Customer Reviews

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP AF/MF 1:1 Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

(Another year and one repair later, I still love this lens. Original review first followed by updates.)

First impression: right out of the box, this lens is smaller than I pictured. I had experience with the Sigma 105mm, and this is easily smaller and lighter. For travel purposes, it is ideal, plastic build or not.

I did get a few surprises when I put it on the camera (D70), so anyone thinking about purchasing this lens should pay attention. This info is already out there, I just didn't notice and was almost disappointed at first.

1: This lens is only 2.8 at 10 feet to infinity. The maximum aperture drops as you focus closer, and at minimum focusing distance, where many will want to work to get the true 1:1, it is all the way down to 5.6. That was quite a shock at first, but I soon found that at such close range, even 5.6 gives you very shallow depth of field. It just means less speed, so a tripod will almost always be necessary unless you are really good at hand-holding.

2: The switch between auto and manual focus requires you to push or pull the focus ring. I should have known this after working with the Sigma 105mm, but it is not obvious on this lens and I had to check the instructions. lol.

Again, this information is in other reviews, and it may be obvious to most users, but anyone new to macro should keep it in mind to avoid any surprises.

UPDATE: I've left off the old review taken from my first few shots, as I have much more experience to pull from now.

This lens captures beautiful photos, that much is certain. I have not tested the Nikon 105mm VR lens, but from the examples I've seen, this lens can still hold its own, even without VR. (I used to think VR was meaningless on a macro lens, but I have found many times when it would be useful.)

Strong points:
* Bokeh (out of focus rendering) is stunning
* Color is rich (super color with D70, can't wait to see what it does with a D300!)
* Lens is light, less than half the weight of the Nikon 105mm VR
* Focus ring is large and easy to use

Weak points:
* Auto-focus is slow, noisy, and hunts a bit at times
* Lens is not fixed length, short when focusing at infinity, extends out when focusing closer, a significant amount
* Plastic build (doesn't bother me, but some don't like it)

For my money, the pros far outweigh the cons here. I use this lens a lot for product photography (at work), non-macro flower and other small items, but I almost never take it all the way to 1:1 because I'm often too lazy to get out the tripod, or not in a situation where a tripod is usable.

One thing to note: auto-focus has recently started acting up on my D70. For a few weeks it would refuse to auto-focus, I would reboot the camera, take the lens off and put it on again, and it would start working until I turned the camera off once more. Most recently I have not been able to get the auto-focus to work at all. (It is the only lens in my kit that does this, so I don't believe it is the camera.) Since the auto-focus is always slow anyway, I've taken to keeping it in manual focus and just dealing with it. It's a hassle at times, but it does not detract from my enjoyment of this lens.

UPDATE #2: Tamron warranty and service are incredible!

As mentioned above, the auto-focus eventually stopped working completely with both my D70 and D300. All Tamron USA lenses come with a 6 year warranty (6 years!) so I printed a receipt off Amazon, filled out a simple form, and put it in the mail. A couple weeks later I received notice that it was being repaired, no charge of course, and it gave me an order number to track it.

I was leaving on a trip a few days later and didn't want it sitting outside my house while I was gone, so I contacted Tamron service department to see if I could change the shipping address. It had already shipped out and would be at my house within the week. Unlucky for me it arrived the day I left, but I had someone take it inside for me the next day, so no worries. It has been tested and works perfectly! 5 additional stars for Tamron's repair department!

I would recommend this lens to anyone wanting to do macro work, portraiture, product photography, or any not-quite-macro nature shots with lots of color.

Like many folks, I read the near legendary level ratings on this lens and finally took the leap as I would be able to compare it side by side with a Nikon 105 2.8. I bought the lens from KEH.com for just 329.00, second hand but in like new condition. This is the DI model which is supposed to be optimized for digital. Some people who have the older version claim there is little or no difference between them.

Sharpness:
The Tamron 90 will give you incredible sharpness. I believe it's my sharpest lens easily a match for my 1700 dollar 70-200 VR at 90mm. It's sharper than the Nikon 105 2.8

Color:
Simply faultless. Again, this lens is astounding in color rendition. Skin tones are fantastic.

Bokeh:
Again, this lens rivals my more expensive zoom, though I slightly prefer the bokeh on the 70-200. The Tamron is far superior to the Nikon 105 Micro for out of focus rendering.

Handling:
The lens hood is a bit awkward to get on and off. The auto/manual mode is a push-pull slide color. It works, but it's easy to slip it into either mode by accident. The focus limit switch is a dial, which is odd. Manual focus is excellent on this lens. The lens is mostly plastic and doesn't feel as solid as the Nikon 105, but I hear no stories of the Tamron falling apart either.

Overall:
The Tamron beats Nikon's entry in every area, except build. The Tamron is sharper and has better bokeh. As a portrait lens it does a very good job, though ultimate sharpness is not always desired in model work or even candids. A lot depend on your style. There are certainly lenses like the Nikon 85mm 1.4 which will probably be more flattering to a face. For macro work the Tamron makes no excuses. It focuses down 1:1 nicely and my macro shots have been impressive from the start. Keep in mind that the Tamron 90 is only a 2.8 when shooting objects around 10 feet or further away. Otherwise expect apertures in the 3+ range. This is probably the best macro lens available in the 90-150mm range. I've yet to see any portrait shots from the new Nikon 105mm VR than are it's equal. I give this lens my highest rating.
Capt RB

I am not a professional but an avid amateur enthusiast, this lens is really unbelievable. This is the first non-Nikon lens I have bought and I have been using it for about 14 months.

It is lightweight and sharp end to end, it does a very good job on macrophotography. It tends to hunt a bit when set to full focus, but that can be expected because of the large focal range.

For portraits and very tight close-ups I absolutely love this lens. The image quality and sharpness is out of this world. The design of the focus ring makes it very easy to switch between manual and auto focus, which is probably one of the better design features of this lens.

It feels a little cheap because of the polymer construction but it is inexpensive and very lightweight so it makes it easy to walk around with.

I tested before buying. I used the nikkor 105mm macro and the Sigma 105, the nikkor has a better feel construction wise (for 3x the price) but I could not tell a difference in performance. I felt this lens performed much better than the Sigma 105mm.

I own 5 lenses this is one that I always carry with me and when you get it, it will always be in your camera bag.

Right out of the box I was impressed. Many reviews I had read said it felt lightweight or had a plastic feel compared to the Nikkor 105mm. I don't know about that but it feels great to me. While this may not be as heavy as the Nikkor it felt right and looked good straight away. I have always used Nikon lenses (other than a Sigma 10-20mm I have, another great lens) so I do think twice about anything other than Nikkors. I am not disappointed with this Tamron. It is pin sharp, feels nice in the hand on the camera (D300) and the manual focus slide control works smoothly. For macro you do need manual focus. A review I read somewhere said it was slow to focus and sounded noisy. Can't agree. Maybe it is not as fast as the Nikkor (I have not tested the Nikkor) but this lens focuses fast enough at longer ranges. No different to other lenses I use in term of speed in focusing, that I can notice. And I don't find it noisy. And what a deal with $90 off thru April. I am critical about my lenses and would not have a poor quality lens in my bag. Makes a nice portrait lens. Don't hesitate - get it now.

This is my first macro lens, and I am very pleased with it. It is well-made, light, and the optics are tack-sharp. My intention is to do macro nature photography (insects, spiders,...), and so far it has been a pleasure to use. Before buying it, I read in many user forums that the minimum focusing distance of a 90mm macro lens such as this one (12 inches) is too close for photographing skittish subjects such as butterflies. I could have moved up to a 150mm macro lens, which would add 3 inches to the distance, but at the cost of a much narrower depth of field, as well as a heavier lens requiring a tripod. I opted for the Tamron 90mm, after seeing some excellent insect photographs online. But one word of caution: the minimum 12 inch distance is measured from the focal plane at the back of the camera (as is always the case when measuring focal distances). When the lens is fully extended, you might have about 3 or 4 inches between the front of the lens and the subject (and that's without a lens hood). Hence this is definitely a close distance for skittish insects! Nevertheless, this is part of doing business with a macro lens... short focusing distances, and extremely narrow fields of view. Because you'll usually want to step the lens down as far as possible, you will either need fast-moving subjects in full sunlight, or you'll need to use an external flash. Unfortunately, the built-in pop-up flash of digital SLR's will cause a shadow through the middle of the picture at short macro-length distances.

In any case, this is a great macro lens for a novice or pro.

Much to its credit Tamron has produced one of the best medium telephoto (90mm to 105mm) macro lenses for years of which this SP autofocus 90mm f2.8 DI 1:1 macro lens is no exception. It is optimized to perform best with Nikon's digital SLRs, but will also work well with its film SLRs too. I've read several excellent reports on the internet and photography magazines testifying to its superb contrast and resolution at virtually every aperture. However, I agree with a previous reviewer that the lens has too much of a plastic feel to it, and seems less rugged than the 105mm f2.8 Micro Nikkor. However, if you are on a budget and your photography doesn't include substantial usage in the field, then perhaps this lens could be a viable alternative to the more expensive Micro Nikkor.

This is truly an excellent macro lens. I've been able to take 1:1 photos of insects and get excellent sharpness, good colors nice bokeh (learned this from photo forums... ). So image quality from this lens is excellent. I'm also happy with it as an all around lens - portraits, landscape (stitched).

That said, there are some minor nitpicks :
Plastic build - not a big issue as it helps with weight, but still - plastic IS plastic. Feel is different.
Focusing - you have to employ good techniques (i.e. tripod), otherwise you'll end up with lens hunting a lot since the focus area moves if it is handheld and you miss your subject. The focus lock does help.
Focus speed I think can be improved - it's fast, but wouldn't hurt to be fastER.
Short working distance - I can use a bit more, but looks like this will be a job for a 180mm macro.

Overall, with good technique this is a great lens.

I like to shoot a lot of close-ups of all kinds of things (flowers, bugs, birds, animals, rocks, ...) and wanted to be able to get at least a modicum of distance from my subjects that are living and aware. I also want to be able to shoot in low light and still get sharp pictures. On my Nikon D90, this lens is a dream to use and the pictures have looked great in terms of sharpness and color. As a portrait lens, the main issue turns out to be the incredible detail you get. I shot in a restaurant with a flash between 4' and 8' and the level of detail on the skin on the faces of the children was stunning. Fortunately, they have great skin. Good bokeh when I paid attention to the background! I highly recommend this lens!!

I like this lens, and have taken some great shots of my son and flowers. The lens is very sharp, and the clutch focus is a nice feature. I use this with my Nikon D80.
My biggest gripe is the focus is very slow. Sometimes, in lower light, it won't find the focus. Also, it wasn't clear to me when I purchased it, but the F/2.8 is only when focused at infinity. When doing a 1:1 macro shot, it is limited to F/4.

This lens is a terrific value. I shopped around for months looking at Sigma, Tamron, Nikkor 50MM+ trying to balance value, construction, and usefulness to me. I eliminated the 50-60mm macro lenses as I would like to do some macro photography of bugs like dragon flies and butterflies which tend to become a little skittish when you are 2 inches away from them understandably so. The 90-110 range offers some choices so I went to a local camera store and tried them out. Based on build quality, price, and preliminary results I fell for the Tarmon 90mm f2.8.

The lens is fairly fast especially in this price range and offers a beautiful bokeh and sharp image. I have been using it for about 7 months now and have no regrets at all. I get so much use for this and even use it for portraits and night photos. I was able to get some fairly sharp images of Holiday lights hand held something that would be impossible with a kit lens. Really a very useful lens to have in your kit.

The auto focus may sometimes hunt a little but I have had this happen on every lens I have tried and it is no better or worse in my opinion it just depends on what you are shooting the good thing about this lens is how quickly and easily you can switch from Auto focus to Manual focus and back again with the override.