As a die hard Canon fanatic this
is a bit tough to write. For quite
some time my normal working set up was two 5D MKII's, one fitted with a 24-70 L
and the other with the remarkable new version of the 70-200 f/2.8 II. This lens is hands down the sharpest
lens I’ve ever used on a digital camera body. This includes the wide array of Mamiya lenses we have in the
cage for the students and faculty at the school.
While shooting Chicago Ideas
Week last fall, I used the new 70-200 for some formal portraits and I actually
ended up softening them just a tad before delivering them as the level of
detail is incredible and to be perfectly honest a bit rude! You can click here to see some of these images.
When Canon announced a
replacement for the 24-70 f/2.8 L, I quickly got my ducks in a row as I wanted
to be first in line for a full range ‘normal’ zoom on the same level as the new
version of the 70-200 in sharpness, contrast and focus speed. I even sold off my 24-70 and one of my
5D MKII camera bodies before the official announcement of the new zoom and the
MKIII.
And right after the
announcement, came the price…..
Keep in mind I have an amazing
wife (married 18 years yesterday!) two kids, a house and am already driving a 17 year old Saturn…there was
no way I would be able to swing the $2300.00 price tag. I was encouraged a couple weeks prior
to Canons announcement when Tamron announced they would be replacing the widely popular (and honestly quite sharp, especially for the price tag) 28-75mm
f/2.8. The replacement would be a
24-70, boast a constant f/2.8 aperture and VC, something that Canon and Nikon
have not been able to provide in this focal length and speed at any cost.
My lens came a couple weeks ago
and I have to say I am quite impressed.
While this isn't a technical review, DxOmark and Lensrental.com already
do a fantastic job reviewing, I'm hoping to give some valuable insight from
several shoots. I have been toting
the lens with my on everything from formal shoots to trips to the grocery store
and here are my thoughts.
1) The damn focus and zoom rings
are both reversed in placement and direction. Thanks Tamron! At times I feel like I'm getting
seasick! It is getting better but
it's tough to go between two lenses if I'm shooting at an event.
2) The zoom ring (once it is
going in the right direction) is stiff, but not unusable and I probably
wouldn't mention it, except everyone who plays with it has said something about it
so I thought I better.
3) The 82mm filter ring - I
know, I know, the more glass the merrier - but it sure would have been nice for my big 'ole 77mm
multicoated B+W polarizer to work on this lens. The 82mm B+W is more then my Saturn is worth, so I think I'm
going to have to rely on post production for this one.
Honestly,
this is all the bad news, not a whole lot. With the exception of Zeiss, I have not
been a fan of third party lenses much, but this one is an exception. The build quality, while not quite up
to that of the 24-70 f/2.8 Canon, is remarkable robust and solid. I would not think twice about throwing
it over my shoulder for a week or two, in and out of cars, and even to the
grocery store and dry cleaners.
The shade fits on tightly and is not prone to knocking off, although it
could stand to be a tad deeper just for physical protection for the massive
front element.
Another improvement over the
original Canon version is the weather sealing, I've never thought it was that
much of a necessity but dust itself is such a killer in this digital world that
an extra tight seal is welcomed.
If you check out my test photos, it is very handy for a sudden and
unexpected downpour as well.
While all of this is important,
it is how the lens looks that justifies its price tag. Using my original Canon
24-70 as a benchmark, this lens is an improvement. There is some chromatic aberration mostly in high key/high contrast, it is managable in Lightroom though. At the wide end they seem to be closely matched to the Canon
version but the long end is where I was always looking for an improvement and the
Tamron really delivers. Sharp and
contrasty through the entire range, solid f/2.8 is nice and and VR is a
welcomed addition.
I just got back from a week in Paris (France...not Paris IL) and I took this lens, my G1x and a half frame Canon Demi, look for more images and thoughts about this lens soon.
Nicely done Tamron!
