[photobizzz]

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Just wondering if anyone owns or has owned/used one of these lenses.

I just picked one up on the auction site for $329 and it included a flat-field 2X TC.

Since I shoot with a K10D and Olympus E1/E-300 I was looking for an all around portait lens that I could use with both systems and this seemed to fit the bill. Now I just need a PK/A Adaptall2 mount...

Any experience or sample shots would be great. Here is a link to the lens's description if anyone is interested.

Tamron SP Adaptall-2 70-150mm F/2.8 SOFT Model 51A

Cheers, Colin

[borno]

Glad I didn't see it, I would have had to put a bid on that one

[dkittle]

I think I almost bid on it! Silly, given that I have the 50-135 - I came to my senses just in time. It should be a great lens, though!

[HermanLee]

Congrats, Collin.

You will find this lens very fun to use especially for portrait and romantic moments.
I have Pentax FA 85/2.8 Soft and really enjoy using it.
At first maybe not, but after you see the picture on your screen or print it out, you will appreciate them a lot.
I have never used your soft lens, but I really like my FA85/2.8 Soft.

Don't forget to post your photo w/ this lens as soon as you get the adaptall.

BTW, I see your location is in IRAQ.
Are you in the army?
Some people here were asking for WAR photography.
Maybe you can take some war picture and post it here. That would be interesting.

[Ben_Edict]

Colin, that was a lucky catch - and thank for the link. I didn't know such a lens existed. If I had known, I would have tried my best in the auction, too...
Have fun with that thing!

Ben

[Miserere]

Interesting lens. I'd never heard of it either. I look forward to seeing the results.

[photobizzz]

I will definately post some example shots from the lens when it arrives. It is coming from Hong Kong, I am sometimes a bit sketchy about bidding of stuff from HK but this seller had something like 700+ feedback and they were all 100% positive and had been a member since 2000 so I clicked buy it now. The auction also came with a Tamron 2X TC as well so I figured it was worth the cost. I already have an Adaptall-2 for Olympus so I will post a few shots from my E-1 or E-300 when the lens arrives here as my K10D is in Texas as I didnt want to bring my brand new camera over to Iraq. It will probably take a bit to get comfortable using the lens as it has four rings, apature, softness, focus, and zoom. Here is a link to the auction if anyone wanted to check out the photos of it.

As for the "war" photos HermanLee was asking about, I am the senior Non-Commissioned Officer for a US Army Movement Control Team. (We deal primarily with cargo & passenger movement control) so I dont have any action shots of war but I do have a gallery of photos I have taken since I have been here on my Zenfolio. Feel free to check them out. Thanks for the replies.

[OniFactor]

i wouldn't mind getting my hands on a lens like that.. it's no STF, but.. it'd have to do, lol

[photobizzz]

What is "STF"? I'll probably go DOH when someone replies but cant sort it out right now...

[OniFactor]

minolta/sony lens.. smooth transition focus.. it is the bokeh machine.. features 2 sets of aperture blades to perfectly blur the background into creamy goodness..

Sony 135 F2.8 [T4.5] STF SAL-135F28 lens for Sony Alpha - Minolta camera mount

and a picture to give you an idea of how good it is..

[photobizzz]

WOW! That is really nice, I hadn't heard of that lens before.

[OniFactor]

it's a one of a kind.. minolta had a patent on it, that transfered to sony, so they're the only company that can make that type of lens, for now.. one of the reasons i'm keeping a foot in the minolta camp, right now.. but it's spendy, for sure..

[Abbazz]

Just wondering if anyone owns or has owned/used one of these lenses.

I just picked one up on the auction site for $329 and it included a flat-field 2X TC.

Congrats on your purchase, Colin. This is one of my favorite lenses. It is better than most other soft focus lenses because the soft focus effect is adjustable independently from the aperture setting. On usual soft focus lenses, one has to close down the aperture to minimize the soft effect, so there is no mean to get a non-soft picture wide open. With this Tamron lens, it is possible to get very sharp pictures wide open at f/2.8, making it a highly versatile lens. At F/2.8, it is incredibly sharp and contrasty compared to other fast zooms. The only drawback is a bit of chromatic aberrations (no purple fringing though) when used wide open, but usually this is nothing to worry about. My preferred setting is at F/4 with the soft focus ring set to "2" or "3": it gives a sharp image with a delicate soft envelope. I find the soft effect too pronounced for my taste when the lens is used wide open.

Here are some pictures taken with this lens at various settings (number 3 and 4 were taken with the soft focus ring on 2 or 3):










Cheers!

Abbazz

[photobizzz]

Thanks so much for posting Abbazz, those are some really great shots, I am very happy that I decided to get it now, I love the effect and the OOF areas are really smooth. I cant wait to shoot with it, the seller shipped it yesterday to me by HK express air mail so it should be here in about 2 weeks as it has to go to NY and then come to me in Iraq.

Thanks again, Colin

[photobizzz]

Well just wanted to update the thread. I received my copy of the Tamron SP 70-150mm f2.8 Softfocus lens today. I also got an adaptall TC with it as a bonus. With the TC installed this thing is long....and equates to a 280-600mm on my Olympus 4/3 bodies I have with me here in Iraq. I have a P/KA adaptall mount on the way so I can use it on my K10D.

The attached photo pf the lens shows the lens next to a standard green apple to give you something to compare it to. The 2X TC is attached.


The other photo is the lens at 70mm f2.8, max softness setting of 3. Ignore the cheezy photo of my 1st Lieutentant, it is only a test and I am sure a more suitable female subject can be found in the future





Find yourself a copy of this lens if you can. It is very sharp when the softness is not engaged BTW.