Photography News Issue 70

First test

PRICE: £799

INTRO2020.CO.UK

Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD

apertures, ie the wider settings. At the 35mm setting, sharpness and detail reproduction across the frame was very, very good wide open and improved with stopping down, reaching a peak at f/5.6 and f/8 before slowly tailing off. Diffraction did have an impact at f/11 and f/16, but this was quite minor and even the smallest aperture would suit critical use. A similar performance pattern could be seen at 50mm with wonderfully crisp pictures produced at the wider apertures across the image frame that improved further with stopping down. At 100mm, f/3.5 produced a decent quality image, but at this focal length stopping down did improve matters more significantly with f/5.6 and f/8 both delivering very high performance levels. F/11 was still good but f/16 was quite soft by comparison. Finally, at 150mm there was again much to enjoy at f/4 and f/5.6, where across the image quality was very good indeed and stayed at a high level through to f/11 before softening at f/16 and f/22. Add good flare control, minimal fringing and little distortion to talk about to a really competent optical performance, and this zoom is a very attractive proposition to photographers of all levels. WC

SPECS

› Prices £799 › Format 35mm andAPS-C › Mount Nikon, Canon › Autofocus Yes › Construction 19 elements in 14 groups › Special lens elements Three low dispersion and three hybrid aspheric › Coatings Tamron BBAR (broad-band anti-reflection) coating, fluorine coating › Internal focus Yes › Manual focus Yes › Minimum focus 45cm › Focus limiter No › Maximummagnification 1:3.7 at 150mm › Distance scale No › Depth-of-field scale No › Image stabiliser Yes, 5EVbenefit › Tripod collar No › Lens hood Supplied › Weather sealed Yes › Dimensions 84x126.8mm › Weight 790g (Nikon), 796g (Canon) › Filter size 77mm › Aperture range F/2.8-4 to f/16-22 › Diaphragm Nine blades

A high-quality zoom lens at an attractive price that gives photographers plenty of creative shooting options

Tamron’s latest addition to its range of zooms for 35mm and APS-C format cameras is the 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD. The company says it has been developed for portrait photographers, giving them one lens for everything from environmental portraits to tight headshots. To be fair, though, given its focal length range I’m of the view that, with its moderate wide to medium telephoto coverage, it would suit photographers of a great many disciplines. The lens build is typically Tamron, with a solid feel and fine cosmetics. It is weather-proofed, features vibration compensation system with a 5EV benefit and there is a lock to keep the lens at the 35mm position. The zoom barrel is nicely taut and

has a smooth positive action. The manual focus ring is also smooth and has a light action which offers speedy operation. Internally, the lens contains 19 elements, three hybrid aspheric and three low dispersion. The lens’s maximum aperture is variable, from f/2.8 at 35mm to f/4 at 150mm, but that is still perfectly fine for most situations, especially with the performance of higher ISO settings of modern digital cameras. I tested the lens at four key focal lengths using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Lightroom used for Raw processing with no sharpening added. Images were checked at 100%. I thought the lens delivered a quality performance at the important

ON TEST

Test images were shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III mounted on a Benro tripod and shutter fired with the camera’s self-timer

35mm

50mm

100mm

150mm

Verdict Zoom lenses that cover a wide focal length can often be an optical compromise and deliver a weak performance, particularly at the wider apertures. The good news is the Tamron 35- 150mm f/2.8-4 offers a capable performance in a very usable lens. Tamron promotes this as a portrait lens, but it is a very fine all-rounder for urban, landscapes and travel and I’d be confident about using it at wide apertures. It’s great value, too.

F/2.8

F/3.2

F/3.5

F/4

F/5.6

F/4

F/5.6

F/8

F/5.6

F/8

F/11

PROS Impressive performance at

F/11

F/16

maximum aperture, good close focusing, VC system CONS Nothing much, lock only at 35mm, perhaps

F/16

F/22

62 Photography News | Issue 70

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