| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 154
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 19, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | a brilliant lens, very sharp! | | Cons: | extends while focussing | |
an excellent macro, very sharp, well built, and great value for money! extremely satisfied with it!
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Posts: 3,948
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 27, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Awesome bokeh, great manual control | | Cons: | A bit plasticky | |
I saw a deal on one and I do not regret it. This lens is a workhorse,both for macro work to which it is a dream, but it also doubles as a long portrait with that dream bokeh and f/2.8 aperture. The design is terrific with the focus limiter working just one would expect.
For macro work, the detailed and readable barrel settings is a pro touch, and the grip and ergonomics are ideal for the intended use.
This is no metal barrel, handcrafted gem; it's a pitch perfect lens and element setup that gives stunning performance at an amazing value. This is the "must have" macro lens for any kit. Enjoy.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2009 Location: Bucharest Posts: 482
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 23, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $550.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Brutally sharp, nice bokeh, fast AF for normal use, good MF | | Cons: | no weather sealing | |
I rate this a 10.
Not much more to add to what the others have said.
This lens is a beauty and the only thing that misses is the weather sealing but hey, who shoots macros in the rain/wind/dust?
Edit: I forgot the thing that puts it before Pentax 100mm - the Tammy is a Full Frame lens and on my MZ-L works wonders  | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Posts: 5,216
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 4, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $459.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Feels Perfect/Manual Focus is a JOY | | Cons: | It made my old long Tak primes obsolete | |
I'm no expert, and can't comment on bokeh or IQ, but on my k-x, this lens just feels perfect--balance is beautiful, and not too heavy or light. Just right for long hand-held.
Manual focus is the best I've used in ANY lens (from SLR days). One drawback though is you have to remember to set both lens and body to M focus (Pentax model only and not their others), but I have no problem with the push-pull technique to select. It locks it in real good.
Autofocus a bit annoying due to hunting, but the limiter helps. However, the manual focus is so reliable, I plan on sticking with that. Instructions a little weak on setting the limiter correctly, and if you're new to DSLRs like me, it's a little confusing. (Like, does the camera have to be ON to set the limit range? Duh!) Also, is there an order to properly switching from M to AF and vice versa? Rotation of the ring can cause damage if one component is not matched, but if the other is not matched, the ring just rotates freely.
Anyway, I expect that the K-x 18-55 kit lens will be collecting a lot of dust now, unless I'm shooting at 18mm. Also, this Tamron kind of makes a few of my longer M42 Taks and 3rd party guys obsolete. Like, do I really need those old 135s now, except for nostalgia's sake?
This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 2,978
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 19, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Extremely sharp, creamy bokeh, focus limiter | | Cons: | None | |
An easy 10, a perfect lens, no two ways about it. Buy it, and you will love it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2008 Location: Australia-NSW Posts: 4,824
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 1, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $325.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Perfect macro, f/2.8,1:1 | | Cons: | slow AF who cares | |
This is a beauty,to hold, feel it, use it, great quality and will be in for a long tour of duty.Macro has held interest to me and this will be a key feature in my CV .I have had it for a week and I am amazed at the sharpness so far demonstrated(Photo to come).Anyone thinking of this one will be well advised to pick up either extension tubes,or bellows and this will further enhance the macro feature.Experimentation is what's its all about.All in all willbe use in most owners bag
cheers
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2008 Location: Pireaus, Greece Posts: 18
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 27, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $330.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | ALL EXCELLENT | | Cons: | NONE | |
Sharp from f/2.8, excellent bokeh, excellent resolution.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
I put two samples with their crop
1) f/4
crop
2) f/9
crop
 | | | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2009 Posts: 38
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 21, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality, bokeh, very good useability of MF, AF speed on "normal" range with limiter, lightweight | | Cons: | filter thread far away from the front element | |
At first I was a little bit surprised, because the lens was a bit smaller, than I thought from the pictures, which definitely was not a bad thing.
There's not much modern lenses these days that can be manually focused with such ease - it is always a compromise between the usability of MF and the speed of AF. Tamron has succeeded to get a pretty good compromise here with an excellent focusing mechanism for focusing manually and implementing the limiter to retain acceptible AF speed on longer distances. Focusing mechanism even feels smooth, which is an exceptional thing for a modern lens in this price range - this puts even some more expensive lenses to shame. Not to mention the AF speed in "normal" range with limiter - DA*50-135 just feels slow compared to this with its SDM and IF. I would not be complaining about AF speed at all, if it would be like this with all other lenses I use and even SDM would not be missed, because the noise of the screw drive would not have a time to get annoying. It can have something to do with the gear ratios on AF mechanism, because Tamron 17-50 goes much slower from infinity to closest focus with its shorter throw on focus ring and internal focus.
Deeply recessed front element can make the lens hood unneccessary but it can lead to other problem - if filters are used, then the dust or other particles on the filter can actually get visible in the pictures because of the distance between the front element and the filter. It can be even more visible in macro shots, because this distance can be close to focusing distance - so attention is needed if protector or UV-filter is used continuously.
P.S. My copy had a little "classical" front focusing, but AF adjustment corrected this easily and there's no other issues with it.
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 25, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp at all settings, good for portraits, macro and everything else! | | Cons: | | |
I've owned this lens for quite awhile now and have used it with a PZ-20 and *ist D. It is an absolute winner. There's nothing that I have used that can get the quality out of this lens.
I also have some Canon kit and can tell you that this lens is sharper than the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and also the EF 200mm f/2.8 L USM.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2008 Location: Hawkesbury Posts: 1,899
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 2, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $580.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good build, Aperture ring (macro tubes work) | | Cons: | No Pentax focus clutch | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 6
Value: 10
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I chose the Tamron SP Di 90mm macro lens for its sharpness over a wide range of apertures and I am not disappointed. The lens is clearly not the limiting factor for resolution on the K20D! Wide open is very sharp so long as you can nail the focus. Even stopped right down the lens seems to defy the "circle of confusion" diffraction limits.
Colour reproduction seems to be vivid, possibly over saturated but easily controlled.
The bokeh is a bit of a mixed bag. Behind focus is pretty good. Out of focus highlights just in front of the focus area can be a little edge heavy and harsh. I have learnt to ere on the side of focusing short with this lens
The build seems pretty solid (for plastic) and the inclusion of a manual aperture ring is much appreciated by me for using with macro tubes/bellows.
My only gripes are with the design of the front of the lens. The filter thread and hood bezel are overly large. The filter could have been dropped back to 52 mm or even 49 mm (certainly for APS-C) and the bezel could have been reduced even more, both in diameter and length. This would allow greater use of the built in flash at close focus distances. As it stands the last 3 cm of focus are not usable with the KX0D built in flash. In any case, the hood is rarely useful given the deeply recessed front element on the lens.
It would have been nice if Tamron had implemented a better auto/manual focus clutch than the push/pull and body switch system.
Overall the Tamron SP Di 90 mm macro is good value, even at Australian prices. I anticipate it being one of my most used lenses.
An example at F8. Acacia triptera, as sharp as the Tamron 90 Macro.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,180
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 25, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $359.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light, super sharp, beautiful contrast, capable of tremendous precision | | Cons: | | |
I must start by saying I had high expectations for this lens. And, surprisingly, the lens has exceeded them--with ease. This lens is absolutely amazing. It is so precise that focus must be absolutely dead on, and I have to work hard to achieve this sometimes. The live view on the K20d, magnified 8x can sometimes help, but other times my eyes are forced to strain to their limits. But all this is only possible because the lens has such tremendous precision in the first place and my eyes are not what they used to be.
The lens is very light and also very attractive. This is, by far, the best money I have spent on anything photographic. Thank you Tamron!!!
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 6, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $590.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | extremely sharp, great image quality, fantastic bokeh | | Cons: | push/pull focus ring a little clunky | |
If you can fall in love with a lens, then I have with this one. It works for macro as advertised, but it does well at everything. This is such a versatile lens!
For macro, it works great as I hoped, but for portraits it is great also too. The problem with many macro lenses is that for portraits, the out of focus area (bokeh) is often not so great especially with highlights. With this lens, they are.
On Canon forums you'll find a lot of talk about how great the EF85 f/1.8 USM lens is. It is all true, but I think the Tamron SP90mm f/2.8 macro is even better!
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,891
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $650.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent Bokeh, Sharp throughout, Excellent construction, nice long portraiture lens, focus limiter for macro. | | Cons: | Colour saturation is super bright conditions (really nit-picking here) | |
I spent probably too much for this lens (although all lens are expensive here in Oz).
Well worth the cost though. This lens is brutally sharp indeed (especially with 100% macro crops too). I am still getting used to it ... but having fun in the process.
Great long portrait lens ... with a nice bokeh along with it making this great for outdoor single portraits.
I have just found in really bright sunny conditions that the colours seemed a fraction washed out ... but then ... that could just be me though.
I always have this lens in my kit ... if not attached to my camera and used instead of my longer zoom if it suits the situation.
Focus limiter makes it a little quicker if it does hunt (on the rare occasion due to weird conditions). Macro MF has a nice feel to it (I don't use AF for Macro).
I couldn't give it a 10 as it is not a perfect lens ... but I'd say more of a 9-9.5 out of 10. So it is up there.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2006 Location: Bronx NY Posts: 5,631
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 15, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, moderately fast at F2.8, excellent bokeh | | Cons: | a bit heavy, tends to oversaturate yellows a bit. | |
One of my favorite lenses. Actually I have the non DI one, I bought mine second hand from KEH. It was the second lens I ever bought and the first second hand lens. I've found it sharp, even wide open, with excellent bokeh. The lens tho a bit on the heavy side, handles well and it's macro capabilities are excellent. There is a focus limiting switch so that switching from macro to normal mode isn't a pita in focusing. There is one curious point, the front element is recessed about 2 inches into the barrel of the lens. If you add the bayonet mount hood, it makes getting close to insects and other tiny critters harder than it shoud. Of course the answer to that is to remove the hood as it really isn't needed, but somehow I never think of that. Besides it's macro capabilities it makes an excellent short tele and a very good portrait lens.
NaCl(if I'm going to carry only 4 lenses this will always be one of them)H2O
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