Tamron 35mm f1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012)
A new prime lens is coming from Tamron. It is really interesting that Tamron starts to produce prime lenses as well. It is not the first prime lens Tamron produces there are several macro lenses as well for example the Tamron 90mm Macro and the Tamron 180mm Macro.
Available mounts
The lens will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sony E mounts. The Sony version lacks the stabilizer.
What is it good for ?
The lens is targeted for photojournalism, where this wide angle on a Full frame camera is very useful. Apart from photojournalism this wide angle coverage is perfect fit for any purpose from landscapes to portraits. For portraits the distortion is very important together with the quality of the out of focus blur the bokeh. The fast f/1.8 aperture can be useful to create a nice bokeh, especially on a Full frame camera where the bokeh is more pronounced.
The lens has Tamron’s ultrasonic motor, and a lens has a stabilizer as well. According to my experience the stabilizer is not that effective on wide angle lenses though.
Build construction
The lens has a very nice build quality. It is a metal lens with gaskets around the lens mount for water sealing. The filter thread is also metal which is quite unique these days.
Optical construction
The optical construction is not the classical 6/5 Gauss design without any special higher performance lens elements which was sold for decades by many manufacturers. Tamron’s special XLD glass looks especially interesting.
[do_widget Text]
Apart from the XLD glass, there are LD glass and molded asperical elements as well.
The lens has 10 elements in 9 groups.
MTF Chart
The MTF chart shows contrast and resolution started from the center of the lens. The resolution is the line above the contrast is the line below. The better performance is if the lines are higher everywhere, if we go to the sides of the lens.
Tamron 35m f1.8 Di VC USD review
No review yet, but according to my experience with other Tamron lenses, this lens will be very competitive. Almost all Tamron lenses are very competitive in terms of price and optical performance as well even against brand products like Canon and Nikon, just think about the Tamron 150-600mm which creates a lots of turmoil on the market, motivates Sigma and Nikon to release new better priced products, even Canon is rumored to have an affordable tele, but this is not 100% sure, as I guess. Many would like to I think.
Other factor to consider is the success of the new Sigma Art line lenses. The Sigma 18-35mm , the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 or the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lenses are very successful lenses. I am sure manufacturers observe what the concurrence is doing, and what is successful on the market.
Tamron 35m f1.8 Di VC USD price
The initial price of the new lens is 599 USD.
Tamron 35m f1.8 Di VC USD release date
The release date of the new Tamron 35mm f1.8 is end of September 2015. The Sony version comes later.
Tamron 35m f1.8 Di VC USD specifications
The new lens has a minimum focus distance of 8.64″ (20cm), which is quite good. This wide angle lenses usually not preferred for macro, but the possibility to make nice close-up shots is interesting. The filter thread is 67mm. The weight of the lens is around 500g, the different mount versions has different weight. The aperture can be adjusted between f/1.8 and f/16.
Item |
Tamron 35mm f/1.8 di vc USD |
Mount: |
Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E mounts |
Filter size: |
67 mm |
Lens elements / groups: |
10 elements / 9 groups |
Exotic Lens elements: |
1 LD and 1 XLD elements |
Weight: |
0.479 kg ( lbs. ) |
Dimensions: |
x mm ( x ” ) |
Close focus distance: |
0.2 m (7.9″) |
Autofocus: |
yes, ultrasonic |
Stabilizer: |
yes |
Front element rotates: |
No |
Moving barrel elements during focusing: |
No |
Focus preset modes: |
No |
Switches: |
AF-MF, stabilizer |
Lens Mount: |
Metal |
Format: |
FF |
Magnification: |
0.4 x |
Reproduction ratio: |
1: 2.5 |
Aperture blades: |
9 rounded diaphragm blades |
Distance scale: |
yes |
Manual focus override: |
No info |
Focal length: |
35 mm |
Max Aperture: |
f/1.8 |
Min Aperture: |
f/16 |
Coatings: |
eBAND and BBar coatings |
Angle of view: |
63°26’ for full-frame format 43°29’ for APS-C format |
Focus limiter: |
No |
Tripod mount ring: |
No |
Lens hood: |
yes |
Accessories: |
yes |
Tilt / shift: |
No |
[do_widget Text]