The Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 may seem like an odd focal range at first, but Chris argues that it hits the sweet spot for many people like wedding photographers, portrait shooters, and even for travel.
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Overall, it delivers great image quality and its fast aperture makes it extremely versatile. However, Chris did find one major flaw in his testing that could impact some photographers. Watch his full review to find out what he thinks of it and who it's best suited for.
Only seems like an 'odd' focal length range because there aren't many similar any more. It's actually extremely useful. Back in 35mm film days the Nikkor 35-135mm was a popular compact event and travel lens. Never understood why it was abandoned. The huge size and weight of this new Tamron might give a hint, though.
Liked to reference to the Battle of Crogen 1165. Here is a photo from near the site of the battle. You can walk from Chirk Castle along the Offah's Dyke path down into the valley shown in the photo to a place now called Castle Mill where the battle took place (it's at the foot of the wood on left). The dead from the battle are buried in the valley. It's one of those places that seems to have an atmosphere. You half expect the ghosts of the dead to go marching past.
This lens, focally speaking reminds me of the Canon 28 - 135 mm lens. Even though it wasn't an A lens (or an L in Canon speak) it was a solid B+. When you were used to shooting with it, returning to the Canon 24 - 105 L, it just felt wrong at the long end, 105 just didn't cut it. I found the 28 - 135 to be much more versatile than the Canon L 24 - 105. I gave away my copy of this older B+ lens and a Rebel camera to my neighbour so she could learn photography. I still miss it.
35mm is the maximum wide angle I found pleasant for social photography in interiors and for general purpose portraits, so I agree that 35-150 mm could be a very interesting zoom. Just add the light and relatively small 17-28 mm f/2.8 and you are good to go without asking your bank for a loan or hurting your back in the process.
Just got back from a trip with my girlfriend from Paris with only this lens and my 17-28 with me. Even bought a new backpack (Case Logic Era Small which both fits perfectly) to keep things relatively compact. My experience with it has been really great. It's a perfect walk around lens, very capable of real good portraiting (yes, my 85mm f1.4 is obviously better but it's still really very capable), great on the street (35mm) or in musea (at any appropriate range depending on the subject), great at low light ... I own both the Tamron 28-75 and 70-180 and this lens pretty much covers both (28 nor even 24mm is wide enough for me anyway) and gives at least equal quality and larger aperture wide to mid range. This killer combo is a keeper and will make me sell my Tamron 28-75, 70-180 and Sony 24-105. Weight and size wise, that's a big win and I need to switch lenses a lot less!
Looks like an almost perfect lens for wedding/ event photographers (in terms of aperture and focal length combo). Though they will need to carry a 28mm prime to complement this lens I guess.
I have the older version (2.8-4) for Canon and I love it. Granted, the AF could be better. But IQ is superb and I like the rendition better than Canons lenses. Can't put my finger on it but there's a different color character which pleases me more.
I think that the Tamron photo lens is a very good option for a photographer who wants great versatility in a range that covers the vast majority of his needs, while enjoying great brightness and reducing the risks associated with changing lenses during a shooting session. This is where its main interest lies because it allows you to stay in contact with your subject without interruptions ... and avoid dust on the sensor ... Now, in my case, does this make it a lens I will decide to buy? Clearly not. I covered the wedding season with only two lenses: the Sony G 20mm F1,8 and the Sony GM 50mm F1,2 for both photography and video. Given the pixel count of the sensors, the ability to zoom in the image is more important. In my case, the more the lens will start with a large angle of view, the more versatile it will be in my practice. So, I rather hope for the release of a 20-70mm F 2.8 zoom stabilized at 800g.
Remind me never to let Chris borrow my gear lol. So many videos I see the camera/lens get banged around (maybe they're testing durability?), and who stands a camera UP on concrete with a 3lb lens so it's resting on the screen...on CONCRETE! Seriously man, c'mon!
Enough scuffs already on that hood for a brand new lens. He can put more "character marks" on gear in a day than I will in 20 years. Use it, don't abuse it :)
I think it's a great optical achievement that is attempting to solve a problem that doesn't exist... it's pure marketeer masturbation disconnected from any photographer need.
Great optical achievement with a major caveat... it does unfortunately have awful bokeh balls riddled with aspherical element grinding marks.
Well, if there’s going to be flare, might as well lean into it like Tamron have (whether intentionally or unwittingly, who knows). Given this lens’ superb performance in nearly every other regard, and flare that looks kind of like fake digital flare (the kind that people evidently want in some shots), I think it’s a minor issue - certainly not a major issue for most shooters.
I think there was a desire to get the 2.0 on the wider side, that would be a challenge down to 24mm. You do not see 24-105 range at F2.8 never mind 2.0. It is pretty obvious that Tamron has been looking at odd zoom ranges to capitalize on portability and max aperture. I agree with Chris that as long as you have a wide prime, possibly on a second body, you are good to go for a wedding. I would probably pick the Sigma 20/1.4 as the companion lens for this in a wedding. I agree that 105 would have been enough for a wedding but what the heck, I will take the extra 45mm at 2.8, Great for travel too.
Wide and fast impacts on the lens size, 24-70 f2.8s are easily 82mm on the front filter, Canon's 28-70 f2.0 is a 1.4kg lens so you can pretty much guess how big a 24-105 f2-2.8 lens gonna be. Its probably no accident why Tamron went with such.
Why do you think any wedding photographer would only carry one lens? Every one I have shot with also had a 16-35 or 14-24. This lens would be an absolute workhorse for any wedding photographer. Two body solution is easily possible. This might even be the only lens needed for a second shooter in many venues.
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym "Trying to take photos of groups inside at 35mm is limiting" if you are taking wedding pictures of a group with wider that 35mm and you cannot fit the group you are probably not getting a good picture of people, unless you are in for some creative framing and intentional, non-flattering, perspective distortion.
For me it also seems like an ideal wedding/event lens. Most of my shots are within that range and I know in advance when I need to go wider and can go grab myself an ultrawide. So I can easily predict what lens I need to have on my camera. With the classic 24-70/70-200 combo I either need 2 cameras or I can get surprised, like I have 70-200 on (getting candid portraits) and something happens infront of me. 35-150mm would cover most of what I would need on one body, since need for wider than 35mm is never a surprise. And yea, I also try to avoid going wider than 35mm for group shots as much as I can, the distortions are not flattering at all. So I could get by with a 35-150mm and and ultrawide zoom of somesort. A 28-105mm would still be not wide enough for me (needing an additional ultrawide), yet I would still need a 70-200 to accompany it, so it would still need to be a 3 lens kit. So atleast for me, 35-150mm is a dreamlens, while 28-105mm would solve absolutely nothing.
Plenty of amazing portraits from some of the world's best photographers in the 18-28mm range, so not buying the comments regarding wider than 35 doesn't look good for people.
Portraits with ultrawide are different to using it for groupshots. I said several times, that I have (and use) ultrawide. Not often, but it has its place. However you said groupshots earlier and for those I do avoid going wider than 35mm, if at all possible. For portraits the perspective distortions can add interest to the picture, for groups I find it's mostly negative.
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym "Plenty of amazing portraits from some of the world's best photographers in the 18-28mm range, so not buying the comments regarding wider than 35 doesn't look good for people." That goes under environmental photography, that means you are not filling the frame with your subject. I heavily shoot portraits in wedding and events with my 20/1.4, but make sure your subject is in the center and a few feet way, the idea is to put the subject in context. Just reinforcing Eix comment.
I get it, you guys are lining up your subjects like a mum would.
If I'm shooting a group with a wide/ultra wide I'm placing them differently, it's not a happy snap, there's depth, a few people will be closer and some further away.
For example, my assistant will make them laugh and ask them to do things like lean in to the person in the centre and get as tight with each other as possible, just as they're laughing and smooshing up I'll capture.
I'll set shorties in front of the taller peeps, I'll have husband's/boyfriends hold their wives etc.
My best shot was a bunch of kids with bubbles in front of the parents, about 40 people in total, 20 ish mm ultra wide, 45 degree angle, everyone looking at each other and the bubbles getting close to the lens so it was full of commotion.
None of this line up in a row and happy snap stuff. Think outside the box and put a little life into your group shots, make them powerful.
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym so let me get this straight, you are going super wide for a group in such a way that no one will be close to the edges therefore you are leaving room for that to avoid distortion. So the ones that are not in the foreground are going to be.... dots ? Irony aside, you seem like to have a peculiar style, so maybe this lens is not for you.
Look at it this way, the most popular focal length is 28mm, because everyone has it in their pocket, so, it's safe to say most group shots are wider than 35mm
Now, if you're hiring a pro, you're looking for something different, shots that can't be captured by uncle Bob and his new iPhone which he thinks is as good as a pro camera because of the click bait DPR articles, which is why I strive for different and why our company is one of the last left with 4 full time pros in the office.
As for my style, I like the perspective putting people in front and people behind them in a usually vertical shot. Everyone is in focus because that's easy with an ultra wide, dots is a little bit of an exaggeration don't ya think? :)
I don't do boring. I don't like rinse and repeat type of work for me or my clients.
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym You started saying that 35mm is too narrow for indoor groupshots, you'ld like 28mm-105mm. Now you say that you use "20'ish" ultrawide for groups. That actually leads credence to my argument, that if you do need an additional ultrawide anyway, 35mm-150mm is a lot better than 28-105, because you lose the need for 70-200mm with the former, but not the latter, 2 lenses vs 3, does it not?
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym How have I misquoted you? Direct quotes: "A 28-105/2.8 would've been much better and about the same size. Trying to take photos of groups inside at 35mm is limiting." "My best shot was a bunch of kids with bubbles in front of the parents, about 40 people in total, 20 ish mm ultra wide" Does that mean that you will still need an additional ultrawide next to a 28-105mm or not? Where's the misquote? Or did you simply run out of arguments?
@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym The quote about the 28-105mm came from the third reply in this thread and is a direct quote. How is that a misquote, when it's EXACTLY your words?
@Eix To me Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym needs a different lens, clearly he would not be very interested in a F2 lens anyway if he needs a lot of DOF in his composition.
Am I the only one here that would get this solely for the flares?
They're absolutely gorgeous! Nothing like the shy miscolored spots you get with the other lenses. These here are flares with character and a bold aesthetic. To my eyes, they only make the photos more interesting.
And I'm seriously not being sarcastic right now :)
I like flare as well. I bought and adapted some lenses from the 70's just for the odd character they give. Don't use them all the time, but once in a while they are fun to shoot with.
I am not in the market for a lens that heavy for those focal lengths anyway but the flare would put me off if I was. Lack of flare control seems to what separates lenses from the 3rd party manufacturers from the camera manufacturers.
It seems to me nearly every 3rd party lens review I read point to lenses that are very sharp but flare quire badly. Particularly Tamron and Samyang.
Sometimes it might look OK but most of the time it detracts.
I don't suppose this lens is aimed at landscape photographers but for those who like shooting into the light this and other 3rd party lenses that flare are disappointing.
Tamrons turn the same way as Sonys but the zoom and focus rings are reversed. Curious that Tamron has not produced a light 24 - 70 2.8 which, as Chris says, is a popular range. Perhaps its second largest shareholder, see above, prefers it that way.
The rings aren't reversed on this one, would be pretty awkward in use if they were tbh. It even lets you change the focus ring to linear mapping or aperture control. Customizable via USB-C port.
@John Carson I need to correct myself. Sony is inconsistent. With the 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, the zoom ring is at the camera body end of the lens barrel, which is the same as the Tamron 35-150mm.
The Sony 200-600mm lens, by contrast, has the zoom ring at the lens end of the lens barrel.
Yeah, there's pretty much no 3x combination of primes that would be significantly lighter AFAIK, even a ~220g SY 35 & 75 f1.8 plus a Batis 135/2.8 (600g) or vintage 135/3.5 (325g + adapter) would be in the 850-1,050kg range, if not higher.
The primes might be a bit sharper and you'd have a bit of a speed advantage around 75/85mm, plus they'd be lighter on your hand, but the zoom makes a very compelling case for itself IMO.
Any other primes but Samyang's would actually yield the weight advantage to the zoom since Sigma's/Sony's are heavier (the 85/1.8 in particular).
What did you find about vignetting? Saw a YouTube review where they showed noticeable vignetting even at f8. https://youtu.be/_8Yza568trI?t=1190 (its german)
I love the idea of this lens: pair it with a 16-35 or something similar and you are set.
Have used the Nikon version of the F4 one that has been out for some time now on over 250 jobs on my Nikon Z6. A wonderfull lens for outdoor weddings and portrait sessions. I hope they make a new Nikon version of this one as well I would but it right away.
All the E to Z adapters I read about all kind of suck having focus problems and quit working on and off. If they worked good I would be using this 2.8 version on my Z6 all ready. If Sony made better water sealed cameras that lens would almost make me make a switch just to use it. We shoot all our jobs on the beach and it gets wet all the time. The Z6 has been fantastic with zero problems. The last Sony I had could not focus in strong back lighting we shoot in all the time.
I know it is good to have everything be as perfect a possible when building a lens. However if there is one place where perfect can't happen, I'm happy it is flare. I don't mind it in photos from time to time.
I have been wanting a 70-200/2.8 for a long time, and has been saving up for the Sony version 2.
But then I read about this lens, and I think it covers my needs better han a 70-200. And when I was in a camera store yesterday, I asked if they had it. And they had just one copy left, which I bought :-)
So I'm very pleased to see all the positive reviews about it, and hopefully I will get to use it a lot :-)
The Tamron 28-75/2.8 and the Sony A7III were blockbuster successes because of each other.
The Sony E-mount ecosystem is the most complete of all because of the lens support from Tamron, Sigma and Samyang, not just the technological excellence of the Sony bodies and lenses.
I wonder if Canon and Nikon tested the economic trade off: lens competition vs. mount viability. The argument for 3rd party like this one makes a lot of sense: don't think Sony is making a 35-150/2-2.8 anyways.
Yeah I would've been more eager for a version of their DSLR f2.8-4 (that one was 800g IIRC and after dropping the helicoid & OIS it could've been even lighter for MILC) but I'm still intrigued by this faster option, specially when pairing it with an UWA and in lieu of a 70-xx.
Great lens in a good focal length range for me. F4 would suffice for my use though, and would be preferable if it allowed a much smaller, lighter and cheaper lens with the same optical quality.
The 28-200 is only ~f4.5 thru 100mm and as good as it is I'm not sure it's quite as good as the older/slower 35-150, let alone the newer/faster one, it's a fair argument tho...
I always liked the idea of the original 17-35 and 35-150 DSLR pair, and now this one addresses one of the few questions I had about the original 35-150.
It's more money than I expected but it's also unique. Good for Tamron.
@John555 I won't do all your research for you but here's one example. I'm not saying that CaNikon are wrong to sue, just not wise. Sony went for an open mount and as a result they have many lenses available in a very short amount of time. It's why after 20 years on Nikon film/digital SLRs I'll be going with a Sony A7IV when they're readily available.
@quiquae the individual I responded to asked for an example of a camera manufacturer suing a third party lens manufacturer. I provided one. Can you provide a link to Canon or Nikon inviting a third party lens manufacturer to produce a lens with the offer of free intellectual property including mount specifications and communication protocols? I look forward to your response.
@Jon555 I never said Sony's mount was completely open. Please reread my posts.
@quiquae Why does the lawsuit have to state the mount? All you have to do is cripple another aspect of the design and you've reached the end goal of preventing the lens from entering the market. These are not exclusive. Similar to the Canon RF lenses that Viltrox sold and then removed. The difference between a lawsuit and the threat of lawsuit is one ends up in the press and the other stays quiet. The end result is the same, lack of options. If you think that is a good thing then this conversation is over.
So far I've linked a manufacturer statement proving my point. Still waiting on your link. (For the record I own zero Sony bodies/lenses).
@Jon555, basically they don't do any actions if you produce lens for a E-mount without their permission, so on paper it's not completly open, but in fact - it is.
Where'd they say that? It'd be pretty interesting if they actually beat Sigma to RF or Z, I would've thought Sigma would be more enticed to get there first.
I wish their zoom ring turned in the Sony direction! It would drive me crazy to have one lens that turned the opposite of all the others. Otherwise it looks like a great tool.
Thanks for your replies. I am off base. I am a Canon shooter looking to move to the a7IV and thought the Sony lenses turned in the Canon direction. My bad as I see the Sony's and the Tamron's have opposite numbers than my Canon zoom. :( bummer. I swear I picked up a Sony a few years back and it did not feel backwards to me like Nikon & Panasonic. So it looks like Canon is the only one turning counter-clockwise -Tele, clockwise -Wide? Thanks.
Canon and Sigma, which is just kinda odd for the designs they've made exclusively for E mount... Oh and Olympus too, my Oly lenses turn the opposite direction of my Pana lenses even tho they're all M4/3. It never bothered me too much but my only Oly zoom was the 9-18 which was kinda awkward in handling regardless (lock switch to retract it fully, silly hood, etc).
Thanks. I have to decide how important the twist direction is to me. It used to be super important but if I make a full switch, then it will be something I can adjust to. The focus rings seem like they are often programmable.
Yes, this lens is the perfect studio or general portrait lens. Now that lenses are made better, there seems to be fewer optical drawbacks.
That is what I am thinking. BTW, is it standard in the Sony Alpha line to be able to change the focus ring direction? I know this Tamron lens allows this via USB but is there a setting in the alpha cameras to do this as well for native Sony lenses?
I have muscle memory for focus with my video cameras that I do not want to reverse. Zoom direction does not apply to video cameras, so I can adapt if needed but not for the focus. Thanks!
I don’t believe you can reverse the focus direction. Most lenses are 100a% focus by wire so it’s reasonable to suggest it’s possible with those lenses but some of the lenses have a direct mechanical connection and that wouldn’t be reversible by software.
Anyway as far as I know, focus by wire or not, the manual focus direction is not customizable.
And Samyang. The 18/2.8, 24/1.8, 35/1.8, 45/1.8 and 75/1.8 are all very small and light, good performers, and either cheap or dirt-cheap. Plus, the 35/1.4 and 85/1.4 for around $500 are just amazing bargains. I own the latter two plus the 18 and 24, and love 'em all.
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