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pans007
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Registered: Mar 4, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 52
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Review Date: Jul 13, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good IQ and Sharp
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Cons:
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Bought it new and had to send it to Tamron for focusing issue. Slow AF and Hunt a lot.
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 Jul 13, 2009
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08ese
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Registered: May 31, 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 31, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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The photos!! A great all rounder lens, for general use. great for intside work too.
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Cons:
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SLOW to focus, noisy as hell, hunts a lot.
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once i got over the lenghthy slow focusing... and the way the lens can hunt around. it actually surprised the hell out of me, the clarity, the colours.... wow!
to get the hairs on a caterpillar, only 20mm long...
seen here..
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/3572162687_f09433e874.jpg
best lens i have now 
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May 31, 2009
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Badmono
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Registered: Mar 10, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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A great macro lens - good VFM
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Cons:
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None
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I was offered this by a friend who was getting a Canon macro, I wasn't a big Macro fan but the price was right so I bought it - what the hell, you know that must have it, gut feeling.
Well what do you know, I regularly use this lens and love the results - ultra sharp with great colours, it's opened up a whole new and fascinating world of ugly creepy crawlies for me to explore and photograph - And I love it.
>
I have to say If it wasn't for the price I'd never have bought a macro lens, but now I have one it's here to stay:-)))
>
Try one - like me you may love it;-)
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Mar 20, 2009
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NikonianBG
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Registered: Jan 27, 2009
Location: Bulgaria
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 27, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Sharp, lightweight, nice colors somewhat to the warm side
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Cons:
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Noisy, focus slow and hunts, pronounced chromatic aberrations before f5.6
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A very nice lens for portraits in good light conditions. Lack of stabilization for macro is a minus for me and I usually don’t use it for that purpose. The bokeh is nice, has focus limiter. If you cannot afford something more expensive and if you are willing to swallow its negative traits, go and buy one.
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Jan 27, 2009
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chylld
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Registered: Dec 8, 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 9, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $650.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp, smooth focus ring action
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Cons:
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Barrel extends alot when focusing closer, AF doesn't work on my sample
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Awesome lens, definitely the best in my bag at the moment. AF broken on my sample (my D90 doesn't recognise it as an AF lens) but the shop is replacing it this weekend.
The shots that come through this lens are absolutely stunning. Colours, sharpness, and especially bokeh are amazing. Haven't done much portraiture work with it yet since I'm using it on a crop sensor and MF isn't easy to use with impatient human subjects
The included hood is nearly useless, firstly because the front element is recessed so deeply inside the lens already, and secondly at 1:1 the hood will probably bump part of your object or something around it.
I was choosing between this and the Sigma 105mm macro; both excellent performers at the top of their class, but this one was about $100 cheaper and much easier to find.
Highly recommended!
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Dec 9, 2008
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LMT1972
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Registered: Oct 26, 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 210
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Review Date: Nov 6, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $650.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, contrasty, and light. Build is decent and price is very good.
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Cons:
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Has some CA up to f8 on high contrast edges but really only noticeable at 100%.
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My main macro lens. It's sharp and light so I use it handheld 90% of the time. Sharpness is very good even at small apertures (f20-32). Optimum sharpness on the D300 is between f8-14 range @ 1:1 and it's pretty good at wider apertures for portrait shots. Bokeh is excellent and probably close to the 70-200VR IMO. I have used it extensively with Kenko tubes (2x) and with the Kenko 1.4 TC & reversed 50 1.8 with excellent results up to 2.5x mag @ f20. I've found the working distance is fine for most subjects even with the tubes attached (about 70mm). The front element is recessed about 40mm inside the barrel so don't even worry about the hood, it's not needed.
I find the AF/Manual clutch arrangement quite good and means you can change very quickly from AF to manual if needed. The AF is slow & does hunt a bit with low contrast subjects but I have used it to capture bees in flight on my D70s so it is capable with some practice.
People say the build quality is not great on this lens but I've found it quite solid and while it's not as good as the Nikkor 105VR I'm sure in 10-15 years time it will still be going strong.
The only improvement Tamron could make with this lens would be to make it IF rather than the extending barrel arrangement.
Overall a superb lens. Buy one, you'll be impressed.
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Nov 6, 2008
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tonymgr1710
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Registered: Mar 23, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $285.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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A smooth focusing, and easy to change from manual to auto focus. A crisp image at the end
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Cons:
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Haven't found any yet, and not expecting to
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Nov 3, 2008
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marcelotk
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Registered: Mar 2, 2005
Location: Brazil
Posts: 63
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Review Date: Oct 31, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp and lightweight
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Cons:
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The focus is a bit slow but it's not an issue here
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It's a nice surprise to see how sharp and contrasty this lens is.
It handle very well on my D200 and the focus ring is smooth making the MF work for macro photography easier.
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Oct 31, 2008
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lextalionis
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Registered: Jul 28, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 853
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Review Date: Jun 12, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $380.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp and good color
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Cons:
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Lot of plastic, slow AF, no IF (trombones)
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This is probably the only Tamron I will ever buy. It's a very good macro and portrait lens. Once you overcome some of its weaknesses it will serve you well at decent price.
Here are some shots taken with a Pentax K100D:
Sample Shots
-Roy
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Jun 12, 2008
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robeede
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Registered: May 10, 2008
Location: N/A
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 10, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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sharp lens, excellent, creamy bokeh, a delight to use.
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Cons:
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sometimes hunts for focus; shallow depth of field at macro distance; sharpness drops off dramatically below f8; variable minimum aperture at macro.
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A great lens i'd highly recommend. I actually prefer it over the Nikon 105mm VR due to price, and also because the sharpness is almost the same, and i find the 90mm easier to use w/ digital than the 105mm.
Overall a great lens: the creamy bokeh makes flowers, butterflies, etc. stand out and look great.
I find the manual/auto push pull to take a couple times to get used to, but it soon becomes a no brainer.
At macro, depth of field is always a problem- stopping down doesn't help because beyond f8 the sharpness rapidly deteriorates.
I got the Tamron $90 rebate, a great plus, and received it with in 2 weeks of filing for it!
Overall I'm very pleased with this lens, it is a great addition.
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May 10, 2008
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danbachmann
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Registered: Nov 15, 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 16, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $475.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent sharpness - even wide open, great bokeh, durable, light weight
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Cons:
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no silent focus (ie: USM/SDM) option
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This lens impressed me with film and has completely spoiled me with digital. I have been searching for years for lenses that are of such quality and have found nothing.
It is excellent as a portrait lens, which I understand is rare for a macro since the bokeh on most macro lenses is not as smooth as you will find on this model. Most of the shots I take with this lens are not macro and most of what I take with this lens ends up being keepers.
(note price paid was actually £299 - about $475 at the time)
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Mar 16, 2008
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Teru Kage
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Registered: Oct 29, 2007
Location: China
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Nov 7, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $295.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very sharp.
Nice Bokeh.
Excellent value.
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Cons:
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Plasticky feel (but light because of this).
The AF/MF push/pull switch takes getting used to.
Not a constant f/2.8.
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This is a review of the SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Macro Lens 1:1
This is an excellent macro lens. Performance is great (even fantastic when considering the price) as is the image quality. Sharpness is never a problem.
Autofocus can hunt if you don't use the focus limiter, but I use mostly manual focus for macros anyways so it's not an issue for me. The push/pull design of the AF/MF switch may take getting used to, but after getting accustomed to it I've found that it makes perfect sense. When you don't want to take your eyes of off the subject, it's so much easier to grab the focus ring and push/pull then to seach for a switch at the side of the lens.
One caveat: the lens doesn't maintain a constant f/2.8 aperture. In fact, it can only maintain f/2.8 at near infinity. In most cases, f/3.3 is the largest I've been able to get. Not a problem for shooting marcos (which normally require f/8 or more) but something to keep in mind if you're thinking about using this lens for portraits (Tamron calls it the "Portrait Macro").
BTW, the photo of the lens shown above isn't the 90mm (I think it's actually the 200-500mm). For a picture of the 90mm, go to
http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/90mm.asp
Some samples for reference:
http://www.fotop.net/teruphoto/Fung_Yuen_20060430/Fung_Yuen_1579
http://www.fotop.net/teruphoto/HK_Flower_Show_2006/HKFS2006_9169
http://www.fotop.net/teruphoto/HK_Flower_Show_2006/HKFS2006_9022
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Nov 7, 2007
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