Lens Offerings from Tamron

Tamron is a well-established optics manufacturer that continually upgrades its lineup of photographic lenses. The latest G2 versions of the SP 24-70mm F/2.8 and SP 70-200mm F/2.8 are both geared toward the professional market, whereas the compact 70-210mm F/4 is one of Tamron’s most recent offerings for the prosumer or advanced amateur. I discussed these lenses with Jay P. Morgan, a highly successful commercial photographer and film director with clients ranging from Paramount Pictures to McDonald’s. He uses a full range of Tamron lenses in his still photography and video work.

SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032)

This lens’s versatile zoom range and wide maximum aperture make it an ideal choice for landscape, portrait and advertising photography, among other specialties. “When I’m out shooting and want to get a variety of perspectives and focal lengths, I use the 24-70mm,” says Morgan. He adds that he uses this lens when he wants to show someone in context ”” to feature the person as well as his or her surroundings. He also appreciates its fast F/2.8 maximum aperture. Morgan shoots a lot of product and lifestyle images, and he often uses the SP 24-70mm lens for this purpose. “The Tamron G2 series lenses are excellent,” he states.

“The SP 24-70mm is a very sharp lens that I’ve had no issues with,” Morgan explains. “People ask me what lens they should buy after the 50mm, and I tell them that a 24-70mm is the next lens they should get. It gives you a wider view, as well as a good focal length for photographing people.” He says that it’s a great “walk around” lens for him. This lens boasts a new Dual Micro-Processing Unit (MPU) system for quick, accurate autofocusing. It incorporates Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) system, which gives photographers five extra stops to get sharp images with a hand-held camera. Tamron’s Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency (eBAND) Coating eliminates ghosting and light flare. This lens is very durable too, with Fluorine Coating on the front element surface, making it water- and oil-repellant.

The Tamron SP 24-70mm G2 is available in Canon and Nikon mounts for $1199.00.

SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A025)

Morgan praises this latest-generation telephoto zoom, saying, “It’s an absolutely fabulous lens for several reasons.” First of all, the long telephoto length and wide maximum aperture allow him to isolate a person while the background falls out of focus. “The F/2.8 aperture gives me beautiful bokeh, and the autofocus is extremely fast,” he remarks. “It also has VC, so I can hand-hold my camera.” Tamron’s VC system has three modes: Mode 1 offers a balance between the stability of the viewfinder image and stabilizing effects; Mode 2 is designed for panning; and Mode 3 prioritizes stabilization of the captured image rather than the viewfinder image.

Morgan says that he gets beautiful color rendition with this lens. “I really like the way that it performs all the way around. It has great applications for photographing people and fashion, as well as landscapes.” He likes the compression effect ”” or flattening of perspective ”” that this telephoto lens offers and its ability to bring distant objects in close. The SP 70-200mm F/2.8 lens is also compatible with Tamron 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters, which increase the focal length to 1.4 times and 2 times the original focal length, respectively.

He often uses the SP 70-200mm lens in his video work and says that it’s a great companion to the 24-70mm. “The wider focal length allows me to take in more of an office scene, for example, while the 70- 200mm enables me to get the tighter shots.” Some of this lens’s new features include eBAND Coating to prevent lens flare, Fluorine Coating and Moisture-proof and Dust-resistant Construction. As with the SP 24-70mm, this lens has a five-stop VC capability. A Full-time Manual Focus override mechanism enables photographers to make fine focus adjustments manually without having to switch the AF-MF mode back and forth.

The SP 70-200mm is available in Canon and Nikon mounts for $1299.00.

70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD (Model A034)

This telephoto zoom lens is compact and reasonably priced. Morgan recently used it extensively on a landscape photography tour that he led, and he describes the 70-210mm as an ideal choice for the prosumer or advanced amateur market. “I was extremely impressed with how sharp it was,” he says, “and how easy it was to use.” He says that it’s an excellent choice for travel because of its light weight and compact size. The 70-210mm weighs just 30.3 ounces and is 6.9 inches long (Canon) and 30 ounces and 6.8 inches long (Nikon).

It offers a consistent maximum aperture of F/4 throughout its zoom range. Because of an internal zoom mechanism, the physical length of this lens doesn’t change during zooming. It incorporates a Dual MPU design for quick, accurate autofocusing and VC to deliver sharp images in handheld shooting situations.

Geared for outdoor photography, this lens is dust- and moisture-resistant. An Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) mechanism delivers fast, quiet camera operation, and its best-in-class close focusing capability (37.4″) makes the lens very versatile, as you can capture close-up images at a 1:3.1 maximum magnification ratio. As with the SP 70-200mm, this telephoto zoom is compatible with Tamron 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters for added reach.

The 70-210mm F/4 is available in Canon and Nikon mounts for $799.00.

For more information on Tamron products, visit www.tamron-usa.com. To see more of Jay P. Morgan’s work, go to www.jaypmorgan.com.