Tamron 20mm F2.8 macro for Sony E-mount ships this month for $350

I think more of the LA-EA4. I don't really need fast focus as mostly shooting DJ's/Performers but the 28mm is much faster.

It has a slow DC motor.

I bought Samyang's relatively new 18/2.8 for $320 during a Black Friday sale to complement my Batis 25/2. Not many reviews out yet, so I took a chance. Haven't tested thoroughly, but it seemed to perform well at a networking event I covered. This Tamron is an interesting alternative.

@QuietOC
'most of the time AF locks on silently, quickly and accurately'
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/tamron-20mm-f-2-8-di-iii-osd-m1-2-lens-review-34354

Excellent sharpness
Well-controlled CA
Moisture resistance
Excellent flare resistance
Light and compact
Excellent price
Silent AF

From -
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/tamron-20mm-f-2-8-di-iii-osd-m1-2-lens-review-34354/verdict

@Mr_Win
I haven't used mine much yet, but AF with my Sam 18/2.8 worked fine for stills during recent event coverage with my a7RII (or was it my a7III?). FWIW, I love the semi-hard case it came with in place of a soft pouch.

There is no chance, a lens with a zoom range that large, will ever touch a prime lens in overall image quality.

If the 20mm is anything like the 24 and 35, its not going to be great. Id argue the difference wont be noticeable. These are cheap quality consumer primes, not higher end optics. Plus these primes are very large size wise. I wouldnt bother. Consider the Sigma 16/1.4 for a more night and day difference.

Your 18-135mm zoom is limited to an aps-c sensor. This 20mm lens covers full frame. Apples and oranges.

The 20/2.8 can be used in crop mode.

Critical Thinker
Yes, but the 18-135 cannot be used of FF. The Tamron is much wider on FF than the 18-135 is on crop. Bad comparison.

Tamron had to cripple their lenses for Sony E mount. Sony holds a stake in Tamron and they tell Tamron what they can and can't do.

They want cheap lenses available for Sony E so that ppl will buy Sony camera bodies, yet don't want their own lenses to be cannibalised. If Tamron made a very good 35 1.8 and sell it for $500, Sony's $650 lens with the same specs is screwed. F2 is too close to 1.8, only one third of a stop. That's probably why they settled at 2.8.

Tamron is probably standardising 67mm filters just to use it as a selling point to the budget conscious people who don't want to spend on multiple filter sizes, so you get oversized 2.8 primes filled with oxygen maybe.

LOL. No one shoots macro wide open unless you want it for vlogging! Videographer loser! LOL.

Well if you need weather sealing, buy the Tamron. Saying that the Samyang 18mm is wider, quite sharp and well corrected for distortion. I lost interest in the Tamron after seeing they went with a 67mm filter thread with all their 2.8 primes. It makes lenses that should be otherwise small, too big for my taste.

Thé samyang flares against light which is a crucial point for a super wide lens and the Tamron lens is probably better made.

Some samyang tests show a poor corner performance from f2,8 to f4 , average at 5,6.
Tamron should be better in this respect.

@dansclic - Name me another small FF auto focus 18mm 2.8 lens on any other system? There are none. Regarding 20mm, the Nikon 20mm 1.8G or the Sigma 20mm 1.4 Art are best-in-class and can be adapted (Nikon) or bought native (Sigma) on Sony. If you need critical sharpness, buy those instead.

For those who need to go wide and compact, the Samyang 18mm is the only game in town!

The Sony 16mm 2.8 is quite compact so yes it is possible. Fisheyes tend to be a bit bigger though, than their non-fisheye counterparts from what I've seen, and I suspect the longer the FL, the bigger the lens would need to be.

Take a look at the Samyang 18mm F2.8 AF

It is wider, smaller, lighter and focuses internal while having the same aperture. The Tamron lenses are just big because of their macro capability

I think they standardised 67mm even if it meant filling half a lens with air, in order to appeal to people on a budget. No need to buy filters at multiple different sizes. I know you can just buy a filter with a diameter for the largest lens in your collection and use s step up ring on smaller lenses, but when you use a step up ring you can no longer put on a lens hood.

They decided to do 28-75 instead of starting at 24, 70-180 instead of 200, partly because they want to achieve the 67mm front. Any more will mean a larger front diameter. I still believe the main reason they can't do 24-70 or 70-200 is because Sony didn't allow them to. Sony holds a stake in Tamron.

The limited range of the f/2.8 zooms were done to keep the overall size down. The 67mm filter thread on these f/2.8 primes on the other hand are just to cripple it. Catering it to the average consumer to use the same filter doesnt make any sense, the average casual consumer wont even bother owning filters to begin with, let alone carry a bag of them with them wherever they go. Plus 49mm filters are still cheaper. Unlike the zooms, these Tamron primes are a real head scratcher.

Handy for photographing ants as they crawl over your front element :-)

At .5 mag it's not a true macro. Hopefully it has the macro attributes of sharpness edge to edge/corner to corner, and minimal distortion. Be interesting to se if that's the case.

Flower shot with background landscape visible for context is an obvious use.

This will be a super-affordable entry point for interior architecture.

@probert500: You just need a 10mm extension tube to get 1:1 macro :-)

Small mushrooms on tree stump with forest as background. I did one such shot with the Sigma 15mm F2.8 Fisheye lens that also focuses relatively close compared to other lenses.
Bugs on a tree with the forest in the background.
...and do try not to get eye contact with the bugs so they flee the set :-)

oh, you are so uncreative. You need wide angle close ups for landscape, architecture, table top, product photography and any kind of creative photography. Every lens that gives me the possibility to shoot close-ups are welcome