Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD Review

Dustin Abbott

December 31st, 2013

Ready to Challenge the Big Dogs?

I recently wrote about the great flexibility of a good macro lens, particularly a stabilized one. That article will be coming out in the next PhotoNews Flash. But to summarize: when you buy a good macro lens you have also bought an excellent portrait lens along with a lightweight stabilized medium telephoto. You have also purchased one of the sharpest lenses available…and that is true at any distance, not just macro.

I am personally no stranger to good macro lenses. I have had the good privilege to own the Canon EF 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens when I shot crop bodies, and currently own the excellent Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens. I have used a few others briefly, and have also spent a lot of time shooting with extension tubes on both modern lenses as well as my vintage glass. I have shot thousands of macro shots and have a good frame of reference on what a good macro lens should offer.

Tamron is also no stranger to macro lenses. They have offered a variety of macro lenses in the past and in fact currently offer no less than four different macro lenses. The direct predecessor of the lens being tested became something of a cult favorite because of its combination of excellent optics and bargain price. Like many of Tamron’s lenses prior to 2010, the SP 90mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens was lauded for its optics and price, while knocked for its slower AF speed and handling (including a barrel that extended to almost twice its length during focus). Despite those limitations, I have read many reputable sources (including DXOMark) use the adjective “legendary” to describe it.

Modern photographers have become spoiled enough to expect more, though. We want it all: handling, optics, build quality, AF, oh, and by the way, keep that price down, too. How has Tamron done rebuilding the classic (yea, even legendary) 90mm macro lens?

Pretty well, it turns out. The Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Macro 1:1 (the full title….whew!) is a stellar lens that improves on its predecessor in almost every way.

: Some extra height variance from difference in rear cap thickness.

: Hoods are very different!

: Thanks for including focus limiter!

: Focus Distance windo

: Nice, clean design.

: Three switches on left side.

The Vital Statistics

First off, I am happy to be reviewing the lens after it has been on the market for about a year. Why? Because unlike many of the reviews at the time of release, I have the privilege of being able to examine the lens without the chief criticism: price. The North American price at release was $749, a roughly $250 jump over its predecessor’s price. Not terrible. That only tells part of the story, though, because the early report on the price in Europe (where several of the early reviews were done) was much higher…as much as £929+ (Pounds) while its predecessor was selling for roughly £360. Ouch. The street price turned out to be lower, but still, that price actually put it higher than first party offerings from Nikon and Canon. That price has stabilized to a more realistic level over the initial months on the market, and the current price in the US is $699, or roughly a $200 premium over the older model. The new lens offers a lot of extra perks for that $200. Meanwhile, in the UK, the price is currently £439 vs £299 for the older model. The current street price makes this lens even more highly competitive.

I will be doing a lot of direct comparisons to the Canon 100L Macro IS lens, as it is the natural competitor on the system that I shoot. Both Nikon and Sigma offer competitors in this class as well, and I will touch on them briefly later on. As you can see from these photos, the lenses share a somewhat similar design. The Tamron is 4.8 inches (122.9mm) and weighs 19.2 oz. (550 grams). The Canon is also 4.8” (123mm) and weighs just a bit more – 22.1 oz (625g). The Canon tapers somewhat as it has an area earmarked for a tripod collar (although said collar is not provided). The Tamron maintains a fairly constant thickness but, as the weight difference suggests, is slightly less dense than the Canon. One interesting difference is that the Canon hood is considerably longer than the Tamron, so the length with the hoods in place is more notably different. The lens hood is included.

The Tamron has a nice feel in the hand but is primarily constructed of high density plastics (as is the Canon). I would put its construction slightly below that of the Canon, though, as the 100L has a slightly more premium feel. The Tamron has a very nicely damped, very wide focus ring that feels great and is placed well (it falls to hand very naturally ). It has a distance window and, like the Canon, it has three switches on the left hand of the barrel. The first (and one of the most important), is the focus limiter switch. It has three positions: Full, .5m to Infinity, and .3m to .5m (Macro) range. I’ll touch more on the importance of this in the section on AF. The second switch is the AF/MF selector. Note that this Tamron does feature a full time manual override, so you can grab that focus ring at any point. The final switch is for the VC, or Vibration Compensation, Tamron’s proprietary stabilization system (and it has proven to be an excellent one!)

One important final element on the lens is a rubber gasket around the metal mount. This is the visual clue that this lens is weathersealed, or, in Tamron speak, has “dust and moisture resistance”. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean that the lens is waterproof, but it does mean that you should be able to shoot in just about any weather condition without worrying too much about your expensive lens being destroyed. It was winter when I used the lens for about a month and a got a sense of it for this review, and I can attest that I had no problems with the lens while shooting in -30C temperatures, in snow, or in freezing drizzle. All functionality remained unchanged. This is a significant advantage over its predecessor and means that this lens will appeal to a more “pro” audience or more hardcore amateur that is willing to get out in lousy weather.

The “Legendary” Original (photo courtesy of ePhotozine)

What isn’t immediately evident but is, to me, a huge deal, is that the new lens in internally focusing. The older lens would extend significantly during focus (see above). The new lens does not change length at all during focus or at any other time in operation. What you see is what you get!

Nice, clean design.

Not only is this a more elegant solution, but it has the additional benefit of the front element being able to be sealed (weatherproofing) and not drawing dust into the lens during the barrel’s extension. It also means that there is no disturbing change in the lens’ length when either trying to approach an insect/animal or trying to setup a shot. The new lens is about an inch longer (25mm) but is actually more compact during typical use. This is one of the key areas that the lens has been modernized.

AF (Autofocus) Quality

Older Tamron lenses relied on micromotors in their AF systems that tended to be a bit slower to focus and very “buzzy” in operation. Several years ago Tamron developed their USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) AF system that have demonstrated a marked improvement over earlier systems. My experience with USD has been very good. I find that the USD equipped lenses seem to be just a hair slower to focus than Canon lenses with USM motors, and that the noise level is often actually lower than the Canon systems. This lens is quite similar, although I do sometimes get a split second hesitation before final focus lock is achieved. I also noticed (as have other reviewers) that Live View focus is sometimes slower than it should be. I do have high expectations in this area, however, as a I have a kit full of lenses with great AF. Overall the lens focuses quickly, and more importantly, accurately. When I magnify photos at 1:1 pixel level I find focus to consistently be where I wanted it…like on these lashes, for example.

: Quick Christmas morning portrait using only natural light.

: Check out the detail on my point of focus!

For those that are interested, I got a very repeatable result of a +7 AFMA through Reikan FoCal on the lens. Please note that this figure is body specific, and very likely will NOT be the proper number for your camera body.

My conclusion, unsurprisingly, is that the Tamron’s AF is great but not quite at the level of my Canon L series macro – although the difference is very, very minute. I doubt that anyone will really be disappointed in the lens’ AF, and a quick perusal of user reviews at various sites show a host of people that are really, really pleased with their lens’ performance.

One excellent addition to this lens is the addition of the focus limiter switch. This is an area that has been sometimes overlooked by third party manufacturers, but I was really glad to see its inclusion here. I have even heard people complain about the slow AF on the Canon 100L, when in reality its focus is very fast. But macro lenses have a MUCH broader range of focus than other lenses because of the many stages of close focus. Without a focus limiter there will be occasions when the AF doesn’t have a point of high enough contrast to initially lock onto and will hunt through its entire range of focus to find a focus point. On most lenses that can happen very quickly, but a macro lens has a much greater range to hunt through, leaving you sometimes frustrated while the lens works through either tele or macro range when you need to shoot the opposite. On some lenses I rarely use the focus limiter, but I definitely use it on a macro lens. When shooting tele distances (anything beyond half a meter), simply use the middle switch. It removes the macro range from the equation and makes sure that you don’t waste time hunting if you miss your initial lock. The opposite applies when shooting macro – you don’t want to be hunting towards infinity focus. Put the lens in the third position and enjoy the faster focusing times that result. I use my Canon lens the same way, and kudos to Tamron for including this very important feature on this lens.

Add to this that the focus ring is very, very nice on the Tamron. It is wide, nicely ribbed and moves beautifully. You can manually focus at any time. For those that are interested in doing video work, I found the Tamron to be an excellent choice for video. The focus ring is great, and the VC makes for a nicely stable image even handheld. It was a very pleasant surprise in this regard.

Here is a little series of action shots taken with the Tamron from a sledding day:

: Snow is very hard to focus on on a bright day, but I was able to freeze action by…

: …locking onto my subjects quickly and shooting.

: Proof that this lens can focus and freeze action just fine, thank you!

: Ummm, where are you going?

: Another wipeout!

: Sledding fun…and that metal sled was fast!!

Image Quality

Macro lenses tend to be, by nature, very sharp lenses. They have to be to resolve the very fine detail of small things. Some manufacturers (ahem, Zeiss) call lenses macro that only provide 1:2 life size detail, but this lens is a true 1:1 macro lens. That means that you can fill the frame with very small things. It can focus down to 90mm, which means that you can get very close to something and still focus. The Tamron VC improves on its predecessor’s already stellar IQ, and the images produced are very, very sharp. The advantages of this show up at every focus distance, and I have been really impressed by the look of some “ordinary” images like this one that show a great 3D like quality and separation from the background.

Great for casual kid shots

I shot a series of holiday images using a pocket watch, a little “treasure chest”, and a Christmas tree and was very, very pleased with the fine detail.

The lens is very sharp wide open, even towards the corners, and the extreme corners reach excellent range by f/5.6. Peak center sharpness is around f/4. If you would like the chart testing results, take a look at Photozone’s results here and ePhotozine’s here. (P.S. Photozone finds that the Tamron outresolves my Canon in every statistic, and that is a huge accomplishment!)

Image sharpness and color rendition are significant high points with this lens. I hope to demonstrate that through the series of images that I will share throughout this review and in the final gallery. Many of you who have read my other reviews know that my style is to provide more “field results” and leave the chart testing to others more qualified. Winter is, unfortunately, not a ripe time for a lot of traditional macro work where I live, as flowers, insects, and even leaves are pretty much nonexistent. Still, I have found some subjects to share at macro or near macro distance to demonstrate the fine detail that this lens can resolve.

: Remains of a weed.

: Seed pod burst open

: Morning Tea

: Got the time?

: Very narrow depth of field

: Seasonal Decorations

Distortion is completely negligible with the lens (as is true with most macro lenses), so there is absolutely nothing to be concerned about in field conditions here. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled through Tamron’s use of two XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) elements, one LD (Low Dispersion) element, along with new coating called “eBand”. This is another area of improvement over the already excellent results from its predecessor. Part of my shooting style involves a lot of shots into the sun, and I did not hesitate for a moment to use the lens in this fashion. The new coating proved its worth as I was scarcely able to produce ghosting of any kind despite shooting directly into the sun.

Another little trick I like to use is to stop down to f/11 and isolate the sun through branches or on the corner of buildings and produce beautiful sunbursts. The Tamron produces exceptionally nice sunbursts.

It has a nine bladed aperture iris that retains a nice circular shape even when stopped down. Look at this series featuring a Christmas decoration and tree that demonstrates how that the circular highlights remain, well, circular! This is important with a macro lens, as you will often stop down the lens quite a bit when shooting at macro length.

: Bokeh @f/2.8

: Bokeh @f/4

: Bokeh @f/5.6

: Bokeh @f/8

: Bokeh @f/11

The bokeh quality of the lens is generally very good (as is often the case with macro lenses), although the highlights do take on an elliptical shape towards the edges. I don’t feel that it is quite as creamy as the bokeh from my 100L (considered one of the best out there), but as you can see from these images, it produces very nice bokeh. The transition zone is handled well, and that is a personal priority for me. Far more images will feature transition bokeh than the typical OOF (out of focus) highlight “bokeh balls”. The lens transitions from focus to defocus nicely.

This lens does have some minor vignetting wide open that clears up to negligible levels by f/4. This is perhaps the easiest optical imperfection to clear up. It is minutely better than the Canon 100L in this regard despite having a smaller front element (58mm) than the Canon (67mm). Speaking of which: that small front element means that adding filters is quite cheap, and for those interested in using a circular polarizer, you will be happy to note that the front element does not rotate during focus.

Image quality in every area is a true high point for this lens. It compares very favorably to the 100L, which is one of the best macro lenses ever made.

Image Stabilization (VC)

This is another area of tremendous advantage for the new lens over its predecessor. Tamron has a bit of magic with their Vibration Compensation. Quite frankly it is the best system I have used. That was particularly noticeable when I went from the Tamron 70-300VC (a sub $400 lens) to the Canon 70-300L (a $1500 lens). The Canon is a better lens in almost every area save this one. I have actually been disappointed in Canon’s stabilizer because I was spoiled by the Tamron. The VC in the 90mm Macro just does the job. It can only be heard operating if you put your ear right next to the lens barrel with the VC engaged; otherwise it is silent (the Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS is the worst offender that I have used in this regard – it was like angry bees in the lens barrel). It is as if it magically locks your subject in the viewfinder and makes you feel like you have all the time in the world to compose and shoot. I can’t praise the operation and effectiveness of Tamron’s system enough.

This played a huge part in my use of the lens handheld to shoot video over the holidays. 90mm is in the medium telephoto range, but my video footage is so solid that you would scarcely know that it was handheld (other than the jerks when I would chase a subject). I found doing focus follow very easy by just grasping the focus ring. It is, in fact, one of the easiest lenses to use in this situation that I have personally come across. It is just a great size to cradle, focus, and shoot with.

The nature of macro photography is that image stabilizers work less effectively at macro distances (for all lenses). Tamron claims a 4 stop advantage for the VC, but expect that to be drastically reduced at macro distances. Think more a maximum of 2 stops on a good day. Still, I have had good success in shooting handheld shots at macro distances. Just know that the depth of field is so narrow at macro distances that acquiring and then holding focus long enough for a shot will take some practice. There is no question that the VC makes a difference here, but don’t expect miracles. Here is an example of a handheld macro I took with this lens:

Overall, Tamron’s VC works as well as anything I have personally seen. It makes a huge difference in framing any kind of shot, even casual shots with your family. This series of images were all taken below the recommended handholdable limit for this focal length. I wasn’t concerned for a moment…

Conclusion

Buying a good macro lens is a great investment. You get an amazing portrait lens (the 90-105mm range covered by most macro lenses is a very flattering perspective). It is amazingly sharp (you can always add blur, but adding sharpness is a very different matter!), has great color rendition, and the close focus distance means that you can get in and frame tight headshots or even closer detail shots in a way you can’t with most other telephotos. Macro lenses with weathersealing make great nature/landscape lenses. You can go from a deep depth of field landscape to capturing a narrow depth of field detail shot without changing lenses. That great resolving power is huge for this application. A stabilized medium telephoto like this is a great event/general purpose lens for both stills and video. I can say without hesitation that everyone should have a good macro lens even if they aren’t all that interested in shooting tiny objects. They are very flexible tools. I recently traveled with just this lens along with a 35mm prime and didn’t feel limited in the least. Here’s a variety of situations in which the lens excels:

: Nice transition bokeh. I could get close for this one…

: …and shoot from a distance for this one.

: Great landscape option.

: Exceptional color and great flare resistance.

: Right into the sun? No problem!

: One for Canada

: The moody side of Tamron

: Great for casual kid shots

: Portraits of family…

: Yes, it even takes good pics of cats

: Winter temperatures haven’t slowed it down.

: Nice, soft bokeh here.

: Flare handled nicely

: A little more formal portrait.

: Winter beauty.

But what about this lens? Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros:

Highly Effective Vibration Compensation
Internally focusing
Weathersealed construction
Optical excellence in every measurable way
Inclusion of a focus limiter
Price
6 Year Warranty in North America; 5 Year in Europe
Quality build

Cons:

Bokeh is perhaps a tad worse than the predecessor
AF still slightly slower than the best systems; can hunt a split second before final lock
Build feels slightly cheaper than the Canon 100L

The biggest con for the lens at introduction (price) is now a plus. At the moment, using Amazon.com prices, the Canon 100L is $1049 while the Tamron VC is $699. The Sigma 105mm OS comes in very close to the Tamron’s price ($669), while the Nikon 105mm VR is currently $845.99. That being said, the price for the Canon is somewhat deceiving. Holiday discounts have just ended, and this is the highest price I have seen in some time. Refurbished copies routinely surface for around $600-700. But, with all fairness, the Tamron also just had a $100 rebate end, meaning that it was recently available for $599 in the US. But you see why the price dropping was very important for the Tamron. It allows it to compete on merit without the negative of an equal or (gulp!) higher price than the first party offerings (pretty much unheard of). I suspect at this new price point the lens will do very well. As you can see, the list of pros is much greater than the cons.

I have no problem recommending this lens. I would personally be very interested if I did not already have a macro lens that I love in my kit. This lens runs neck and neck with my Canon, and if I were just entering the market and looking at the price/production ratio, I very possibly would have gone with the Tamron. I still think the Canon is a slightly better lens, but the difference is minimal. If you would like to save hundreds of dollars by going with the Tamron, know that you are missing very little. If I were considering the older Canon 100mm macro (without a stabilizer) at $499 vs. the Tamron, I would consider the extra money spent on the Tamron well worth it. It is one of the best macro options on the Canon system and possibly the best on the Nikon and Sony systems. It isn’t cheap, but it is a lot of lens for the money and represents a significant improvement over its “legendary” predecessor in almost every way. Tamron is on a roll right now, and I hope they keep it up. As a photographer, and a consumer, I consider competition a good thing! If you would like to buy from the people that I buy from, click here: They will treat you right!

Disclaimer: The lens tested was a retail copy of the lens loaned to me by Tamron Canada for review purposes. My review has not been subsidized or influenced by Tamron, but is entirely my own opinions formed by my personal experiences with the lens. I tested the lens in an EF mount on a Canon 6D body.

Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52014 in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, andis stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! If you want to go directly to the new Tamron 150-600 VC, click here: Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!

FOR MY AMERICAN READERS: I have now have a relationship in place with B&H for my American readers. B&H is one of the leading photography retailers on the planet, and they offer not only great prices but a cash back program. Click here in the mount of choice to get a great price on this lens.

Dustin Abbott uses Alien Skin products.

Final Gallery:

Click on the image below to see all the photos plus a few extras:

[sliderly id=2211 type=featuredimg colorbox=true width=500 height =300]

DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Thanks a Million!

Dustin Abbott

December 14th, 2013

Wow, what a ride it has been over the past couple of years! Flickr tells me that I joined the site in October 2010. I was very new to serious photography at that point, and, to be honest, I almost gave up on sharing my work early on. I just couldn’t get anyone to look at it! It was sometime in 2011 that I was thrilled when one of my images (a portrait of my wife) hit a cumulative total of 100 views after being shared for months. For some reason I kept going, and kept posting my work. I made some good friendships along the way, and I will forever be grateful to those early people who “adopted me”, looked at my work, and threw some comments and even favorites my direction. They helped to sustain me until I got a little momentum. It was a big deal when I hit that first 1000 views.

My first breakthrough was in early July, 2011, when I got my first “Explore” on Flickr. Things were starting to click, and my work was improving. But getting an Explore was thrilling to me. Flickr Explore is the site’s system where it selects the 500 top most “Interesting” photos around the world for that day (there are millions of photos uploaded daily to Flickr). No one knows for sure what constitutes “interesting”, but one thing is sure: getting “Explored” means your photo (and you) get exposure to a much larger audience. Here is that first Explore:

Things started to accelerate from there. More Explores followed over the next few years (75 of them!), so it will never be as exciting as that first time. It was amazing to hit the 100,000 view mark. I couldn’t believe that so many people had looked at my work. Flickr has been good to me over the last couple of years. Many of my major opportunities, from Getty Images taking me on board to the magazines that have published me to some of the companies that I have built relationships with have had some root in Flickr. My work is shared in a lot of other venues now, but Flickr remains one of my favorite places to display and share my work.

That momentum kicked into high gear this year. I went from hundreds of views per day to thousands of views. The number of “followers” drastically increased, and my audience grew as a result. Leadership guru John Maxwell talks about the Big Mo (Momentum) and how key it is to any enterprise. I finally have some of that momentum, and I look forward with anticipation to 2014 and what it has to offer.

So thanks a million for your support. Thanks for coming to this space or any of the places that I share my work. There are many talented people out there (more talented than me) that have never had an opportunity to showcase their work, but thanks to you I have had some great opportunities. I would be honored if you continue to stop by here and continue to look at my work. If you would like to look at my Flickr “Photostream”, click here. God’s blessings in the year to come!

Dustin

P.S. Here’s a new one for you to enjoy

The Moose of Algonquin Park

Dustin Abbott

November 8th, 2013

“The Ungainly Giants”

I have the privilege of living only about 25 minutes from the eastern edge of one of Ontario’s great treasures – Algonquin Provincial Park. This massive provincial park (7,653 square kilometers/2,995 square miles) is a place full of natural wonder. It is one of the most popular parks in the country. It is a rich mix between the northern coniferous forest and the southern deciduous forest, and this diversity allows for an equal diversity of animal life. I’ve enjoyed visits for hiking and canoeing, but above all it is a place that I love to have a camera (or two) in hand for. But above all of the other beautiful natural wonders in Algonquin, visitors from around the world come to see the moose.

The moose. They are massive animals, the largest of the deer family. An average moose weighs some 360 kilograms (790 pounds) and consumes up to 32kg (71lb) of food per day! A bull moose can weigh as much as 700kg (1500 lbs) and stand nearly 2.2 m/7 foot at the shoulder. The largest bull ever shot was 820kg (1800 lbs) and was 2.33m (7.6 ft at the shoulder). They are truly massive animals. Canada has by far the largest population of moose, and people come from (literally) around the world to see the moose in Algonquin. For all of their great size, moose are somewhat ungainly looking creatures that frequently come across as more comical than threatening, but that can be deceiving. They are somewhat unpredictable, particularly during mating season, and believe it or not, they actually attack more people annually than wolves and bear combined! In fact, more people are injured by moose in North America than any other wild mammal.

I say that as a lead in to a series of images that I took of a bull moose from distances ranging from 40 to about 10 feet away in the wild (gulp!) Fortunately I lived to tell about it…

I mentioned that people come from all over the world to see the moose. I actually talked to German bikers on this particular trip who were riding through the park particularly to see the moose. It is not at all unusual to be driving along Highway 60 through the Park and see a group of cars stopped alongside (and sometimes IN) the road. You can almost guarantee that a moose or two is grazing near the side of the road. In fact, in the winter they often come near the road to lick salt off it!

So if you are ever in Ontario, Canada, and want to see moose in a far more natural setting than a zoo, take a drive through Algonquin Provincial Park. There is a very good chance that you will see a moose or two, and even if you don’t, you will get to see some truly beautiful nature!

As a footnote, I wanted to give a few gear insights. I am not really an “animal photographer”, at least in the sense that I have not invested huge amounts of money in “super-teles”, which can range from $5K-13K. My current longest lens is Canon’s excellent 70-300L. Its maximum aperture at 300mm is f/5.6, which creates an issue for using it with Canon extenders on my 6D bodies (the use of an extender decreases maximum aperture by at least a stop). I am happy to report that an aftermarket 1.4x extender (the Kenko DGX Tele Plus Pro 300) works perfectly well despite the maximum aperture of the combination being f/8. This gives me reach of up to 420mm (f/8), which some of the shots in this gallery were taken at. The downside, of course, is that you need a lot of light at f/8, which I didn’t really have for these late evening shots. The fabulous High ISO performance of the EOS 6D full frame body really saved me, though. This whole series was shot at ISO 12,800, and yet my images are nice and clean. Now I recognize that I am talking about a $2000 camera body and a $1500 lens, but in the realm of nature (animal) photography this is bargain gear. I am impressed at the images I can get with this (relatively) inexpensive combination.

So now enjoy this gallery of images taken of the Algonquin moose (both a bull and a cow). Then grab your camera and go out on your own adventure!

From Good to Great Workflow Articles

Dustin Abbott

October 30th, 2013

The following links are to a series of articles that I wrote for software manufacturer company Alien Skin. I get a fair number of questions about my processing workflow, and these articles, in part, are about how I go about processing images. But the articles also pursue a certain theme borrowed from a leadership guru: “From Good to Great” (Jim Collins).

These articles deal with how to make both subtle adjustments to improve the look of an image and then on to more drastic changes to achieve your vision. Here are the links to the articles:

Dustin Abbott’s From Good to Great Part 1:

Dustin Abbott’s From Good to Great Part 2:

Dustin Abbott’s From Good to Great Part 3:

Hopefully there will be a few tips here that will help you produce something beautiful. Enjoy,

Dustin

Dustin Abbott uses Alien Skin products.

First PhotoNews Flash Article

Dustin Abbott

October 25th, 2013

Hello all,

First, I want to say “Thank you” for frequenting this space and for the nearly 85,000 visits in the first year or so of this new site being live. I’m very grateful! Secondly, I wanted to share a link to my first article that I have written for a new enterprise of PhotoNews Magazine called “PhotoNewsFlash”. I have been hired to write about four articles a year for this publication, and I am honored to be chosen to participate in this new endeavor. PhotoNews is a magazine that I have personally enjoyed for years, so I am very happy to partner with them. Here’s the link if you want to take a look:

As always, thanks for stopping by. Here’s a recent shot with the Rokinon that I’ve shared nowhere else:

Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Review

Dustin Abbott

October 1st, 2013

How wide can you go?

I am a Canon shooter. I don’t see that changing any time soon. Canon is renowned for its range of telephoto lenses that are considered to be the best. Period. The truth of the matter is that Canon has been on a roll with many of its recent lens releases, starting back with the 70-300L, the new 24-70mm f/2.8L II, the amazing 200-400mm f/4L IS + 1.4x, refreshes on several of the other super-teles (300mm f/2.8L II and 400mm f/2.8L II), and even a series of non-L primes that have been very well reviewed (24mm f/2.8 IS, 28mm f/2.8 IS, 35mm f/2 IS, and 40mm f/2.8 Pancake). Great, right? It is, until you get to the other end of the equation – the wide angle…errr…angle. This has become perhaps the greatest challenge for Canon shooters, because frankly all of the options come with certain liabilities. My personal experience is that I have owned the Canon EF-S 10-22mm, a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 (both while shooting crop sensor bodies) and (currently) the EF 17-40L. All of these are good lenses, by the way, but none blew my mind. Another favorite is the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, but despite its lofty price tag it has its own optical limitations.

Other current options are some 3^rd party zooms from Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina, but none of them are considered superior to the options I’ve already presented. That leads us to prime lenses, of which there are some excellent options, including some Zeiss lenses, the Canon tilt-shift lenses (a bit more specialized), and Canon’s own 14mm f/2.8L II. If you can afford these, there are some great choices there, but most of these lenses start near the $2000 mark. None of that is a problem if you are a professional landscape photographer or have a lot of paying architectural work (or, I guess, are just rich!), but for many people the high asking price of these lenses effectively removes them from the equation. The vast majority of photographers simply don’t shoot extreme wide angle enough to prioritize that type of lens in their spending budget. And, as I wrote in this opinion piece for PhotoNewsFlash, an UWA (Ultra Wide Angle) lens is almost never going to be someone’s sole or even primary lens.

For these reasons and others, one of the most compelling options that I have come across in the arena of UWA’s is the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 Aspherical. It has an extremely low price for its optical quality, and 14mm on a full frame body is EXTREMELY wide. The field of view on a full frame body is a whopping 114°. To give you a point of comparison, here is the difference between my 24mm Tamron (84°) 17mm Canon (104°) and the Rokinon at 14mm (114°). The difference even between 14mm and 17mm is stunning. I set up the tripod at a distance where the 24mm Tamron barely covered the bench. Look at how different the angle of view is with each successive shot:

: Tamron 24-70 VC@ 24mm

: Canon 17-40L @ 17mm

: Rokinon 14mm @ 14mm

I recently shared this nightscape that I took with the Rokinon featured below, and one of the common questions I got was, “How many frames is this shot?” The assumption was that I HAD to have taken multiple frames and stitched them together into a vertorama to get this much information in the frame. When I responded that this was a single frame taken with the Rokinon, the immediate response was, “That is my next lens purchase.” Yep, if you want go to wide, really wide, I think this Rokinon may just be your best choice, but it is not for everyone. In this review I will do my best to be very frank about both the strengths and liabilities of this unique lens.

By the Numbers

First, let’s take a quick look at the basic design of the lens. I am reviewing a Rokinon branded lens, technically called the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Super Wide Angle. I say Rokinon branded because the exact same lens is sold under a variety of brands, including Samyang, Bower, Vivitar, Pro Optic, Walimex…yeah, there’s a few! The parent company here is Samyang, based in Korea, and in the past 10 years this company has put some serious pressure on several established lenses because of the combination of great optics and low price…with certain caveats. We will address these more as we go, but you should know before we proceed that Samyang/Rokinon lenses to this point are always manual focus only lenses. In fact, this lens has no electronics in it, not even to control aperture or to convey any kind of information to the camera. Your camera will display a “f/00” where it typically shows aperture, and all focus and control of the aperture/iris are done manually. That may be a deal breaker for you right there, but if you read on you may discover it is less of an issue than you think. This is, of course, part of the reason why Rokinon has been able to undercut its competitors on price so much.

The lens construction itself is anything but cheap. The design, by nature, is probably dissimilar from any other lens in your bag. The barrel of the lens is actually quite slim (approximately the circumference of the EF 50mm f/1.8), but it swells out to accommodate the large, bulbous front element. Its lens cap, for example, is almost identical in circumference to my Tamron 24-70 VC lens which has an 82mm filter size. The lens is still relatively compact overall, but when you pick it up you will probably be surprised by its heft. It has a density that belies its dimensions due to a very sturdy construction of metal and higher end plastics. It weighs in at 552 grams, which places it between the 17-40L (475 grams) and the 16-35L II (640 grams). It comes in about a tenth of an inch shorter than the 17-40L. Its overall dimensions compare quite closely with the Canon 14mm f/2.8L II, although it is roughly 100 grams lighter. It feels substantial and far from “budget”. The finish has a light “flecked” design and the focus ring is nicely wide and the rubber feels like quality. It is nicely damped overall, although my copy has a point about midway through that has a bit of extra resistance. I have not heard others report a similar issue. The aperture ring appears to be plastic, but moves well and has nice, definite clicks for each aperture position. Only full stops are shown on the scale (from f/2.8 to f/22) but there are also clicks for half stops on the aperture ring. I have no reservations at all about the build quality of the lens; I feel like it will serve well for a long period of time. There is a distance scale between the focus and aperture rings.

: The Rokinon

: Many letter designations, but solid build quality under it all.

: The lens cap is, well, huge!

: Bulbous front element.

: Nicely rubberized focus ring.

: Metal hood is permanent.

Another aspect of the lens’ design must be discussed, and that is the bulbous front element. It is curved, meaning that the first principle drawback of the lens is exposed: it cannot take filters in a conventional way, and, in fact, any system of filters for a lens design like this will be an expensive workaround solution…and probably won’t cost a whole lot less than the lens itself. I tried to just hold one of my square Cokin based filters (Cokin P system) in front of the frame and found that even without a filter holder the filter only covered about 70% of the frame. The lens design has a built in petal shaped hood (made of metal), which is important because it provides the only protection for that protruding front element. You can’t put a UV filter over it like I do with all of my other lenses. The upside to this design is that whatever minor glare blocking that is provided by the hood will actually be of benefit; with each of my other wide angle options I have almost never had the hood with me; they tend to be wide, shallow, and not provide a lot of protection from stray light. I have considered them to be mostly a useless bother and have left the hood home in the box. I don’t know that the hood here actually shades the element any better, but at least it will be around while using the lens. I think my chief concern long term with the lens would be keeping that element protected in the field. It does come with a very deep (1 ½ inch/3.5cm) lens cap that slides over the outer hood assembly and locks in place in basically only one position. The lens cap is effective, but that leads me to another minor frustration for field use: I typically put the lens cap of the lens I am using in a pocket (pants or jacket) in the field, but the depth of this lens cap makes it a bit difficult to store. It is less of an issue if you have a camera bag with you, but it certainly is NOT convenient to store if you don’t have something like that along. A pants’ pocket is out of the question, and even a jacket pocket will be bulging with this puppy in it.

The lens mount is metal and is very sturdily constructed. It does not claim weathersealing, but its very lack of electronics makes me personally less concerned about the effect of weather on it. I have often shot with many of my vintage lenses in all kinds of weather without fear (or adverse effect) because of that very reason. You will have to make your own judgment call on that one, but I don’t intend to allow a lack of weathersealing to affect my use of this lens at all.

I shot for an extended period in persistent rain.

NO Electronics?

Unlike most all other modern lenses, there is no circuit board on the mount providing information to the camera body. I have used legacy lenses on my modern camera bodies quite a bit, and so I am very familiar with the process of manually focusing and manually controlling aperture. If you haven’t shot like this before, let me give you a rundown on how the process goes. First, while there isn’t electronic communication, you don’t have to worry about metering. Your camera will meter fine in all modes (even Auto mode), as it does not rely on a lens to provide that information. You will, however, have to manually set your aperture. This is, by the way, probably one of the best ways to actually learn the purpose of aperture settings. My understanding grew significantly when I began to use manual lenses. On modern lenses with automatic diaphragms you don’t actually see the iris open and close; aperture is just a number. But as you click through the aperture settings on a manual lens you see the correlation between an aperture setting and the opening size of the iris. As you begin to see how this affects shutter speed and depth of field while shooting you will probably learn a few things. One minor issue is that lenses with an automatic aperture control actually always meter with the lens wide open (largest aperture) and then close down when the shutter is clicked. The brightness in your viewfinder is whatever the maximum aperture of the lens is. Because you are stopping down in advance with the Rokinon, the viewfinder will darken slightly with each aperture position. There will be a marked difference between the viewfinder brightness at f/2.8 and f/22, but chances are for most typical aperture settings in the field you will hardly notice this (I certainly don’t). Live View is not effected, because your camera will be metering for the light source already and this will be reflected on the LCD screen. For most applications of this particular lens, however, you could set the aperture on f/5.6 and pretty much forget about it. The lens is incredibly sharp at this aperture and the depth of field is huge.

That last point helps address one of the other principle concerns about the lens – manual focus. For many applications I feel that the best approach is to just to prefocus the lens. Just think about your distance from your subject, and unless you are trying to shoot something up close, setting the focus ring at somewhere right before the 2 meter/7 foot mark means that pretty much everything from a couple of feet out to infinity will be in focus. It is when you are trying to use the lens wide open (f/2.8) and trying to focus on a subject ten feet or less away that focus becomes a challenge. In this sense, the lens is more challenging than any manual focus lens I have used before. Your magnification of your subject is so low that it always feels like you are far away, meaning that it is hard to visually confirm focus through the viewfinder. Live view focusing works much better for this type of shooting because you can increase magnification and fine tune focus.

I personally feel that the best way to use this lens for most applications is to familiarize yourself with its use and then primarily prefocus. Before serious use in the field, I would first put it on a tripod, start Live View on your camera, and starting from minimum focus work your way out and see at what point things come in focus in relation to the distance scale. I say this in part because quite a few users (myself included) have found that infinity focus actually comes sooner than the distance scale indicates. I don’t know that I would always trust the distance scale and its distances in the real world. But if you become familiar with approximately when things come in focus on your copy, it becomes very easy to replicate that in the field. Even after only a couple of weeks of use I have essentially a 100% keeper rate in terms of focus. If my subject is anywhere from five feet out to infinity, I just set the distance scale on my copy roughly just short of the 2 meter marking and never worry about it. Everything will be in focus. If I am using the lens to focus on something closer than that, I use Live View to fine tune focusing.

I really miss not having EXIF data. I often look for/sort images by the lens I took them with or some other piece of data in Lightroom, and there will be nothing to distinguish shots taken with the Rokinon. Shots simply show up as “Unknown Lens”. It will report ISO and shutter speed (both internal to the camera body), but nothing about aperture or focal length.

I should note that there is a version of the Nikon mount (AE) that comes with a focus confirm chip that will light up the selected focus point in the viewfinder when focus is achieved and will also report EXIF information (like the aperture, etc…) Some have reported success adding an inexpensive focus chip off Ebay that accomplishes something similar. They simply superglue the chip onto the mount at the appropriate spot to make contact with the body’s electronic contact points. Whether or not this is worth it will be up to you.

Optical Excellence

It is here that we get to the good stuff. The review to this point may seem like this lens is more trouble than it is worth, but that is far from being true for me. Rokinon states this lens’ optical design is 14 elements in 12 groups, including 2 Aspherical elements and 2 ED (extra low dispersion glass – to reduce chromatic aberrations.) However they put it together, the end result is AWESOME! This lens resolves more detail than any wide angle that I have seen. I am not a chart tester, but if you are interested I would recommend you compare the Samyang results in resolution to that of the Canon 17-40L and the Canon 16-35L II at Photozone. The Samyang/Rokinon just destroys them, particularly in the corners. And that is the primary reason that many landscape photographers are frustrated with those lenses; they just aren’t all that sharp in the corners, and that is often more important on this type of lens than, say, a wide aperture prime. The lens even displays a higher resolution at equivalent apertures than the Canon 14mm f/2.8 II, a lens that costs $2500 (the Rokinon typically costs less than $400). On a practical, field level, I can tell that it is just amazing to zoom into a huge scene full of detail to a pixel level and find individual leaves in sharp definition. It will leave you wishing that you could share your images in as large a format as possible so people could see all of that goodness.

If you look beyond sharpness alone the lens continues to impress. Color rendition is excellent. Natural yet rich, without an oversaturated false look. Microcontrast is also excellent, which further enhances the apparent sharpness of the lens. Images come out looking stunning! I am considered a skilled post processor, and most the images in this review have been processed in some way. That being said, here is an image that is completely untouched to show just how good images can look straight out of camera:

It is also worth noting that a typical shortcoming for a wide angle lens is chromatic aberrations. The lens design also shines here, as chromatic aberrations barely register in chart testing and are simply nonexistent in field use. This is very important considering that this is a lens that will often be used in areas of high contrast. The optical design strongly deserves praise here. This more than 100% crop from a spot high up on the previous image shows both the excellent sharpness and complete lack of chromatic fringing around the branches.

Another area of strength is the lens resistance to flare. I like to shoot into the sun, and some lenses just fair better than others. Some reviewers have complained about the lens’ lack of flare resistance, but I simply haven’t seen this AT ALL. I have found the lens very resistant to flare. I have seen very little ghosting, and contrast holds up very well. In fact, the difference between having the sun in the frame or just outside of it seems to make little difference to contrast, as seen in this series of shots. All of these shots have been left unedited to show the full effect of shooting into the sun at different times of day and in different lighting conditions. In each shot the sun is either in the frame or just outside of it.

: Small ghosting object is the most I have been able to create

: Evening sun – slight veil at the bottom .

: Sun in the frame

: Sun just outside the frame.

: Sun just above the left corner of the frame

: Morning sun

I have purposefully shot into the sun a lot, and have nothing to complain about in this regard. At most I have seen one small ghosting object that so far has been painless to remove in post – far different than my 17-40L. A slight veil can be seen on the bottom left in the second shot of this series. If you move the camera a bit you can completely eliminate this effect (move the effect out of frame), but I like it in some instances for the artistic value.

Distortion and Vignetting

It is here that the reign of terror comes to an end. The Rokinon has its share of distortion – over 5% barrel distortion which means that it has significantly more than the Canon zooms (around 3.5% at their widest focal length) and is nearly three times worse than the Canon 14mm f/2.8 II’s 1.73%. To further complicate things, the distortion is a fairly complex one, commonly referred to as a “mustache style” because of its shape. The means that there are better choices for architecture out there. For many applications, though, a simple preset in Lightroom or Photoshop (I downloaded one through Adobe Lens Profiler) will correct the vast majority of this. Here is what a good ol’ brick wall shot looks like before/after the application of that preset (I have made no other changes). A helpful reader provided a link to a great profile that is labeled for a Nikon D600 but works a treat for full frame Canon cameras too.

: Distortion Example

: With Profile Correction

If you look closely, it still isn’t perfect after applying this profile. There are better ways to correct the distortion, but for most of my applications that is good enough. There are times, of course, that distortion has artistic value. Here are a couple of cases in point.

: Your palace is leaning, O King!

: In the Land of Giants

Vignetting is also fairly heavy, although once again a profile corrects this very easily in post. I haven’t actually noticed this a lot for field use, but I do automatically apply the preset on import into Lightroom so I don’t really see it much. Be aware that it is there, however, particularly wide open. I will shoot this lens most often at f/5.6, and it is no longer really a field issue by that aperture.

If there is a silver lining here, it is that due to the extremely wide field of view it is fairly easy to leave enough room with, say, an architectural type shot, to be able to correct distortion in post. You typically lose some of your edges when correcting distortion, but the angle of view is so wide that this probably won’t present an issue most of the time. I will say that I have not found either of these issues to be a deal breaker with the kind of photography I typically do, but I would not recommend this lens to someone whose primary interest is architectural work. I definitely do not recommend it to someone who wants to shoot interiors for real estate – the loss of time spent correcting distortion would quickly make you wish you had paid for the right tool for the job – a tilt-shift lens.

Close Focus? Kind Of…

The good news is that the lens can focus down to about .9 feet/.28m. Also encouraging is that the lens is nicely sharp at/near minimum focus distance. But let’s not kid ourselves; it would be hard to find a lens less well suited to macro type photography. Its maximum magnification barely registers on the charts. In fact, you will be shocked at how distant your subject still appears in the viewfinder. Rokinon hypes the close focusing ability a bit in their literature (even on the box), but the usefulness of that close of focus is diminished by the very nature of the lens. This shot shows the extremely low magnification of my subject (the center leaves) at that very close focus (less than a foot). The upside is shown in the crop; as always, resolution is great!

Yeah, it’s hard to believe that this is “macro mode”. If you zoom into the image, the detail is great (as seen in the wide open crop below), but the lack of magnification renders this pretty moot. This just isn’t the lens for close focus kind of work.

Bokeh quality is also not much of a priority with this type of lens, but, as you can see from this shot, it actually is fairly decent. There won’t be a tremendous amount of situations where this will be a consideration, though. This just isn’t that kind of lens.

Nightscape King

The Rokinon has one more trick up its sleeve, and for certain photographers, it is a big one. Non photographers look at the word “coma” a little differently than photographers, but even most photographers don’t consider coma very much in their lens purchases. That is unless you like to shoot longer exposures at night. Coma refers to an optical aberration that result in points of light (like stars) becoming irregularly shaped. It can make them look more like flying saucers or even grow tails. It really degrades the look of a nightscape image, and those that are serious about shooting these types of scenes are very picky about this. It is for this reason above all that many very serious/professional photographers have chosen to add this lens to their kit. This is an issue even for Canon’s 14mm, and so many have chosen the Samyang/Rokinon over it. The combination of a huge angle of view, amazing sharpness, and extremely low coma makes this lens one of the most compelling choices for nightscapes out there. Night skies just appear so crisp and detailed. This is a type of photography that I hadn’t done much before, but I must confess that since getting my feet wet I feel strongly compelled to keep at it!

: Stars come Alive

: All of this in one frame!

: The bright point of light is the moon.

: Single image – the bright light is the moon.

Pros and Cons

As you can probably tell by this point, this lens is not for everyone. It has some severe limitations and drawbacks. So why am I planning on replacing my 17-40L (a perfectly competent lens) with one of these lenses? Two words: Image Quality. The amount of detail in the frame simply blows away my Canon. It is almost surreal to zoom into an image and see so much detail there. But is this the lens for you? Only you can answer that question, but here is a list of strengths and weaknesses to help:

Strengths

· The lens is wide. Really wide. You probably will be able to fit whatever you need to into the frame.

· The lens is sharp. Seriously sharp. Few if any in this class can match it.

· Incredibly low price compared to competition.

· Chromatic aberrations very low

· Very resistant to flare

· Excellent color rendition

· Excellent microcontrast

· Very low coma – great for nightscapes

· Robust build quality

Weaknesses:

· Manual Focus

· No electronic coupling, so manual aperture control and no EXIF data (except on certain Nikon mounts).

· Heavy, mustache shaped distortion. (Means that this probably isn’t a top choice for videographers.)

· No use of conventional filters.

· Moderately heavy vignetting

· Lens cap not easy to store in the field.

· Lens distance scale not always accurate.

Yeah, it’s a long list on either side. I personally find that the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses for my style of photography, but that may not be true for yours. I do believe that most users will find the lack of electronics less inconvenient than what they anticipate, but this may be a deal breaker for some. I would encourage those who primarily shoot architecture to look elsewhere, but if you are interested in landscape or general photography, this lens will probably work just fine.

Conclusion

I have found that using this lens really stretches my creativity. It produces pictures that are very unique, and the response to every picture I’ve shared from this lens has been very strong. Ironically, I find that I keep shooting this stunning landscape lens in a portrait orientation, because I love the way that I can emphasize something unique in the foreground while retaining great detail throughout the remainder of the scene. This has been a perfect companion in autumn this year because the angle of view standing at the base of a tree/trees and looking up is so compelling. Put simply, I have just had a lot of fun shooting with this lens. So, despite its shortcomings, I plan on adding one to my bag. When I need to use filters for long exposures, I will simply use my Tamron 24-70mm VC, which is fairly wide on my full frame bodies. But when I want to go really wide or really creative, this will be my choice. It may be one of the best “fun for the money” choices out there.

In interest of full disclosure: the review copy of this lens was provided to me by Amplis Foto, the Canadian distributor of Rokinon products. I have received no form of compensation or coercion in this review, and, as always, I have striven to be as accurate and unbiased as I can. I was excited to review this lens and requested the lens myself; having reviewed it, I am still excited about it and will be purchasing a copy for myself.

Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52014 in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! If you want to go directly to this Rokinon, click here: Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!

FOR MY AMERICAN READERS: I now have a relationship in place with B&H, one of the best photography retailers on the planet. I would appreciate if you could clink on the link below to buy this lens at a great price from them – and they have a cash back program that will save you more! There are many mount choices here, so click through and find the right one for you!

Rokinon 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens For Canon

The Big Gallery

Click on the image below to begin a large slideshow of images that I have personally taken with this lens over the past several weeks.

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Canon EOS M Review

Dustin Abbott

September 11th, 2013

The old saying goes, “The best camera is the one that you have in hand…”

Updated October 15th, 2013 with info on the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS and a new gallery of images with the lens.

That is very true, and it is the primary reason why “camera phones” have seized such a big share of the market. Fair enough, but for those of us who care about our images, a tiny camera built into a phone is only going to produce images that we are proud of in very rare conditions. That being said, carrying along a full frame DSLR with heavy lenses requires both inconvenience and certain dogged degree of persistence. I know; I’ve been that guy plenty of times. But the allure of the EOS M is that it promises the image quality of a crop sensor DSLR in a small, compact, mirrorless body that offers a high degree of portability. What if the camera you just happened to have along could also produce some fabulous images? Images good enough to satisfy even full frame DSLR users?

Now I’m not going to try to convince you that the EOS M can hang with the image quality of my EOS 6D’s, but it produces images good enough that I am more than happy to share them and put my name on them…and some that I am very proud of. In fact, many scientific tests have shown that the EOS M’s 18mp sensor actually produces marginally cleaner images than it’s big brothers like the 7D and 60D (here’s hoping the newly released 70D raises the bar, though). On the image quality front, the EOS M truly delivers. It is far from a perfect camera, and some early missteps by Canon have made the EOS M system a slow starter out of the gate (in more ways than one), but a recent firesale on the first generation of the camera has suddenly made it a very attractive pickup to many photographers, including myself. In this review, we will examine both the good and the bad of the EOS M…but it is my conclusion that there is far more good than bad in this system.

Built to Last!

I was one of the firesale guys, so I got my own copy of the EOS M with the (great) 22mm f/2 STM lens for only $299. In fact, B&H was backordered and so ended up very kindly filling my order with the kit that also included the tiny 90EX speedlite. This is an incredible bargain for all that the M represents, and, to me, is a no brainer at that price. I will also confess that at the original price of $799, the camera was not overly appealing to me, but that was primarily because I didn’t feel I needed it. It’s amazing how a bargain price changes one’s perception of need…and that may prove the salvation of the EOS M line.

The EOS M feels anything but cheap in hand. It has a premium feel in the materials used, which features a surprising amount of metal (it is a blend of stainless steel, magnesium alloy, polycarbonate, and glass fiber). The end result is that the camera has a nicely dense feel despite its compact size. It features several raised grips, including one for the forefingers, and while it is appreciated, this is one of the ergonomic touches that I would like to see improved. It needs to be a little more substantial to serve its intended purpose. As it stands you will end up holding the camera more by the lens or the bottom than the “grip”.

I should note here that I have been similarly impressed with each of the associated accessories in this new system. The lenses have a very nice build quality and smooth finish, but with metal shells and not at all “plasticky”. Nice touches like a metal mount make these lenses feel a cut above a lot of the lower end EF-S lenses. I have been similarly impressed with the EF adapter; it is sturdy, very well constructed, and the implementation of the tripod mount to the adapter is very well thought out. The engineering in the system is very nicely executed. Slightly off topic, but I have actually even been impressed with the other cheap adapters for legacy glass – third party attempts to match the system have produced nicely clean, quality looking accessories. We’ll talk more about legacy glass in a moment.

The M features a large 3″, 1,040,000-dot 3:2 ratio LCD display that dominates the majority of the rear of the camera. This is not a vari-angle screen, unfortunately, something that hopefully will be rectified in the next generation. This is a capacitive touchscreen that is nicely responsive and responds to many of the gestures that tablet users are familiar with. Using a touchscreen for reviewing images is a very pleasant experience. Those coming from DSLRs will find that many of the features you are accustomed to controlling with dials and buttons have been confined to this touchscreen (one of the perils of downsizing to this degree). One multi directional dial does remain on the back, and, while it is much smaller than a DSLR user is accustomed to, it is well made with nicely defined clicks when selecting and fairly good feel when using it as a dial. I use it frequently to set shutter speed in Manual mode and Aperture in AV mode. Each of the four directions also carries a set function, some of which can be changed and custom defined in the menus. The interface takes a little bit of adjustment (in both directions: I now find myself trying to touch the screen on my 6Ds on occasion!), but is fairly intuitive when you gain a degree of comfort with it. One way or another, the camera retains most of the functionality that DSLR users are accustomed to.

One can choose to automatically release the shutter by touching an area on the screen to focus on and automatically capture, although I must confess that I am still very DSLR oriented – I like capturing by pressing the “shutter release” button. I use quotes because this is, after all, a mirrorless design that doesn’t have a traditional shutter. Like most cameras, a half press of the shutter button will enable AF/lock focus, and this is the way that I use it most of the time. It should be noted that the ability to manually focus or manual override is a menu choice that needs to be enabled, otherwise using the manual focus ring on a lens will do nothing (save on legacy, non electronic lenses, of course). If you are using one of the new STM (stepping motor) lenses remember than manual override doesn’t mean that you actually manually focus so much as you “focus by wire”. It is slightly more disconnected than typical manual focus (there can be a slight lag), but you quickly adjust.

In different modes there will be various “boxes” or icons on the screen to touch and access certain functions. These are, for the most part, nicely laid out and fairly intuitive. Overall operation of the camera and handling is quite good, although going in and out of menus is obviously slower than larger DSLRs that have many controls already mapped to buttons and dials. I particularly miss the wheel near the shutter release for controlling shutter speed or aperture, for example. Many people that have used multiple systems have commented that the menu layout is more logical in the Canon than rival systems.

The M has some nice options, including built in stereo microphones and also a line in for an external microphone (very important for video!). It has a standard hotshoe, along with standard mini-HDMI and USB ports. It does have an AF illuminator and an IR sensor so you can use your remotes to release shutter.

One perhaps unsurprising omission is still sorely missed – a viewfinder. In this case an optical viewfinder would be out because of the mirrorless design, but a nice EVF (electronic viewfinder) would be nice. Many of us that are accustomed to using a DSLR prefer shooting at eye level, and even the best of LCD screens will wash out somewhat in the sun. I don’t find that using a LCD is nearly as precise as a viewfinder in bright conditions, so I find that I must rely on a combination of the camera’s electronics and my own practiced intuition in such situations. Still, I think many users like myself would sacrifice a bit more bulk for the addition of a nice EVF.

The included battery is a proprietary 875mAh Li-ion (LP-E12) that is rated for 230 shots but often produces significantly more. Getting 300 shots per charge is not uncommon, but is still not an overly impressive number. Plan on either keeping a backup battery or not straying too far from the charger.

One other thing of note – the M doesn’t have a built in flash. If you are accustomed to Canon full frame bodies like myself, you don’t even look for one. If you are coming from a crop DSLR or some other type of camera, this may be a huge omission for you. The substitute is the little 90EX Speedlite, which I was fortunate enough to get with my kit. It is tiny, weighing less than two ounces empty (1.715 oz or 48.5g). It takes two AAA batteries to power it. It is an interesting proposition in some ways, as it can act as a master for any of Canon’s other speedlites, giving one a lot of flexibility in lighting if you have other flashes. It also is a little higher than a popup flash would be, helping a bit with the direction of the light and also not having light blockage from lenses. It would be even more helpful, though, if it could at least be bounced. Direct light from flashes is rarely flattering, but I was able to get somewhat more pleasing results by messing with the flash output in the menu. It isn’t incredibly powerful (the Rated Guide Number is 9 meters or 30 feet at ISO 100), but its small size also means that it is very easy to throw in a bag (even a very small one) and bring along. Being able to add some fill light can be very handy. The other nice thing is that this flash is compatible with all of Canon’s DSLRs, which makes it nicely versatile, and, to me, more valuable than an onboard flash.

The Elephant in the Room

The M did not have an auspicious start because of one key component – the AutoFocus (AF). The M has a Hybrid AF like some of the recent additions to the Rebel/xxxD line-up. Since the M launched Canon has brought the 70D to market with a revolutionary new AF system, but the M was viewed as anything but revolutionary on arrival. On the plus side it has pretty good continuous focus in both still and video mode, but the actual speed of acquiring focus was, well, on the slow side. This fact limited the situations in which the M was a viable option. I use the past tense because in late July 2013 Canon brought out a firmware update (2.02) that dramatically improved AF acquire performance. That being said, the M’s AF speed is still not top of the class for mirrorless performance, but it is now more than adequate for most applications. I have found it quite good in most situations, and, it is my opinion that if Canon had released the M with the equivalent AF speed that it now has the perception of the camera and its reception would have been much different. The M is actually a fine little instrument for capturing images, and the focus could have been more on its merits rather than its deficiencies.

Speed is only one half of the equation. Accuracy is as important. So, is the M’s AF accurate? In this case the answer is a qualified yes. Most of the time the M’s AF does a great job. Photos viewed at high magnification look very sharp and properly focused. This has been true with the native mount M lenses that I own (22mm f/2 and 18-55mm STM ) and with the EF lenses that I have used with the system. There are rare occasions, however, when the M simply refuses to grab on, and increasing magnification (up to 10x, like most camera’s Live View) makes no difference. In this case being able to manually override focus is important to get it latched on. Fortunately this phenomenon is very infrequent, but certainly frustrating when it does occur.

M in Video

The story is overall quite favorable on the video front. There is a dial along the top of the camera that can be used to select one of the three modes: Auto+, Stills (AV,TV, and Manual modes), and Video. The video quality is quite good (be sure to carefully watch your picture style to enable natural results – even the standard photo setting has overly saturated video quality to my eye). I typically choose “Faithful” and add more effects/saturation by taste in post. When using a native EF-M mount lens with an STM motor the autofocus is quiet enough to not be picked up by the microphones, and the same is true of STM EF/EF-S lenses. You will notice a significant difference in the AF sound of even good USM motors by comparison. It is also very smooth while focusing in video operation, pulling focus nicely and doing quite a good job tracking. I am of the opinion that the best DSLR type video will be had through manual focus, but certainly having the option of AF during video is great. And let’s be honest: your average user is probably not doing a lot manual focus type video anyway. The AF during video is going to appeal to a lot of people…and rightly so.

The M lets you choose between Auto Exposure and Manual Exposure modes in video capture. The video control is nicely integrated, and there is a dedicated button on the rear near the thumb grip for starting/stopping video. The dual stereo microphones are a nice addition, particularly since even Canon’s full frame bodies still only have a monaural microphone. Better still is the inclusion of a microphone jack which allows for an external microphone to be used.

It is here where the touchscreen becomes very handy. Being able to touch the area that you want to be focused on makes for a nice video solution, and the camera will do a fairly good job of pulling focus in a situation like that. Be warned, though: it will hunt at times when you least want it to. I would still recommend manual video focus if you want to do extreme focus changes, but it does quite a good job tracking in AF mode.

Considering the compact nature of the camera, the video performance is very nice.

M with Legacy Glass

This leads me to an entirely different type of focus – the very manual type. One of the first things that came to mind when I got the M was my little collection of legacy lenses. Some of those lenses didn’t make the transition to my full frame bodies all that well because the mirror clearance is smaller on full frame bodies than crop sensors. But the M is a completely different proposition because it has no mirror, and thus the very short flange to sensor distance on the M means that it has almost endless options for adapting different mounts to the system. It is in large part due to the mirrorless market that many legacy lenses have enjoyed not only a resurgence in popularity but also in value. The difference between the M and many other mirrorless systems is its crop factor. Many mirrorless systems (micro 4/3rds, for example), have a 2:1 crop factor, meaning that a 50mm lens will have the angle of view of a 100mm lens. The downside to this is that getting wide to normal options are tough, and the resulting focal length often defeats the designed purpose of the lens. The 1.6x crop factor means that this is less exaggerated. In our example above, the 50mm would have the angle of view of 80mm. For those that are already accustomed to using a crop sensor camera this will seem very natural.

There is already a proliferation of adapters available on the market for the M system. Note that only the EF adapter and EF (or EF-S) mount lenses will allow for autofocus capability, so the adapters for other mounts will be “auto nothing”: both focus and aperture setting will need to be done manually on the lens. That being said, I have been impressed with the adapters that I have gotten so far (both M42 and Konica mount) for their very nice build quality and functionality. They are actually nicer than any of the EF based adapters that I have used.

First, the downside: the adapters that I have in hand (EF, M42, and Konica AR) are all about the size of the 22mm f/2 lens, so the length of your lens will increase by about 1 1/4th inches. It is unfortunate on such a compact system, but is also typical for the adapters to any of the mirrorless systems. The upside is that a very wide variety of lens mount adapters are available at very reasonable prices ($10-20).

The sheer amount of lens options this versatility affords is incredible, including some mounts like Canon FD/FL that did not allow infinity focus when adapted to DSLRs. More importantly, the system is a very natural fit for manual focus lenses, as many users have used Live View to focus them anyway. The option is there for increasingly magnification (x5 and x10), although that can be difficult when handholding because of camera shake. As long as the conditions are not overly bright, manual focusing while using the LCD screen is quite easy. Some form of focus peaking would be a nice addition or perhaps some type of AF confirm for manual focus would be nice (the Alpha builds of Magic Lantern for the system already include this functionality).

Most importantly, some of these great classic lenses perform really nicely on the M. I have a bit of a love affair with old Takumar lenses as well as some of the Helios lenses, and they produce lovely images on the system. I have been very happy to get back the use of my Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5 M42 lens, for example, a lens that I loved when I shot crop sensor cameras but one that just didn’t work very well (at all!) on my full frame bodies. I have hung onto it in hopes of using it again someday, and through the M it has had new life. I was also able to get an adapter for a Konica Hexanon AF 50mm f/1.7 lens that has a good reputation but had no EF based adapter. Check out the gallery below for a selection of images all taken with legacy glass on the EOS M. Some of the old lenses have both unique rendering qualities and color. Many of them also sport beautiful build quality and manual focusing rings. Yard sales will have a whole new meaning…

: EOS M + Super Takumar 150mm f/4

: EOS + Helios 44-2

: EOS + Helios 44-2 stopped down

: Helios 44-2 Wide Open

: SMC Takumar 55m f/1.8 Wide Open

: SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8

: Helios 44-2

: Helios 44-2

: Helios 44-2

: Helios 44-2

: Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5

: Super Takumar 150mm f/4

: Super Takumar 150mm f/4

: Helios 44-4 Wide Open

Lens Options

Canon has chosen to continue with lens-based stabilization, which is, to date, employed on the two zooms (18-55mm and 11-22mm) but not on the 22mm f/2 prime lens. These three lenses are the only EF-M native lenses that have been released to this point, and it should be noted that Canon has gone the very curious route of releasing the most recent lens (the EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM) in most markets except the United States, curious, considering that this is one of the largest markets in the world for all consumer products. Because I enjoy using the vintage glass I do wish that the camera had some form of in body stabilization.

The small number of native lenses for the mount does leave some potential buyers with fear that Canon is not fully invested in the system. I am one that is hoping that this is not the case, although the native M mount lenses are not necessarily my priority when I have a full kit of lenses in the EF system. I am impressed by the quality of all the lenses produced for the system thus far, and they have each been very well received for both their build and optic qualities. Better to make fewer quality lenses than more options that aren’t worth purchasing. The 18-55mm lens, for example, is universally held as being a superior lens to the EF-S equivalent. It is nicely built, the zoom ring/action is very smooth and precise, and the image quality is really quite good. I have found it both a handy walk-around lens as well as a nice backup to shooting with a very specific type lens on a full frame body (an ultrawide, for example). Another welcome point is that thus far Canon has put a reasonable price on each of these lenses.

: Let there be Light

: Close Focus

: Quite new out of focus area

: Nice color!

: Useful for a quick concept piece

: Nice detail throughout the frame

: Nice color nuance

: Unedited image shows nice color rendition

: Detail is quite good

: Focal length is flexible!

: Wouldn’t have gotten this shot if it weren’t for the M

: Another 18-55mm beauty

: HDR image to capture the full BOOM of the rising sun

: Camera/lens combo so light I didn’t notice carrying it around at all.

: Nice detail at close focus.

The 11-22mm, for example, is priced considerably below the EF-S 10-22mm or the EF 17-40L. I do not own that particular lens but have heard nothing but good about it.

The 22mm f/2 lens is a very nice little piece of glass. It is essentially the equivalent of a 35mm f/2.8 FF lens, and I am personally quite fond of the 35mm focal length. The compact nature of the pancake lens makes it an incredibly portable package, and frankly I don’t feel overly limited just at that focal length. It is this combination in a little bag that I grab when jumping into the car so I have a “just in case” camera that goes beyond my iPhone. The lens is nicely sharp wide open, and when stopped down, provides great detail throughout the frame along with excellent color rendering. It is actually very similar to the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens, another lens that punches way above its weight (and price). I used it exclusively as a travel/walk around option in New York state and on a Cruise, and here is a gallery of images taken with that combination:

: Lot’s of activity and detail nicely captured

: Beautiful detail throughout the frame

: Handheld HDR using the M

: Nice narrow DOF portrait

: 22mm focal length very versatile

: Great color rendering

: NY State Capital view down State St.

: Architectural Detail of NY State Capital

: Agency Buildings – Albany, NY

: Retro Futuristic

: Corning Tower

: Capital across the reflecting pools

: Me on the streets of NYC

: Note the name of the intersection!

: Times Square

: Nice little option to take to shows.

: Me and Mrs. on our Anniversary

: Using the LCD is great for mood lighting

: Nice detail rendering

: A distant cruise ship

: Nassau, the Bahamas

Speaking of the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM; it is actually a very nice fit on the M through the EF adapter. It remains a nicely compact package, is a good focal length, and works very well on the system. The STM motor also makes it a good video option as well. It is worth noting that all three EF-M mount lenses have a very nice minimum focus distance and perform very well at minimum focus. This is made more important by the fact that there is no dedicated macro lens for the system yet.

I would like to see a macro lens (a rebuild of the excellent EF-S 60mm f/2.8 would be welcome), a compact telephoto, and, above all, a few more pancake lenses for the system (starting with a 50mm option). Pancake lenses are a natural fit because they keep the system so impressively compact while offering great image quality. At least one new lens announcement is expected soon.

EF on M

The genius of Canon’s plan with the M becomes evident when you consider that the ENTIRE range of EF or EF-S lenses can be mounted on the M through the use of the EF to EF-M adapter. There are already a variety of knock-off adapters, many of which do support the AF ability, but I have read that there can be issues with those adapters on occasion. They are considerably cheaper than the OEM version (I paid right over $100 for mine). But, when you have that adapter, you have myriad lens options. On a practical level, the size and weight of many EF lenses means that the combination can be an ergonomic disaster. Out of my personal kit, I find that my 40mm pancake works excellent, along with the 17-40mm f/4L, and finally the 85mm f/1.8. Don’t get me wrong: all of my other lenses take great pictures on the M, but the 85mm is about the limit to me where it feels reasonably natural to handhold and balance.

If you are using lenses larger than this, I would recommend either learning to mostly support the lens (rather than the body) with your hands, and definitely, if you are using a tripod, please use the tripod mount on the adapter. One lens I am strongly considering for both of my systems is the new Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS. I think it would be an excellent choice on either body.

Most importantly, all of these EF lenses retain full AF abilities and work with varying degrees of success, but mostly work very well. The AF speed of the lens itself and the newness of the design will probably be the single biggest factor. All of my lenses work fairly well. Here is a sampling of images taken on the M with EF lenses (I haven’t shot this way a lot, yet).

: M with EF 85mm f/1.8

: EF 85mm f/1.8

: Ef 85mm f/1.8

: EF 85mm f/1.8

: M with 40mm f/2.8 STM

: M with 40mm f/2.8 STM

: M with EF 70-300L

: M with 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS

: M with 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS

: M with 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS

Gripes

I have already stated my laments over the “grip” and its ergonomic challenges. A viewfinder and an articulating screen would be welcome additions to the next generation of M (which is rumored to be announced soon). But there is one other significant ergonomic issue that irks me: the location of the playback button (for reviewing images) is located in such a way that I almost always hit it when trying to pull the camera out of a bag. This causes the camera to stir (it makes a whirring noise) without actually fully coming on. It happens way too often, however.

I’m also not thrilled about the quantity of noise that is evident by ISO 3200, but this is unfortunately more a byproduct of where crop sensors are at than something unique to the M. I have been spoiled by the marvelous high ISO performance of my 6D bodies. I would rather shoot the 6D’s at ISO 12800 or sometimes even 25600 than at 3200 on the M. On the plus side, the noise renders at a somewhat film grain like level until ISO 6400, where banding begins in earnest.

Another small annoyance is that while I was able to map flash exposure compensation to the “garbage” button during capture, I find that it is very easy to depress that setting while trying to just rotate the wheel for adjusting shutter speed. I have inadvertently ended up in that menu on several occasions. It seems to be difficult to maintain pressure that is heavy enough to spin the dial without pressing down too much in some of the preset areas on the dial. A little more fine tuning on that wheel would be welcome.

The battery could be more robust, although I personally have not found it overly limiting. I think that the AF can be further improved (and fully expect some form of the new 70D’s technology to eventually trickle into the M line). I would really like to see Canon incorporate an option to have a picture in picture magnification mode where the point of focus can be shown in greater magnification while retaining a look at the whole scene for framing purposes. This would be huge for both video work and the use of manual focus lenses.

One other gripe is that while the M has a decent burst rate (4.3 frames per second. 17 JPEGS or 6 RAW files rated but a little better in practice), the LCD is the viewfinder and there is a delay after taking a shot. It doesn’t last long, but you won’t be able to instantly reframe like you can with an optical viewfinder. Another somewhat weird phenomenon is that during that “flash” as the recorded image flashes on the viewfinder, the color can seem really flat, although it isn’t when reviewing the image on either the LCD or when it is downloaded.

Conclusion

Gripes aside, the EOS M is actually a surprisingly sophisticated little package. In the right light there are very few compromises made optically, and, in fact, the image quality perhaps surpasses other Canon crop sensor cameras save the new 70D. The EOS M is capable of producing fabulous images, and considering how compact a package it is, that makes it a very intriguing option for either a walk around or travel camera (I used it a lot on recent trips to New York and on a cruise to the Bahamas). But perhaps the most clever thing that Canon has done is by giving the M the crop sensor with the same crop ratio as its EF-S mount cameras. This, combined with the EF/EF-S adapter, allows the M to become a true back up camera to the many of us who have already invested in a lot of Canon glass and accessories. My whole kit of lenses, from the modern EF lenses to my collection of legacy lenses ALL work on the M through adapters, which means that I have about 18 choices of what I can mount on the camera, and I’ve only purchased two of them in the native mount!

Canon’s greatest strength is its lenses, and the M can take them all. That was genius!

The compact nature of this camera makes it easy to take along, and the updated firmware means that the AF isn’t anywhere near as painful as what it originally was. At current prices, I think the EOS M is a real winner. Here’s hoping that enough people jump on board that Canon pours some real development money into the system and makes it shine. Because it is so easy to bring along, you just might find that the camera you have in hand is a pretty competent one. It’s far from perfect, but all things considered, it’s a pretty sweet little camera.

Here’s one more gallery for you – a variety taken with the 22mm f/2 lens.

: EF-M 22mm f/3.2

: f/5.6

: f/5.6

: f/5.6

: f/5.6 – Three exposure HDR

: f/2.8

: f/8 – M is for Marvellous!

: F/2

: F/2

Q&A Post #1: Is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II Worth the Extra Money?

Dustin Abbott

September 4th, 2013

Q&A Post #1: Is the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II Worth the Extra Money (Over the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 VC USD)?

I get gear questions on basically a daily basis from people who have read my reviews or have seen my work and are just curious about gear and/or photography. I do my best to answer every question as well as I can, but, of course, I do get a fair bit of redundant questions. I have decided to start a new column here where I answer these questions in a public way so that others can benefit from them as well (or can rant about how poorly informed I am)…

So, here is the first question:

“Hello Dustin,

I am currently is search for a standard zoom on FF camera. Have been reading lots of reviews, but cannot find the topic I am looking for: is it worth to pay for a lens which unprocessed result is 10-20% better than of a lens which costs 1/2 or even 1/3 of the price if all the images are being saved in RAW and postprocessed in LightRoom? Your review seem to mention LightRoom post processing. So I wonder the degree of difference reduction after LightRoom post processing. I am currently torn between Canon 24-70 f/4 IS and Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC. Maybe you could share your thoughts?

Looking forward to your answer soon,

Regards,

Anton“

This is an excellent question because it strikes to the heart of the choice that is on the market today. My opinion is that consumers should celebrate the recent renaissance of Tamron and Sigma. They have moved out of the budget lens range into providing recent products that compete on merit with Canon and Nikon lenses. This not only creates more choice for the consumer, it also pushes Canon and Nikon to both improve their new lens offerings and also to price them a little more competitively (a lesson that Canon REALLY needs to learn!)

This question can unfortunately best be answered by the individual, because different shooters have different priorities. I chose to go with the Tamron, and I have not regretted my decision at all. I have seen some fabulous pictures taken with the new Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 MKII USM lens. By all accounts it is a fabulous zoom lens that rivals the mighty 70-200mm f/2.8 II for supremacy as the best zoom lens that Canon makes. That being said, what I haven’t seen are pictures that I feel I couldn’t replicate with my Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. I have learned how to maximize the potential of the Tamron in the 10 months that I have owned it. I have it “dialed in” on my camera bodies, and it’s sharpness is consistently amazing. I love its bokeh rendering (particularly in the transition from focus to defocus – an often overlooked area that really makes pictures pop!). On a full frame body it has great dimensionality, helping subjects to stand out. The Canon is reported to be less than impressive at minimum focus distance, but I find that to be a real strength of the Tamron.

Even a casual snapshot has a special quality with the Tamron. Note the excellent sharpness and transition to defocus in the 100% crop.

: Even snapshots have a special quality to them. This is an unedited, out of camera shot.

: 100% crop from the photo. Two things – great sharpness and great transition to defocus

I know the AF is better (faster and perhaps marginally more accurate) on the Canon. It’s corner sharpness at maximum aperture is slightly better. But here’s the deal: when I am shooting wide open, I’m not shooting for the corners. I am shooting a subject that I want to stand out – which means mostly the edges of the center. Stopped down (for landscapes, for example), the lenses’ sharpness is indistinguishable. I don’t feel like I am missing shots because of AF because I have lost a millisecond compared with the Canon. The Tamron has such low CA that I don’t even have the “Correct CA” box checked in Lightroom. And my images from the lens are excellent. It is sharp enough that I use it wide open most of the time, stopping down because I want more depth of field, not because I need more sharpness. I just made a very nice sum of money from an image being used in conjunction with a Canon 6D promotion that I used the Tamron to shoot, and that is but one image taken with the lens that has had commercial success.

So, in conclusion, the Canon is not worth the extra premium in my mind. I know that it is a fabulous lens, but I don’t think that there is enough of a separation in quality (build or optical) to justify the difference, particularly if one has the capability of processing their images. Others will disagree, but in my mind, that extra thousand dollars could buy a lot of nice things – hint: a Canon 135mm f/2L might be a nice choice 😉

P.S. This three shot panorama taken with the Tamron shows its great resolving power stopped down (click to see the big story!):

Nassau, the Bahamas

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD Review

Dustin Abbott

December 31st, 2013

Ready to Challenge the Big Dogs?

The Vital Statistics

AF (Autofocus) Quality

Image Quality

Image Stabilization (VC)

Conclusion

Pros:

Highly Effective Vibration Compensation

Internally focusing

Weathersealed construction

Optical excellence in every measurable way

Inclusion of a focus limiter

Price

6 Year Warranty in North America; 5 Year in Europe

Quality build

Cons:

Bokeh is perhaps a tad worse than the predecessor

AF still slightly slower than the best systems; can hunt a split second before final lock

Build feels slightly cheaper than the Canon 100L

Final Gallery:

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Thanks a Million!

Dustin Abbott

December 14th, 2013

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November 8th, 2013

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Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Review

Dustin Abbott

October 1st, 2013

By the Numbers

NO Electronics?

Optical Excellence

Distortion and Vignetting

Close Focus? Kind Of…

Nightscape King

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

The Big Gallery

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Canon EOS M Review

Dustin Abbott

September 11th, 2013

The old saying goes, “The best camera is the one that you have in hand…”

Built to Last!

The Elephant in the Room

M in Video

M with Legacy Glass

Lens Options

EF on M

Gripes

Conclusion

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Q&A Post #1: Is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II Worth the Extra Money?

Dustin Abbott

September 4th, 2013

Q&A Post #1: Is the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II Worth the Extra Money (Over the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 VC USD)?

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