The first reviews of the two new 35mm and 45mm f/1.8 full frame Tamron lenses with Vibration Compensation are now available online (both priced at $599, shipping starts on September 29th):
“I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the full-frame Nikon D810$2,996.95 at Dell. At f/1.8 the lens exhibits excellent sharpness, scoring 2,848 lines per picture height on a center-weighted test. That’s better than the 1,800 lines we like to see in an image. Sharpness does drop as you move away from the center of the frame; at the edges the lens shows 2,420 lines, which is a 15 percent decrease, but details are still crisp to my eye. You can comfortably frame subjects at the edge without worrying about clarity.” (PCmag on the Tamron 35mm f/1.8 lens)
“I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the full-frame Nikon D810$2,996.95 at Dell. At f/1.8 the lens scores 2,822 lines per picture height on our standard center-weighted sharpness test—that’s much better than the 1,800 lines we like to see in a photo. There is a drop in clarity at the edges of the frame, but they’re still decently crisp at 2,143 lines. There’s not much improvement at f/2, but the score improves to 3,189 lines at f/2.8, with edges still lagging behind the razor-sharp center and mid parts of the frame.” (PCmag on the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 lens)
“Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD verdict: Tamron has created an excellent lens which is certainly more than capable of delivering excellent results in a wide range of conditions. It sports premium features such as weather sealing, exotic optical coatings and Vibration Compensation in a reasonably lightweight body. In time, as the price drops away from the initial launch RRP, this lens may start to represent better value for money. At the moment, this is the only thing that blots an otherwise clean copy-book. Travellers, in particular, will appreciate the relative light weight for its size, Vibration Compensation, weather sealing and robust build. Whether that is worth paying, will be down to the individual.” (Ephotozine)
“The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is a more affordable alternative to the OEM offerings from Nikon and Canon and the class-leading Sigma 35mm Art lens, with the added benefits of an effective image stabilisation system and weather-sealing. It can’t quite match the Sigma lens for outright image quality, though, and the f/1.8 maximum aperture isn’t as fast as its main rivals, so you need to decide which features are most important and just how much money you’re prepared to spend on a premium 35mm lens.” (Photographyblog on the Tamron 35mm f/1.8 lens)
“Eventually it all depends on the price tag. Tamron surely scores off the competition a little bit with their two new lenses. Of course we are talking about bits and bobs at a high quality level. Nevertheless Tamron has succeeded in setting a whole new dimension regarding the quality standard of camera lenses. Both new lenses are absolutely high-end and provide outstanding quality even for megapixel-monster cameras.” (krolop-gerst)
“Overall, I’ve found the lenses to be rather impressive, especially when you consider the $600 price tag. That puts it right at the same price point as the Nikon 35mm F/1.8 (which lacks image stabilization) and the Canon 35mm F/2 IS, which is a little bit slower and lacks the close-focusing capabilities of the new Tamrons.” (Popphoto)
“To suppress ghosting and flare, Tamron has applied both eBAND (extended bandwidth and angular-dependency) and BBAR (broad-band anti-reflection) coatings to critical elements to reduce reflections and provide maximum light transmission. This reduces internal reflections that can cause ghosting and flare to a minimum.” (layersmagazine)
“Finally, and probably most importantly, Tamron included what I consider to be the best optical stabilization available, Vibration Compensation, in both the 35mm and the 45mm. This is a big deal, as getting super-reliable image stabilization allows you 3.5 additional stops of light when shooting hand held. Shakey hands or minute vibrations to a tripoded camera are nothing to worry about with these new Tamron SP lenses.” (resourcemagonline)
“Taking a page out of Sigma’s book, Tamron is revamping their higher-end ‘SP’ line of premium lenses, starting with a pair of fast, ƒ/1.8 image stabilized prime lenses. The longer 45mm ƒ/1.8 VC prime offers an excellent balance of affordable price and image quality. Furthermore, the Tamron 45mm ƒ/1.8 VC, maintain this low price while including lots of high-end features only seen on pro lenses at double the price, such as weather sealing, all-metal barrel construction and fluorine-coated lenses. Add in the as-yet unmatched image stabilization and you have a very compelling lens.” (SLRgear)
Check also this interview with the designers of the new Tamron lenses.
Hands-on video and VC test of the new Tamron lenses: