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

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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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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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.
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.

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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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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freezehead said:
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 ?

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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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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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.

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 might also suggest that in this focal range of Macro lenses, people often use them for Portrait and Environmental Portrait lenses. And if that appeals to you, the user, at all, then 90mm is much closer to that "sweet" 85mm 'perfect portrait' focal length. That said, 100mm affords a lit more working distance than 90mm for Macro work... Choices and decisions...but that's a good thing!

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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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.

Decisions, decisions....

cayenne

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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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 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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