New year goodies should come in red, but mine will all be black. Ok, with a bit of gold, and the one with a bit of red will arrive... soon?
For a start, my goodies should come in 2 parts. (hint hint) This is the first major upgrade - the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II Aspherical IF. Try saying that in one breath. This is the one lens that will take over my kit, and it's my 2nd lens capable of an f2.8 throughout.
There are many people looking to upgrade their kit lens, and being just 300 bucks more, one should certainly consider this lens as an option. So just how big is the improvement? When I took the first picture with this lens, I was stunned. Despite the picture being taken indoors (in the shop) without flash, the colour rendition was punchy and bright. Why couldn't i get the same picture with other lenses? I shot it at iso400.
It is only when one uses a fast lens that he realizes the advantage. No matter how great your body's high iso capability is, it is no substitute for fast glass. The subject isolation, OOF highlight rendition, it's simply one level up. For the price of SGD600, there is just no contest. Nikon's very own 17-55mm is at least 3.5 times the price for the slight improvement in optical quality. For a cheapskate like me, that lens is simply out of the question.
Reviewers like to say how much inferior the built of the lens is, compared to the rest of the competition. I'd say it's rubbish. One shouldn't compare a 600 dollar lens to a 2k+ Nikon, or a 800+ Tokina. I can break 3 tamrons before I actually match the loss of a Nikon. That is almost a 9 year warranty! (18 years, if you are in USA) Compared to a tokina 16-50, this is simply the sharper lens. You are trading image quality for build. Coming from the kit 18-70, I'd say this lens feels more solid. There is no wobble in the extension cam, unlike the shaky twin cam design of the kit. The thick rubber zoom ring has a nice tension when turned, and the focus ring is pretty damped. It is quite comparable in built to a Canon 17-85 imho, and I'm not at all worried about using this lens on my assignments.
Next, is the focus. For Nikon users, we are in luck. (Sony guys too) Tamron's own micro-motor for canon is just squeaky and slow. On my d70, I am hard pressed to find any difference between this lens and my kit. Sure it is less silent, and the moving focus ring might annoy some, but I have no complains. Hopefully, it is even more responsive on a d300 (another hint hint). Of course, these are just first impressions as i have yet to drive it hard on assignment.
Image quality is stellar for the price. I tested it extensively in the shop, bringing my laptop to view pictures at 100%. This made in Japan set has no TTL-BL overexposure syndrome, and is tack sharp, even at f2.8. No front, back focus problems too.
My remorse for selling my kit lens is pretty much gone when I tested this lens. I believe it shall be one hell of a companion in the days to come.
For a start, my goodies should come in 2 parts. (hint hint) This is the first major upgrade - the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II Aspherical IF. Try saying that in one breath. This is the one lens that will take over my kit, and it's my 2nd lens capable of an f2.8 throughout.
There are many people looking to upgrade their kit lens, and being just 300 bucks more, one should certainly consider this lens as an option. So just how big is the improvement? When I took the first picture with this lens, I was stunned. Despite the picture being taken indoors (in the shop) without flash, the colour rendition was punchy and bright. Why couldn't i get the same picture with other lenses? I shot it at iso400.
It is only when one uses a fast lens that he realizes the advantage. No matter how great your body's high iso capability is, it is no substitute for fast glass. The subject isolation, OOF highlight rendition, it's simply one level up. For the price of SGD600, there is just no contest. Nikon's very own 17-55mm is at least 3.5 times the price for the slight improvement in optical quality. For a cheapskate like me, that lens is simply out of the question.
Reviewers like to say how much inferior the built of the lens is, compared to the rest of the competition. I'd say it's rubbish. One shouldn't compare a 600 dollar lens to a 2k+ Nikon, or a 800+ Tokina. I can break 3 tamrons before I actually match the loss of a Nikon. That is almost a 9 year warranty! (18 years, if you are in USA) Compared to a tokina 16-50, this is simply the sharper lens. You are trading image quality for build. Coming from the kit 18-70, I'd say this lens feels more solid. There is no wobble in the extension cam, unlike the shaky twin cam design of the kit. The thick rubber zoom ring has a nice tension when turned, and the focus ring is pretty damped. It is quite comparable in built to a Canon 17-85 imho, and I'm not at all worried about using this lens on my assignments.
Next, is the focus. For Nikon users, we are in luck. (Sony guys too) Tamron's own micro-motor for canon is just squeaky and slow. On my d70, I am hard pressed to find any difference between this lens and my kit. Sure it is less silent, and the moving focus ring might annoy some, but I have no complains. Hopefully, it is even more responsive on a d300 (another hint hint). Of course, these are just first impressions as i have yet to drive it hard on assignment.
Image quality is stellar for the price. I tested it extensively in the shop, bringing my laptop to view pictures at 100%. This made in Japan set has no TTL-BL overexposure syndrome, and is tack sharp, even at f2.8. No front, back focus problems too.
My remorse for selling my kit lens is pretty much gone when I tested this lens. I believe it shall be one hell of a companion in the days to come.
0 comments:
Post a Comment