Tamron 90

brianjbox

brianjbox

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Brian
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Hi all

My Son has on his wish list a Tamron 90 lens for his Nikon D40x, he's doing photography [portraiture] as part of his art work at school and he also has an interest in macro work.
We would like to buy him this lens if possible for Christmas, we can't really ask him about or there'll be no surprise.
We cannot afford new as this will already cost us more than we usually give our children [and we have three of them], also I don't know which model I am supposed to be buying him.
I know he's after an auto focus but what I've read is some don't auto focus on the D40x, I read a review on this lens dating 2009 which said it has an internal motor so should, then a paragraph underneath saying it didn't?

We cannot afford to get it wrong and obviously want the best one we can get for Connor.

Help Please.

Kind regards

Brian.
 
the latest version does autofocus on a d40/60 etc. but for macro, manual focus is the norm.
 
Wow! thanks for the quick response Dave.

Got me know though:thinking:

He's always had a keen interest in macro work [love the insect close ups]

He has a lot of portraiture work to do for school.

Connor told me this was an ideal lens for both, is the manual focus one better for both? it would be a better choice for us assuming it's cheaper.

Brian
 
Brian, It WILL autofocus, but for macro most people disengage the auto and manual focus. Autofocus is more useful for portrait stuff and its a cracking lens for portraits as well, its really sharp
 
The current model will AF fine on his camera, Tamron 90mm f2.8 SP Di Macro Lens - Nikon Fit, Warehouse express have this on their website so look there for a picture.

The older one will work fine but not AF. At a guess, the new one should be around £225 second hand, guess around £150 for the older one.

On the plus side, it is a very good macro lens, not much between that and the Nikon 105mm which is almost twice the price. Very sharp and I have seen some great images on here. You can use it as a portrait lens too.

However, the AF is slow, I had one of these for a while and found it very slow when taking portraits. Not a problem is subject is still, but if they are kids and always on the go I think you will struggle. If his portraiture is a stationary model in a studio type environment then thats fine, but not if the model will be moving in and out of focus. Plus 90mm on that sort of body is a bit long on a crop (D40) camera. I use a 50mm while many prefer a 35mm and even a 50mm can be a problem in tight situations. If he has a studio to use or works outdoor and can step back fine, if not, and he will be using this in a typical lounge, he will struggle to get a full body shot.
 
Brilliant Guys, thanks very much:clap:

We can start looking now [and haven't had to ask him;)]

Kind regards

Brian
 
Maybe with an idea of how far you can budget, people could help if they run across a bargain. Alas you said not new since I know where you can get them new in Canada Evilbay for around 270 pounds shipped excluding VAT.
 
Would try and plump for AF if you can. I take shots where I can't afford to spend loads of time on focus, I have to get focus and grab the shot asap. AF is a god send.
 
Hi and thanks for your input guy's:D

Budget is around the £200 mark and I am really trying to get him the AF version, interestingly enough though the forum he uses suggest the non AF version as the better lens:thinking: [still gunning for AF though;)]

Thanks

Brian
 
I'm sure connor will be very pleased with one.

I would definitely be going for the AF one, it doesn't have to be particularly fast for portraits (in a studio kind of environment anyway) to be much better than manual focussing.
 
squishy said:
I'm sure connor will be very pleased with one.

I would definitely be going for the AF one, it doesn't have to be particularly fast for portraits (in a studio kind of environment anyway) to be much better than manual focussing.
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Hi squishy

Please don't say anything to Connor;) I thought I was safe asking on here as Connor has his own site's he uses, I forgot about you:lol:

Thanks

Brian
 
That's the one ... looks a good price too or least I couldn't beat it here in Canada.
 
brianjbox said:
Hi squishy

Please don't say anything to Connor;) I thought I was safe asking on here as Connor has his own site's he uses, I forgot about you:lol:

Thanks

Brian
Click to expand...

Don't worry, my lips are sealed :lol:
 
You might want to look at the 60mm micro. Closer to the portrait mm but still has macro. Not sure whether it'd work for bugs tho as they require the more 105/90mm or 180mm.

60mm new: 321 from amazon, used 229
the 180 is coming in around the 600ukp mark so out of your budget...
105mm f2.8 micro on London Camera Exchange is around 350 (Bristol)
180mm f2.8 300 at LCE group, Strand. But not sure this is the full macro one

Might be worth checking Ebay see if there are any 100-200 ukp...? watch 'em and see whether they are the lens you think - request pics using that lens too (macro) to see..?
 
I've just got this lens in the af model. Absolutely cracking lens, im sure he will love it. It's a must to get the motorised version though, you can always turn it off, you can't turn it on if it aint there in the first place ;)
 
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