The Digital Camera Store

Written on the 2010-09-30

rating of 4.0

This lens is incredibly sharp as all good lenses should be. It is a little slow to focus, but I haven't used a macro lens that isn't. The secret is to use the focus limiter switch.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2010-09-17

rating of 4.0

<p>I have used this for a few days now and its an excellent lens. Love the Bokeh. picture quality is great..<br /><br />however, it takes some time to get used to. Focusing on small objects is tough.</p>
(Source: www.beachcamera.com)

Written on the 2010-06-09

rating of 5.0

Ive owned this lens for 6 months (using it on a DX sensor), and bring it with my whenever I shoot, irrespective of what I am shooting. This might appear to be a strange practice for a 90mm macro lens, but the images are just that good. Of course macro shots are sharp, but portraits also develop with a beautiful bokeh. <br /> <br />Now, what makes my appreciation of this lens and the 5-star rating the more remarkable, is that they must be weighed against two weighty flaws. <br /> <br />First, the autofocus is syrupy slow AND it hunts. Not a big deal if you are only doing macro shots, but as I mentioned, I enlist this lens for much more (and, if I were solely doing macro, I probably would have gone for the 180mm version). The speed actually is bearable if the focus is already close, so what I do is focus manually and then switch to auto... I havent played with the focus-range limiter on the lens, and I could conceive it helping with this. <br /> <br />Second, as I found out on a Death Valley outing, this lens is a sand vacuum... None of my other lenses had this problem, but this one got sand inside the lens, rendering the AF unusable. Im taking it in for repairs soon, and hope they can clean it out...
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2010-04-11

rating of 5.0

<p>I use this lens mostly for macro photography. It is a super sharp lens and gets all the details of your subject.</p>
(Source: www.beachcamera.com)

Written on the 2009-12-22

rating of 5.0

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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2009-11-17

rating of 5.0

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!! <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2009-11-04

rating of 5.0

I'm a hobbyist rather than a professional photographer, and so I was looking for something to give me the ability to take macro shots for fun without completely emptying my wallet. Not only did this lens meet those expectations, it also gives me other options like portrait photography that I didn't know I needed or wanted. Two birds with one affordable stone. I actually think this lens takes incredible pictures and is even worthy of professional use for both macro photography and portrait photography. <br /> <br />The only downside I can think of is that the motor is loud, but I honestly don't care about that. I have never used any other macro lenses so I can't say how it compares to them in terms of performance, but price wise this was the right fit for me, and I have no complaints. <br /> <br />For someone new to this kind of thing, there are couple important notes to know: <br />1. This has no zoom, so you'll either need to be the right distance away from your subject to get the best shot <br />2. Make sure you change your cameras setting for whichever style you are using. If you don't tell your camera you're taking macro shots, it will have a really hard time focusing. The same goes for portrait shots.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2009-10-06

rating of 1.0

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras <br /> <br />I need a lens for portrait and macro. I narrowed down two choices: Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED IF AF-S VR or Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di. I searched the internet. Thom Hogan says " The big difference is this (between the Nikon and tamron): for $400 less money, you give up VR, focus speed, and a bit of build quality from the Nikon 105mm. That's about it. The Tamron 90mm is the poor man's mid-range macro." I learned the Nikon is bulkier, heavier and cost much more, the tamron is cheaper, optic quality if not better, at least as good as the Nikon, I also learned from somewhere Tamron's service is good, fast, six years. I am not a professional, not going to use it a lot, so I ordered the Tamron from B&H in May15, 2009. <br /> <br /> <br />I tried the lens to shoot a quarter; it IS sharper than my Nikon 28-105mm D. it is summer time, I bring my boy to North Beach in Chicago. I quickly found that the lens refuse to focus automatically without any warnings. It just won't focus when I press the shutter bottom. But if I power the D200 off and on, or unscrew the lens off the body and put back again, the focus will be back. Tamron uses a push and pull mechanism to switch from manual focus to automatic focus, actually I like this, but the problem is the switch is not smooth. Sometimes I have to first turn the lens about 45 degree before I can pull it back. <br /> <br /> <br />I remembered I read somewhere some one is saying it has the same problem. I want the lens, don't want to return it. Summer is good, I used it for about three to five times on the beach, but the problems are getting worse. So I decided to send it back to Tamron for a check. <br /> <br /> <br />Tamron mailed back. Saying it needs 160.0$ to repair and it is not under warranty. The repair listed is <br />" SK Evidence of shock damage <br />F Focus defect or poor image quality <br />Z Zoom defect <br />1 General check, clean, and adjust <br />2 ETA:10, Business days depending on volume" <br /> <br /> <br />This morning (Oct 6, 2009) I called the number on the notice. A gentleman answered. I said I just used the lens four to five times, and I never dropped or bumped the lens, how could it be shock damage" He asked me to wait him to get the lens. He came back saying the lens has sand in it, it is the sand causing the problems, so not covered by warranty. I said I did use it on beach, sand could be there, but it might not be the cause of the problems. He then said, actually the lens needs a "major repair", they are doing me a favor, price it for a "minor" repair. I asked him if he really believes it is the sand that causes the problems, he confirmed and told me to think about it, and I don't need to make a decision at the moment( to pay the 160.0$). <br /> <br /> <br />I hang up, not happy, the estimate did not say anything about sands, instead "shock damage". So I called again. This time a lady answered. I told Her in a very calm voice" I might not be in a good mood, so I am sorry". The lady said "I am not in good mood too". So I tried to tell the story. Not long into it, she interrupted me, saying I can keep going on and on, but it will not change the conclusion, sand causes the problems and not covered by warranty, and she has that lens too, it is the best lens Tamron ever produced, no problems at all. Then I asked if I paid the money, you fix it, and when it gets back, the sand is no more there, but the problems come back, will tamron refund the money because that approves it is not the sand that causes the problems. The lady said no, if the problem comes back, they can repair it again. I said, then it approves it is not the sand causing the problems. She said they could be caused by something else, but they can't refund you. I asked, why not, and then she said "hold on". I waited, waited about five minutes, then another voice said hello. I said I was talking to a lady, the lady wanted me to hold, I don't know how the phone got it to you. Then I was transferred to the lady in the service dept again. <br /> <br /> <br />The lady said "sorry, I have another call". She said she talked to the manager, the highest person in charge of the repairs. The manager said they made a mistake, it is a major repairs, needs to charge more than 300.0$. The lady then said, at least it needs 240.0$ instead of the 160.0 to repair it, but it is their mistake, so they will honor the 160.0$. I began to feel guilty if i don't accept the kind 160.0$ offer, but I stupidly repeated the same question if she really believes it is the sand or the sand particle is coincidental there. She told me to hold again. <br /> <br /> <br />I waited this time much longer; the phone went back to the operator again in about 8 to 10 minutes. I asked the lady in the service dept if you asked me to "hold", will the phone go back to the operator. The lady said" yes, it loops". <br /> <br /> <br />I asked the lady if there is Tamron authorized service agents in Chicao, The lady said"no, there is only one in California, they will charge you three times more". <br /> <br /> <br />I gave them my credit card number, 160.0$, a lifelong big lesson. <br />Here are a few things I learned: <br />1.The repairs stated on the Repair Acknowledgement/Estimate" might not be the real cause, as "shock damage" to "sand" in my case. <br />2. They will make mistakes in estmate, from "major repair" to "minor repair". They should charge from more than 300 to 240 to 160, they are doing me great favors. <br />3. Their phone loops. They will ask you to hold, the time during "hold", the phone will loop from the service department to the operator of the company. However, the operator is nice enough to transfer you back to the service agent you were talking with, and the line was not cut. <br />4. No Tamron authorized service agent in Chicago, only one in California, it might charge three times more. <br />5. Sand will easily get into the lens (my years old Nikon 28-105mm is not, taking so many pictures on the beach). Sand particles at least will stop the auto focus that can be saved by power off the body and void the warranty.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-12-04

rating of 5.0

Pro: <br />- great color, IQ, contrast. <br />- light weight <br />- accurate AF when needed <br />- great MF <br />- well made <br /> <br />Neutral: <br />- 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) <br />- price (not cheap for a 3rd party). But with $90 rebate, it's not bad at all. <br /> <br />Minor incovenience: <br />- 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. <br /> <br />- 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. <br /> <br />- 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. <br /> <br />Bottom line: <br /> 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.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-11-21

rating of 3.0

Pros: 1.Good sharpness. 2.Good flash reproduction.3.Good pricing
(Source: www.shopping.com)

Written on the 2008-09-28

rating of 4.0

VERY sharp focus and a reasonably fast focusing motor. I see no downside to this lens at all.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-05-05

rating of 5.0

I have these lens for over a year now and I am really impressed by the quality of the pictures I get with it. <br />The lens are sharp, and have great bokeh for out of focus subjects. The AF speed is a bit slow when you are shooting Macro - but the same goes for the Nikkor 105 VR micro. For portrait shoots the AF speed is quite good, especially when you limit the AF switch to focus on subjects not in Macro mode. I see no reason to buy the Nikkor/Canon lens unless you have to due to camera constrains (like if you have the D40/60). <br />These are great lens and you won't be sorry for getting them. <br />I cannot say anything bad about them. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-04-29

rating of 5.0

This is my second Tamron DI series lens. I purchased this for my Canon 10D DSLR camera and I have had a lot of fun using it. I like to take photos of strange looking bugs and flowers and this lens is dead-on accurate both in image quality and ease of use. I do wish that the housing was made of a more substantial material (weight wise) but otherwise this is a great lens at a pretty reasonable price. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-03-25

rating of 5.0

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. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-10-03

rating of 4.0

All the above reviews are useful - it also took me a minute to realise the switch from AF to manual focus was a simple, manual push-pull; but I quite like that feature now. <br /> <br />It's lightweight, you can get some excellent, really sharp detail, and the bokeh is very smooth. For the price, it's a great lens. <br /> <br />I would also note that there is a considerable amount of softness around the edges, so that may or may not be something you like (the cat close-up I put in the sample images above illustrate this).
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-10-02

rating of 4.0

All the above reviews are useful - it also took me a minute to realise the switch from AF to manual focus was a simple, manual push-pull; but I quite like that feature now. <br /> <br />It's lightweight, you can get some excellent, really sharp detail, and the bokeh is very smooth. For the price, it's a great lens.
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-06-10

rating of 5.0

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. <br /><br />In any case, this is a great macro lens for a novice or pro. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-05-31

rating of 5.0

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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-05-28

rating of 4.0

Opticaly this lens if fantastic. Amazing sharpness, great bokeh and strong colours. As a portrait lens its almost too sharp!It is let down by average build - both of mine have had grit get into the manual focus quickly so they lost that silky smooth feel and now grate.Barrel extension can be a problem when your working up close and wind out to 1:1 hitting your subject on the way (oops too close) especially if using extension tubes to get even closer.Its fabulous, one of the sharpest lenses I have used and I love the images it produces. If it has better dust sealing and no barrel extension it would be perfect. Describe Yourself: Semi-Pro Pros: Great bokeh, Sharp Focus Cons: Barrel extension, Focus gets gritty
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-05-28

rating of 4.0

Opticaly this lens if fantastic. Amazing sharpness, great bokeh and strong colours. As a portrait lens its almost too sharp!<br />It is let down by average build - both of mine have had grit get into the manual focus quickly so they lost that silky smooth feel and now grate.<br />Barrel extension can be a problem when your working up close and wind out to 1'':1 hitting your subject on the way (oops too close) especially if using extension tubes to get even closer.<br />Its fabulous, one of the sharpest lenses I have used and I love the images it produces. If it has better dust sealing and no barrel extension it would be perfect.
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-03-26

rating of 4.0

I bought this prodcut to venture into close-up photography. So far i must have taken like 150 pictures or so and have been very satisified with it. This was my first experience with any Tamron lens and frankly I am impressed. I am currently using it with my D70 and am very happy with it.
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-03-26

rating of 4.0

I bought this prodcut to venture into close-up photography. So far i must have taken like 150 pictures or so and have been very satisified with it. This was my first experience with any Tamron lens and frankly I am impressed. I am currently using it with my D70 and am very happy with it. Pros: Easily Accessible Controls, Easily Mounted, Lightweight, Sharp pictures, Strong Construction Cons: Slow to focus Describe Yourself: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-03-26

rating of 5.0

I got this lens all the time in my camera's pocket.<br />It doesn't doesn't have a stabilization motor but it takes pics very sharp without any issue.<br />So far, so good that I'll keep this lens as a classic in DSLR.
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-03-26

rating of 5.0

I got this lens all the time in my camera's pocket.It doesn't doesn't have a stabilization motor but it takes pics very sharp without any issue.So far, so good that I'll keep this lens as a classic in DSLR. Pros: Easily Accessible Controls, Lightweight, Strong Construction Cons: None So Far Describe Yourself: Casual user, Hobbyist/Enthusiast
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-03-25

rating of 5.0

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 [...]. <br /> <br />This lens has a couple little advertised qualities which make it double as a superb portrait lens: <br />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. <br />Regards
(Source: www.amazon.com)