I have finally obtained my new (power) toy, a great addition to my camera’s family. What I have here is the Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens.The first thing that I can say about this lens is that this is a real “value for money”. Some of you might ask why not get a Nikkor Lens (Nikon Lens)? Well I guess we all know that Nikkor lens cost a whopping amount of cash and seriously, sometimes the quality difference between a third party lens like this one and the Nikkor is so little that I consider it arbitrary in some circumstances. After all, it’s more on the photographer and not the gear to get great images.

So what can we expect from this lens?

First thing, this is a 1:1 Macro lens, meaning that it is capable of creating 1:1 image reproduction of the actual object; although if the “limit switch” (not shown in this picture) is turned off, you can get much closer than 1:1 scale. I have been testing this lens for a while and quite please with the resulting images, the depth of field is great and the sharpness of the resulting image is very pleasing. On the right is an example of a necklace pendant taken using this lens under studio lights.

More on the specs…

One of the most important spec is the focal length. This camera came with a fixed focal length at 90mm, meaning there’s no zoom in and out. Some might disagree however I think when I’m photographing outdoor with this lens for non product object, such as a person, it forces me to be more creative and to make the most out of the available space at the time of the shoot. So with this I can also say that this lens is not just for close-ups, instead can be a great companion for a portrait shoot.

Another interesting aspect of this lens is that availability of a manual aperture ring, a feature that is not very common in the era of digital, in particular with less-expensive lens like this one. Of course with the digital SLR camera the ring is not being used very much however with my F-801s film that does not support electronic aperture ring, the manual ring is a handy addition.

Lastly and handy

The last prominent and most handy feature of this lens is the AF (Auto Focus) and M (Manual Focus) switch, in order to switch to and fro between those two, all I have to do is just pulling or pushing the focusing ring. Notice that you can see a blue “M” and white “AF” writing on the lens, that’s where the focusing ring would “clicks” in. So there’s no more fiddling around with the small on camera body AF/MF switch. This is especially great when taking picture and the auto-focus won’t focus properly.

So why is there any catch with the half price of Nikkor?

Alhough this lens is one of the sturdy lens, compared to the Nikkor it feels more plasticky and in addition the focussing speed is slower than the nikkor lens. However eventhough I knew these things existed, they didn’t threw me off my decision to get this lens. As long as it focuses well, takes 1:1 macro reproduction, able to productng clear and high quality image, its all good. The sturdiness at this point is enough for me, after all, I don’t intent to throw my lens to the floor.

All in all this is a great lens!

I have to say that I’m very glad that I get this one, and it’ll be useful for years to come So if you’re getting a macro lens, consider this one!