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Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5 Review RSS Feed

Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5

Sharpness 
 9.8
Aberrations 
 9.0
Bokeh 
 9.0
Handling 
 8.0
Value 
 10.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
4 25,627 Tue November 21, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $180.00 10.00
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5

Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize
Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
supersize

Description:
This lens features an focus limiter.
Released in 1990, it's of course an full frame lens.
The lens number suggests it is the auutofocus version of the classic adaptall 52B/52BB. It's rarity is probably because that lens was soon superceded by the 72B and its autofocus analogue the 72E.

Specifications:

Product code: 52EP
Mount: PENTAX AF
Focal length: 90 mm
Widest aperture: 2.5
Lens construction: 6 groups 8 pieces
Max. aperture: 2.8
Minimum Aperture: 32
Min. focus: 0.39 m
Max. Magnification: 1: 2
Filter Size: 52mm
Hood: 58 FH
Weight: 405 g (14,3 oz.)
Diam x Length: 67 mm x 86.5 mm
Price: ¥65,000
Production Years: 1990-1992

Lens Features:
Auto Aperture
Aperture Ring
Macro
AF limiter

Source: https://www.tamron.co.jp/data/af-lens/52e.htm

Pictures courtesy of users LightBug and Direx:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/36-sold-items/273731-sale-sold-tamron-sp...1-2-macro.html
https://www.pentaxians.de/40456504nx51499/lens-clubs-f46/tamron-sp-90mm-25-af-52ep-t26690.html
Mount Type: Pentax KAF2/KAF (screwdrive AF)
Price History:



Add Review of Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5
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Pentaxian

Registered: March, 2010
Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam
Posts: 1,198
Review Date: November 21, 2023 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: reliable AF, sharpness, price
Cons: outside looks a bit plasticky, MF ergonomics
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1, K-5 II, K-01   

I think that the rating should take into account the price, and how the lens meets the expectations.
Albeit rare, this lens is always quite cheap compared to the other macro options in the same focal range.
I don't exactly remember how much I paid it (it was looong ago), but I'm pretty sure it was slightly more than the average price of the other two siblings without AF (Adaptall-2 52B and 52BB).
I still own a 52BB and I owned a 52B in the early eighties. All these lenses are pretty amazing, cause both sharpness and bokeh are way above average.
I own lenses that can resolve a few more lines per mm, but in the real world the difference is negligible.
One big plus for the AF version in PKAF mount is that it focuses well with both the K-1 and the K-5 II/K-01.
I'm not assuring you that is flawless, I just don't remember of any problem with the AF, even with older cameras.
I tried this lens with the Kenko 1.5x AF-PZ converter: both sharpness and AF were definitely OK. The combo is very convenient for macro in the field, cause it allows to shoot from a certain distance.
There are a few things that are questionable, but nothing really bothering. The MF ring is unwieldy (as most AF lenses of the same age), the external of the barrel looks plasticky (but the build is quite good), the front glass could be more recessed... and sometimes people get the famous hot spot at the centre of the frame. Personally I haven't found the hot spot a single time, but it might be due by the kind of pictures I have shot with this lens. Maybe at 1:2 and beyond (with rings or bellows) it's easier to create the conditions that would open the door to this problem.I'm quite sure it's a rare occurrence, though. Unless you shoot outside the visible spectrum, which is an entirely different thing...

I have a huge number of lens, for sure too many... but I always go for this one if I need an AF Macro that can take a beating and still deliver beautiful, crispy images



Tamron SP 90mm 1:2.5 Macro Model 52EP




Tamron SP 90mm F/2.5 Macro Model 52EP + Kenko 1.5x AF-PZ

   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2019
Posts: 5,976

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 5, 2021 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: IQ, bokeh. Not too heavy.
Cons: Not too small, either. Only 1:2. Very few copies available.
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 6    Camera Used: K-1, K-7   

Aight, first thing out of the way: the manual focus ring is too thin. Which is quite a big deal for a lens that you'll want to focus manually in the macro range. It also only does 1:2 macro without the matched extender (which I'm not sure even exists for the KAF mount, I've only seen it for Adaptall versions). Even the lens itself is quite hard to find in this version.


Size is... quite manageable, actually - even if there are smaller options. Can't be dinged too much for it. The outer barrel looks like cheap glossy plastic but the lens is heavy enough that I have to assume there's a bunch of metal underneath. Didn't stop it from cracking the AF shaft on a shallow drop, though...


Speaking of which, I cannot test the AF anymore, because I dropped the lens and I suspect the shaft just got bent a bit, because the lens is otherwise in mint condition.

Anyway, while it worked, on the K-7 it was quite alright, and on the K-1 it was good. Not astonishing (and for macro you want magnified live view and manual focus anyway) but decently fast and certainly decisive. Not the lens to use for candids, maybe, but not *bad*. Typical for macro lenses, it doesn't like going from MFD to infinity, but it has a focus limiter (either 0.39-0.6m or 0.6m-infinity; each of those ranges takes exactly half of the ~190º focus throw) which is useful.


Now, on to the mettle: IQ is very good. As sharp as you'd need anything to be, more or less everywhere in the frame. Few to no aberrations, as is typical for macro lenses. You can see some spherochromatism wide open under, frankly, quite exacting circumstances:



Notice the shiny logo presenting spherochromatism. I have also seen it on sun-lit cat's whiskers at f/2.4. However, by f/4 the infamous chain link fence shot shows a very clear, aberration-free result:



Caveat: my sample is not particularly well calibrated for infinity. It requires ~f/5.6 for sharp skylines. I'm knowingly not dinging points for this because I cannot see myself using the lens wide open for such shots.


With regards to bokeh, it's the reason I consider this a portrait lens first, macro second. The bokeh and the OOF transition are delicious. Example including small fluff ball attached:


One can see the slightest traces of green fringing in the background OOF edges. For a bunch of additional samples, the Single in challenge album is here.

All in all, I would certainly recommend this lens, if you can find one. Even though I have some minor quibbles, I am rather impressed - to the point where I don't feel the need to get any other "regular" macro lens (FA* 200/4, specialty 2:1 macros or similar oddities notwithstanding). I wouldn't have felt the need for a dedicated portrait lens either, were it not for finding a FA 77 at a very, very low price.


I think that not giving this lens a "10" score would get close to the realm of asking the impossible, or wanting the lens to be something which it is not, so a 10 it is - though I'd rate it more of a 9.5 (purely because of Tamron not making a stabilized, in-lens motor, WR version of this venerable yet fantastic optical formula).
   
Forum Member

Registered: March, 2008
Location: Kyiv
Posts: 69

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 19, 2019 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharpness, overall picture quality, price.
Cons: Noisy AF, not 1:1 Macro, not easy to find.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-30   

I was looking for a short telephoto AF lens for portraits/flowers for a long time and Pentax doesn't provide much choice here.

Tamron 90/2.5 was purchased spontaneously after using MF Tamron adaptall for couple of days (that lens is also good but manual focusing is a pain and 90% of photos are vasted due to back/front focusing).

Build quality is great, in most situations (except close focusing) front lens is located deep inside so you don’t need lens hood or filters. Full/limit AF option is very useful. This lens is only 1:2 Macro so if you need true macro lens you'd better search for Pentax100/2.8, Tamron90/2.8 or something like that.

AF is noisy, sometimes can hunt but overall is better then I expected, no front of back focusing even wide open.

Picture quality: it's great, especially when we are talking about less then 200USD lens. It's sharp enough wide open and very sharp at 5.6 but not to harsh. Bokeh... I like this type of bokeh, not too dirty, not too "boring".

Overall this lens is a very pleasant surprise and if you are looking for not expensive AF portrait lens - this lens will provide you much more you can expect.
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2016
Posts: 22

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 25, 2018 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp - wide open, macro, fast ( f2.5 )...well- built-in AF ( in compare to a adaptall version )
Cons: noisy AF, AF can hunt a little, AF not always is accurate, weak plastic sun hood
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-70   

I have the pleasure to be the first to review this rare lense.

Well there's not much to find in the internet about this lense. So when I found it on e-bay, I decided to buy it.

I made few test and I think I can write a little review for you guys.

At first feel free to visit my FB page to find more Pentax photos ( also made with this lense )

https://www.facebook.com/M.Farbiszewski/


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharpness.

As most of the real Macro lenses, this one is razor sharp from wide open... sometimes even too sharp for portraits but that's not a problem.
I compared it to a two lenses: Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 (set at 70mm ) and a Samyang 85 f/1.4. Both of those lenses are known to be very sharp.


So here's comparisons ( cropped images - for pixel peepers )


Here's the basic photo ( Tamron 90mm f/2.5 / f/5.6, 30% of full size of image ) :


Wasn't post-process at all ( same as the samples below )



As you can see Tamron 70-200 is just a little bit sharper at f2.8 but from f4 to a f5.6 Tamron 90 beat the Tamron 70-200 in sharpness:






Also there's bit more CA visible in Tamron 70-200



What about Samyang 85 f/1.4 vs Tamron 90 f/2.5?

Samyang is a bit sharper at f/2.5 and much more sharper at f/2.8 but also Samyang suffer with visible CA





From f/5.6 Tamron 90 is a bit softer or at least sharp the same as Samyang 85.




Autofocus
Biggest positive is that...it works. Nice there is AF limit to make it work a bit faster. It's pretty noisy and has a tendency to hunt a bit and somethimes it's not very accurate... Anyway it still works. I would rate it 7/10


Abberations:

Some visible - nothing to worry about. I may say it's almost CA free.


Bokeh

Well I never know how to rate it. Well bokeh is nice but i much more prefer creamy bokeh from Pentax-A 50mm f1.7.

All shots taken at f/2.5





Handling
Well it's mid size lense. I may say it's rather small than big. Feels just fine. Anyway the sun hood feels weak - but it works as it should and it's convertible so I won't change it to any other ( screwed on filter ).

Macro

The macro is 1:2 so i would say it's much more like VERY close focusing. It's useful if you bought the lense for general purpose ( portraits etc. ). If you need something "more macro" try Tamron 90 f2.8 or Tamron Adaptall f2.5 ( manual ) or Sigma 70 f2.8.


I think it's great lens. The biggest positives are that's pretty fast ( f2.5 ), sharp and has AF... who needs anything else?

Some samples:






https://www.facebook.com/M.Farbiszewski/
Add Review of Tamron SP AF Macro 1:2 (52EP) 90mm F2.5



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