TAMRON SP AF 60mm f/2 Di II LD (IF) MACRO £350/$525

Wide apertures are seldom a priority when it comes to macro lenses, but this Tamron leads the pack at f/2

Compared to all the other lenses on test, this Tamron is a whole f/stop faster. That’s of little practical benefit for macro photography but, given that this APS-C format lens matches the Canon 60mm for focal length, it’s useful elsewhere. For example, the Tamron works well for portraiture, where the extra-wide aperture lets you better blur the background. It’s also good for boosting shutter speeds in dull lighting conditions.

Build quality is similar to that of the Canon 60mm, combining highquality plastics with a sturdy metal mounting plate. Further similarities include a focus distance scale under a viewing panel, and the lack of an autofocus range limiter switch. Despite both lenses having the same focal length, the Tamron’s minimum focus distance is a little longer. This results in a bit more space between the lens and the subject, at 10.5cm rather than 9cm.

Autofocus uses a conventional electric motor rather than a ringtype ultrasonic system. It’s louder and slower. Uncharacteristically for a motor-driven system, full-time manual override is available, without the need to switch to manual focus mode.

performance

Sharpness characteristics are very similar between the Tamron and Canon lenses, although the Canon maintains better corner sharpness at wide apertures. The Tamron has marginally worse colour fringing and barrel distortion but it’s a good lens for macro photography, and even better for portraiture and where you want tight depth of field.