New Member Registered: June, 2020 Location: Darwin NT Posts: 110
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 3, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | 'aesthetic capability', versatility and handling | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Sony A7
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Reviewed some time back and surprised by the low overall score given. Dammed by faint praise perhaps? Colour, good macro and parfocal ability all resonate here.The manufacture and quality control of these lenses is high. Plenty of heft at 725g, although thoughtfully designed and simple to work with. This quote from the Adaptall-2.com does not directly refer to this generation of adaptall lenses but it may as well, 'Tamron built these lenses to last for years. There is a lot of hand operated precision lathe and mill work within every one of these lenses, and the overall paint and finish is gorgeous'. And you can't beat mock sharkskin rubber grips! My relatively recently acquired copy is in good condition, the only blemish being very minor deterioration of the lens coating on the very rim of the front lens element. Which does not appear to my eyes to detrimentally effect the images produced. On the question of contrast being "much inferior"? Agreed the colours tend to be more muted and cooler but with care this lens is capable of some very worthy image making. The macro closeup capability is distinctive, providing the best images with a visual mystique. Wider landscapes images can also capture time, light and field with an ethereal quality. Beauty in the eyes of the beholder? If you enjoy photography holistically, the Tamron CZ-38M certainly has appeal as a versatile vintage zoom . An overall rating of 9 here.
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New Member Registered: February, 2012 Posts: 17 | | Review Date: September 2, 2013 | Not Recommended | Price: $12.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Good colours, constant f3.5, good macro | | Cons: | Low contrast | |
I bought this lens to fill the gap in my collection. My copy dates from 1978, and the body of the lens is quite worn. The UV filter has a splodge of bright red nail polish on it. However, the glass is perfect.
I had no great expectations of this lens, and it did not exceed them. The lens I own with the most similar range is the Pentax PZ 28-105mm f4-5.6, which is the best of the Pentax consumer zooms I own. Compared with the Pentax:
- Sharpness is similar (and bear in mind, it is more than a stop faster at the long end)
- But the contrast of the CZ-38M is much inferior, and the overall IQ is inferior. The CZ-38M improves with stopping down, but doesn't match the Pentax.
- The CZ-38M colours are comparable to those of the Pentax, so good.
- Bokeh is mostly OK; background out-of-focus highlights stand out a little, but they aren't offensive.
I really like the macro; lovely colours, and the whole frame is sharp, even at f3.5.
The A/M switch is, of course, a plus, but I doubt that I will use this lens much.
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