Tamron
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Tamron designed its 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD specifically as the ultimate portrait lens, so in one optic you can shoot full-length, head and shoulders and headshot photographs. PN’s editor took the lens – winner of Best Superzoom lens in the Photography News 2019 Awards – out to explore the potential for himself ONE LENS, JOBDONE
O ne lens for all your people photography needs is a compelling proposition and that’s exactly what the Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD is designed for. Teamed up with the 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di OSD, which we covered in the last issue of PN , the combination is capable of tackling most photographic subjects – and portable too, the pair weighing just 1250g in total. I used the Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD for a home portrait shoot. My model for the session was Natasha Oliver (purpleport.com/portfolio/ natashaoliver) and the idea was to shoot everything by natural light and rely on the lens’s VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism to help me get sharp shots when the light levels dropped. I started with some general shots showing Natasha in the environment and the 35mm setting was ideal for this. The 35mm is such a great focal length and often underestimated for its all round skills. You can shoot flattering pictures of groups, capture full-
length shots without having to retreat too far with a natural perspective and it has enough coverage to include some of the subject’s surroundings. Natasha was perched on a stool and I started with the 35mm setting and shooting around her, going from full-length to head-filling shots without impinging on my subject’s space together with a perspective which is totally flattering. The light was good ,with the low sun streaming in through the window, and my camera settings were 1/60sec at f/5.6 and ISO 200 – I had the lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV – so comfortable for safe handholding. When I zoomed into 85mm and 150mm for head and shoulders and full-face shots, I opened the lens to its widest aperture, firstly to ensure my shutter speed stayed high but also to keep depth-of-field shallow. Select a wide lens aperture, move in close and there’s the chance to exploit the lens’s bokeh potential which is creamy and round thanks to the lens’s nine-blade diaphragm. In my shots, I was getting Natasha’s eyes pin-sharp and focus fell away quickly, giving a lovely effect.
RIGHT AND BELOW Going from full length to full face without having to alter shooting distance is a huge benefit of the 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD and enables a smooth flow to portrait shoots. Optical quality, even at the wide apertures, is also very impressive
68 Photography News | Issue 75
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