, the Sony GM 35mm f1.4 and the Tamron 150-500 f5-f6.7. Camera is the A7 IV.
The 24-105 f4 was the first Sony lens I bought coming from Panasonic S1 also with 24-105 f4. Overall it's been a fine lens but always found it a bit boring, the Panasonic version had more micro-contrast so things popped out more, sharpness wise they're about equal. Sony OSS in the 24-105 seems inferior to Panasonic OIS. Anyways, changed to Sony for the AF-C, never going back to the DFD horror.
Fast forward I got the Sony GM 35mm f1.4 and the quality blew me away compared with the 24-105.
So few months later arrives the Tamron. Observations from a non-professional use:
1. It's HUGE, I knew this already but when mounted in the A7 IV you really notice the extra 5cm of length and additional thickness (vs 24-105). Build quality wise it feels a bit "plasticky"for the price, actually I like the 150-500 a bit better. The 24-105 feels better in the hand and it's more comfortable to hold.
2. The WEIGHT. This is a tough one. After you pick it up you instantly notice the weight, and it's always present. After one hour shooting the kids my left hand that holds the lens was starting to feel sore. As a walk-around lens I'm not sure if it's going to work.
3. IQ is great. Fantastic. It really is, the difference in rendering, sharpness, contrast, pop, etc is substantial compared with the 24-105 f4. The Tamron is really not far from the 35mm 1.4GM. My copy is sharp wide open at all focal lenghts, there is a caveat however:
- The longer the focal lenght the more MFD is. That is fine, but I observed that at 150mm f2.8 focusing in close objects (1-2m away) the lens would be quite soft. This doesn't happen if you focus far away, everything is very sharp in this case. Closing down the lens to f5.6 improves sharpness a lot when focusing in close objects at 150mm. This behavior is not present at 35mm f2 and starts to appear progressively mid range. The softness when close focusing at 100mm f2.8 is less pronounced than at 150mm.
4. IBIS works very well. This makes you realize how bad OSS is in the 24-105 f4, I absolutely don't miss it and I get similar results at the shared FL between the 24-105 and the 35-150. I can get sharp shots at 150mm at 1/30.
5. Usability is also better than the 24-105. The Zoom ring is MUCH better dampened than in the Sony 24-105, and it allows for smooth pulls. Focus ring is also very nicely dampened allowing for nice MF.
6. AF. In general it works well and it is faster to grab focus than the 24-105G, however there are also caveats:
- When pulling focus with AF from far/infinity to close focus this is not smooth, feels like "jumping", this is visible in Gerald Undone's review. Also sometimes it wobbles before locking focus. The 24-105 does not do this. Perhaps this can be improved via firmware, certainly the Tamron 150-500 also feels a bit more consistent.
- Ocasionally hesitates/fails to grab focus.
- Tracking objects moving quick and unpredictable (kids) wide open at longer FL/thinner DOF is sometimes problematic and the Eye won't be in focus. Closing down the lens (f4) improves this.
Overall AF is fine, but the Sony 24-105G is more consistent and predictable (within it's capabilities)
In conclusion, very nice lens, fantastic IQ but with important caveats in weight/size/MFD/AF consistency. I need to try to get used to the size/weight, to see if I keep it or it goes back, the problem is there is nothing like this in the market, the 24-70 + 70/180-200 combo seems less practical as a walk-around setup with the family.
The 24-105 f4 was the first Sony lens I bought coming from Panasonic S1 also with 24-105 f4. Overall it's been a fine lens but always found it a bit boring, the Panasonic version had more micro-contrast so things popped out more, sharpness wise they're about equal. Sony OSS in the 24-105 seems inferior to Panasonic OIS. Anyways, changed to Sony for the AF-C, never going back to the DFD horror.
Fast forward I got the Sony GM 35mm f1.4 and the quality blew me away compared with the 24-105.
So few months later arrives the Tamron. Observations from a non-professional use:
1. It's HUGE, I knew this already but when mounted in the A7 IV you really notice the extra 5cm of length and additional thickness (vs 24-105). Build quality wise it feels a bit "plasticky"for the price, actually I like the 150-500 a bit better. The 24-105 feels better in the hand and it's more comfortable to hold.
2. The WEIGHT. This is a tough one. After you pick it up you instantly notice the weight, and it's always present. After one hour shooting the kids my left hand that holds the lens was starting to feel sore. As a walk-around lens I'm not sure if it's going to work.
3. IQ is great. Fantastic. It really is, the difference in rendering, sharpness, contrast, pop, etc is substantial compared with the 24-105 f4. The Tamron is really not far from the 35mm 1.4GM. My copy is sharp wide open at all focal lenghts, there is a caveat however:
- The longer the focal lenght the more MFD is. That is fine, but I observed that at 150mm f2.8 focusing in close objects (1-2m away) the lens would be quite soft. This doesn't happen if you focus far away, everything is very sharp in this case. Closing down the lens to f5.6 improves sharpness a lot when focusing in close objects at 150mm. This behavior is not present at 35mm f2 and starts to appear progressively mid range. The softness when close focusing at 100mm f2.8 is less pronounced than at 150mm.
4. IBIS works very well. This makes you realize how bad OSS is in the 24-105 f4, I absolutely don't miss it and I get similar results at the shared FL between the 24-105 and the 35-150. I can get sharp shots at 150mm at 1/30.
5. Usability is also better than the 24-105. The Zoom ring is MUCH better dampened than in the Sony 24-105, and it allows for smooth pulls. Focus ring is also very nicely dampened allowing for nice MF.
6. AF. In general it works well and it is faster to grab focus than the 24-105G, however there are also caveats:
- When pulling focus with AF from far/infinity to close focus this is not smooth, feels like "jumping", this is visible in Gerald Undone's review. Also sometimes it wobbles before locking focus. The 24-105 does not do this. Perhaps this can be improved via firmware, certainly the Tamron 150-500 also feels a bit more consistent.
- Ocasionally hesitates/fails to grab focus.
- Tracking objects moving quick and unpredictable (kids) wide open at longer FL/thinner DOF is sometimes problematic and the Eye won't be in focus. Closing down the lens (f4) improves this.
Overall AF is fine, but the Sony 24-105G is more consistent and predictable (within it's capabilities)
In conclusion, very nice lens, fantastic IQ but with important caveats in weight/size/MFD/AF consistency. I need to try to get used to the size/weight, to see if I keep it or it goes back, the problem is there is nothing like this in the market, the 24-70 + 70/180-200 combo seems less practical as a walk-around setup with the family.
