Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Review

Every year there are a select number of lens announcements that I find personally exciting.  I reviewed no less than 15 lenses last year, and this is the fifth already this year, so a lot of gear passes through my hands.  Not every lens has the same capacity to excite the inner gear geek within me, but count this lens as one that I have been excitedly awaiting.  Why?  Because once again Tamron is pushing the envelope and delivering a lens with a feature set photographers want but no one else is delivering.

The Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED has been the lens to beat in the wide angle zoom category since it was released back in August of 2007.  It set the gold standard for sharpness, quality of focus, and build quality.  It easily bested all of the options for the Canon ecosystem and has been the lens that has inspired more gear envy for Canon users than any other Nikon product.  Canon released its best wide angle zoom late last summer, the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM.  It sports great optics and an effective image stabilizer, but of course lacks the wider aperture of the Nikkor.  The Nikkor has a faster aperture (and wider focal length) but doesn’t have VR (Vibration Reduction).  It would seem that Tamron has set its sights upon becoming the class leader, however, because the new Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD lens has both the wide aperture of the Nikkor and the image stabilizer (VC, or Vibration Compensation) of the Canon.  It becomes the first lens to pull that off – just as Tamron did in the 24-70mm F/2.8 standard zoom category (where it still stands alone more than two years after its introduction).  This is an extremely ambitious lens, but can Tamron pull it off?

>> Read the full article