Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP AF/MF 1:1 Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

After using a Canon DSLR for about 5 years, I switched to Pentax. In switching, I was presented with a unique opportunity. I had no lenses. Because I sold off all my Canon gear, I had a good chunk of change to throw at some new gear. I had the Canon version of this lens for the 5 years I used Canon. In those 5 years, the amazing optical quality and performance of this lens made it a staple in my camera bag. After using it in rough situations for 5 years, the build quality was revealed to be outstanding. It was because of my five years of experience using this lens that I bought it again for Pentax. Rather than a pros and cons list, I'll list a few of the features of the lens so you can decide if you would use it the same way. I think most lenses aren't built with pros and cons, they are just suited to different shooting situations and environments. The lens is 90mm With the 1.5 magnification on my k10d, this lens is effectively a 135mm macro lens. This suits me just fine for my subject matter - typically insects, flowers, and textures. The lens also functions beautifully as a portrait lens, and the f2.8 give a beautiful bokeh. 135mm is longer than some prefer for portrait photography, however, so keep that in mind when you read praises in that regard. The automatic to manual focus ring This lens features a large ring to switch between manual and automatic focus. When I first used the lens, it seemed a bit awkward. As I used the lens in the field, however, I quickly grew to love this feature. Most people will say that macro photography doesn't require autofocus. That may be fine for some, but I really appreciate being able to use the autofocus to get the focus very close to what I want, then shift to manual focus to accomplish exactly what I want. It saves me time. With subjects that are hopping from leaf to leaf, its has been the difference between missing a shot and getting a shot. There is a limit One frustration I've found with the lens for a portrait is the length of the focus. If the autofocus goes past your subject, it goes to 1:1, then works it's way back. This can be very tedious. Fortunately, the lens comes with a 'limiter' that you can switch on. This prevents the lens from traveling its whole distance before coming back. Keep in mind that while the lens can take some nice portraits, it is designed to be a macro lens. Because of that, it isn't the quickest focusing lens in my bag by far. If you know that going in, you can work within its limitations to get some solid shots. Build quality The build quality is good on this lens. It is made of plastic, so it doesn't have the unbreakable feel of some older macro lenses, but I feel comfortable using it in a variety of situations. Some of that is based on my experience with the same lens in Canon. I expect this lens to serve me just as well. Sharpness I value sharpness higher than any other quality when it comes to a macro lens. And that is why the Tamron 90mm lens, not the Pentax 100mm macro lens is in my bag. Every review has them close, but the Tamron always gets a slight edge. In all of the situations I've used the lens, I have been more than pleased with the results. Beyond sharpness, I have also been very happy with the color rendition of this lens. As someone who primarily shoots macro photography, this is a lens that will always be in my bag.

UPDATE: After receiving a refund from Amazon I ordered this lens again from another seller. The first seller sent me a lens for a Nikon instead of a Canon. The second order was a much better experience. It arrived in perfect condition and in its original box in perfect working order. Thank you, Amazon for taking care of my return and refund. Now on to the lens review. I love it. Macro pictures are tack sharp, although you WILL need a good tripod, flash (when indoors) and a remote shutter release to minimise camera shake when focusing in at minimum distance, as this lens doesn't have any built in stabilization. When opened up all the way, the focal length is super thin (as is common with all macro photography) but this lens' image quality is best at around between f/5 and f/9 so that helps widen that focal length a bit. I look forward to image stacking! I can't wait for spring, to get this lens out in the garden for some great macro shots. This lens also is WONDERFUL at taking portraits. Extremely clean and sharp subjects with beautifuly smooth bokeh in the background. A huge bonus for a lens designed for 1:1 macro photography. I am a landscape artist and am pleased with this lens' sharp pictures when taking landscapes. Being able to zoom into a picture to pick out fine details is essential to the type of photo realistic painting I do, and this lens gets the job done quite well. Allot had been said about the autofocus of this lens. It's an older lens so yes it's slower than many newer models, and yes you can hear it. I wouldn't call it loud but it would definitely be an annoyance when filming. But I didn't buy this lens to film anything. When I shoot macro I never, ever use autofocus. And it's more than fast enough when taking portraits and landscapes, but not something you want to shoot sports with. For what I purchased this lens for, macro, portrait and landscape photography, it excels wonderfully. And at it's price point ($219 used) it is an absolute bargain. Like getting three top grade lenses in one. Great lens!!! ****** End of Update ****** Previous review...... I received a lens that would not fit onto my Canon T6I, plus the center of the back end of it was tilted to one side. I'm not sure if this was a defective product or if I was shipped a model meant for a different brand of camera. Either way, Amazon is in the process of making things right. I'm shipping it back, free of charge and will receive a full refund shortly. Prime membership does have it's advantages! 😊 Once my refund is received I'll promptly order another and raise this rating accordingly after I've received a good working product.

I just received this lens today and after initially checking the lens for any focus problems with a Datacolor Lens Cal (fortunately there weren't any) I made a short field trip to try this lens out. I was very happy with the results. In my title I mentioned some quirks that this lens has and if you decide to buy one pay close attention to instructions, especially if you buy this for a Pentax or Sony. First is the ridiculous way the lens has to be changed from AF to manual. To put it into manual the focus ring has to be pulled backwards then the camera has to be set to manual focus. I don't know why when the focus ring is pulled back the screw dive doesn't disengage but that's the way it is designed. If you don't put the camera in MF and you try to focus the lens and/or the camera can be damaged. This is mentioned in the instructions and this little fact should be high lighted much better. The limiter is very good though. For general photography set it to full. If you want 1:1 the distance scale has to set to .29 meters then set the limiter. This prevents hunting. The range here is from .29 to .4 meters, where at .29 it's 1:1, at .35 the image size is 1:2. For normal photos the distance scale has to set at .45 then set the limiter. Be aware with this setting you can't do close up or macro but it will reduce hunting. On the very positive side this lens is incredibly sharp, even at 2.8 and as that nut case Kai on Digital Rev would say it is "bokehlicous". Especially for closeups good bokeh is essential this lens delivers. I couldn't get any high contrast pics because of cloud cover and haze so I can't comment on CA's but Photozone does give this lens very high marks. They did test it on a K-5. The contrast and color seem to be very good too but because current weather conditions I'll have to wait a few days to check again. Finally, I did buy this lens used and was rated "like new" and it is. Beautiful condition, nary a mark on it including the mount. That pleases me immensely as well as the excellent price.

I just purchased a Pentax k20d with a Pentax 18-250mm lens - a very versatile lens that works well for day to day use. Since macro photography has always been a major interest for me and I'm wanting to get the biggest "bang for the buck" I liked the idea of a lens able to handle both portraits and macro work. After doing some research, the Tamron 90 mm f/2.8 with Macro had some impressive reviews esp for other camera brands. Since there was only one review here on Amazon I was a little hesitant to order. Since I wanted a 1:1 macro without spending a fortune, the only other serious contender was the Pentax 100mm Macro - however, Tamron is currently running a $[...] rebate combined with a 6 year warranty so I decided to give it a go. The first thing you will notice is the weight..it seems relatively well built but contains a bit more plastic than expected. The lens comes packed in a nice padded lens bag with drawstring [a nice little extra] and lens hood so no need to purchase either separately. It's very easy to install and the automatic function works seemlessly with the Pentax auto focus. Compared to the Pentax 18-250mm the Tamron was more inclined to "search" when focusing at least for the first few moments. I find it to be a little louder than the Pentax but not to the point of distraction. To switch from automatic to manual requires pushing or pulling a circle around the lens which seemed a bit odd to me - perhaps it is normal but I'm new to the Pentax line and have never used a Tamron lens so it took a few minutes to figure out (the instructions are all but useless - several large drawings in a plethora of languages). Now as to the actual image quality itself...of course being a macro you would expect this to a large extent but just to get a better feel I set up a few "test shots" using both the pentax and the tamron both set at same distance on a couple small objects - a coffee cup, a spider and the fine hairs on a cactus. while both resulted in fine detail and resolution - the tamron really struts its stuff when it comes to the background! As to what I did not like...again, perhaps this is an isolated experience but the first Tamron lens had to be returned due to inability to manually set aperature. The second worked but only in manual mode - would not function in aperature priority mode [Pentax K20D] and it is important to remember to change the settings in the Menu area of the camera body to allow aperature settings on the actual lens [it's the next to last setting on page 6 of 7 for those of you searching for it]. Again, being new to Pentax and DSLR's in general perhaps this aperature set-up is more common than I realize [been using plain point and shoot after holding out for years with standard SLR's like the old Maxxum series from Minolata...I know - slow to change]. Even after changing the aperature on the lens it will not display as with all other modes. I was expecting tighter integration although it doesn't seem to impact the quality of the photo itself which is very nice. In fact, the photo quailty is so nice I decided to keep the lens despite the small irritation. As other reviews on this lens have noted - it takes some lovely pictures! At roughly $[...] after the $[...] rebate and a six year warranty - the price is extremely competitive. The photo quality is lovely - especially if you enjoy macro work with those beautiful creamy backgrounds. For a 1:1 macro at a comfortable 90mm lens this also is versatile enough to take great pictures of family, friends and the family pet. In the Box: Lens Lens padded case - drawstring Len cap and back protector Instructions sheet Lens hood Pros: 1:1 macro Nice photos with a beautiful background Automatic integrates seemlessly Competitive price Best price with $[...] rebate Extensive warranty Cons: Weird manual/automatic push/pull ring Aperature lens adjustment - not thrilled by location or operation in general. Feels a bit "light" [remember, I'm coming from heavy older SLR's] Other Misc Notes: Takes a 55mm filter {less expensive size}. I typically use a UV filter as protection although this sets so far back it almost doesn't need it. I still use one -habit- and also purchased an exexpensive close up filter set to try out.

(Another year and one repair later, I still love this lens. Original review first followed by updates.) First impression: right out of the box, this lens is smaller than I pictured. I had experience with the Sigma 105mm, and this is easily smaller and lighter. For travel purposes, it is ideal, plastic build or not. I did get a few surprises when I put it on the camera (D70), so anyone thinking about purchasing this lens should pay attention. This info is already out there, I just didn't notice and was almost disappointed at first. 1: This lens is only 2.8 at 10 feet to infinity. The maximum aperture drops as you focus closer, and at minimum focusing distance, where many will want to work to get the true 1:1, it is all the way down to 5.6. That was quite a shock at first, but I soon found that at such close range, even 5.6 gives you very shallow depth of field. It just means less speed, so a tripod will almost always be necessary unless you are really good at hand-holding. 2: The switch between auto and manual focus requires you to push or pull the focus ring. I should have known this after working with the Sigma 105mm, but it is not obvious on this lens and I had to check the instructions. lol. Again, this information is in other reviews, and it may be obvious to most users, but anyone new to macro should keep it in mind to avoid any surprises. UPDATE: I've left off the old review taken from my first few shots, as I have much more experience to pull from now. This lens captures beautiful photos, that much is certain. I have not tested the Nikon 105mm VR lens, but from the examples I've seen, this lens can still hold its own, even without VR. (I used to think VR was meaningless on a macro lens, but I have found many times when it would be useful.) Strong points: * Bokeh (out of focus rendering) is stunning * Color is rich (super color with D70, can't wait to see what it does with a D300!) * Lens is light, less than half the weight of the Nikon 105mm VR * Focus ring is large and easy to use Weak points: * Auto-focus is slow, noisy, and hunts a bit at times * Lens is not fixed length, short when focusing at infinity, extends out when focusing closer, a significant amount * Plastic build (doesn't bother me, but some don't like it) For my money, the pros far outweigh the cons here. I use this lens a lot for product photography (at work), non-macro flower and other small items, but I almost never take it all the way to 1:1 because I'm often too lazy to get out the tripod, or not in a situation where a tripod is usable. One thing to note: auto-focus has recently started acting up on my D70. For a few weeks it would refuse to auto-focus, I would reboot the camera, take the lens off and put it on again, and it would start working until I turned the camera off once more. Most recently I have not been able to get the auto-focus to work at all. (It is the only lens in my kit that does this, so I don't believe it is the camera.) Since the auto-focus is always slow anyway, I've taken to keeping it in manual focus and just dealing with it. It's a hassle at times, but it does not detract from my enjoyment of this lens. UPDATE #2: Tamron warranty and service are incredible! As mentioned above, the auto-focus eventually stopped working completely with both my D70 and D300. All Tamron USA lenses come with a 6 year warranty (6 years!) so I printed a receipt off Amazon, filled out a simple form, and put it in the mail. A couple weeks later I received notice that it was being repaired, no charge of course, and it gave me an order number to track it. I was leaving on a trip a few days later and didn't want it sitting outside my house while I was gone, so I contacted Tamron service department to see if I could change the shipping address. It had already shipped out and would be at my house within the week. Unlucky for me it arrived the day I left, but I had someone take it inside for me the next day, so no worries. It has been tested and works perfectly! 5 additional stars for Tamron's repair department! I would recommend this lens to anyone wanting to do macro work, portraiture, product photography, or any not-quite-macro nature shots with lots of color.

A few months ago I started to Upgrade my camera gear but like most of us my funds do not allow me to buy the #1 Grade gear. So I started looking at 3ed party gear; my instructor at the school I'm taking for Photography says not to buy 3ed Party but only First Class Stuff from Nikon "you see I shot Nikon and the camera I up-graded to was REFURBISHED Nikon D7000. But I found a guy on YouTube that gave product reviews on Tamron Lens and that sparked my interest. I had thought about buying Sigma Lens,but they started to go up in price since more people started to buy them. But for me Tamron stuck in my brain and I'm glad they did. This was my first Tamron lens and even though it's not pro grade it's still a Great Lens. One thing that impressed me before I even bought the lens was the fact of it[s ability to Fully Function on a Full Frame camera instead of losing Picture Quality. I have not used it on a full frame due to not owning one yet LOL but when I took the lens out of the box I was surprised at the size and at the quality of its build. When I put this lens on my D7000 I couldn't believe how much better it was than my 50-200mm f/4-5.6 Nikon lens "that died" I'm still in Morning boo hoo boo hoo LOL. The Tamron takes far clearer Photo's and the BoKa is "Creamy" as they say "I need to come up with a Man's word for that Creamy sounds a little Funny! I am no expert but I plan to be one someday soon, I'm 54 and starting life over after cancer, but I've learned from my Mother that you never give up even when things look their worse. What that has to do with lens "Nothing" LOL but maybe it will help someone who's having to start life over also. Not having money to buy First Class lens does not stop a person from being what the want to be come, I want to be a Photographer and Tamron lens, with their great quality and lower prices are helping me do so. As "Forest Gump" would say "That's all I got to say about that".

This lens is a fantastic lens because it takes amazing true 1:1 macro shots and doubles as an awesome portrait head-shot lens. This lens is also a good "street" lens. The low-light aperture of 2.8 is fantastic and the creamy gorgeous bokeh will blow you away. I like that it has a unique manual vs. auto focus ring that pushes and "snaps" back and forth .. took some getting used to but I actually really like this unique method of switching focus modes - no need to hunt for a switch on the side of the lens. Also features TACK SHARP images! Bottom line - if you are trying to get into macro photography and/or are looking for a great portrait "head-shot" lens with awesome bokeh, get this lens! I have some photo examples (link to paste) in the comments section. UPDATE 8/26/2012 This is still a great lens and very sharp. The only two points which bug me greatly is that the front expands and contracts for focus (no internal focus) so when you are very close in macro to a subject the lens is almost touching it, and the fact that focus is ungodly slow. At least there is a limit switch, which is needed. For macro, one uses manual focus a lot anyway. I will keep the 5 star for the optics and fantastic pictures, I read reviews and knew what I was getting.

Good quality images but slow to focus and noisy. I think eventually I will replace it with the one that has an ultrasonic motor. Also, not F 2.8 throughout, I dont feel that is adequately described in the listing but apparently is common for macro lenses ? I was not aware and felt swindled at first until I found that out.

Una muy buena inversión alta calidad a un muy buen precio, excelente objetivo súper ligero y rapido funciona de maravilla con mi camara alpha de sony, la entrega fue super rapida

This is now one of my very best lens. It rivals, and in some ways beats, my Pentax-M Macro f.4 50mm lens, which is also an outstanding piece of glass. Excellent contrast and colour, and very very sharp except at f22 and up. Handles smoothly. Highly, highly recommended, especially since the price is so low. RMS, Toronto

Es un lente de magnífica calidad. Las fotos son excelentes. Lo uso en conjunto con un ring flash neewer y me ha funcionado genial. Se observan los mas pequeños detalles. No le pide nada a otras marcas que cuestan 2 o 3 veces más. El envío llegó antes de lo que esperaba. En perfectas condiciones.

friends this is a excellent lens beyond my imagination. u would just love the lens.the colour depth,clarity,sharpness is just awesome recommend you to buy this lens with confidence.but friends dont purchase any item from ABC camera world (seller). i had ordered for tamron sp af 90mm macro for sony dslr. But they delivered me the same lens but was for Nikon. by which the lens didn't matched wit my camera. bcoz of which i suffered a lot.this seller dispatch anything without checking the detail about the product.and more over amazon ppl dont have a replacement policy. bcoz of which i suffered a lot.

Fantastic definition. A best price-quality ratio. The quality of the photos is fantastic. Need a very good lighting. Very fast focus.