The fast standard zoom with a 35mm equivalent of around 24-70mm is generally considered one of the most versatile lenses. There are photographers who say that they can shoot a whole wedding with that one lens. You may want to know that there's one lens that can cover an even wider range of shots: the Tamron 28-105 f/2.8, the only lens of its kind to cover the entire range of 28mm to 105mm at a constant 2.8 aperture.
The SP AF Tamron 28-105 f/2.8 LD Aspherical IF is a full frame lens available in Canon, Nikon, and adaptall mounts. Note: the adaptall mount has limited functions (for example, it is only manual focus). The Tamron 28-105 has been discontinued for a while now. It originally sold for around $849 in 1997. These days it's available used anywhere from around $250 to $650.
This lens replaced the Tamron 35-105 2.8. There were two versions of the Tamron 28-105. The earlier version had "Tamron" written around the zoom ring. The latter version has a zoom ring with ribs instead of Tamron written on it. The lens I have is the latter version.
Specifications at a glance:
- filter size: 82mm
- 15 elements in 13 groups (Source: http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=242)
- minimum length (without the hood): ~5 inches
- maximum length (without the hood): ~7 inches
- weight: 880 grams
- minimum focal distance: varies from 0.44 meters (1.44 ft.) to 0.50 meters (1.64 ft.) depending on the focal length
- minimum aperture: f/22
- number of aperture blades: 9. At f/2.8, the aperture looks perfectly round.
This lens is larger than the usual standard zoom, which is expected given that it is a full frame lens that covers such a wide zoom range and has a wide aperture. Its body is wider than even the Nikkor 28-70 2.8D I used to have. It uses an 82mm filter size. When extended to its maximum focal length, it is about 7 inches long without the hood, longer than even a Sigma 50-150 2.8 (which is around 5.5 inches) and just an inch shorter than a Nikon 70-200 VR II. I don't like to put it next to my Tokina 10-17 because it gives the latter nightmares.
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| The 28-105 when extended. An easy target for male enhancement jokes. |
Features:
- The Tamron 28-105 has an anti-slip torque mechanism to prevent lens creep. Without the anti-slip in use, the lens will extend under its own weight while I'm walking around (though not from simply being on a tripod). To engage the anti-slip mode, you simply pull the zoom ring toward the camera body (see the shot above with the lens extended - the anti-slip mode label is shown just above the zoom ring). Once the anti-slip mode is engaged, the zoom becomes harder to rotate, thus preventing zoom creep.
- Internal focus. Stationary filter ring regardless of focusing action.
- Low dispersion glass to reduce chromatic aberration.
- Aperture ring. This is useful for changing the aperture on the fly when taking videos, or when using the lens with an older [film] camera.
Since there isn't a lot of technical information about this lens, I've decided to review it in a little more detail by comparing it to the king of the hill for Nikon, the 24-70 2.8G. I'm not implying that the Tamron 28-105 2.8 is a substitute for the 24-70. They have too many differences such as price and zoom range, but the 24-70 sample is intended as the "control" insofar as it's the best lens I have at the most similar zoom range.
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| aperture ring |
I did three comparisons:
- the complete frame to show vignetting, distortion, and image quality at normal viewing sizes;
- 100% crop from the center
- 100% crop from closer to the border (though not literally the extreme corner)
I used manual flash on a light stand and shot at sync speed. I refocused the camera each time I adjusted the focal length. In the case of the Tamron at 35mm and 50mm, I used manual focusing with live view for perfect focusing (my first set at those focal lengths were not correctly focused). The Nikkor 24-70 hasn't had micro-focus adjustment yet.
TEST 1:
Here is a slideshow comparing the Tamron 28-105 to the Nikon. If you prefer, you can click on the link to the web album instead. First, you'll see the Tamron shot, then the Nikon shot. You'll see a comparison at f/2.8, then 4.0 then 5.6, at the following focal lengths: 105mm, 85mm, 70mm, 50mm, 35mm, 28mm and 24mm. For 105mm and 85mm, only the Tamron is shown. For 24mm, only the Nikon is shown.
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