Saturday, May 14, 2016

Testing – Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro VC USD (F017)

First of all I am not at all technical person / photographer....so do not expect a very high end / technical review / testing of this lens. I am Tamron lover and using Tamron lenses since 1996 till date, and I love all my Tamron lenses from my bottom of heart. At the same time I am not a professional photographer so I do not have any access to many other lenses, so frankly I can not compare this lens with any other brand's macro lenses.  But at the same time I have used Tamron 90 mm Macro (Non VC version - Model 172E) for 6/7 years,  Tamron 180 mm Macro (Model B01) for more than 6 years and now using 90 mm VC macro (Mode F004) which is predecessor of this lens for nearly 3 years. I am pretty much happy with my 90 mm VC (F004) but when i got this new 90 mm VC (F017) which is more robust, beautifully designed with top class finishing and some superior and much needed features for real nature / wildlife photographers. 

Here are few key features of the new upgraded lens which is in SP series (Super Performance) :
  • Outstanding Depictive Capabilities and Anti-reflection Efficiency
  • Featuring VC with Shift Compensation
  • Optimally Tuned USD Actuator for Macro Photography with Manual Override for Instantaneous Focus Control
  • Moisture-Proof and Dust-Resistant Construction
  • Reduction in Flare and Ghosting: Superiority of eBAND Coating
  • Optimized for spectacular background blur effects (bokeh)
  • A durable Fluorine Coating on the front element repels water and fingerprints
  • Use of circular aperture to achieve beautiful, rounded blur effects (bokeh)
  • Compatibility with TAMRON TAP-in Console

Of course I have not tested for all the features, but the superior VC and faster Auto Focus even in low light is surely amazing. Here are few test shots using this lens

(All photos were clicked with Nikon D7100 DSLR body)



(Gulbakshi flower pollens - Mirabilis jalapa)
(f9,1/100, ISO 400, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)

(f8,1/320, ISO 400, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)

(f8,1/320, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)


(f16,1/60, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)


(f16,1/80, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)

(Bee on Mango Flowers)
(f16,1/100, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)


(f3.5,1/2000, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)


(f14,1/125, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)


(f18,1/80, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)


(f14,1/160, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, No flash)


(f14,1/800, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)

(Scale Insect on Rose Leaf - heavily cropped)
(f13,1/60, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Handheld, Built in flash)

Soon monsoon will hit our forest and then there will be blooming on wild flora and many tiny & colorful beasts will appear. So I will post some additional images from real / wild places like Yeoor, Nagla, Matheran, Phansad, Goa or Amboli. This particular macro lens was given by Tamron, India so there were lots of restrictions on testing in wild n outdoors. But I think soon I will buy one for me personally along with Nikon D500 and the I will upload few more stunning shots.... till then keep connected .... and keep commenting.

Yuwaraj Gurjar