{"id":23365,"date":"2020-03-08T21:21:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T20:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=23365"},"modified":"2024-04-21T13:26:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T12:26:04","slug":"review-tamron-35mm-f-2-8-di-iii-osd-m12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-tamron-35mm-f-2-8-di-iii-osd-m12\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Tamron 35mm F\/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After the success of their compact and affordable f\/2.8 zooms Tamron has released a small family of f\/2.8 primes: we already reviewed the Tamron 2.8\/24 Di III OSD<\/a>, this time\u00a0 I check if the Tamron 2.8\/35 Di III OSD is a good performer.<\/p>\n

Sample images<\/h1>\n
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Sony A7RIV,Tamron 2.8\/35<\/em>, f5.6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sony A7RIV,Tamron 2.8\/35<\/em>, f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sony A7RIV,Tamron 2.8\/35,<\/em> f\/5.6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sony A7RIV, Tamron 2.8\/35<\/em>, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most images in this review can be found in full resolution here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Specifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diameter<\/td>\n73 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n64 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Thread<\/td>\n67 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight (no hood, no caps)<\/td>\n210 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max. Magnification<\/td>\n1:2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor<\/td>\n0.15 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of aperture blades<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/ Groups<\/td>\n9\/8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mount<\/td>\nE-mount<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Tamron 2.8\/35 Di III OSD has a recommended retail price of $349. Check current prices at amazon.com<\/a><\/em>. In Germany the recommended price is 379\u20ac. Check at amazon.de<\/a>.
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Disclosure<\/h2>\n

This copy was loaned to me free of charge from Tamron Germany for a few weeks.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Features<\/h2>\n

The Tamron’s biggest feature is its unusual close focusing ability. With a close focusing distance of 15 cm it reaches a magnification of 1:2 which is an unusual feature for a 35mm lens.<\/p>\n

Beyond that there are no features worth mentioning. It has no buttons and switches and an aperture ring is also missing.<\/p>\n

Build quality<\/h2>\n

The Tamron 35mm f\/2.8 feels solid enough. The outer hull is made from plastics with a metal mount. The rubberized focus ring is easy to grip and resistance is on the low side.<\/p>\n

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Tamron claims “moisture resistance” and the Tamron 35mm f\/2.8 has a rubber gasket. As always I can’t tell how much these claims are worth.<\/p>\n

I would say the Tamron feels a little nicer than Sony’s cheapest lenses, like the 1.8\/50<\/a>, but not by much.<\/p>\n

Handling<\/h2>\n

AF<\/h3>\n

I used the Tamron 35mm f\/2.8 on my A9 and A7RIV. AF was on the slow side, especially when it lost focus and started hunting. Focus isn’t internally but the front group moves about 10mm which takes a while. Once the AF has locked on to a subject, tracking is quite reliable, but it should better not loose focus. AF isn’t noisy but can be heard in video.<\/p>\n

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Manual Focus<\/h3>\n

Manual focus is non linear, meaning amount of change in focus distance depends on the speed with which you turn the focus ring. Like most I think that this behavior makes focusing manually harder. Another issue is that sometimes the focus change isn’t continuous but happens in jumps. Add the small lag experienced with all focus by wire lenses and overall I found the Tamron to be harder to focus manually than most other E-mount lenses.<\/p>\n

Hood<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Tamron 2.8\/35’s hood is made from plastics, locks safely into place and protects the front of the lens well. Just like the other available E-Mount 2.8\/35 lenses, this lens also features a rather odd looking hood that works very well and takes 67mm filters too. It cannot be mounted reversed, but this shouldn’t be an issue here.<\/p>\n

Size and Weight<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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At just 210g the Tamron 35mm f\/2.8 is one of the lighter E-mount lenses although it is almost twice as heavy as the non-macro 2.8\/35 lenses from Sony\/Zeiss and Samyang. The macro feature combined with the choice of consistent 67mm filter diameter among the Tamron E-Mount lineup leads to a rather bulky design for such a slow prime. Nevertheless, the lens doesn’t take up too much space in the bag and its weight isn’t distracting at all.<\/p>\n

Optical performance<\/h2>\n

These results are based on the use with a Sony Alpha 7RIV.<\/p>\n

Flare Resistance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Flare resistance is generally very good. It is not easy to provoke ghosting and the lens is also very resistant to veiling flare and retains high contrast even with the sun in the frame. When the sun is just outside of the frame, veiling flare at the edge can appear.<\/p>\n