Tamron’s new 60mm f2 macro lens just might be the fastest 1:1 macro on the planet.
But let’s slow down for a minute. Macro lenses are misunderstood by even some of the smartest photographers. Partly to blame is the confusing name “Macro” (Nikon calls them “Micro” which makes more sense). Some people mistake them for Macro Zooms. Others get scared off because the name sounds complicated and intimidating.
Here’s what macro lenses (in general) and the new Tamron 60mm f2 (in particular) are all about.
Macro lenses are specially designed to take pictures of things close up. They are optimized to deliver near-perfect results when photographing small objects from a very short distance away. During the design process, extra care is given to correct for various lens aberrations that come into play when lenses are focused close. Therefore, macro lenses are highly corrected—more so than general purpose lenses. The bonus is that all of that extra correction makes macros perform very, very well for other applications—superior to many other prime (non-zoom) lenses.
Macros are designed to deliver superior field flatness; that is, compared to other lenses they do a better job of photographing objects that are aligned in the same plane—a stamp or a pizza, for instance. Take a close look at a macro lens and you’ll notice that the front element is generally small and less curved than a 50mm f1.4, for example. That contributes to its ability to provide what’s referred to as “flatness of field.”
Life Size 1:1 Close-ups
Tamron’s 60mm f2 macro (full name is SP AF 60mm F/2.0 Di II LD 1:1 Macro, model G005) achieves true life-size, 1:1 ratio without any accessories or extension tubes. That means that an object that physically measures 5mm by 5mm in reality will be recorded on your camera’s CCD or CMOS sensor 5mm by 5mm in size.
Disregarding macro zooms (which, for the most part, are not true macro lenses) we find macros in roughly four different focal length ranges: 35mm (al la Tokina and Olympus), 50 to 60mm (Nikon, Canon and others), 90 to 100mm (same group plus Pentax, Sigma) and a few 180 to 200mm. All else being equal, the difference between a 50mm 1:1 macro and a 100mm 1:1 macro is this: you get the same size image with the 100mm that you do with the 50mm, except you can get it from farther away. The Tamron 60mm f2 provides 3.9-inches (100mm) of working room 100mm, largest in its class.
An expanded working distance is important for several reasons. Photographing snakes is the obvious example, but more importantly, having more distance between the subject and the lens means you have more room for lighting and less chance of including your own shadow in the picture.
Ideal Portrait Lens
Because of the 1.5X (1.6X for Canon) lens multiplication factor for DSLRs with APS-C size sensors, macro lenses in the 50mm to 60mm range become ideal portrait lenses. A 60mm Tamron on a Canon EOS DSLR becomes the equivalent of a 96mm (90mm on a Nikon) which is the “just right” focal length for frame-filling portraits of human subjects. And because the Tamron 60mm is an f2 lens you can shoot wide-open and keep depth-of-field very shallow. That makes your subject separate from what’s behind it and really pop out of the picture. The Tamron 60mm f2 macro is a good all-round mid-length telephoto lens, too. The fast f2 aperture adds to the versatility.
Image Quality
The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating. The Tamron 60mm f2 macro is very sharp corner to corner. In actual field tests I found the lens to perform remarkably well at all f/stops. Compared to conventional macros, the extra-fast f2 aperture delivers more light though the camera’s viewing system and provides a brighter image—brighter and easier to focus.
Macro photography requires patience, a stationary subject, a small aperture and a sturdy tripod. Depth of field diminishes as you get closer, so you’ll be shooting at f16 or f22 often. That usually means a long shutter speed—one second or longer, as in the mushroom shots below—and that, in turn, means you need a solid, heavy tripod. If you use good technique you’ll find that the Tamron 60mm f2 macro performs superbly.
Technology
This lens uses an internal focusing system, so the length stays the same—unlike some macro lenses that grow as you focus. That’s important, because if the length of the lens changes while you’re using it, the lens barrel can create unintentional shadows. In extreme cases, you can even bump into your subject accidentally. The lens also features a full-time manual control mechanism that enables you to manually adjust focus without engaging the camera’s AF/MF selection switch, even when in the auto-focus mode. That’s handy because sometimes even the best DSLRs will disagree with you on the best point of focus. Particularly when shooting close-ups, simplified manual focus is an important option.
As far as construction goes, Tamron’s new macro lens employs two large LD (low dispersion) glass elements in its first group to thoroughly compensate for various aberrations and attain high optical quality. Tamron chose a newly formulated BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) multi-layer coating in order to ensure optimum performance in all photographic situations. The lens is available in mounts for Canon, Nikon (with built-in AF motor) and Sony/Alpha.
Thanks for the review, there is not much out there on this lens. Do you know how it compares to the Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 Macro? That lens has very high resolution, high MTF across the range, free of optic artifacts (coma, etc.), and has a very accurate autofocus. The Tamron autofocus on other lenses has been ok but nothing to write home about. And this liens is 50% more expensive with no specification advantage other than one F-stop.
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