| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2010 Location: Colorado Front Range Posts: 644
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 16, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | low distortion, even illumination, range | | Cons: | chromatic aberrations, durability | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 2
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-5IIs
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I've owned two copies of this lens, in Sony and Pentax mounts. I enjoyed using it with the Sony, mostly doing real estate work. This lens made home interiors a breeze. Barrel distortion is very well controlled, and what's there is perfectly round, so it's easy to clean up in Lightroom. There's even a profile to do so, IIRC. Later, with the Pentax, I began doing HDRs. In sunny conditions, the Tamron produced bright red edge outlines, especially in the corners. The HDR process magnified and multiplied this flaw. So be prepared to to major corrections for CA, especially if doing HDR.
I went back to the Sigma 8-16, knowing how sharp it was. I have no qualms about cropping 2x or 3x with the Sigma. It's also turtle-slow, but thankfully, CA is absent.
I'm downrating this lens for durability because a friend's copy has frozen up a few years after purchase. Too bad we don't list warranty coverage as a rating criteria- that would earn this a 10!
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: February, 2011 Location: San Francisco Posts: 128
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 8, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $449.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very wide angle, reasonably sharp, lots of fun, lightweight, very short minimum focus distance | | Cons: | occasionally difficult to focus | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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I've never had an extreme wide angle lens before so learning the capabilities of this lens and how to use it has been exciting. It brings a whole new range of potential to my photography. I certainly think this is a fine lens and, honestly, see no significant downsides to it. yes, focus is a bit difficult at times but that's just due to the significant DOF even wide open (and having that additional speed at f/3.5 is welcome).
I have put this lens on my PZ-1p as well, and, despite the fact that it is designed for an APS-C-sized sensor, you can certainly make it work on a full-frame Pentax (just biding my time here ...). You'd have to crop the resulting image but the 180 degree image capability is incredible (I don't have any images yet as I haven't run a roll through the PZ-1p recently).
See my Flickr set here.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2010 Posts: 48
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 31, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Small for a UWA, takes standard filters without vignetting | | Cons: | Not too sharp, slow AF, oversized hood | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 7
Value: 8
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I wrote a full review here and compared it with the Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 mostly.
http://nextimelah.blogspot.com/2013/05/tamron-10-24mm-f35-45-uwa-lens-review.html
It gets the job done but post processing is a must for me with this lens.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2010 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 2,054
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 11, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | light weight (for an ultrawide zoom), low cost, large zoom range | | Cons: | big, too wide of a lens hood, noisy AF motor, no lens case | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Honestly this lens I would have rated at somewhere between a 7 and 8, maybe 7.7. it's closer to an 8 than a 7. I am happy with the lens so far; only have had it for a few days. It is surprisingly lightweight and compact on my K-X; I had expected, with a 77mm filter, that it would be really big and heavy, but it's only 400 grams or so and balances well. I never felt like it was too heavy by any means, and it helps that it is compact. This is my first Tamron lens; I have lots of Pentax and a few Sigmas. I was worried about the "plastic fantastic" build quality reputation of Tamron lenses but honestly it hasn't bothered me, and if anything, I'd rather that the lens use such material to keep the weight down. And it feels like high quality, durable plastic too, so I'm satisfied with the construction, particularly for the price I paid. The included lens hood is really too wide and makes me not want to use it or pack it for travel. But I love how there is very little extension of the lens when it zooms, and the ability to go from 10mm all the way to 24mm is awesome and super convenient! And it's reasonably fast too; I used mine at f/3.5 indoors without any problem, and it still produced fairly good images that I was happy with. (Sharpness definitely improves as you stop down to f/8 though). The autofocus motor is definitely louder than most of my other lenses, but I don't mind too much. The images were not very sharp nor are the colors all that rich (definitely lacks the famous "Pentax colors"), especially when compared to my DA 15mm limited, but I bought this lens in order to experience the below 15mm range, and to also have the convenience of quickly zooming up to 24mm for a tighter shot of people when needed. For the cost (I got an excellent copy in used condition for a good price), I think it well serves my limited wide angle needs. It may not be the best choice for a professional (see the Pentax 12-24 for that), but for an amateur like me who wants to get wider indoor and outdoor shots without paying more than $450, it fits the bill quite well!
 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Sao Paulo Posts: 149 | | Review Date: October 2, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $475.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Sharp, not razor sharp, but satisfactory. Nice building. Relatively cheap. | | Cons: | Slow AF. Aberration a little on the high side. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 7
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I was on a search of a UWA, but wanted the DA 10-17, because i want a fish-eye, but came across that lens and bought, despite some downsides i read over the net. (I live in Brazil, and get Pentax stuff here is hard, so any chance to get a good lens, all pentax users here jump fast on it).
But i don't regret it. The lens is nice, handles well. Size and wheight is on the high side, but i used to it (had a Tamron 17-35, and that is similar in size to the 10-24).
My only complains are the AF, that even on a K-5 is a little slow to my tast, (but it is reliable) and it have more aberrations than a thought.
On the good side, the lens is sharp, and at 10mm you can force some crazy distorted views from it, that will serve until I get the DA 10-17.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2012 Location: Sunshine Coast Posts: 113 | | Review Date: June 24, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $599.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Relatively cheap (compared to the aftermarket opposition and Big Three) | | Cons: | Subject to some flare | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I bought this because I already have a good selection of Tamron tele lenses from my ME Super SLR days, and a couple of DA series Zooms I bought after getting my Kr. Bu I've never owned a wide angle lens. Yes it seems a bit plasticy after my 80's models Tamron zooms and primes, but it is still nicely finished, and probably equivalent to my DA and DAL zooms, at least it still has a stainless mount. Performance is excellent and I'm pleased with my purchase. Yes it is a little soft around the edges wide open, and there is a bit of distortion, but what do you expect from 10 mm. It is hardly noticeable on landscapes anyway, and sort of expected on wide angle interior shots (which defy nature anyway) so not a big issue for me. I have only used it on one trip to the Pacific Islands so far, but I managed to do some spectacular sunset photos, and I found it surprisingly useful for interior shots.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: June, 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Posts: 6,124 | | Review Date: May 4, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $375.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Wide! Sharp, and awesome for landscape. | | Cons: | big filter size, weird hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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I bought this off of a fellow forum member, and after playing with it for a week I can say it is a fun lens. Walking up to a car with it at 10mm and filling the frame with the car is REALLY interesting. I have also loved how I can fit buildings in this from pretty close too. I'd recommend it for car shows and wanderign downtown in a large city.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833 | | Review Date: December 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $469.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Minimal distortion | | Cons: | Sometimes doesn't want to AF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I am satisfied with the Tamron 10-24.
Images are very sharp with good colors. Compared to the Sigma 10-20 and Pentax 12-24, the Tamron 10-24 has a wider zoom range, costs less, and is a bit smaller. I give the lens a high score in most categories.
Bokeh: I gave it an 8 here, mostly because the inherent nature of the lens (wide angle plus not very fast aperture) tends to keep most of the frame in sharp focus. Out of focus areas are gently softer rather than "full of bokeh".
Autofocus: I gave it a 6 here because AF had some trouble locking-in. I press halfway, the AF motor spins a bit, gives up, but I don't get the focus confirmation. I estimate it happens 2% of the time (6 out of 300 photos). Note that I am not sure if it's this lens, my K-r, or maybe tricky subjects (but it's not purely a low-light issue; the problem can show up in well-lit situations). My easy workaround is to focus on a different spot and recompose if I don't get the focus confirmation.
I've read complaints about storing the bulky lens hood, but I have no issues with it. I can slip the hood into a narrow empty space in my bag. I can also slide the hood around my 55-300 zoom or any other narrowbody lens for storage.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285 | | Review Date: June 11, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | 10mm, relatively fast, relatively sharp, good range, cost | | Cons: | hood does not store well, some distortion at corners | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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Wanted a non-fish eye super wide angle and the Tamron seemed to fit the bill. With its 10-24mm range it covers up to the M28 fairly closely giving a good continuation of the range for me with my kit. The 77mm filters are a bit costly but necessary with the widest settings of the lens. Its the most squat and heavy of the lenses that I own. I think it even out weighs my DAL 55-300.
It fits perfectly in the Lowepro 1W lens case with its hood.
Shooting with it takes some practice in my experience and I am still getting used to a 10mm view of things. Colors seem cooler than my Pentax lenses, definitely than my older Pentax/SuperTaks but even the DALs.
Hood works well to improve performance outside in bright light and even with directional lighting inside. I'm getting to be a hood fanatic and this lens only served to strengthen my conviction that hoods are essential and not optional equipment.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: June, 2010 Posts: 47
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $375.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good Sharpness, Price, Very Little Distortion | | Cons: | Large Filter (it is necessary, but more expensive) | |
I bought this lens as I wanted something non-fisheye. I own the Pentax zoom Fisheye, and do like it, but the purple fringing drives me nuts. Everything else about that lens is awesome though, sharpness and color especially...
Anyway, back to this lens, little to no purple fringing, you wont find yourself desiring any more sharpness as it is quite good, and the CA that is present is easily removed (I have found their are some lenses with CA that are not easy to remove). The range on it is great compared to others in its class, so you wont have to switch lenses as much since it goes to 24mm.
Some have commented on the price being expensive... I was lucky to buy mine when tamron was running a 100.00 rebate on it which sealed the deal. Although I think that 475.00 is still a great price for this lens especially compared to the closest thing from Pentax, which is actually made by Tokina, but costs twice as much as the canon or nikon mounts for the same lens (grrrr).
If you want filters you will have to shell out some dough for them though... so I guess if you include that in the price, it makes the lens a bit more expensive, unless you have 77mm or higher in your arsenal. The 77mm filter ring is necessary to avoid excessive viginetting.
The lens seems well built and it is my heaviest lens. However, since it is short it is actually a nice balance on the k7 w/battery grip.
I really can't see anyone disappointed with this lens, and if you have never had a 10mm before, you will love the new photo ops that this lens will open up for you.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: North Idaho Posts: 696 | | Review Date: March 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Well constructed, nice range, good optics | | Cons: | hood does not store efficiently | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 10
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I'm getting to like this lens more and more. It is such a unique focal length. Very happy with the construction quality. So much so that I would not hesitate to purchase another Tamron lens in the future. Quite pleased with the results too. Only thing I don't like is the size of the hood. It is just so big compared to the lens that it does not store efficiently in a shoulder lens bag. Hmmm...do you think this means I should leave it on the body all the time? This lens, along with a 16-50 and 50-135 makes a nice zoom travel kit.
Update, March 2016
I just love this lens!!! It certainly does the job when nothing else will. With what other lens can you get the whole 70m Deep Space Network dish in the frame when you're almost standing under its shadow?
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: January, 2008 Location: Paris, TN Posts: 3,349
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Color and flare control | | Cons: | Arguably not as sharp as some other options | | Camera Used: K200 & K5IIs
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I've never been a UWA sort and until a having good experience with the DA 16-45 I didn't expect to even own a UWA lens. (I always considered an 85/1.8 to be the perfect 'normal' lens for 135 film!)
I actually had both the Sigma 10-20/4-5.6 and this Tamron in hand for a few weeks and used them for about 200 shoots each in typical field conditions. As do most reviews, I'd give the Sigma a slight edge in pure sharpness, but overall the Tamron produced the images that appealed most to me.
Flare control and color saturation, especially under high contrast conditions, suited me better and the lens paired up very well with my Tamron 28-75/2.8 in both handling and for common post-processing techniques.
I generally prefer my DA 16-45 between 16 and 24mm, but this lens satisfies the urge to explore the UWA range quite nicely -- enough so that I haven't been tempted to splurge on the DA 12-24 which is also benefit.
H2
Tam 10-24 @ f8 & ISO 400 - flare control example.
I've recently had the opportunity to do direct comparisons with the DA 12-24. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that although the DA 12-24 is slightly sharper and more saturated OOC, it took very little simple PP (levels/curves and sharpening) to bring the Tammy JPGs to the point there was negligible difference in images for typical outdoor UWA applications. The extra 2mm can be useful, especially when there's detail in the foreground. Still a fine value at present used prices.
Comparisons  at 12 and 24mm:
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,910 | | Review Date: August 16, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $417.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | 10mm!!, well controlled PF/GF, No blossoming, relatively fast | | Cons: | Some CA | |
Lets face it. You're buying a lens like this to shoot at 10mm, so most of my review will focus around the ultra wide end.
This lens is cool. You can create optically things that don't really exist, and take quite unique photos.
At F3.5 it's surprisingly fast. I've taken some night-time images of Salt Lake with this lens where it had the best control over lights not blossoming into a purple mass (even wide open) of any lens I've got.
My complaints are around CA at 10mm at the edges and corners. I wish it was better controlled. You can fix these in post, but I don't spend the time to PP every photo.
Your other wide options from here are the Sigma 8-16mm and the Sigma 10-20mm (3.5 and 4-5.6) I hear good things about the F3.5 10-20mm.
All in all, I'm happy with this purchase at this price. It's good enough for what I want to shoot with it at ultra wide, and when I want more, I'll switch to the DA 15mm Limited or the DA* 16-50.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: Gothenburg, aka Göteborg Posts: 233 | | Review Date: May 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $650.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Nice, sharp and functional | | Cons: | A bit big, not least compared to similar lenses from Olympus! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Have owned mine for a while now, but, as someone else wrote, I could really get used to using this as the basic lens on my K-7. Compared to the Olympus 7-14 for 4/3 it is immense, and weighs a lot more, but it gives the camera a nice balance, and the results are excellent.
Update:
Have found out that adding a Canon 500D close-up, screw-on lens (a warning: it weighs a lot!) gives the Tamron a lot of extra skills - a fully recommended add-on!
On a recent trip abroad I just brought the K-7, the FA50/1.4, and the Tamron 10-24, and I think 99% of the photos were taken with the Tamron. In contrast with many other wide-angle lenses it has almost no problems with the sun shining directly into it - so the immense lend shade is not that essential!
A few years later:
Constantly surprised by this lens, now used with my K-5 (and often with a Canon 500D close-up lens attached, as I mentioned above). The sharpness around the edges isn't much at open aperature, and wide settings, but it is a nice lens all the same. The widest lens, on any camera system we (the wife and I) have.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: July, 2009 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 4
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, well built, useful range | | Cons: | Not cheap | |
I'm very pleased with this lens, although after 3 or 4 months, I am still really learning how to use it properly, as 10mm is much wider then the kit lens!
Advantages:
- Useful zoom range (could be used as a walkaround lens)
- Fast at the wide end (f/3.5) which means it can be used indoors with good light
- Quite sharp
- Nicely saturated colours
Disadvantages:
- Large, takes 77mm filters.
- Not cheap
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