Tamron SP 24-48mm f/3.5-3.8 BBAR MC Adaptall 2 Wide Zoom. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd

Barrel
Metal

Weight
16.1 oz (457g)

Focus Type
Manual focus

Focus Ring
Rubber on Metal.

Close Focus
2 feet (0.6 meters)

Filter Threads
None

Carrying Case
Pleather

Aperture Ring
Metal

Diaphragm
9 blades stopping down to f/32.

Mount
Adaptall 2 Metal Mount.

Made in
Japan

 

 

 

Sharpness
24mm:
f/3.5: Really sharp with only a tiny bit of coma, chromatic aberration and spherical aberration reducing a hint of contrast.
f/4: Very sharp with better contrast and almost no chromatic aberration.
f/8: Super sharp all over with great contrast.

35mm:
f/3.5: Sharp with a little coma, chromatic aberration and a bit of spherical aberration reducing contrast.
f/4: Very sharp with great contrast and only a tiny bit of chromatic aberration.
f/8: Super sharp all over with good contrast.

48mm:
f/4.8: A tiny bit soft with a little coma, chromatic aberration and a fair bit of spherical aberration reducing contrast.
f/4: Sharp with better contrast but still some spherical aberration.
f/8: Very sharp but a little diffusion reducing contrast a little.

Vignetting
24mm: Quite a bit of vignetting at f/3.5 and f/4 and only a hint at f/8.
35mm: A fair bit of vignette at f/3.5 and nicely fades at f/4 and gone at f/8.
48mm: A tiny bit of vignette at f/3.8 and almost gone at f/4 and completely gone by f/8.

Distortion
24mm A fair bit of barrel distortion but not unexpected for most 24mm lenses.
35mm A little bit of barrel distortion but not bad at all.
48mm Only a hint of barrel distortion.

Recommendations
On MF Camera
Optics:          ★ ★ ★ ★
Mechanics:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Usefulness:  ★ ★ ★ ★
Availability:   ★
Overall:         ★ ★ ★ ★

On AF Camera
Ergonomics:  ★ ★ ★ ★
Overall:          ★ ★ ★
Out of 5

This is a fantastic lens if you can find one not all scratched up! Mechanically this lens is a mechanical beast, really solid, heavy, and feels absolutely great in the hands. Featuring the Adaptall 2 Mount, one is able to swap almost any lens mount. If you find one that is not in your mount that’s fine. Most of the time you can find the mount that fits your body for less then $15. My only beef with the lens is that the front element sticks out pretty far, not allowing you to mount filters and/or take normal lens caps. So if you lose the original lens cap it may be very hard to find another. Most people who sell these lenses on Ebay don’t have the original lens cap and the front element will be all scratched up.

Optically this lens is one of the sharpest wide angle lenses I have shot in a very long time. Wide open at 24mm, this lens is incredibly sharp and gives many pro prime 24mm lenses a really good run for their money. When you zoom to the long end of the lens it is still very sharp, but there is a fair bit of spherical aberration which makes the lens look soft. But in fact it is just some contrast being reduced from the haze. Tweek a little contrast in post processing and you will see the lens is still incredibly sharp. The corners are pretty nice and quickly clear up with a little stopping down.

This is a great lens but might take a fair bit of hunting to find a fair priced, good copy that is not scratched all up. For landscape this lens is definitely worth hunting down but just be careful with that front element.

 

Did this review help?
My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!

Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd