Tamron adaptall lenses.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7555 Location: Hong Kong

I love my Tamron SP 350mm f/5.6 Model 06B.

enzodm · Joined: 11 Sep 2010 Posts: 350 Location: Italy

I have 28/2.5 (do not like much but it could be matter of focal length), and 135/2.5 (like it, and it's time to take it again out of the box).

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

How could I forget the wonderful 500 / 8 mirror lens ? Rolling Eyes

It's worth getting.

Kei · Joined: 08 Jan 2015 Posts: 142 Location: S. Wales UK

I was an avid collector of tamron adaptall-2 series and spent a fair time using many of them. Here's what I have and my opinion on them:

Primes:
17mm f3.5 SP (51B) - Sharp in the centre but gets odd in the corners on digital. (almost like pixelation) Looks great on film, still slightly soft in the extreme corners until f8. Needs the hood to fit filters.

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

IMG_2576 by --Kei--, on Flickr

Fuji Pro 400H

VeniceStMarks- by --Kei--, on Flickr

Fuji Velvia 100F

Venice5 by --Kei--, on Flickr

24mm f2.5 (01BB) - sharp in the centre poor in the corners. Not as good as the 24-48 zoom, nikon pre ai prime or olympus OM, hence the lack of images.

135mm (03B) - OK not as good as my AI nikkor hence again, a lack of images.

180mm f2.5 SP (63B) - An incredible lens that I won't part with any time soon. Not compared to another as I've never felt the need to try and replace it. It's every bit as sharp as my nikon 80-200mm F2.8 ED and my old canon 70-200 F4 L IS.

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

_MG_1251 by --Kei--, on Flickr

Fuji Velvia 100F

Snail Slide by --Kei--, on Flickr

300mm f5.6 SP (54B) - A reasonable lens that excels at macro provided there is sufficient light. I find it too slow to use often and have barely ever touched it. (prefer the 300mm f2.8 nikon, but that doesn't allow close focus)

Zooms:
24-48mm f3.5-3.8 SP (13A) - Superior to the tamron 24mm prime (not quite up to the other primes), very strong susceptibility to flare. Needs the hood for fitting 77mm filters.

Fuji Velvia 100F

Shdaows Slide by --Kei--, on Flickr

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

_MG_1291 by --Kei--, on Flickr

_MG_0682 by --Kei--, on Flickr

28-80mm f3.5-4.2 SP (27A) - Just a hair worse than the 35-80 but not much in it. Certainly seems sharp enough past f5.6

Fuji Velvia 100F

Venice1 by --Kei--, on Flickr

35-80mm f2.8-3.8 (01A) - Fantastic performance all round, sharp even wide open at 35mm. Very susceptible to flare. (even with hood)

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

IMG_1998 by --Kei--, on Flickr

Full frame (Nikon D800)

IMG_6561 by --Kei--, on Flickr

70-210mm f3.5 (19AH) - A nice lens, reasonably sharp wide open and superb from f5.6. Very strong levels of CA (purple and yellow) around bright lights on digital, seems better on film.

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

IMG_3777 by --Kei--, on Flickr

Full frame (Nikon D800)

IMG_6522 by --Kei--, on Flickr

75-250mm f3.8-4.5 (04A) - An OK lens at best, not terrible but not great either. (was my first)

APS-C (Canon EOS 20D)

IMG_0294 by --Kei--, on Flickr

Kodak Tmax 400

Guitar by --Kei--, on Flickr

bychance · Joined: 24 Apr 2013 Posts: 347 Location: Kent, England

Wow guys i didnt expect such a great response. Olivier and kei, that sort of info is so welcome, bless you.

I have envied people in the past that were starting out in fly fishing for the brilliant journey they were starting, learning all the fascinating aspects of the craft that I had mastered.

I almost envy myself now with the new learning curves that i am having with these MF lenses and cameras. What a nice hobby/obsession.

God bless the digital revolution for making these lenses so available Smile

Now, how to store all these new lenses I must have Cool

problems problems Smile

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

If have all the adaptall lenses excluding 05a,60b,360b,65b,107b,200f.
From the adapt-a-matic range only PZ-60Au,PZ-150Au are missing.

Hard to tell a favourite lens, but if I must make a choice: The wonderfull 70-150 Soft focus and 180 f/2.8 are the winners.

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Welcome here Kei ! Very Happy

SXR_Mark · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 506 Location: England

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Well, this is a subject that I hold near and dear. I love my Tamrons and have a slowly increasing collection of them. Kei mentioned most of the ones I would have, plus he even supplied some brilliant photos to go along with each lens. If I might just add a few of my favorites to the list, though:

I have long been a champion of the Tamron SP 60-300mm f/3.8-5.4. I bought my first copy back in the mid-80s and used it a lot back then at airshows and auto races. It did a fine job. I own two copies now. These days, when shooting with a digital camera and this lens I do notice a fair amount of purple CA, but this can be quickly removed in post, so it's not a big deal.

Tamron's 80-200mm f/2.8 LD is certainly one of the finest 80-200/2.8 manual focus lens ever built. At 200mm, it compares very favorably with Nikon's amazing 180mm f/2.8 ED. It's big and heavy and fortunately has a tripod mount, but it is definitely a lens any serious Tamron collector wants to have in inventory.

The 300mm f/2.8 LD IF is on par with Canon's and Nikon's 300mm f/2.8s when it comes to sharpness and contrast, and how well corrected the images are. This is a special lens that sometimes can be found for a reasonable price, if you're patient.

Yes, the 500mm f/8 Mirror -- both versions -- is one of the best mirrors ever produced by a Japanese lens maker. I'd put it up against a Nikkor or Canon 500/8 any day.

And the bazooka -- the SP 200-500mm f/5.6 -- has to be mentioned. Dang, is this lens heavy! Tripod mounting is almost a must with it. I've tested the copy I own against other 500s -- and longer -- that I own or have used -- and it hangs in there with the best of them. This is one impressive zoom -- at 500mm wide open.

hoanpham · Expire: 2015-01-18

The 70-150 soft focus is also my favorite.
500/8 55BB image quality is on par with canon 500/8, but it has close focus, while the canon has longer focus throw on the far end.
300/2.8 360B is on par with canon fd 300/2.8 L. Tamron 'adapt all too'

Xpres · Expire: 2014-10-28

I've collected all of them since joining this site and had some tremendous enjoyment out of them along the way and found my favoutites to be the 70-150 soft and the 35-80. But GAS or no GAS it's a rewarding journey and I'm slowly getting rid of some to settle on a few keepers that I'll actually use.
There's little to add to what's already been said except a vote for the compact 75-150, in all its versions, which is often overlooked and very cheap.

drjs · Joined: 25 Feb 2013 Posts: 484 Location: USA

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1316 Location: Conwy N Wales

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

SXR_Mark · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 506 Location: England

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I dunno about second and third, but the first and fourth definitely post-date adaptall-2.org. B&H still has NOS copies of the 28-105 f/2.8 in stock for about $500 a pop. And I own a copy of the 171A 28-200. It looks like an AF lens that takes an adaptall-2 mount. By "AF lens" I mean, it has that sort of rounded look and is made mostly from plastic. Currently its waiting for me to repair the mount. A little pin made from plastic broke off, rendering the mount unusable. I plan to take a big paper clip, unbend it, then heat up the straightened end, and sink the hot end into the plastic base the pin broke off from, then clip the metal paper clip shaft off to the correct length. Hopefully, that'll work.

Only reason why I'm even bothering with this plasticky feeling lens is because it is an aspherical lens. I have a tamron 24-70 AF aspherical lens that is excellent. So maybe this one has possibilities.

The 24mm f/2.5 01BB is listed at adaptall-2.org, but not on the title page. It's mentioned in the description of the 01B as a cosmetic update. I have this lens also. On my APS-C crop body, it out-performs my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8, but from what I've read, it tends to get softer in the corners than the Nikkor, although that Nikkor gets pretty soft in the corners also.

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1316 Location: Conwy N Wales

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

Rense · Expire: 2016-12-25

biggles3 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 61 Location: Crickhowell, Wales

Many of my favourites have been mentioned - 52BB, 55B & BB, 23A and 51A.

I have to put in a plea for the 51B 17mm f3.5 - the original one with in-built filters (where can you find that elusive hood!!??); the misunderstood 54B 300mm f5.6 TeleMacro - a very clever design to allow macro work from a fair distance; and the 19AH which is nearly as good as the best 70-210 ever made - the Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 70-210 f3.5 Macro - and is on a par with the uber-rare Yashica ML 70-210 f4.

Finally, I must put a word in for the Tamron lens that most surprised me for its outstanding optical and build quality - the 05A 70-350 f4.5 (late model - NOT the CZ-735!); why this lens was not designated SP amazes me as it's one of the best extreme telephotos manufactured by any company. In its day at the end of the 70s, it was by far the most expensive lens made by Tamron - more costly even than the 31A 200-500mm f5.6 - costing the equivalent of £2400 in today's money. My lens remains in mint condition: super-sharp, even illumination, minimal distortion, mechanically perfect with no zoom creep despite the weight of glass; Zeiss of Oberkochen would have been proud of it... You need a tripod but for natural history (or surveillance which was its favoured use back then) it is quite brilliant and at f4.5, objects pop out of the background... It works superbly on the Fuji X-T1.

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1316 Location: Conwy N Wales