Tamron SP 28-105 f/2.8 Adaptall II?

[cooltouch]

Anybody know anything about this lens? Constant f/2.8 aperture, four low-dispersion elements as well as three aspherical ones. Manual Focus.

I followed a link over to Tamron's website, and they show it as a current product. Hmmm . . . I didn't think Tamron built any Adaptall II lenses anymore.

http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/m28105mm.asp

Kept searching, found one used one on eBay. In Germany, very pricey. Then I continued my searching and found a listing for it at B&H Photo and Video. They list it as a special-order only item, with a wait time of 7 to 14 days. $600 new.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/142491-REG/Tamron_A76100_28_105mm_f_2_8_LD_Aspherical.html

Dang, I want one of these!

Michael

 

[Jeff L]

Best I can do is say that I heard it was very good. I have two SP Tamrons, the 17mm and the 70-210 3.5 and like them very much. A friend has the SP 80-200 2.8 and it's great too. Tamron SP series have a very good rep on the whole.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I had the previous SP 35-105/2.8 ASL, and it was a fine lens--very sharp for a zoom, though it showed a bit of the barrel/pincushion distortion at the extremes of the zoom range that is typical of tele-wide zooms. For that reason, I was never interested in the 28-105, because I suspected that more compromises would need to be made to achieve the wider zoom range, though I can't say for sure that that was the case.

 

[PhotoJim]

I had the AF version and I liked it. Huge, heavy, 82mm filters. Very weird bokeh. However, it was very sharp.

 

[cooltouch]

Glad to read your perspectives. I wonder if the optical formula for the mf version is the same as it is for the af? I saw a few of the af ones on eBay. If pushed came to shove, I could live with an af one, but it would be cool to get one in Adaptall II.

I'm also a big fan of the Tamron SP lenses. In the past I owned a 60-300/3.8-5.4, a 90/2.5 macro, and a 300/2.8 LD IF. Sold them off over the years, but have since re-acquired two (!) 60-300s and a 90 macro w/teleconverter. Got my sights set on one of the 300/2.8s that come up on eBay from time to time.

I used to own a Vivitar Series 1 28-90/2.8-3.5 that rarely came off my camera, I used it so much. Great lens, and I've been thinking about picking up another one for my Nikon system. Then I ran across this Tamron. I'd love to get one, but it's hard to justify the $600 (new) expense compared to the $50 or less that a Vivitar 28-90 typically sells for on the bay.

Michael

 

[Jeff L]

$600 Tamron or a $50 S1. No brainer for me

 

[Russ - SVP]

I've heard and read many mixed reviews on this lens. I eventually opted for the Tamron SP 24-135. Slower, but very good and sharp.

Kiron Kid

 

[Ian Grant]

$600 Tamron or a $50 S1. No brainer for me

The differences are your comparing a much newer aspheric design with an old Vivitar, one's new the other second-hand. The the maximum aperture is constant with the Tamron.

It's quite likely there's a difference in performance.

Ian

 

[Cliffy13]

Had one of these many years ago its a fine lens and good optical quality but its built like a tank so you build up your muscles using it

 

[Russ - SVP]

The Vivitar S-1 28-90 is no slouch. I still use it professionally.

Kiron Kid