Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

46 First tests

Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD £499

Specs

Tamron has been building an exciting range of fast, image-stabilised prime lenses, and the latest two to arrive are the SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD and SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD 1:1 Macro (reviewed on the facing page). The 85mm is claimed to be the world’s first ‘85mm fast-aperture lens with image stabilisation’, and this it is, in mounts other than Sony Alpha (the Zeiss Batis f/1.8 precedes it, although that lens’s stabilisation is used in conjunctionwith Sony’s in-bodyversion). Forportraiture, which 85mm optics are primarily purchased for, the incorporation of Tamron’sVibrationCompensation (VC) system makes a lot of sense, as you’ll normally be shooting handheld. On first fitting the lens to a Nikon D800, it’s the build and feel that struck me; Tamron is sometimes thought of by photographers as a budget alternative to ‘big brand’ names, but this feels very high-grade. The lens even has levels of weather-sealing that Tamron describes as ‘moisture resistant’, so while not splashproof, it should standup to dusty anddampconditions,puttingitaheadof some rivals. The build is complemented by a fluorine coating on the front element, which repels water and makes cleaning smudges easier, and this was borne out in testing, with the lens easily cleaned with just a couple of sweeps of a lens cloth. All this quality means the lens is weighty and fairly broad, tipping the scales at 700g; it’s just about as wide as it is long, but it felt well balanced on the D800. It was the same impression on the new Nikon D500 (also reviewed

this issue), where the lens gives an equivalent focal length of around 130mm, but on smaller, lighter bodies it will feel a bit front-heavy. Completing the A-grade build, the Tamron f/1.8 VC’s barrel has a metal outer, which gives the lens a very solid finish, and the construction is tight, but there was a little rattling when shaken, presumably from the VC mechanism. Compare this lens with Nikon’s 85mm f/1.8G and the latter is half the weight, being made mostly from high-grade plastic. It also lacks the stabilisation, has fewer aperture blades, fewer elements and no special glass elements (though it’s also cheaper). Handling wise, the Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC lens performed excellently throughout. With the zoom ring replaced by your feet, there’s plenty of space for a broad, rubberised focus ring, which takes you from near to far in about a quarter of a turn. The ring turns smoothly and has a good level of resistance, so manual focusing is precise, and this is important, as while you won’t generally be using it for portraits, the lens makes very pleasing still lifes and floral portraits, too. Manual focus will also override the AF if it need tweaking. The two switches on the barrel (AF/MF and VC On/Off) fall easily under the thumb, and are stiff enough to avoid accidental use; the only minor issue being there’s no way to tell them apart through touch, other than getting to know their position. AF was fast and very quiet, locking on quickly and accurately. Alternating the AF between very distant subjects

Format Full-frame and APS-C Mount Canon, Nikon (tested), Sony (coming soon) Construction 13 elements in 9 groups Special lens elements 1x LD, 1x XLD Coatings eBAND, BBAR and fluorine Filter size 67mm Aperture range f/1.8-/16 Diaphragm 9 blade rounded design Internal focus Yes Manual focus Yes Minimum focus 80cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification 1:7.2 Distance scale Yes Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser Yes Tripod collar No Lens hood Yes, (HF016 bayonet hood included) Weather-sealed Yes, moisture Dimensions (lxd) 84.8x91.3mm Weight 700g Contact tamron.eu/uk

(for these purposes infinity) and the closest 80mm, tookaround0.25sec and, to me, seemed quicker than the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G. Just. The performance of the VC mode was also excellent, and in hand-holding I managed to get most shots acceptably sharp at around 1/10 or 1/15sec; a smaller proportion came in at 1/5sec, but it’s still very impressive. Of course this depends on the steadiness of your technique. Optically, the lens uses LD (Low Dispersion) and XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) glass elements to minimise aberrations like fringing and ghosting, and improve image sharpness. To test it, the lens was aimed at a flat surface and focused near itsminimumfocusing distance using live viewmode to ensure accuracy; at 1m, it was the kind of range where you might shoot a typical

head and shoulders portrait. Pics were then taken throughout the aperture range. There was obvious, though not unpleasantvignettingwideopen,which decreases as it’s stopped down until it was virtually undetectable at f/5.6. Sharpness followed a similar pattern and the lens put in a very good showing throughout. Centre and edge detail was best between f/5.6 and f/8, but therewas still lots of clarity through the wider apertures; only wide open did it drop off. Throughout the test, I found myself shooting at around f/2.2 which seemed the best balance between sharpness and shallowdepth-of-field. No serious distortion was observed and the lens handled flare and fringing well, though the latter was visible in some high-contrast areas, mainly in the wider apertures. KS

Verdict

The Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC’s spec is reflected in its price, but it’s a lens that doesn’t disappoint and you won’t feel short-changed. Images are crisp and clean with great detail and very few defects. The build is magnificent, and inclusion of Tamron’s Vibration Compensation is very welcome, adding to the crispness of results and offsetting shaky shooting not only at slow shutter speeds.

Right The Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC has a very sturdy feel, a streamlined design

and the inclusion of Vibration Compensation is most welcome. Test images Shot in Rawwith no sharpening applied, results still show very good sharpness, reaching peak between f/5.6 and f/8 apertures.

Features Not much missing here

24/25

Performance Very good image quality and speedy, accurate focusing

23/25

f/2.8

f/1.8

f/2

Handling Only very minor complaints

23/25

Value for money It’s not cheap, but you do get plenty for your money Overall A great lens, and there’s not much to choose between it and Nikon’s own optically. Whether you shell out the extra depends on howmuch you want the VC and high-quality build. Pros Build, AF, image quality, image stabilisation Cons One of the more expensive 85mm f/1.8 options 21/25 94/100

f/5.6

f/8

f/11

f/16