Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD vs Canon 50mm F1.8 MkII

Right, this is a quick test of the Tamron PZD and Canon 50mm f1.8 Mk II. The aim of the test is to show how surprisingly well the Tamron compares at close-up photography.

Everybody knows that the Tamron is not the sharpest lens in the bunch especially at full zoom, but, I am of the opinion that in a real life situation the Tamron fares good enough. In any case to a level that it produces respectable enough images and coupled with its excellent vibration control, you will end up with more "keepers".

Now, the Canon is not a close up lens, but it is legendary for its sharpness (keep in mind its price). So, it would have been an unfair comparison because the Canon cannot focus as close as the Tamron. This is easily solved with a set of diopters (close-up filters). Sure, this may drop the sharpness slightly, but I still think this offers an interesting comparison. At least one worthy of a blog entry :-)

One observation I need to enforce, even though the results obtained with the Canon were very pleasing indeed, I had far more images out of focus using this lens today, do to camera movement and tiny depth of field, than compared to the Tamron.

Below the original, full sized images. Both taken hand held. Oh, and no PP done at all.

Tamron full size:

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/250sec at f11, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Canon full size:

Canon 600D, Canon 50mm f1.8 Mk II. Focal length 50mm, Exposure 1/200sec at f16, ISO 400, Focus auto, Flash none, Filter UV.

Tamron 100% crop:

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/250sec at f11, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Canon 100% crop:

Canon 600D, Canon 50mm f1.8 Mk II. Focal length 50mm, Exposure 1/200sec at f16, ISO 400, Focus auto, Flash none, Filter UV.

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Mator

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Mator. You just have to see him in action in Cars and Cars 2.

This test of the Tamron PZD is aimed at showing the usefulness of the lens at macro photography. The model of Mator that I have is about 8cm (3.5inches) in length. Sure, the PZD is not a true macro but, because of the 270mm zoom and relatively close minimum focusing distance of the lens you can get close enough to get some very useful close ups in most situations. Plus, with careful focusing you can manage decent sharpness at the same time as you can see from the 100% crop below.

Focus was deliberately aimed the the front headlight area and depth of field set to try and create a typical real life car photo look. Note the image was taken at f18 but due to the extreme zoom the depth of field is shallow. I love the way the print pattern is visible on the model in the 100% crop.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 4sec at f18, ISO 100, Focus manual using LiveView, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV, tripod.

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1968 Ford Shelby G.T.500KR

Enjoyed myself last night playing with painting with light. My "patient" model was a 1968 Ford Shelby G.T.500KR in 1/18 scale. Not a very detailed model but good enough for low light work. My flashlight was a 3 LED model. Exposure was set to bulb and f-stop to 18. And then you just guess it from there. I've tried a number of techniques like lighting the car from the back etc. but for this shot, I aimed the flash at the nose and side and then slowly moved the around the back of the car making sure not to have much light fall on the bodywork. I am pretty pleased with the old border look adding to the period of the model.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 39mm, Exposure 24sec at f18, ISO 100, Focus manual, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV.

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Wellington Botanical Gardens

Some more close ups from the Wellington Botanical Gardens (see earlier post Sweating it Out).

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/200sec at f11, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 59mm, Exposure 1/400sec at f8, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/200sec at f11, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

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Red 1956 Ford Thunderbird

I did some 1:24 scale model close up tests last night and here is one I am pretty pleased with.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 50mm, Exposure 2sec at f13, ISO 100, Focus manual, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV.

How was this shot? Well, I've found some interesting plans on Flickr last week for a simple softbox design you can use for close up photography. (Andy's DIY Softbox)

Here is my version constructed using Coreflute (Correx), and a 23W 6500K cool daylight globe. I have folded white cards, and ones covered in aluminum foil that I can move around to add highlights. I can also add a layer of colored transparent sheets, or sheets of black card between the frame and softbox to control how much light comes through onto the model.

Amazingwhat a little bit of Duct-tape will hold together!

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Gully

There was a huge flock of gulls at the beach today drawn to concentrations of white bait in the water. Some let me come quite close. This specific picture caught my eye because of the beautiful textures in the sand.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/400sec at f8, ISO 100, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

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Sweating it out

Work closed early today for the holidays, so myself and two photography friends went to the Wellington botanical gardens to see what we can accomplish at the main hothouse. I must say, I am sure I've dropped a couple of Kgs!

My one friend was shooting with my Canon 18-55mm IS II (his Mk I is in for repairs) and my other friend used his Sigma 17-70mm. Both very capable lenses I must say. The only two areas I think the Sigma wins compared to the Canon is better f-stop and closer focus for macro shots.

All in all we've spent about 2 hours inside taking a lot of pictures. I am sure my friends may beat me on image sharpness, maybe, but I can confirm that I've shot a lot of photos in excess of 100mm, getting nice and "close" to flowers far off. My friends, because of focal length constraints, would have missed those shots.

Even though I may have sacrificed some sharpness by using the Tamron PZD,  the day was still a winner for two reasons:

1. Vibration Control - Even through I took my tripod along I never used it. If I did I am sure I would have taken half less shots. The VC on the Tamron PZD is simply amazing. A lost of my shots were still sharp at shutter speeds of 1/20 - 1/60. I know from experience, doing the same with my Canon 18-55mm IS II, would have resulted in far more out of focus shots.
2. Focal Length - As mentioned, I cycled through wide angle and fully zoomed images the whole time. This would have been very troublesome if I had to continually swap my 18-55mm and 55-250mm to do the same. It goes without saying that would have resulted in far less shots as well.

One down side again was that I had to keep zoom creep in mind with the PZD, but I find it is starting come natural to always have my hand on the lens with the zoom ring between my fingers when I am actively shooting. Zoom creep solved :-). When I do walk around with the camera around my neck, the little zoom lock button is very handy. Top marks to Tamron for building that into the lens.

So to sum up the day, we've all enjoyed it very much and I cannot wait to see my friend's photos. I am sure they will teach me a thing or two. Both have a very keen eye for photography. For myself, I find the PZD a very fun lens to use, it allows me more time to focus on what I want to shoot, composition and all of that, and less shots are wasted due to not having the right lens on my 600D.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 54mm, Exposure 1/80sec at f14, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 184mm, Exposure 1/125sec at f16, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

Taken outside the hothouse om my way to my car. (image below)

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/60sec at f20, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV.

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