Page 67 - Australian Photography Dec 2020

✔
SCORE
RESULTS
HANDLING ★ ★ ★ ★
Little, lightweight and lovely to use; the build quality is great for the price.
SPECS
Format
Aperture blades
Elements
Design
Autofocus
Price
7.3
IMAGE QUALITY ★ ★ ★ ★
Putting aside the CA and vignetting, the Tamron 1:2 lenses deliver consistent and solid results.
AUTOFOCUS ★ ★ ★
The Tamron primes do have a habit of hunting
a tad, but when they hit focus they perform well.
E-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm
Low Dispersion and Aspherical elements
Water-Resistant, Fluorine Coating
OSD Stepping Motor
$599 RRP
but their close focusing ability is a nice feature to have – and the lenses are really sharp, with central sharpness very good wide open, and anywhere from about f/4 to f/11 (depending on the lens) delivering excellent results on all three.
Barrel distortion is pretty pronounced with the 20mm, but it’s easily corrected in Lightroom. Sony A7III, 20mm f/2.8 lens. 1/30s @ f8, ISO 3200.
The lenses also manage flare well and ghosting is almost non-existent. Even with the sun in the frame, or edge of the frame, contrast remains high.
Chromatic aberration is controlled well, however vignetting is pretty substantial, especially wide open.
The 20mm and 24mm also have some pretty significant distortion as you might expect, but the 35mm manages it quite well. Of course, vignetting and distortion are pretty quickly corrected in post so this is an easy fix.
It’s probably most relevant to the 35mm focal length (a popular choice for environ- mental portraits) but bokeh is pleasant,
with smooth and unobtrusive bokeh balls and out-of-focus areas rendered nicely.
OVERALL
There’s a lot of choice for prime lenses for Sony’s E-mount, but at around $599 each, the Tamron 1:2 wide angle prime lenses are lightweight, well built and excellent value for money. This makes them a nice alternative to the pricier Sony-branded alternatives, and a great option if you want a compact prime for your camera bag. ❂
TESTED: TAMRON 20MM, 24MM AND 35MM F/2.8 1:2 LENSES
LEFT: A minimum focusing distance of 12cm means you can get very close to your subject. It’s a nice feature to have on a lens so wide. Sony A7C, Tamron 24mm f/2.8 lens. 1/30s @ f2.8, ISO 2000.
BELOW: A lens such as the Tamron 20mm is excellent when you need a small, lightweight lens that can work for landscapes without taking up unnecessary bulk in your camera bag. Sony A7III, Tamron 20mm f/2.8 lens. 0.5s @ f11, ISO 100.
| 67 | DECEMBER 2020 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM