Advice From a Photography ExpertWhich Accessory Lenses are Right for Me? |
Article & Images by Jon Sienkiewicz |
Which lenses do you recommend? I hear that question all the time. As a journalist and working pro, I have answers that are based on personal experience. But before we delve into the specifics, let's start at the very beginning. |
The Tamron Advantage |
First, Tamron is the world's largest manufacturer of digital, cell phone and video OEM lenses. That makes them a lens specialist in every sense of the word. Camera manufacturers make all sorts of products in addition to making cameras, and they do a darn good job of it. Some make televisions and baby monitors. Others make copy machines or medical equipment. Tamron makes lenses. I like the idea of using a lens that was designed and manufactured by a lens specialist. |
Second, Tamron has a lens to match my every need-often times with several options. There is a Tamron lens to cover every situation I encounter. As a photography writer, I shoot with many different models and brands of cameras. But when I shoot for money, or even on the rare occasions when I have the opportunity to shoot just for fun, I reach for one of my Tamrons. That means I get consistent, predictable results from lens to lens, shot to shot. |
Third, Tamron is a premium brand. You can tell as soon as you pick up the lens, there's a reassuring, solid feel-a characteristic that insiders call "built quality." Tamron lenses are built solid and are a pleasure to use. And Tamron lenses feature the latest technological advances too, like Vibration Compensation, and they contain specialized lens components. |
Fourth, all Tamron lenses are backed by a six-year warranty. I have never had a Tamron lens fail me, not even once. The worst that's ever happened is that I lost a lens cap. I subject my SP 28-75mm F2.8 to rigorous use and it just keeps on making great pictures. |
Tamron Learning Center |
Stamp Out Fuzzy Pictures |
If you want to read the technical explanation of how VC works, click here. |
Any lens can suffer from the shakes, but the damage is most noticeable when you're using a telephoto. Ever look through a pair of binoculars while sitting in a boat or moving car? Everything looks like it's jumping around. Same thing happens when you're trying to hand hold a long telephoto zoom lens in your backyard. But Tamron's Vibration Compensation "tames the shakes," so you could say that it makes the world stand still. |
Which Lens Should I Buy Next? |
Next, will you be using this lens mainly indoors (where the light is often low and you're never too far away from the subject) or outside where it's usually brighter and your subject may be far away? |
And third-and most important-what sort of photos do you plan to shoot, or like to shoot the most? |
Street Shooter |
I take photos when I travel or visit new places |
Unless you are traveling light or otherwise have limited cargo space, take along a Tamron all-in-one zoom, too. Which? The 18-270mm zoom offers the greatest versatility, and covers everything from moderate wideangle (28mm) to super telephoto (460mm). Note that the focal lengths shown in parentheses are the equivalent focal lengths we were accustomed to in the 35mm world. |
You might also consider a SP 17-50MM F/2.8 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) like the one used to capture the portrait below. |
I shoot a lot of family stuff, mostly indoors |
My second choice would depend on whether or not you have children who participate in sports. If the answer to that question is "yes," see below. |
My children are into sports, ballet and/or occasional school plays |
Tamron has several lenses that help you capture junior athletes and budding actor/actresses with style, and the two that I most often recommend are the SP 70-300/4-5.6 Di VC USD (my personal favorite telephoto zoom) and the All-in-one 18-270 Di II VC PZD. The PZD in the latter lens stands for "Piezo," a special technology that allows Tamron to make this lens very small and light. By "small" I'm talking 2.9" x 3.5" small, in a package that weighs under a pound. |
Photos for Work or Company Newsletter |
Macro and Close-Up Photography |
I have a Mirrorless Camera-am I out of luck? |
I have a "kit" lens, Tamron all-in-one zoom and a Macro lens; am I missing anything? |
For holiday family gatherings, wondrous landscapes, crowded Tokyo shopping districts, and a hundred other situations I could rattle off in an instant, buy an SP 10-24MM F/3.5-4.5 Di II for your Canon, Nikon, Pentax or Sony DSLR. You won't regret it. It covers the equivalent of a 15-36mm wideangle zoom on my Nikon, and that is so refreshingly wide that it encourages me to shoot more. |
The Tamron SP 180MM F/3.5 Di LD Aspherical (IF) is an extremely sharp Macro lens. Its longer focal length means that you can be farther away when shooting close-up photos. You can get the same image size from twice as far away as compared to the 90mm Macro, for example. Plus, this lens is the equivalent of a very fast f3.5 270mm telephoto (converted to 35mm terms). Going to the Botanical Garden or Zoo? This is your lens. Indoor basketball game or gymnastics meet? Take this glass along. With a little imagination you'll find dozens of other applications. |
If you've ever wished you had a telephoto zoom with a large, constant aperture, your dream lens is here. The Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD offers the flexibility of a 70-200 zoom plus the light-gathering power of an f2.8 f-stop. Because depth-of-field is largely dependent on the diameter of the aperture, you can capture tremendous images that show the subject in sharp focus and the background completely out-of-focus. This technique, long used by portrait photographers, makes the subject practically jump out of the background. |
I'm on a budget, but I want to get better pictures with my DSLR |