What lens to Get Tamron 28-75 or Canon 28-135

[Nathan House]

I am new to cameras I am about to buy my first camera,I am getting a Canon 10D, I will only be able to buy one lens,I have been looking at the
Tamron 28-75 and the Canon 28-135 lens,

I am up in arms to which on to buy,I am a custom knife maker and will be takeing shoots of my knives in moody lighting.

Any info would be great.

[Andy_T]

Nathan,

some very quick points...

advantages of the Tamron 28-75/2.8:
- Image quality & sharpness
- 2.8 aperture

advantages of the Canon 28-135 IS:
- longer reach (135 vs. 75)
- Image stabilizer

You have to decide which of these is more important to you.

I guess the Canon would be better as a 'walk around' lens for holiday and snapshots due to the longer reach, whereas the Tamron might really cut it :wink: for product photography.

No matter what you do, be sure to post some pictures of your knives 8)

Best regards,
Andy

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

I believe the Tamron without a doubt.
I believe you can compare the Tamron to the Canon L lens, I tried both and it was a very close finish but the Tamron came out on top on sharpness and contrast.

Greetings,
Frank

[Cadwell]

I am new to cameras I am about to buy my first camera,I am getting a Canon 10D, I will only be able to buy one lens,I have been looking at the
Tamron 28-75 and the Canon 28-135 lens,

I am up in arms to which on to buy,I am a custom knife maker and will be takeing shoots of my knives in moody lighting.

Any info would be great.

For what you want to shoot I'd go for the Tamron without a doubt. It's sharper, the image quality is better, it has nicer bokeh and the larger aperture will allow you to play more tricks with depth of field to isolate your subject.

[Aylwin]

I used to own a Canon 28-135. While it's a good walk around lens, I agree that for product shots the Tamron would be better. Not that the Tamron won't make a good walk around lens either. I'm seriously considering getting one myself.

[jyrgen]

Not having used the other lens, I can only give both thumbs up for Tamron. Tends to be my first choice for both walk around and "product" shots.

[Nathan House]

Hey,thanks for all the input,the Tamron really does take great photos from the research I have done and the price is right.I am not worried about and IS on a lens,because I will be doing most of my shots of a tripod :D

[Andy_T]

Nathan,

one more thing ... consider getting the Canon 1.8/50 lens as well (80$).

And do a forum search for product photography, how to make a light tent, photographing jewellery etc... there's a wealth of information that might be very interesting for you!

Best regards,
Andy

[Quinn Porter]

Tamron

[pcasciola]

Out of the two you mentioned, the Tamron for sure, but I also agree with Andy about the 50mm f/1.8. For $75 you will not find a better lens to take pictures of those knives, and the 1.8 aperture will help you in low light. Don't let the price fool you, it's cheap because it's a simple lens to make, but at 50mm it outperforms a lot of much more expensive lens.

[photography By Evangelos]

Go for the Tokina AT-X 287 AF Pro SV 28-70mm f/2.8 it as all to often over looked and is a really good lens. I am sure it is better than the tamron in build quality and I am betting it is sharper too. I have had the chance to use one and thought to my self WOW this thing is sharp but I have not had the need to buy one as I have the canon 24-70 L so this range is covered. Don’t over look this lens it is a Bargain and way sharp. If you don’t like it I will buy it from you! Thats how good I think the lens is. I put my money were my mouth is on this one.


Angelo 8)

[Nathan House]

I had someone else say somthing to me about the Canon 50mm that price is right,I have not looked into the Tonika,I will do some research
on that lens to check for price and look at some sample pictures.

This is some great input,I did not know there was such a wealth of knowledge of there :)

[rkoshy]

Out of the two you mentioned, the Tamron for sure, but I also agree with Andy about the 50mm f/1.8. For $75 you will not find a better lens to take pictures of those knives, and the 1.8 aperture will help you in low light. Don't let the price fool you, it's cheap because it's a simple lens to make, but at 50mm it outperforms a lot of much more expensive lens.

I've used the 50 f/1.8 ... only complaint is that I keep having to run backwards from my toddler who keeps walking up to the "bright blinking light" as soon as I get one shot in :-) It's so much easier to zoom out... oh well... I will wait for the day I can find/afford a 1.8 18-200 lens :-)

I also bought myself a Tamron after reading through some reviews about the... the 28-75 F/2.8 XR Di model... I hope they are as good as every says...

[Olegis]

I think that for the knife pictures you can consider the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=12145&is=USA) - it's very sharp, offers the macro capability (for taking the knifes details close-up shots for example) and not that expensive ($240 in B&H).

[Nathan House]

Olegis,I was looking at yor gallery and I see that you use a Tamron 28-75
the pictures are sharp.The only down fall to buying the camera at the time is I will only be able to afford one lens,
The 50mm pictures look really good but it lacks beging about to shoot any thing but 50mm,

The Tamron will let you have some range,great pictures buy the way.

[Olegis]

Thanks, Nathan :wink:

About the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 - it's very fine lens indeed. You should definitely buy it if it suits your needs - just check out the macro requirements for your work. This Tamron lens minimum focussing distance is 30cm - how large are your knifes ? Would you like to fill the flame with them ?

[Nathan House]

Oleg
My knive run from 8 1/2 inches to 11 inches long,if the 50mm would work,won't the 28-70mm work??
I am new to cameras and lenses so I may not get how the 28-70 runs
does'nt 50mm falls between the 28-70mm am I correct in my thinking??

[Olegis]

Yes it does fall in the 28-75mm range. I just rose the possibility of you needing macro capabilities - which are quite poor with Tamron lens. The 50mm macro is a MACRO lens, which means that it can focus closer to the object than any regular lens - only you can decide whether you need this or not.

Lets say you want to concentrate on some small detail of your knife - the Macro lens will do that much better than the regular lens. But if shooting the whole knife is what you do - the Tamron will suit you fine.

Don't get me wrong - I have the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and I love it. But the equipment has to be purchased according to your needs (or wishes if you're very rich 8) ), and this is what's this forum about :)

[pmarz]

I traded my 23-135 for the Tamron, no regrets. Go with the Tamron.

[Nathan House]

Oleg,I do mostly whole shoots of my knives,The 50mm lens does not cost that much so I may pick that up as I grow into the camera and the need arises

[Olegis]

Then the Tamron should do just fine.
Get it and also get a nice tripod - after all you don't want to photograph your knifes handheld :wink:

[Nathan House]

Oleg and others thanks for the great input

[Yan]

Go for the Tokina AT-X 287 AF Pro SV 28-70mm f/2.8

I am very interested in this Tokina lens.. any more opinion about this lens??
and one question for the Tamron user.. would the focus ring moves as you use Auto Focus?? (I really like the fact my Canon 100mm macro's focus ring does not move as AF and whenever I want to use MF I just simply need to twist the ring after AF have done its job, can that be only possible with USM??)

[Persian-Rice]

I consider myself picky. Considering that, I was sold on the Tamron. It seems like one those extra super value lenses that is worth much more then its asking price.

I would not pay L price for it, but I would go pretty close that kind of money. Supposedly B&H does not ship out on weekends, so i can't speak for build yet, but I hope to see mine this week. I am somewhat concerned about build, but from what I have heard it's better then standard lenses and not quite L, well see. Now comparing images to L lenses, it's the same. You put one and one together, the Tamron is a helluva lens, sort of like the Tokina 17.

[commando]

I am very interested in this Tokina lens.. any more opinion about this lens??
and one question for the Tamron user.. would the focus ring moves as you use Auto Focus?? (I really like the fact my Canon 100mm macro's focus ring does not move as AF and whenever I want to use MF I just simply need to twist the ring after AF have done its job, can that be only possible with USM??)

Yes, the Tamron 28-75 focus ring moves during autofocus. It's not a huge deal, I sometimes touch it by mistake during autofocus but it keep moving anyway. You have to switch the AF/MF switch to MF to focus manually - I think Canon USM lenses are the only ones that let you do full time manual.

[Olegis]

You have to switch the AF/MF switch to MF to focus manually - I think Canon USM lenses are the only ones that let you do full time manual.

Sigma HSM lenses also do that.

[MarkH]

I consider myself picky. Considering that, I was sold on the Tamron. It seems like one those extra super value lenses that is worth much more then its asking price.

I would not pay L price for it, but I would go pretty close that kind of money. Supposedly B&H does not ship out on weekends, so i can't speak for build yet, but I hope to see mine this week. I am somewhat concerned about build, but from what I have heard it's better then standard lenses and not quite L, well see. Now comparing images to L lenses, it's the same. You put one and one together, the Tamron is a helluva lens, sort of like the Tokina 17.

Personally I would not pay anywhere near the cost of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L for the Tamron. The Canon has faster AF, better build quality and is environmentally sealed.

Having said that, here in NZ the Tamron sells for under 1/3 the price of the Canon, so the Tamron pulls ahead on value for money.

So:
According to reviews the Canon is better, according to price lists the Tamron is better.

I think that I'll be buying the Tamron next year!

[commando]

Having said that, here in NZ the Tamron sells for under 1/3 the price of the Canon, so the Tamron pulls ahead on value for money.


I'm in Wellington, I bought the Tamron from B&H with no problems at all. Saved about NZ$300 or so I guess. Drop me a PM if you want a link to a lot of pics i've taken with the lens.

[Persian-Rice]

I consider myself picky. Considering that, I was sold on the Tamron. It seems like one those extra super value lenses that is worth much more then its asking price.

I would not pay L price for it, but I would go pretty close that kind of money. Supposedly B&H does not ship out on weekends, so i can't speak for build yet, but I hope to see mine this week. I am somewhat concerned about build, but from what I have heard it's better then standard lenses and not quite L, well see. Now comparing images to L lenses, it's the same. You put one and one together, the Tamron is a helluva lens, sort of like the Tokina 17.

Personally I would not pay anywhere near the cost of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L for the Tamron. The Canon has faster AF, better build quality and is environmentally sealed.

Having said that, here in NZ the Tamron sells for under 1/3 the price of the Canon, so the Tamron pulls ahead on value for money.

So:
According to reviews the Canon is better, according to price lists the Tamron is better.

I think that I'll be buying the Tamron next year!

I meant the same price as the cheaper L's. The 24-70 costs an arm and a leg.

[nat869]

I have the Tamron 28-75 and I love it! I also have the Canon 28-105 USM 3.5-4.5 which is a nice macro lens too. I bet the macro would be valuable to do close ups of the blades or handles, especially damascus patterns. It is cheaper than the Tamron and some of the other lenses mentioned. It is sharp stopped down and since you are using a tripod for your pics, you would be good to go. Whatever you decide, lets see some pics of your work.

[commando]

I'm in Wellington, I bought the Tamron from B&H with no problems at all. Saved about NZ$300 or so I guess. Drop me a PM if you want a link to a lot of pics i've taken with the lens.

In case anyone's interested in the sample pics, they're actually linked from my sig :oops:

[Headcase650]

Ok you all convinced me to check into this lense at a local shop. I owne the 28-135usm and I can tell you the tamron is built 10 times better. I took some test shots with the shops 300D and looked at them on the lcd and it appears fairly sharp. I huge issue I seen was the Dredded error99 on my 6 or 7th shot in the shop but I was using their camera and I noticed the battery was low and I have no clue how clean the lense contacts were on the camera. I have to pick up a portrait order tomarrow and will take my camera up there and do some test shots on a trypod and bring them home to check them on my computer. The shop wants $420 and I think I may trade in my EF 28 f2.8. I didnt ask what they would give me but I payed $169 for it from BH about 6 months ago. What do you think a good trade in would be, $80 maybe. Ive seen it sell for almost $100 on ebay.

[slin100]

I know nothing about the trade-in value of the EF 28/2.8 but $420 is too much to pay for the Tamron. B&H has it for $370 ($340 after $30 rebate from Tamron).

I received my copy last week. My informal testing shows that it's a bit soft at f/2.8 but shows significant improvement even stopped down 1/3 stop to f/3.2. By f/4, it's really good, especially compared to my 28-135.

I've seen some say that their copies are sharp wide open, so I probably didn't get a razor sharp copy. Nonetheless, I'll probably keep mine, because I don't really want to go through the hassle of exchanging it. I didn't necessarily get this lens to shoot it wide open. The 2 stop advantage at the telephoto end compared to the 28-135 is what I really like. Being forced to shoot at f/5.6 wide open at > ~70mm on the 28-135 really sucks.

[Nathan House]

You can get the Tamron 20-75mm for alot cheaper than 420
go to pricegrabber.com and do a search for the lens I found some for
339 with the rebate it will come put to 309.

[Nathan House]

Slin,I must have been typeing the same time you were,we said the same thing :D

[slin100]

Nathan,

Yup. Just be careful about where you buy the lens. I think Tamron will only honor the rebate when the lens is purchased from an authorized dealer. Go to Tamron's website to find a list.

[Nathan House]

Slin,thanks I will give it a look

[RDKirk]

I am very interested in this Tokina lens.. any more opinion about this lens??
and one question for the Tamron user.. would the focus ring moves as you use Auto Focus?? (I really like the fact my Canon 100mm macro's focus ring does not move as AF and whenever I want to use MF I just simply need to twist the ring after AF have done its job, can that be only possible with USM??)

Yes, the Tamron 28-75 focus ring moves during autofocus. It's not a huge deal, I sometimes touch it by mistake during autofocus but it keep moving anyway. You have to switch the AF/MF switch to MF to focus manually - I think Canon USM lenses are the only ones that let you do full time manual.

Sure you can focus manually with the Tamron set on automatic. It works the motor, so it's a stiffer move, but Tamron doesn't advise against it. Considering the significant risk of accidently dragging the ring with a finger while it's autofocusing, I would expect there would not be a danger or they'd say so.

[commando]

Sure you can focus manually with the Tamron set on automatic. It works the motor, so it's a stiffer move, but Tamron doesn't advise against it. Considering the significant risk of accidently dragging the ring with a finger while it's autofocusing, I would expect there would not be a danger or they'd say so.

Are you sure about that? I thought I read not to do it. I'll check my manual when i'm home in a few days.

[Persian-Rice]

Although it's possible(there is nothing to stop you) if you knew anything about how electric motors are constructed especially itsy bitsy ones, you would not do that. Your going to prematurely damage the focusing motor and/or any gear system that is attached to it.

Stay away from manually adjusting the focus ring in AF.

[Headcase650]

Well the money I had set back for the tamron just got sent to the state of missouri for my auto and bike property taxes. I have had the same tuck sense 95 and have not thought about cheap property taxes. well in mid 03 I totaled it and bougth a brand new 03, just got my property tax bill for the bike and new truck and ita a whopping $490. Ill have to stick with primes and sell some more portraits befor getting the tamron.

Plus persion rice's lense makes me wonder. Im sure he got a bad copy and they are not all like that, but the one I tryed at my local shop gave me the error99 bug. HMMMMMM

[rkoshy]

You can get the Tamron 20-75mm for alot cheaper than 420
go to pricegrabber.com and do a search for the lens I found some for
339 with the rebate it will come put to 309.

My experience:

Got it from J&R for $365 (actually used my amex 'reward points', but anyway that's their price)... I tried it around the house for a couple of shots.. came out great.

Then the next day it wouldn't focus... I said ... okay.. have to test it out, stuck it in my bag. Got home, tested it... works fine again. (I tested at various distances from about 3 - 20 feet, which is the range it wouldnt focus on).

Yesterday I tried to take some pics at my in-law's 30th anniversary party and ended up having to use my kit lens. Same problems again -- no focusing...

I did a quick test using a railing and it seems to focus about 6" behind where it should at f/2.8... of course I lowered the aperture, and at about f/5+ it would show whatever I'm looking at in focus.

Asked J&R for replacement they dont' know when they can get one.. so going with the Sigma 24-60 as the replacement for an additional 30 bucks.

Argh

[phili1]

Sounds like your contacts might be dirty. Its an intermimtent thing. Where you in a salt air inviroment latley. Your contacts ncould have corrosion.

[rkoshy]

Sounds like your contacts might be dirty. Its an intermimtent thing. Where you in a salt air inviroment latley. Your contacts ncould have corrosion.

Nope.. brand new lens.. I live in NJ .. the lens arrived last wed. The funny thing is that I tried cleaning the contacts, removing & replacing the lens, etc. Though one thing I noticed is a slight metalling "ting"-ing sound when I take the shot... wonder if something is loose INSIDE the lens... :-)

[Malaxos1]

I just posted this in another thread but this applies here as well. I use the 28-75 often but I have found it soft when used wide open. I have read that about most zooms anyay. However, with the 20D I am getting the sharpest photos ever right out of the camera, just by using in camera sharpening. Here is a link...Dean

http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=1388626

[phili1]

Rkoshy. It sounds like that. Mine is working perfectly but I am convinced that you can get bad from anyone, I had a
Canon 10 -22 and it was not sharp and some guys have had success. By the way mine does n ot make any noise.

Just for fun did you clean the camera contacs, silly question. mBest thing to clean contacts is an eraser, works great. Thats from my electronic days.

Anyway don't give up on the lens I think it awsome.

[phili1]

Malaxos1

How can the Camera and lens do anything with that subject matter, wow, nice picture better model.

[Malaxos1]

LOL, I know, I am lucky she didn't break my camera...Dean