Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. Fast f/1.8 aperture Dynamic close focusing capability VC (Vibration Compensation) system Fluorine coating on front element to repel water and fingerprints High speed AF with USD (ultrasonic drive)
Used this lens recently on a newborn session. Ive never shot with the certain "Art" lens that is similar so I cant really compare, but after all of the nightmare focus stories with the "art" lens, I decided to opt for this little gem instead. So glad I did! I shot wide open at f/1.8 for most of this session and occasionally bumped up to f/2 or f/2.8. No issues whatsoever with focusing, even in dim light. The vibration control really helps in low light as well. This was paired with my Nikon D750. Cant wait to get outside and use this on some dramatic portraits! ***If this review helped you at all, please let me know by clicking "yes" below. Thanks!!!
kataphraktos
5
I wanted a 35mm prime for my D750 to use as a walk-around in street photography and while hiking, etc. Tested this Tamron against the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART and the Nikon 1.8G. The Tamron was the clear winner for my needs. Heres why: - Image Quality: Sigma is the winner for sharpness wide open and definitely better stopped down to f/1.8, but the Tamron is very good even at f/1.8. Both have a nice rendering, with the Tamron showing some CA in certain scenes but nothing that isnt easily corrected in Lightroom. Personally, I liked the Tamron colors the best, but thats pretty subjective. The Nikon was noticeably behind the other two to my eye. - Form Factor: The Nikon is the winner for portability, being almost unnoticeable on the camera, but the Tamron isnt unduly heavy and balances very nicely on my D750. The Sigma, on the other hand, is kind of a brick for my uses; if only in studio and other controlled settings, it wouldnt have bothered me as much. - Autofocus: The Nikon was the fastest, but the Tamron is fast enough and very accurate. I eventually did an in-camera autofocus fine tune of +2 but it was very good out of the box. The Sigma was slow and not as consistent as the other two, at least in the copy I rented to test. - Build Quality: The Sigma feels solid, but the Tamron feels and looks better, and the fluorine coating really works if you get caught in the wet. Manual focus on the Tamron is a joy thanks to the long, precise throw and stiff action of the focus ring. You also get some weather resistance in the Tamron, which is not the case with the Sigma or Nikon rivals. The Nikon, like all the 1.8G primes, is solid but doesnt really feel so to me. - Features: Heres where the Tamron really shines: I dont use the vibration compensation a lot on a wide prime like this, but when you need it its great to have and works really well. Great for things like photography in dimly lit cathedrals and the like without needing to break out a tripod or monopod. The best feature of the Tamron, however, has been the incredibly short minimum focus distance--it will focus accurately to within a couple of inches of the outer lens element. Basically gives you a quasi-macro capability without having to tote a macro around, which Ive found very useful and a lot of fun when hiking or walking around town with it. The VC and near-macro capability really increase your creative possibilities with this lens, which is what I wanted. - Other: Six year warranty is pretty awesome. Thats it; I love this thing and am thrilled with the purchase--so much so that Ill probably add the Tamron 85mm f/1.8 at some point soon.
Chris Stanton
5
Wow. Im speechless. Between the incredible close-distance focusing, and the downright crazy sharpness at just about every aperture, I am blown away. Ive always been a fan of Tamron, because of their excellent VC (not sure how I can ever shoot without it now), but this is on a whole new level. Tamron already offered great optical quality for the price, but with this its just a no-brainer. Ive been shooting non-stop for the last 48 hours because of how nice this makes everything look (shooting it on my full-frame d750). Build quality and fit/finish are superb. This lens just feels great, and balances very nicely on modern DSLR bodies. Its like it was custom-designed for my d750! Seriously, just try it. If youre unsure, try it and see. Id be very surprised if you werent incredibly pleased with the results. Now if only theyd make an 85mm iteration...hint hint Tamron...
Mitch
5
This is a fantastic lens all around. Im a hybrid photographer/cinematographer and the VC on this is exceptional. I can get regularly capture sharp hand-held exposures of 1sec. It is tack sharp on my bodies without any adjustment necessary. The close focusing distance was another main selling point. The ability to shoot subjects just inches from the lens lends itself well to my creativity.
Goose
5
This lens is great so far! Focuses nice and quick and the results are sharp. I decided to go with this model instead of the Sigma 35 because of price and vibration compensation. I cant imagine the Sigma being much better and probably isnt noticeable unless youre pixel peeping. Tamron has been killing it with their lenses lately. I also have the 15-30mm, 70-200mm and 150-600mm. I love their lenses!
bruce
3
The factory calibration was terrible. Ive never had a lens that was so poorly calibrated. At first the best I could do was with in camera microfocus correction of +15, but the focus correction was range dependent so anything further than about 4 feet was still out of focus. I went ahead and order the Tap-in Dock. This wasnt easy to find since it was discontinued for Sony so I had to get one shipped from Japan on Ebay. When I finally got it calibrated the settings that worked okay were: +20 at near range, +20 at mid range, -5 at far range and also +10 in camera. (20 is the max so I need to add in camera on top of the Tap console adjustments). Before I got the focus calibrated, it was very disappointing. It would miss focus or continuously hunt. Ill see if my opinion improves now that Ive got it adjusted... Other things: the build quality is good. The manual focus ring is smooth and nice to use (had to use a lot of it when autofocus was broken). So reviews said that the coating eliminated ghosting. This wasnt my experience. I took some shots with bright sun in the background and there was a clear reduction of contrast.
Giang Vu
5
This thing is a low light monster! It paired very nicely with my Nikon D750 and focusing accuracy is spot on. Great focal length for street photography and general purpose stuff. It is solidly built and not too heavy to carry around. I love the new look of Tamron SP lens; professional appearance for sure. The Vibration Compensation function works great and it allows me to shoot as low as 1/20th of a second safely. Last but not least, this thing is super sharp, even wide open. But of course it gets sharper as you stop it down. Highly recommended.
Eleftherios Kritikakis
5
Great prime if you know how to use 35mm and dont end up cropping to 50. Its resolution is very slightly better than the Tamron 24-70 (at 35mm, 5/6), but so slightly you wont notice unless you magnify to where it almost becomes "squares". Why this one? This one is light, looks less threatening in public than carrying an "interrogation bazooka" (such as a 70-200), puts people around you at ease, and it has image stabilization. I have noticed that on the street, the smaller the lens the more comfortable people are around you when you take pics. Alternatively you can dress as a tourist or buy a point and shoot with good zoom. Excellent image, very good visible micro-contrast (a factor more people overlook!), vivid contrast! Most likely Ill end up cropping the results (but its better to have more in the image to chose what to crop). For city/street very nice! Not for close ups of people on the street (you have to get very close). Forget bokeh, this one is to get everything clear, this ones for the "large" city and street views. If 35 is scary for some, theres always the 45mm in the same series, which is even better than the 50 as far as "natural gaze" is concerned. NOTE: Im talking about full frame cameras.
AardCytan
4
Overall very happy with the lens. Great quality, good weight (some people like light-weight, I dont - this is pretty heavy compared to other 35mm lenses), and did come with a patched chip so that it is Tap-in Console compatible. The reason for the 1 star, and while not a big deal I think it its warranted, is that this lens was pre-owned. The settings in the camera were not default, protective film for the range viewer was missing (I own several of Tamron SP so know its supposed to be there), and the box was taped, not factory sealed. While there are no scratches on the glass or body, and is in mint condition, I still feel this shouldnt fall under "New" category because its not. Like any camera store, they would have marked it down as a returned product with a 5-10% discount, and labeled it as such. Other than this mislead, this is a fantastic lens and has replaced a few of my others. Thanks!
DAVID B
5
Its a bit of a beast, but with that comes a solidly constructed, top of the line lens that will rival Sigma and Canon Pro lenses. Unless youre going to crop the far corners of your photos (evidently theres a lot of you guys out there that must do this) and enlarge them into 20x30 prints AND hang them next to the same photo taken by a Sigma Art for comparison, AND youre going to give people magnifying glasses for their pixel peeping pleasure, I would save the money and go with this Tamron. Best value for money, given the quality youll receive.
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