Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 DI VC USD £600/ $600

A new standard prime with good portrait potential

for years, Tamron didn’t really manufacture any prime lenses apart from ‘macro’ optics that were primarily intended for shooting extreme close-ups. That all changed recently, with the advent of 35mm, 45mm and 85mm prime lenses, all with a fairly fast aperture rating of f/1.8, the latter two of which are included in this Super Test. First up is this 45mm lens which, while having a ‘standard’ 45mm focal length on full-frame bodies, gives a 72mm effective focal length on APS-C format DSLRS, more useful for portraiture.

One feature shared by all the new Tamron prime lenses, but lacking in the Canon and Sigma lenses on test, is optical stabilization. Some may raise an eyebrow and question the need for stabilization in a ‘fast’ lens, but we think it’s a great idea. When shooting portraits indoors under ambient lighting, even an aperture of f/1.4 or f/1.8 can require slow shutter speeds, unless you boost your ISO setting, which can degrade image quality. Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) technology is highly effective, enabling shutter speeds of up to four stops slower before camerashake becomes a problem.

Performance

Impressive build quality is matched by strong performance from the ringtype ultrasonic autofocus system and, more importantly, excellent image quality. Sharpness and contrast are impressive, even wide-open at f/1.8, while bokeh is beautiful, giving a soft and creamy appearance to defocused areas. The lens isn’t as completely distortion-free as the Sigma 50mm, but there’s noticeably less barrel distortion than from either of the two Canon 50mm lenses.