Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Tamron Adaptalls
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Love the adaptall lenses, specifically the Adaptall-2 SP glass. And not just for novelty. These can still be very viable optics. I used the 180/2.5 often and all the way up until a couple years ago for paid portrait work. I'd still be using it, had I not finally found the Canon FD 85/1.2L which now has a complete monopoly on my portrait lenses. Obviously very different focal lengths, but because they share a purpose, it's tough not to go straight for that L lens. (And I own the Nikon AF-S 70-200/2.8 VRII, Sigma 135/1.8 Art, Nikon Z 85/1.8, and numerous other portrait capable lenses).

The longer Adaptall teles provide an excellent value to the budget-constrained photographers. Early on, I found the SP 400/4 65B lens for a very reasonable price, (this was before the spate of 150-600mm modern lenses) and it was optically much better than the various longer zooms and way less expensive than any 400mm prime of the same speed (most options were f/5.6+). I mention those modern super zooms only because, for $600-700 (or less even), you can get the Sigma or Tamron 150-600 and it will not only give you better image quality and auto-focus, but also that incredible flexibility. Tough to justify spending that same money or more on something like the Tamron 400/4 unless it's more about that specific lens than what it can do for you. The 300/2.8 might still be a great bargain though. I've seen them go for less than $400 and I'm not sure you can get a 300/2.8 rendering as good as these lenses anywhere else for the same or less money. The 300/2.8 360B is particularly lovely to use. My copy has a buttery smooth focus that I can flick with a pinky to adjust focus. I've used it a surprising amount for events with speakers at a podium in a darker presentation space. I can mount it on a tripod and be well off to the side of the stage and get some nice subject separation.

The 350/5.6 mirror lens is the best mirror lens I've ever used and is actually a useful optic to me. Less of a novelty like many of the other mirrors I have encountered.

I even more recently got a great deal on the fabled 70-150/2.8 (51A) Soft Focus lens because it was missing the front retaining ring. I've remedied that and have found it to be a very impressive performer. Not to mention the fun ability to add that soft effect onto your photos.

Overall, I have so many good things to say about many of these lenses and I've clearly leaned towards the longer focal lengths mostly. Altogether, I have held onto:

Tamron SP 17mm f/3.5 (151B)
Tamron SP 24mm f/2.5 (01BB)
Tamron SP 24-48mm f/3.5-3.8 (13A)
Tamron SP 70-150mm f/2.8 SOFT (51A)
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 (30A)
Tamron SP 70-210mm f/3.5-4 (52A)
Tamron SP 180mm f/2.5 LD-IF (63B)
Tamron SP 180mm f/2.5 LD-IF 35th Anniversary Edition (63B)
Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 LD (107B)
Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 LD-IF (60B)
Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 LD-IF (360B)
Tamron SP 350mm f/5.6 (06B)
Tamron SP 400mm f/4 LD-IF (65B)
Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5.6 (31A)


PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
justtorchit wrote:
The 300/2.8 might still be a great bargain though. I've seen them go for less than $400 and I'm not sure you can get a 300/2.8 rendering as good as these lenses anywhere else for the same or less money.



How about compared to a Tokina (AF) AT-X 300mm f2.8? I have read that both lenses have their own trouble with some purple fringing- good performance relative to the speed being the target here rather than 'APO'...

For a specs comparison,

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 300mm f/2.8 LD IF - 360B
Weight: 2265g
Length: 208mm
Filter Diameter: 112mm, 43mm rear slot
Min. Focus: 2.5M
Min. Aperture: 32


Tokina AT-X 300 AF PRO 300mm f/2.8
Weight: 2300g
Length: 187mm
Filter Diameter: 112mm, 35.5mm rear slot
Min. Focus: 2.4m
Min. Aperture: 32

I've bolded the differences but they're pretty much the same, although 21mm is noticeable bit off in length.





Tamron



Tokina





Would be a fun comparison...


PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
eggplant wrote:
How about compared to a Tokina (AF) AT-X 300mm f2.8? I have read that both lenses have their own trouble with some purple fringing- good performance relative to the speed being the target here rather than 'APO'...


I had the Tokina many years ago now and did not own the Tamron concurrently. I do recall the Tokina showed quite a bit of chromatic aberration and it ultimately led me to move on from it. While the Tamron certainly exhibits CA, I feel like it has never felt as significant as I what I got with the Tokina. The Tokina was still a good lens and you're right to compare. I do recall the Tokina's focusing being extremely fluid and smooth. Comparatively, my 360B feels a little more dampened, and the 60B even more dampened, if not a tad stiff, than both aforementioned lenses.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:23 am    Post subject: Re: Tamron Adaptalls Reply with quote
bychance wrote:
Just how good do you think these lenes were/are.
I personally love them all and am on my second collection having sold the first some years ago. The sharpest lens I have ever used is a Tamron adaptall. I won't say which one, but it was cheap, mint and a masterpiece of manufacturing with timeless appeal for pre computerised lens design.
Just curious to know what this forum thinks of these wonderfull lenses.


I have a slack handful of Tamrons, but have been concentrating on SP version in the past while. As my digital sensor
resolutions go up, I think I may do them some justice by putting as good glass as I can afford on the cameras.
So far, in SPs I have:
28-80
28-135
35-80
90
70-210 (19AH)
60-300
500 (55BB mirror)

I'm still looking for a 24-48 and a 35-210.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ultrapix wrote:
Today I became curious to quickly compare my manual wide-angle, indoor shots at various apertures, and outdoor views at 1:8 aperture;
I shot with:
...
2: Tamron Adaptall 2 - 24mm 1:2,5; lots of glow at higher apertures, peripheral areas (say 30 % of the image) never becoming sharp
3: Tamron Adaptall 2 - 28mm 1:2.5; practically the same as the 24, perhaps overall a little better
...
I'm a bit off topic, but the two Adaptall 2's come out badly for my taste; they are usable for creative images, you can exploit the good brightness, but for technical photos better to look elsewhere

Yep, agree on that though I only have the Tamron 2.5/24mm

Ultrapix wrote:
soon I'll look also at Minolta, whose fame has not yet made 28mm prices explode


I have lots of vintage 28mm primes - maybe 60 or so - but most are not that good on demanding FF sensors. I fact I wouldn't consider any of these lenses to be "excellent". Among the best vintage 28mm lenses I have is the Minolta MD-III 2/28mm (same computation as Minolta AF 2/28mm) => pretty good when stopped down to f4 ... f5.6.

I must says however that I've never used the Leica R 2.8/28mm, the Nikkor 2/28mm or the Zeiss CY 2/28mm.

S


PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
Ultrapix wrote:
Today I became curious to quickly compare my manual wide-angle, indoor shots at various apertures, and outdoor views at 1:8 aperture;
I shot with:
...
2: Tamron Adaptall 2 - 24mm 1:2,5; lots of glow at higher apertures, peripheral areas (say 30 % of the image) never becoming sharp
3: Tamron Adaptall 2 - 28mm 1:2.5; practically the same as the 24, perhaps overall a little better
...
I'm a bit off topic, but the two Adaptall 2's come out badly for my taste; they are usable for creative images, you can exploit the good brightness, but for technical photos better to look elsewhere

Yep, agree on that though I only have the Tamron 2.5/24mm

Ultrapix wrote:
soon I'll look also at Minolta, whose fame has not yet made 28mm prices explode


I have lots of vintage 28mm primes - maybe 60 or so - but most are not that good on demanding FF sensors. I fact I wouldn't consider any of these lenses to be "excellent". Among the best vintage 28mm lenses I have is the Minolta MD-III 2/28mm (same computation as Minolta AF 2/28mm) => pretty good when stopped down to f4 ... f5.6.

I must says however that I've never used the Leica R 2.8/28mm, the Nikkor 2/28mm or the Zeiss CY 2/28mm.

S


Thank you for your qualified testimony. Regarding the 28 Leicas, I had the first R version, which was certainly not satisfactory, and the fourth M (1:2.8 ), which I still consider to be at the top of quality, although I no longer own it.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Strange- I found my 28mm f2.5 Adaptall-2 lenses to not have too much glow wide open, and very usable even on MFT. And turn better performance than other era third-party 28mm lenses.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Eggplant, I own the 2nd version of the Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5. I've compared it to only one other 24mm, however -- a Nikon 24/2.8 AIs. They were very close in performance, but I'd have to give the Tamron the edge in sharpness once stopped down to f/8 or so, plus it also had better corner resolution than the Nikon.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Eggplant, I own the 2nd version of the Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5. I've compared it to only one other 24mm, however -- a Nikon 24/2.8 AIs. They were very close in performance, but I'd have to give the Tamron the edge in sharpness once stopped down to f/8 or so, plus it also had better corner resolution than the Nikon.


Interesting. I got a Tamron Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5 (not sure which version) two or three years ago. After a short test decided it was not stellar, so i put it somewhere in the attic. Maybe I should have a look at it again.

S


PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, unfortunately at the time I had only the Nikon 24 to compare my Tamron 24 to. I was using a Nikon F2 film camera with some fine-grained Ektar film for the comparison (I didn't, and still don't, own a full-frame digital). It is fairly well known that the Nikon 24mm f/2.8 is pretty blurry on the corners, so it's not really that difficult defeating it in corner resolution. The center sharpness comparison was done with a Canon crop-body camera using a Nikon F to EOS adapter for both lenses. The results were very close between the two, with just a slight but noticeable edge toward the Tamron.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
Eggplant, I own the 2nd version of the Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5. I've compared it to only one other 24mm, however -- a Nikon 24/2.8 AIs. They were very close in performance, but I'd have to give the Tamron the edge in sharpness once stopped down to f/8 or so, plus it also had better corner resolution than the Nikon.


Interesting. I got a Tamron Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5 (not sure which version) two or three years ago. After a short test decided it was not stellar, so i put it somewhere in the attic. Maybe I should have a look at it again.

S
Easy to tell. The 01B has a traditional distance scale, on the 01BB it is behind a fashionable plastic window.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The later one, the 01BB, is the one I have. In addition to that plastic cover, the front of the lens is rounded off. Doesn't have that sharp edge the earlier models had.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
It is fairly well known that the Nikon 24mm f/2.8 is pretty blurry on the corners, so it's not really that difficult defeating it in corner resolution. The center sharpness comparison was done with a Canon crop-body camera using a Nikon F to EOS adapter for both lenses. The results were very close between the two, with just a slight but noticeable edge toward the Tamron.


Hi Michael, long time no see.

And to think that Nikonians swear by the 24/2.8!! Ha ha ha...

Maybe a good benchmark could be the FD 24/2.8 SSC. I have that one and it's truly a superb lens. I always think of selling it and getting a wider lens, but I keep it because the sharpness and contrast is stunning.

But then you'd need a mirrorless full frame digital to make the comparison.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 8:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
flavio81 wrote:

...
And to think that Nikonians swear by the 24/2.8!! Ha ha ha...

Maybe a good benchmark could be the FD 24/2.8 SSC. I have that one and it's truly a superb lens. I always think of selling it and getting a wider lens, but I keep it because the sharpness and contrast is stunning.

But then you'd need a mirrorless full frame digital to make the comparison.


I should re-do my 24mm FF comparison I did around 2016. In the mean time many "new" 24mm MF vintage lenses did arrive here, and it would certainly be interesting to see their performance on 24MP FF.

* Canon FD 2.8/24mm SSC, nFD 2.8/24mm and nFD 2/24mm (no 1.4/24mm, sadly ... but I might be able to organize one!)
* Kiron 2/24mm
* Konica AR 2.4/24mm (I) and AR 2.8/24mm "compact"
* Minolta MC-X 2.8/24mm (I) and (II), Minolta MD-I, MD-II and MD-III 2.8/24mm, Minolta AF 2.8/24mm
* Nikkor-N Auto 2.8/24mm, Nikkor Ai 2/24mm, 2.8/24mm and AiS 2.8/24mm
* Pentax Super-Takumar 3.5/24mm and SMC A 2.8/24mm
* Sigma 2.8/24mm "Super wide II"
* Sun Wide Auto 2.5/24mm (certainly the worst of all lenses mentioned here)
* Tamron Adaptall-2 2.5/24mm
* Vivitar 2/24mm (two versions)
* Yashica ML 2.8/24mm
* Zeiss CY Distagon 2.8/25mm

That's about two dozens ... which means I'd need a day with really stable weather conditions. Probably when I come back from my trip to Umbria/Italy where I'm heading for some landscape / calendar images. Mid Nov sound realistic.

S


PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Would love to see that updated comparison.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I also think it would be useful.
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2