Photography News Issue 45

Photography News | Issue 45 | absolutephoto.com

First tests

Tamron 10-24mmf/3.5- 4.5Di IIVCHLD £580

Specs

Price

£580

Format

TheHLDin the lens title refers to the High/Lowtorque-modulatedDriveAF motor. This technology ensures that you get precise and stable autofocusing even with lenses featuring large lens elements as this 10-24mm does. You also get the benefit of full-time manual focus override without the need to use the AF/MF switch. Autofocus proved swift and responsive. Optically this wide zoom proved capable even at its wider aperture settings. At the 10mm setting, f/3.5 delivered crisp, good looking results at the centre and even though this level of quality fell away slightly at the edges and extreme corners, overall images looked good. The edges did improve with stopping down and the lens at this focal length did best at f/8 and f/11, which is useful as these are the sort of

A quality ultrawide lens is an essential for every camera user. It helps you to make the most of interiors and makes life easier in cramped situations. It’s more than a little handy creatively too, when you want to really zero in on dramatic foregrounds. Tamron’s 10- 24mm f/3.5-4.5 is designed for cropped sensor DSLRs so gives (roughly) a focal length equivalent of 16-37mm (Canon) in the 35mm full-frame format. I tried it on the Canon EOS 77D and it balances very nicely. With its modest maximum aperture, the lens is no heavyweight nor is it overly bulky. In fact, its physical attributes are more in keeping with a standard kit zoom. The cosmetic and mechanical aspectsofthislensareverygood,asyou would expect from Tamron, with both the focus and zoombarrels feeling very smooth. If anything the focus barrel is too flush with the lens body and it’s narrow too, so using it with gloves on is a little tricky, but then theAF is so good and depth-of-field so great that manual override is rarely needed. Four leakproof seals are employed at key points within the lens’s body to give moisture-resistance and fluorine water and oil-repelling coating on the front element makes it easier to clean. A consequence of the slower maximum aperture, aside from a dimmer viewfinder image, is the need to delve into slower shutter speeds when light is less than perfect. On this optic, helps comes in the form of VC (Vibration Compensation) system, a tried and tested Tamron feature that we knowworks well. On the 10-24mm VC only has one setting, on or off, while the other switch on this lens is auto/manual focus. This Tamron’s VC system which claims a 4EV benefit did well in my test – assuming 1/60sec to be a safe speed, a 4EV benefit means shooting at 1/4sec gives the equivalent sharpness. The test was done on a calm day and I had the lens set to 24mm. I started with control shooting at 1/4secwith theVC systemswitched off. Close scrutiny showed that I had only got one half-decent shot out of five. Switching on VC and repeating the test at the same speed gave a 100% success rate – Tamron’s 4EV benefit claim is spot on. Success rate fell to three out of five at 1/2sec which I considered impressive because I normally would expect total failure hand-holding at this speed unless I was resting on a wall.

APS-C

Mounts Canon, Nikon

Construction 16 elements in 11 groups Special lens elements

One LD (low dispersion), one XLD (extra low dispersion), one moulded glass aspherical lens, one hybrid aspherical lens Coatings e-BAND coating, Fluorine coating on front element Filter size 77mm Aperture range f/3.5-4.5 to f/22-29 Diaphragm Seven blades Internal focus Yes Manual focus Yes, full-time override Minimum focus 94cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification 1:5.3 Distance scale Yes Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser Tamron VC, 4EV claimed benefit Tripod collar No Lens hood Supplied Weather-sealed Moisture resistant Dimensions 84.6x83.6mm Canon, 82.1x83.6mm Nikon Weight 440g Contact Intro2020.co.uk Left The new Tamron 10-24mm proved a capable performer, giving sharp images across the range, plus there is an impressive Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanismwith a 4EV benefit.

settings favoured by landscapers for good depth-of-field. While the 10mm setting turned in a capable performance, going to the 18mm saw a worthwhile lift in sharpness and contrast, especially at wider aperture settings and in the centre. The edges still needed some

help with stopping down and it was by f/8 when sharpness was seen to be good. f/11 was the best overall setting. At 24mm, open aperture quality was good but noticeably better at f/5.6. Again it was f/11 that proved to be the best setting for across-the-frame sharpness. WC

10mm

18mm

24mm

F/3.5

F4.5

F/4.5

F/5.6

F/8

F/11

Verdict

Below The lens barrel has only two switches: to turn VC on and off, and to move fromAF to manual focus.

Overall, the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 performed well and is attractively priced at £580. Having a compact lens that lets you enjoy the creativity of wide shooting at this price is very welcome. Add a solid construction, compact form and a capable optical showing, and it’s very happy days. Pros Overall, a good performer, compact, great looks, excellent VC Cons Open aperture performance could be better

F/16

F/22