cnhoff Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Well, another step in my search for a near-L quality normal zoom :| As some of you might have read i have recently purchased a used 28-135IS for 200 Euro after comparing it thoroughly with the 28-105 3.5-4.5II. I am shooting with a Canon Elan 7E, so for the time being thoselenses are definetely not intended for digital. Everything was fine, until i read some reviews about the new Tamron28-75 f 2.8 DI. Some compare it to Canon 24-70 performance, butalthough this may not be true, most definetely rate it superior to the28-135 in every respect (e.g. Bob Atkins). So my question is, can i expect a real boost in image quality withthis lens? This is the only important feature for me, because i was specificallysearching for a very good lens to replace my obsolete Tamron 28-200.All other features/shortcomings (f2.8, no IS, slower and louder AF,shorter range etc.) compared with my 28-135 i have to think aboutmyself i guess. Maybe someone can even post some links to picturestaken with this lens. I intend to buy the praised 70-200 f4 in thefuture, so maybe the extra 60mm of the Canon will do no harm here. Thank you very mch again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo_s Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Christian, I've owned both the Tamron and the 28-135 IS. Both are very good lenses and good deals for the price. If you're happy with the results you're getting from the 28-135, then I see no need to consider the Tamron. Now, if you find that the 28-135 is not sharp enough, or you need larger apertures (to freeze movement or get a shallow DoF), then the Tamron makes a lot of sense. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from 800x600 pictures you see on a monitor. At that resolution, and with a little help from photoshop, even a picture taken with the cheapest consumer zoom can look great. So in short, my advice is: are you happy with the 28-135 lens? if you are, then that's pretty much it. The perfect lens does not exist and it's all about compromise; once you find a lens you like, keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnhoff Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 Aah i know, i am terrible :) But i have postponed this purchase so long and no i just get a little bit nervous, that i might have made the "wrong decision"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry_szarek Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 The canon is 2~3 stops slower than the Tamron so IS is a wash in this case. The Tamron is smaller, lighter and just tad more expensive, the choice is yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_mclennan Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 ok, here is a sample of a shot I took of my friend's new baby...he's got lots of fine hair! 1st pic attached is resample down to 800x600... 2nd is a 800x600 100% crop... This photo was shot at ISO 400, 5.6, 1/60th, handheld with 580EX flash bounced off the ceiling. I am not posting this as an example of how *amazing* this lens is or anything, just posting a sample shot taken with it. Of course, critiques are always welcome too...<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_mclennan Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 800x600 size 100% crop...<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknagel Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Sean, what lens is that with? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolver Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Here are a couple shot wide open. <a href="http://www.wolverineenterprises.com/istock/tamron/index2.html" TARGET=_blank> Tamron 28-75</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 i've owned both. the canon does not compare with the image quality of the tamron, which is much clearer, and gives you a consistent 2.8. the canon gives some convenience because of its throw, but i found the photos consumer grade and not anywhere close to prime lens quality. i have compared the tamron to my 85 1.8 canon prime and it comes close enough to be comparable, including at 2.8. the tamron also has excellent contrast and colors. i'm posting a photo taken recently with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 pic taken at f.2.8 with window light; don't have the focal length, but it was about 60mm i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard thompson www.fotoz Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I've owned both. <br> <br> Pros of Canon:<br> - Extra reach<br> - Ring USM<br> - IS<br> <br> Pros of Tamron<br> - optically far superior<br> - F2.8 (which is better than IS with f4.5-5.6 in my book)<br> - 6 year warranty<br> - lens hood included <br> - 67mm filter size matches well with the 70-200/4L if you have one<br> <br> I went with the Tamron. In fact, I kept the Tamron over the 24-70L too, as its half the weight and 1/4 of the price, yet similar in optical quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey mcallister Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I own both and the Tamron 28-75 f 2.8 Xr Di blows away the 28-135IS in every respect. In fact, at wide angle this lense is sharper than the cheaper consumer primes! In order to beat this lense in the 28-49 mm range you'll have to spend thousands on L glass. (The three 50mm primes and 85mm made by Canon beat the 28-75) If you shoot high quality film at ASA 400 or less you'll see a large improvement. The results I've gotten with this lense on a 7NE w/ Porta 100/400 NC are simply wonderful. I've shot mixed lighting from three sources (Flourescent, incandescent + flash) and the color was dead on! No extra unwanted yellow/amber/green or blue's Buy that lense! Casey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 <em>I own both and the Tamron 28-75 f 2.8 Xr Di blows away the 28-135IS in every respect</em><p>Except for one. It's useless between 75mm and 135mm!<p>This may seem a trite comment, but it does refelect on the utility of the lens. It's a great lens if you want to cover 28-75mm, but some people would rather trade off some optical quality for double the zoom range. That's a decision that can only be made on an individual basis.<p>Obviously, if you have the range above 75mm covered (e.g. by a 70-200/4L), and you don't mind carrying two lenses and switching lenses, then for maximum optical quality, the Tamron 28-75 is the lens to get. <p>Whether the difference in optical quality between the Tamron 28-75 and Canon 28-135 IS would be noticable depends on what you shoot and how you view the images. For web images, no. For 4x6 prints, no. For 16x20 prints, yes. For 8x10 prints, probably. For small sections of images cropped and enlarged, yes. For shots at f8 and slower, differences will be a lot smaller than for shots at f4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_certain Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 I own the 28-135 and considered getting the Tamron in addition. For me, the quality was not enough better to justify the cost (I eventually got the 35 f2 lens, which I am loving). Here's my test: http://www.thecertains.com/lens_test/tamron_28_75-2 This was not a professional test, just some shots of my bookshelf that I made. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_mclennan Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 yeah, sorry, my pics posted were with the Tamron 28-75 2.8 Di... sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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