Video Comparison of Tamron 15-30VC, Samyang 14mm, Tamron 24-70VC IQ

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Hi everyone, I did a controlled series yesterday where I took a ton of shots at all major apertures (f/2.8-f/11) on three lenses (ones that I had on hand): the new Tamron SP 15-30 VC, the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, and Tamron's own 24-70 VC. I have also recently reviewed both the Canon 16-35 f/4L and the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8, so those lenses are also fresh in mind, but I didn't have a copy on hand for a direct comparison here.

I think you will find the results interesting.

http://bit.ly/1Aac03H

P.S. Can anyone tell me how to directly embed YouTube video here?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's a three image panorama that I took while doing this resolution test. The original is pretty amazing.

Amazing - Tamron 15-30 VC by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's a couple of other images that I've shared from the lens so far - I've managed to a get number of great shots despite weather that has been pretty brutal over the brief time I get to have the lens.

Pristine - Tamron 15-30 VC by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

This one shows off how nice the bokeh rendering is if you get close to your subject. It's surprisingly good.

Soft and Sharp - Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 VC by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

This is a huge lens, but l am drawing the conclusion that Tamron essentially did what Zeiss did with the Otus line and told the engineers, "Forget about making it small and light. Just make it awesome." Unlike Zeiss, though, they also said, "Make the price reasonable".

 

[candyman]

Very nice comparison video.
I must say that I am just a little bit shocked about the quality difference between the 24-70VC and the 15-30. Makes the 24-70 look poor in IQ. I had it compared with the 24-70II of Canon and the difference between those two was not so big as here between 24-70VC and 15-30VC. I love to see the comparison between the tamron 15-30 and the canon 16-35 f/4 IS

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Very nice comparison video.
I must say that I am just a little bit shocked about the quality difference between the 24-70VC and the 15-30. Makes the 24-70 look poor in IQ. I had it compared with the 24-70II of Canon and the difference between those two was not so big as here between 24-70VC and 15-30VC. I love to see the comparison between the tamron 15-30 and the canon 16-35 f/4 IS

Well, my copy of the Tamron has obviously gotten decentered (I've taken it to countries all over the place and I'm sure it's gotten knocked around a bit). I'll send it to my buddies at Tamron here in Canada and get that looked after.

Still, I know the Tamron 24-70 VC to be a very competent lens, so that the fact that this new lens leaves it in the dust bodes very well for it.

I only have the 15-30 VC for another day or so, so a direct comparison like this is out of the question for now. I do plan on purchasing the 15-30 VC for myself, though (although I'm not sure how long it will take for me to get one), and I will have B&H send me a review copy of 16-35L to do a direct comparison with.

 

[candyman]

Very nice comparison video.
I must say that I am just a little bit shocked about the quality difference between the 24-70VC and the 15-30. Makes the 24-70 look poor in IQ. I had it compared with the 24-70II of Canon and the difference between those two was not so big as here between 24-70VC and 15-30VC. I love to see the comparison between the tamron 15-30 and the canon 16-35 f/4 IS

Well, my copy of the Tamron has obviously gotten decentered (I've taken it to countries all over the place and I'm sure it's gotten knocked around a bit). I'll send it to my buddies at Tamron here in Canada and get that looked after.

Still, I know the Tamron 24-70 VC to be a very competent lens, so that the fact that this new lens leaves it in the dust bodes very well for it.

I only have the 15-30 VC for another day or so, so a direct comparison like this is out of the question for now. I do plan on purchasing the 15-30 VC for myself, though (although I'm not sure how long it will take for me to get one), and I will have B&H send me a review copy of 16-35L to do a direct comparison with.

Ok. Very kind of you to plan that. Good luck with centering the Tamron. They have good service, at least with my experience.


Thanks again for the review, I enjoyed it.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

The discussion about coma is on another thread, but I thought I would share here that I finally got some reasonably clear skies and was able to shoot about five nightscape shots (it was -20F, so I didn't linger!). I am very satisfied with the result from the lens for this kind of shooting.

Frozen Stars - Tamron 15-30 VC by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr