# Review - Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro VC USD



## Canon Rumors Guy (Mar 22, 2016)

Discuss our review of the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro VC USD here.


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## Chaitanya (Mar 22, 2016)

Thanks a lot for the written review. Eagerly waiting for this lens to be released in India along with Tap in console. Hopefully better weather sealing will protect this lens better than Canon's 100mm L during monsoons.


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## GuyF (Mar 22, 2016)

Currently waiting for Fedex to deliver my Canon 100mm macro today. 

Update: it's just arrived. Ah, the joys of opening a new toy.


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## Hector1970 (Mar 22, 2016)

A great review Dustin. I really like them and they are very straightforward and objective.
“moisture proofing” and “dust resistance” is an interesting choice of words.
I've got plenty of my Canon lens wet and had no issues but you'd be waiting for the one time to get water ingress.
As I have a Canon 100mm L already it doesn't entice me but if I were new I'd certainly consider it.
Tamron is one brand I've never tried but it's reputation has grown quite a bit.
A 6 year warranty is something I'd like Canon to do (but they probably won't).
I've found Canon gear very reliable but Canon don't seem to back their own belief in their robustness by having longer warranties.
Brands like Sigma and Tamron are pushing Canon to higher standards and that's a good thing.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 22, 2016)

Hector1970 said:


> A great review Dustin. I really like them and they are very straightforward and objective.
> “moisture proofing” and “dust resistance” is an interesting choice of words.
> I've got plenty of my Canon lens wet and had no issues but you'd be waiting for the one time to get water ingress.
> As I have a Canon 100mm L already it doesn't entice me but if I were new I'd certainly consider it.
> ...



I've never had a real issue with full frame gear, either. I find that mirrorless is a little more sensitive to environmental conditions (heat, cold, moisture). I definitely prefer more robust weather sealing, though, as I tend to shoot in difficult environments sometimes.


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## bmpress (Mar 22, 2016)

Of course, the Canon is 100mm while the Tamron is 90. So why even compare them???


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## Luds34 (Mar 22, 2016)

bmpress said:


> Of course, the Canon is 100mm while the Tamron is 90. So why even compare them???



I think you forgot your sarcasm tags... or one of these:


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## freezehead (Mar 22, 2016)

GuyF said:


> Currently waiting for Fedex to deliver my Canon 100mm macro today.
> 
> Update: it's just arrived. Ah, the joys of opening a new toy.


What's your point ?


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## bereninga (Mar 22, 2016)

So tempted by this vs the Canon L. However, a refurb 100L is nearly the same price. I wonder if the VC is just as loud as the 100L IS.


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## cayenne (Mar 22, 2016)

bereninga said:


> So tempted by this vs the Canon L. However, a refurb 100L is nearly the same price. I wonder if the VC is just as loud as the 100L IS.



Yup..I"m in the same boat.

I'm seeing the 100L for about $749 easily on Canon refurb...but wow, this new Tamron is tempting. I really liked the review.

I have been planning to make my next lens purchase a macro most likely. I've never shot macro before..however.

Would 100mm vs 90mm make that much difference?

I might try to rent both of them, and shoot them side by side and see what I like about both of them and compare.

But wow...just when I thought I had my mind made up on my next lens...the 100L....they throw this into the mix.

Decisions, decisions....

cayenne


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## GuyF (Mar 22, 2016)

freezehead said:


> GuyF said:
> 
> 
> > Currently waiting for Fedex to deliver my Canon 100mm macro today.
> ...



Over in the lens forum I posted a few days ago that I used to have the Tamron 90mm (non-VC) but sold it to get the Canon. I'd asked for opinions and everyone said get the Canon. Reading Dustin's review, he suggests if he were to buy a macro today, he may well be tempted to get the Tamron over the Canon.

So even though the Tamron _might_ be better in some respects, I still got the Canon.


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## RGF (Mar 22, 2016)

wonder when this will stop and how the big guys will be able to defend themselves from 3rd party lens manufacturers?

Will Tamron and Sigma every thing to make a body that takes either Canon or Nikon lenses?


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## FramerMCB (Mar 22, 2016)

cayenne said:


> bereninga said:
> 
> 
> > So tempted by this vs the Canon L. However, a refurb 100L is nearly the same price. I wonder if the VC is just as loud as the 100L IS.
> ...


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## Luds34 (Mar 22, 2016)

cayenne said:


> I might try to rent both of them, and shoot them side by side and see what I like about both of them and compare.
> 
> But wow...just when I thought I had my mind made up on my next lens...the 100L....they throw this into the mix.
> 
> ...



I think the whole "try before you buy" is always solid advice. But I'm going to take a different take in this instance. What does it cost to rent a lens like this? Like $30? So two lenses you're at 60 bucks. The 100L is universally praised by all. And if you trust Dustin's review, the Tamron seems like an equally good choice. In short, I don't think you could go wrong per se in this case and if it were me I'd probably just save the $60+ on renting and choose one.

I got lucky and was able to pick up the 100L in mint condition late last year for $550, otherwise I'd be in the same boat. We always say how lucky we are to have so many choices today, but sometimes those choices can be paralyzing when they are this close.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 22, 2016)

I agree with everyone that is still conflicted over which lens to buy. I don't think there is a bad choice to be made here. If I didn't have the 100L, it might be a different story, but I've never yet seen a macro lens that made me desperate to get rid of the 100L to acquire it. It's been in my bag since it came out and I've never yet been tempted to part with it. Is it better than the Tamron? Probably not. If I were buying new right now I honestly think it would come down to which lens I could get the better deal on.


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## TeT (Mar 22, 2016)

Dustin is the SP 90 as noisy as the 100L? Every 100L that I have owned has had very discernible IS noises.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 22, 2016)

TeT said:


> Dustin is the SP 90 as noisy as the 100L? Every 100L that I have owned has had very discernible IS noises.



I'd say that the new accelerometer actually makes the VC a bit louder than the previous generation. That may be the same issue with the 100L, which was the first lens to pilot something similar for Canon. It's not loud in the way the 70-200L f/4 IS is, but there is a noticeable noise level that just isn't there with the Tamron 45 VC, for example (which is near silent in operation).


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## TeT (Mar 22, 2016)

thanks,


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## Schwingi (Mar 22, 2016)

Thanks for the review, I really love the new clean design.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 22, 2016)

Schwingi said:


> Thanks for the review, I really love the new clean design.



It is very classy (and functional). It definitely makes my older Tamron lenses (particularly those with the gold ring) seem a bit dated and garish by comparison.

I'd say Sigma still has the edge in overall style, but the Tamron wins for function (and weather sealing!!)


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## FramerMCB (Mar 22, 2016)

Based on how Sigma, Tamron, and even Tokina, are "upping their game" on both lens design , optical performance, and now, at least for Sigma (first) and Tamron, the inclusion of docks to enable lens tweaking/calibration/updating/customization I would say there are many great options.



GuyF said:


> freezehead said:
> 
> 
> > GuyF said:
> ...


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## drmikeinpdx (Mar 23, 2016)

Another great review, Dustin! I can't wait for you to review the upcoming Tamron 85.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 23, 2016)

drmikeinpdx said:


> Another great review, Dustin! I can't wait for you to review the upcoming Tamron 85.



I'm actually really excited by it, too. I'm loving the 45 VC - such beautiful rendering. Here's a couple I took with it (45 VC) last week. I should have my hands on the 85 in about a week.


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## pierlux (Mar 23, 2016)

bereninga said:


> ... I wonder if the VC is just as loud as the 100L IS.





TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> TeT said:
> 
> 
> > Dustin is the SP 90 as noisy as the 100L? Every 100L that I have owned has had very discernible IS noises.
> ...



Most probably IS noise is something that's susceptible to wide copy-to-copy variations. My 100 L has soft IS noise compared to the other IS lenses I have. My old 70-200 f/2.8 L IS I was the loudest, when I replaced it with the II I was surprised how softer its noise was.

Dustin, I believe the accelerometers are solid-state components which do not move at all. The actuators (and relative parts which actually are being moved) produce noise, so probably it's not a matter of the new accelerometer. Unless the new one is so much more responsive than the previous to induce faster/wider acceleration of the lens' moving unit, in which case it may be indirectly responsible for the noise. Note that I'm just guessing with the latter one, don't trust me blindly.

Thanks for another fine hands-on review, looking forward to the next. I'd like to read your opinion about the Venus Optics offerings, I'm intrigued by the Laowa 15mm f/4 macro/shift. Not exactly inexpensive for a manual lens, but likely the price will soon go down significantly.


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## FramerMCB (Mar 23, 2016)

pierlux said:


> bereninga said:
> 
> 
> > ... I wonder if the VC is just as loud as the 100L IS.
> ...



Concerning Venus optics - there are a few reviews posted for the Venus 15mm f/4 Macro at B&H. 6 user reviews for the Canon version and 5 user reviews for the Nikon version. Both user groups reviews average to 4 out of 5 stars...here's the link to the B&H Venus lenses:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=venus+lenses&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=


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## bereninga (Mar 23, 2016)

The Tamron 45mm has some nice bokeh. Thanks for the review, Dustin!


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## pierlux (Mar 23, 2016)

FramerMCB said:


> Concerning Venus optics - there are a few reviews posted for the Venus 15mm f/4 Macro at B&H. 6 user reviews for the Canon version and 5 user reviews for the Nikon version. Both user groups reviews average to 4 out of 5 stars...here's the link to the B&H Venus lenses:
> 
> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=venus+lenses&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=



Thanks for the link! Other reviews I remember I've read are from PetaPixel, planet5D, ephotozine, and some Italian sites. Nevertheless, I'd rather trust Dustin's opinion as far as hands-on reviews are concerned, and Brian Carnathan's one (TDP) because of the excellent measurements and comparison tools he provides. I'm going OT here, but Venus Optics make some really interesting stuff, the only downside of it being price, I really expected more affordable offerings from a new Chinese manufacturer willing to seduce potential buyers.


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## drmikeinpdx (Mar 23, 2016)

Those are great shots with the 45 Dustin! I am also impressed with the lack of flare when the sun is in the picture.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 23, 2016)

drmikeinpdx said:


> Those are great shots with the 45 Dustin! I am also impressed with the lack of flare when the sun is in the picture.



Absolutely. I've pointed it at the sun a lot and never been disappointed. My initial reaction to the 45mm focal length was "meh", but after having used the lens a lot over the past five months I've started to regard it more like a Goldilocks focal length; it seems "just right" for a lot of things, and I find the great minimum focus distance performance very artistically liberating.


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## d (Mar 24, 2016)

Hi Dustin,

Nice review as always. Quick question about the lens hood - does it have locking mechanism similar to that on the Canon 100mm macro lens, or does it just click into place? How firmly does it lock in?

Minor details, I know, but seeing as no one seems to be able to seperate the performance of these two lenses, it may as well come down to the "little things". I personally hate lens hoods that don't attach firmly into place.

Cheers,
d.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 24, 2016)

d said:


> Hi Dustin,
> 
> Nice review as always. Quick question about the lens hood - does it have locking mechanism similar to that on the Canon 100mm macro lens, or does it just click into place? How firmly does it lock in?
> 
> ...



It does not having a locking mechanism, but the engineering on the new SP series is very good. It locks into place very definitely and is not going to go anywhere until you move it. The tolerances seem very tight. I prefer this to the new Canon hoods with the button to depress before loosening the hood, personally.


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## d (Mar 24, 2016)

Ah, ok - good to know. Thanks for clarifying that for me 

Cheers,
d.


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## Cory (Mar 24, 2016)

I wonder if the upcoming 85 might be the perfect complement to my 10-18 and 35 2.0 IS since that'll be a complete travel set with 67mm threads (other than the wish-listed 100-400).


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 24, 2016)

Cory said:


> I wonder if the upcoming 85 might be the perfect complement to my 10-18 and 35 2.0 IS since that'll be a complete travel set with 67mm threads (other than the wish-listed 100-400).



Filter sharing is a pretty big deal when you are traveling.


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## Cory (Mar 24, 2016)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder if the upcoming 85 might be the perfect complement to my 10-18 and 35 2.0 IS since that'll be a complete travel set with 67mm threads (other than the wish-listed 100-400).
> ...


Thanks for all your work, too. Whatever I order I'll do so through the link on your site. They're all different, but I'm weighing the soon-to-be new Tamron 85, Canon 100L and 70-200 4.0 (maybe the non-IS since I'm often on a tripod or can speed up the shutter in most cases. Might be leaning towards the Tamron.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Mar 24, 2016)

Cory said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > Cory said:
> ...



Thanks for that. I have high hopes for the Tamron, but you might want to wait until I've had a chance to review to ensure there are no nasty surprises!


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