Tamron
Most of my shots on this day were shot between f/1.4 to f/5.6, which helped me keep action-stopping shutter speeds around 1/500sec or higher. Importantly, image quality is so impressive, even wide open at f/1.4, that it can be used knowing images will be pin-sharp. That was evident when I got home and checked out my pictures on a 32-inch monitor. Shots bristled with fine detail, were razor sharp, contrast was high, giving crisp images, colours were spot on and I had no issues with flare when shooting towards the sun. There’s no doubt that the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD is a very fine lens optically and, with its great handling, it has great potential for all occasions.
distracting in quiet scenarios – and on the street it is effectively inaudible. AF accuracy and speed are real benefits in street work, where even the slightest hesitation means the moment could be lost. No such problem here. The responsive AF just got on and did its job, both via the optical viewfinder and in live view when touch AF was available, so I could pay attention to composition and timing. The lens’s fast aperture came into its own when the clouds came and lighting levels fell in the city streets, and the viewfinder image was always lovely and bright. Dull light can make life difficult on the street, where fast shutter speeds are essential to stop any camera shake or subject movement. You need to increase ISO to give fast shutter speeds, but the option of opening up to f/1.4 meant I prioritised picture quality and kept my ISO down to minimum for as long as I could.
in the challenging lighting situations. The front lens elements also boast a fluorine coating that has excellent oil- and water-resistant properties and makes the surface much easier to clean. On paper, the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD has all the credentials to be my lens of choice, but how does it perform in practice? To find out, I took the lens, attached to a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, on a photo walk around London. The combination is nicely balanced with plenty of room to support the lens securely with the left hand while keeping a couple of fingers on the manual focus lens barrel, so fine-tuning focus is instantly possible if required. I had the camera set to a small zone of five AF points, moving these around quickly using the camera’s focus lever when the subject was off-centre. AF was impressively fast and smooth, too, with no searching and the process is effectively silent, so it is not going to be
Issue 73 | Photography News 15
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