Home Forums Gear Photography The new Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC USD - WOW!

I had the opportunity to shoot the new Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 VC USD lens Friday. I was in Philadelphia and my friend suggested we go to the Eastern State Penitentiary to test it out. Now bear in mind it is not the Grand Tetons as far as vast scenic opportunities but it offers some opportunity to see how sharp the lens actually is. I used a Canon 5D Mark II as the body for the shoot because the lens is a full frame lens and is only available in the Canon mount at this time. The Nikon mount will be available in a few weeks. The Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC USD might be the sharpest lens I have shot, definitely in this range. It is a big great feeling piece of glass that is sharp throughout the zoom range.
Tamron included all of its� great lens technology in the lens to make it the best. The lens has Tamron�s Vibration Compensation feature to stabilize the image and reduce shake. The lens also includes Tamron�s USD technology which allows faster and quieter focusing. The lens contains 3 LD glass elements and 2 XR glass elements which mean the lens will be ultra sharp! The lens also has a rounded diaphragm which makes the out of focus area nice and smooth. It is also the first Tamron lens to feature the moisture resistant construction. The lens is perfect for anyone shooting landscapes, portraits or commercial work.
If you have been looking for the perfect fast lens to cover this range and have been waiting for the perfect one to come out, here it is! Give Joel a call at Camera Land and get your lens! Remember, only the Canon mount is available now but the Nikon mount is following in a few weeks. I will make sure to let you know when they are available.
The following images were made using the Canon 5D Mark II set on Aperture Value with the Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC USD lens. I processed the images from a RAW file and did a minor tweaking in Topaz Adjust for some texture in the walls.

Very impressive pics!

So how would you rate this lens again Canon's 24-70?

Thanks. I am typically a Nikon shooter but I have some friends that are die hard Canon shooters and everyone I have talked with believes it is the sharpest lens available in that range for Canon. I do know it is less expensive and it does have the vibration compensation, something that the Canon lens does not have. I did a few shots as slow as 1/8 of a second with great results. The shots above were at f11 and are incredibly sharp edge to edge. I have been checking out review sites and so far have heard nothing that leads me to believe it is anything less than great.

When you say that it is a full-frame lens, does that mean that it is not compatible with an APS-C camera?

It is optimized to work with a full frame lens but will work great on an APS-C sensor. You would simply use the conversion factor of 1.6x for Canon and 1.5x for Nikon. There are a lot of people that say using it on a cropped sensor makes a lens sharper because you are only using the sweetest part of the glass. I have never asked anyone up at Tamron if that is the case. I will try and do that. But to answer your question it will work very well with either type body.

K. Thought so but didn't understand your comment. I bought the 24-105 F4 about a year ago because of the IS, but would like the aperture on this guy better. Thanks for the post.

Sorry for the confusion. You will love the lens!

The few reviews I read about the new Tamron 24-70 have been quite favorable.

Great pics!

Thanks!

How much is this lens going to be? I know the new Cannon 24-70 is pretty much stupid expensive and still doesn't have stabilization. The Tamron with Stabilization might be just what the new Cannon should have been. The new Cannon is $2299 and the stabilized Tamron is $1299, hmmmmm worth some serious thought.......................dj

The lens is $1299 and has the VC, which is really great in low light. Also the lens has the new moisture resistant construction feature. I am hoping soon to get one in the Nikon mount and shoot it on my D-700. The one I shot on the 5D Mark II was great!

This is the lens that many have been waiting for. I doubt it will be available with a Sony mount. Nikon and Cannon always come first.

If they're selling for list it's within about $200 of a used Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and it's hard to believe it can match either the build-quality or IQ of what many consider to be "the" lens in that zoom range plus buying used someone else has already taken the $-hit. True the Nikon doesn't have VR but with the new sensors allowing ISO's that are out of sight I've turned my VR to off and leave it there as I don't care for the side effects of VR.

Slingshot, the lens will be available for Sony. I don't know a release date but it will be available!
DB-lens technology has come a long way in the last few years and the technology is far superior to what was made 5 years ago. I don't work for Tamron, but I use their equipment because of their reputation for building incredible lenses and my experience with their quality. I, personally, would rather buy a new lens with the best VC and shoot at lower ISOs and have a lens that is complete with a 6 year warranty than a used lens that could stop working tomorrow at no fault of the owner. I do this for a living and have seen a lot of lenses, this IMO is about the sharpest lens I have ever shot.
Just my thoughts.

I'll keep watching for the the lens mounts that will fit the Sony alpha DSLR series. I might well be the next "big" purchase I make in the photography area. I picked up a Sony 100mm/f2.8 macro which was a petty big chunk of change a while back. As you can see, I have become committed to the Sony line with the purchase of the Alpha 65.

I used to be a big user of Tokina lenses. It was always Tamaron versus Tokina....

For a while, I waffled on brand wanting to go back to my old favorite Nikon, but with the A65 camera purchase, I am pretty set on my choices.

Sony makes a great product. I am curious to see the full frame that they will release in the next couple of months or year. I shoot the NEX-7 mirrorless and love it.