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Tamron
SP 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di AF zoom lens
by Paul Fisher
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MECHANICAL
PERFORMANCE
Mounting the lens is the same as any other Nikon lens, except that it was initially very tight on my
N/F80; somewhat less so on my D100, and quite normal on the FM2n.
Through the viewfinder, the lens looks clear and bright. The large
f/2.8 maximum aperture makes for brighter viewing than most of my other lenses.
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Building
at 28mm with Tamron
SP 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di AF
Lens for Nikon AF-D
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Autofocus is very fast, with an extremely short throw from close-up to infinity. There is no range
limiter but it's not really needed. Likewise there is no macro switch, although the maximum reproduction ratio of 1:3.9 doesn't count as true macro. On my D100 and F80, the AF works very well in all light conditions (including very low light). The lens acquires and locks onto focus rapidly with virtually no hunting. Compared with the Nikkor
28-105mm, autofocus is slightly better in good light, and noticeably better in low light conditions.
The zoom control is very smooth and precise. It has a much nicer feel (though a smaller zoom range) than the Nikkor.
The front element does not rotate during focusing or zooming. On the Nikkor 28-105, (even though it is an IF lens) the front element
does rotate while zooming.
OPTICAL
PERFORMANCE
- Sharpness
| The sharpness of the lens is the true test of its quality and usefulness as a photographic tool. In this regard, the Tamron performs very well. The following images show the full frame and a detail of a typical architectural shot. The image was captured as a NEF (Raw) file, and no post-processing has been applied, other than Nikon Capture's "normal" sharpening setting. No USM or other tweaks.
The image was made hand-held 1/250 at f16.
I undertook some informal testing of the Tamron 28-75mm compared with my Nikkor
28-105mm. In general, the Nikkor has the edge wide open at all focal lengths (though it must be remembered that the Tamron is a stop faster when wide open). At other apertures the Tamron has the edge. In summary, the Tamron is a wonderfully sharp lens at all focal lengths, and at all apertures except wide open. At wide open, it is still good.
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OPTICAL
PERFORMANCE
- Contrast, flare and colour
Contrast and flare control are excellent. A well-controlled flare pattern resulted when shooting into the sun on a cloudless day.
The Tamron's colour rendition is neutral, tending to slightly warm.
OPTICAL
PERFORMANCE
- Distortion
Distortion at the wide end is a very slight barrel distortion. At the tele end, pincushion distortion is quite
noticeable around the margins of the image. Although the Tamron's distortion is probably better than average for the class, anybody wanting to use this lens for architectural photography should carefully test it first.
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