Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

by Tamron

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.3 x 2 inches ; 14.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00021EEA4
• Item model number: 272EE
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The latest version of the venerable Tamron 90mm Macro, this lens is widely used by naturalists and other pros who need top imaging performance plus a longer lens-to-subject (working) distance to enable easier lighting and access to skittish subjects. Improved resolution, chromatic correction, and coatings make it a superb choice for full-frame or APS-C format SLRs. Tamron introduces a new version of the famous 90mm macro lens for film and digital photography. Tamron's 90mm macro lens, often referred to as "the portrait macro" and loved by photographers all over the world, is now reborn as a Di lens that is perfect for use with both film and digital cameras.

Easier lighting and access to skittish subjects

SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Features

Portrait macro shot

DI
Digitally Integrated Design (DI), is a designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras.

Super Performance (SP) for Discriminating Shooters
Tamron SP (Super Performance) series is a line of ultra-high-performance lenses designed and manufactured to the exacting specifications demanded by professionals and others who require the highest possible image quality. In creating SP lenses Tamron’s optical designers put their foremost priority on achieving superior performance parameters—they are all designed to a higher standard with little regard for cost constraints. As a result, Tamron lenses bearing the SP designation feature impressive and innovative designs that have established an enviable reputation for excellence among those knowledgeable photographers that demand the very best.

Auto-focus/Manual-focus (AF/MF) Switch Mechanism on the Focus Ring
The ability to switch quickly between auto-focus (AF) and manual-focus (MF) is a great asset in many types of shooting, especially sports and nature photography. This is easily accomplished with Tamron’s ingenious AF/MF system. By simply sliding the focus ring back and forth between the two positions you can select either the AF or MF focusing position. In manual-focus mode Tamron lenses provide smooth, precise manual focusing by turning their wide, well-textured focusing rings.

Quicly switch between auto-focus (AF) and manual-focus (MF)

Product Description

Di: Digitally Integrated Design, is a designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras. Tamron introduces a new version of the famous 90mm macro lens for film and digital photography. Tamron s 90mm macro lens, often referred to as the portrait macro and loved by photographers all over the world, is now reborn as a Di lens that is perfect for use with both film and digital cameras. Item Specifications: Product Description: Tamron SP 272E - macro lens - 90 mm Weight: 14.3 oz Length: 4 in Min Focus Range: 11.4 in Lens System: Macro lens Lens Aperture: F/2.8 Focus Adjustment: Automatic, manual Focal Length: 90 mm Mounting Type: Canon EF Lens Construction: 9 group(s) / 10 element(s) Filter Size: 55 mm Special Functions: Macro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent choice for macro & closeups, January 25, 2006

By 

Michael Sandman (Brookline, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

This is an excellent choice if you're interested in close-up and macrophotography -- it's sharp corner-to-corner, and you get life-size photos down to the size of a large bug. Usually you end up focusing macro shots manually, and the Tamron manual focus ring travels about 270 degrees, giving lots of smooth fine-tuning capability.

For portraits and medium telephoto shots, the autofocus capability works well but it's audible. You can set a limiting switch so that it won't hunt through the entire range, from 8" to infinity. It's easy to switch from autofocus to manual by feel -- you can do it without moving your eye from the viewfinder.

There are probably better choices if you want to do portraits first and macrophotography second -- Canon's 100mm and Sigma's 105mm macros, in particular, but the Tamron is an excellent choice for macro work.

The lens body is plastic, so it's lighter than OEM lenses from Canon & Nikon. The light weight makes one wonder about how rugged it is, but it feels well put together, and anyway you shouldn't be using a lens to drive nails.

Note that the 90mm designation applies only to full frame SLRs. On digital SLRs like the Canon 300D & 350D or the Nikon D50 & D70, the lens gives you an effecive focal length of about 130mm. So you get a bit more working distance for macro subjects, but you may have to stand back too far from the subject for portraiture.

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a lens at a reasonable price, March 25, 2007

By 

P. Lastra - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I am professional photographer specializing in botanical and nature photography. The 90mm has proven to be excellent optically as well as ergonomically well designed. The light weight, for its size, coupled with the very intuitive af-mf push-pull design are great in the field. I work at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Miami. For images taken with the above lens, please visit [...].

This lens has a couple little advertised qualities which make it double as a superb portrait lens:
First, it is not bittingly sharp wide open at f2.8, just about perfect for softening skin flaws, Stopped down to f5.6 and beyond, this lens is simply too sharp and contrasty for the average face. Second, wide open and at f4, this lens produces very attractive out of focus backgrounds, perfect for outdoor portraiture, where backgrounds can easily be distracting and intrusive.
Regards

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great hand-held macro/portrait lens, December 3, 2008

By 

Luving it (Seaside, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Pro:
- great color, IQ, contrast.
- light weight
- accurate AF when needed
- great MF
- well made

Neutral:
- AF is slow but ok for a true macro lens. (My Tamron 180mm's AF stopped working in the first week even though I only tested a couple for times and never really used its AF for real at all. Being a tripod macro lens, MF (plus live view zoom in, which is far better than my 1.5/2.5 vertical finder) is a must for me. I hope AF on this one last longer because AF is indeed useful for hand-held quick shots)
- price (not cheap for a 3rd party). But with $90 rebate, it's not bad at all.

Minor incovenience:
- Once the lens is extended, the only way to get it back is to pull back the focus ring and switch to MF and turn the focus to infinite. A quick release mecahnism would be nice. This is a common problem not unique to this Tamron though.

- There's only one position the hood and back cap can be attached to the lens, a Tamron design. This design makes the attachment much stronger but much more hassle to attach in the first place. I much prefer Canon or Sigma's in this regard. I've never had accident with Canon or Sigma lenses when the hood or back cap accidentally fell off. (Correction - just had the precious hood on the Sigma 12-24 "bulb" off without noticing it in the bag, with the bulb completely exposed, which scared the day light out of me! But again that is the front cap not the rear one. To be care, I think Tamron does do a better job at designing their caps. Now I am so much more used to the Tamron way of doing things - just aim the special area (feel it with your finger) of the Tamron rear cap at the red dot on the lens, that is where the cap hooks up with the lens.)

- switching AF/MF produces a loud click sound. The switch can only happen at certain positions. My Sigma 20mm/f1.8 got a better design - I can switch any time, the switch is much more smoother. Tokina 11-16 is also smoother. Don't have the Tokina 100mm macro to compare with, though.

Bottom line:
I have the Tamron 180mm macro, great when mounted on a solid platform, not great hand held - too big and heavy. This one fills the gap. The small size and light weight is perfect to be carried around with other lenses on routine outings. Like other Tamrons, this one is plastic all the way (hence the light weight), but well made, MF ring is well damped with plenty rotation for fine tuning. I was a bit unsure about the closest focus distance on this one, turns out it's plenty for real wold use. The protruding front element is not a problem in real world use at all (as oppose to Internal Focus of the Canon 100mm Macro, or the Tamron 180mm ). In short, this is a perfect hand-held macro/portrait lens.

Update: this is fantastic tele as well if you are in no hurry. The IQ is just breathtaking. Tried Canon 100mm macro in store the other day, the Canon AF and build quality are better. But if you only use this sort of lens once in a while, you might want to save your buck here because this lens is for real.