Im using this lens on my Sony a99 II. I have at least 8 lenses in my regular rotation. This one immediately became my favorite. I paid $228 for this used lens, but I dont see any sign of it having been used. One of my favorite features is how well the auto-focus responds on my Sony a-99 II. The photo quality is excellent--as good as from my Zeiss and Sony-G lenses. I chose a macro lens of this size for the bokeh effect in portraits, and this lens delivers much better results than I had hoped for. I used this lens to photograph a school basketball game and the auto-focus was fast and accurate enough to capture some stunning action images. However, this lens does not have the speed and accuracy of a lens designed for fast-action sports. Its not designed for that--but its nice to have that option.
Jeanne
5
Im new to the DSLR world and have a Nikon D7000, Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime, a Sigma 17-50 2.8, and Tokina 11-16 2.8. I like to do garden and food photos and this was the lens I finally decided upon. I compared the Nikon 105 2.8 and the Sigma 150 as well as the Tamron 90mm. I just got it today, poped it on the camera and went to the local garden nursery for a trial spin. The focus isnt as noisy or as loud as I was afraid it would be and auto focus seemed to work fairly well (appx 70 percent of my shots were in focus). The lens does extend with focus, but the barrel does not turn so polarizing filters would work. It feels decent in the hand and the weight is pretty minimal. I pulled up the photos in Lightroom and was impressed with the quality and sharpness for my first time handheld shots. I think I am going to have some fun with this lens. Ill update my review with time. 5/4/13 Day two with this lens and I went to manual focusing which is much easier than I thought it would be, funny because everything is so automated these days, I forgot that my eyes work just fine. My photos from today are already tons better than yesterday. When Amazon fixes the customer photo share, Ill put some up. 6/18/13 Wow, I am really impressed with this lens. I used it as a telephoto at a local event on an aerialist at our local botanical garden and I LOVE the results.
Richard J.
5
I just received this lens today and after initially checking the lens for any focus problems with a Datacolor Lens Cal (fortunately there werent any) I made a short field trip to try this lens out. I was very happy with the results. In my title I mentioned some quirks that this lens has and if you decide to buy one pay close attention to instructions, especially if you buy this for a Pentax or Sony. First is the ridiculous way the lens has to be changed from AF to manual. To put it into manual the focus ring has to be pulled backwards then the camera has to be set to manual focus. I dont know why when the focus ring is pulled back the screw dive doesnt disengage but thats the way it is designed. If you dont put the camera in MF and you try to focus the lens and/or the camera can be damaged. This is mentioned in the instructions and this little fact should be high lighted much better. The limiter is very good though. For general photography set it to full. If you want 1:1 the distance scale has to set to .29 meters then set the limiter. This prevents hunting. The range here is from .29 to .4 meters, where at .29 its 1:1, at .35 the image size is 1:2. For normal photos the distance scale has to set at .45 then set the limiter. Be aware with this setting you cant do close up or macro but it will reduce hunting. On the very positive side this lens is incredibly sharp, even at 2.8 and as that nut case Kai on Digital Rev would say it is "bokehlicous". Especially for closeups good bokeh is essential this lens delivers. I couldnt get any high contrast pics because of cloud cover and haze so I cant comment on CAs but Photozone does give this lens very high marks. They did test it on a K-5. The contrast and color seem to be very good too but because current weather conditions Ill have to wait a few days to check again. Finally, I did buy this lens used and was rated "like new" and it is. Beautiful condition, nary a mark on it including the mount. That pleases me immensely as well as the excellent price.
Rojaslaz
5
great GREAT lens. Tried last night with my 2 year old and here are some results. I love how sharp the focus areas are and how incredibly creamy and delightful the out of focus areas areas. The lens feels great in my hands and its a great compliment for my canon 7d. Looking forward to using this glass for portrait and DSLR film scanning
Gayleonthego
5
I use this A-mount lens with my Sony LA-EA3 adapter on my Sony A6500 camera to take macro shots, mostly of flowers at this point. I bought it used and the condition looks pristine and could easily pass as new. I have used it only as MF but exposures are automatic. It will not AF with the EA3 and I will use the EA4 if I want AF. At first I ordered a 50mm Sigma Macro lens and after trying it out I returned it because the working distance was just too short. I cant even imagine how useless a 30mm macro lens would be! I am very pleased with the Tamron 90mm Macro!
Lonny Reams
5
UPDATE: After receiving a refund from Amazon I ordered this lens again from another seller. The first seller sent me a lens for a Nikon instead of a Canon. The second order was a much better experience. It arrived in perfect condition and in its original box in perfect working order. Thank you, Amazon for taking care of my return and refund. Now on to the lens review. I love it. Macro pictures are tack sharp, although you WILL need a good tripod, flash (when indoors) and a remote shutter release to minimise camera shake when focusing in at minimum distance, as this lens doesnt have any built in stabilization. When opened up all the way, the focal length is super thin (as is common with all macro photography) but this lens image quality is best at around between f/5 and f/9 so that helps widen that focal length a bit. I look forward to image stacking! I cant wait for spring, to get this lens out in the garden for some great macro shots. This lens also is WONDERFUL at taking portraits. Extremely clean and sharp subjects with beautifuly smooth bokeh in the background. A huge bonus for a lens designed for 1:1 macro photography. I am a landscape artist and am pleased with this lens sharp pictures when taking landscapes. Being able to zoom into a picture to pick out fine details is essential to the type of photo realistic painting I do, and this lens gets the job done quite well. Allot had been said about the autofocus of this lens. Its an older lens so yes its slower than many newer models, and yes you can hear it. I wouldnt call it loud but it would definitely be an annoyance when filming. But I didnt buy this lens to film anything. When I shoot macro I never, ever use autofocus. And its more than fast enough when taking portraits and landscapes, but not something you want to shoot sports with. For what I purchased this lens for, macro, portrait and landscape photography, it excels wonderfully. And at its price point ($219 used) it is an absolute bargain. Like getting three top grade lenses in one. Great lens!!! ****** End of Update ****** Previous review...... I received a lens that would not fit onto my Canon T6I, plus the center of the back end of it was tilted to one side. Im not sure if this was a defective product or if I was shipped a model meant for a different brand of camera. Either way, Amazon is in the process of making things right. Im shipping it back, free of charge and will receive a full refund shortly. Prime membership does have its advantages!
Photo_Guy
5
Lens comes in a variety of formats, Canon, Nikon, etc. Mine was for a Sony A-Mount (SLT-A77v) camera. The Sony version is a little different as far as switching from manual to AF but its not a big deal. First I went the way of extension tubes, magnifying diopters, etc. Those will work but they dont measure up to a dedicated macro. I spent a lot (a really lot) of time reading reviews and comparing the various options for macro lenses and was down to either this one or the Sony 100mm f/2.8 that was more $$$. I decided on the Tamron because of the macro pictures I saw primarily on Flickr. The images were sharp, good contrast, and no apparent aberrations I could tell anyway. The lens didnt disappoint. The clarity of the macro is pretty amazing. Ive uploaded a couple of pictures to the customer images part including a moth with amazing detail. Very happy with the lens and would recommend for anyone wanting a great macro capable lens.
johnnyb588
5
The sharpness of this lens simply blows me away. I do a lot of macro work in wedding photography for my business, but I also love taking this lens out for simple hobby days in nature. The macro capabilities of this lens are second to none in this focal range, and the performance/price ratio simply cant be beat. A lot of the other reviews have already hit on the highs and lows of the lens, so I wont waste your time by saying the same things over again. When I was making my macro choice, the two options I landed on were this Tamron and Canons 100mm L. I had worked a lot with the Canon 100mm L before (borrowing, renting), and the performance was splendid. It truly is a remarkable lens. However, after a session with the Tamron, comparing the Tamron and the Canon side by side, and researching photos/reviews on the web, I found that I could not justify the extra expense for the L glass. The greatest advantages the L has are the autofocus and weather sealing, in my opinion, and neither of those matter to me as I use manual focus for nearly all of my macro shots and Im not doing the sort of nature photography that makes weather sealing imperative. I would recommend this lens in a heartbeat as a primary macro lens and an interesting portraiture lens as well.
Melissa in Houston
5
After purchasing my first DSLR earlier this year, I found I really love taking pics of bugs, blades of grass, flowers, drops of water, and so on. I found this lens on Amazon first and then went to my favorite lens review site to check their verdict. It received 4 stars for optical quality (and isnt that the most important thing), 3.5 stars for mechanical performance, and 5 stars for performance value. So with that review I decide to purchase. I dont really feel I can say much more about this lens than what has been said in multiple reviews both on Amazon and lens review sites. Yes it is cheap, but not all of us can see the point in spending more than this on a lens for our hobby. And I think that is who Tamron (and other 3rd party manufacturers) are really making these lenses for - those of us who love photography but just dont have the expendable income for an "L"-type lens. Negatives? Ive read a lot of reviews where it is said that the lens "feels" cheaply made. Im very new to the world of lenses, but I can say this one at least "feels" better (more sturdy) than my kit lens (which feels very cheap). There is the noisy auto-focusing as others have mentioned. It is almost like a "clicking" as well as the sound of gears moving. This made me very nervous when I first heard and felt it, but its not present in manual mode which where I have mainly used it. As long as this is limited to the autofocus mechanism and the quality of my photos is not affected I can overlook it. To sum this up, as a person new to both DSLRs and macro photography, I feel this is a very good purchase. Most reviews of the picture quality of the lens are very positive with the mechanical quality being its main drawback. At this point in my photography, I feel that lens quality is much more important than the noise from a focus mechanism. And if in the next year I decide I dont like this lens or macro work? The used ones sell at close to the price of the lens new.
Jeff Czaja
5
Well I picked this up during Christmas season for my gift. I know, I know...lets get on with the review. Ok...simply put this is a great lens. I love taking macro pictures and needed a dedicated macro lens (note if the lens is not a 1:1 it is not a true macro). It is the middle of winter here in the Chicagoland area, so there are no flowers or bugs to take photos of. This is when I discovered that when people call this the portrait macro they are not lying. This lens takes beautiful portrait shots. Beautiful bokeh. Now to talk about what others say about this lens. I do not mind the manual/auto focus clutch ring. I actually like it quite a bit. The only thing that I noticed is a touch of focus creep sometimes when I am zoomed in fully on a close subject. Thats my only complaint. Cant wait for winter to go away and I can get my macro on! I would recommend this lens with no reservations...a great lens and a pretty good price.
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