TAMRON SP AF 60mm f/2 DI II LD (IF) MACRO

£300/$525 Ready for your close-up? Tamron’s APS-C format macro lens is arguably better suited to portraiture

none of the lenses on test here are limited to close-up shooting. Indeed, the combination of focal length and aperture makes them a good choice for portraiture. The Tamron 60mm is particularly well suited to this, as its widest aperture of f/2 is a full stop wider than any of the other lenses on test.

Naturally, the lens gives the same effective 96mm focal length as the Canon 60mm lens on APS-C bodies. The Tamron’s closest focus distance is slightly longer but the lens itself is also physically longer. The net effect is that the distance between the front of the lens and the subject in full macro mode is greater than with the Canon 60mm lens: 10.5cm rather than 9cm.

Internal focusing is driven by a basic electric motor instead of an ultrasonic system. As expected, it’s a little slow and clearly audible but, unusually for its breed, full-time manual override is available. The only sticking point, so to speak, is that in override or fully manual focusing mode, the focus ring feels a little sticky. This makes very precise adjustments tricky to achieve.

Performance

Sharpness in any given region of the frame is very similar to that of the Canon 60mm lens, at the same aperture settings. Sharpness from the Tamron drops off noticeably at its widest f/2 aperture, which isn’t available in the Canon lens. This is of no concern in macro shooting and can give an attractive smoothing effect in portraiture.