Tamron SP 90mm macro lens

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I,m looking at one of these on eBay, and the seller has told me it will not auto focus with my Nikon D80. Is that because it needs to be the Di version to auto focus? I,ll be buying this for close up macro work, so does it really matter?

Cheers,
Texy
 
On the matter of "does it matter" .. frankly, no it doesn't.

For any good macro / close-up work, you will need to use manual focus to get things spot on.
 
It may be a matter of confusion ... as that lens would not autofocus on the D40, D40x and D60, but should do well on the D80.

Just to be sure, it is this lens :shrug:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-SP-9...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222329182&sr=8-3

If so, then it sure will autofocus on your D80 unless there is something wrong with the lens itself.

Cheers - that link is too the Di model, which I believe is not what the seller is selling. Has states that it will auto focus on SLR, but not digital:shrug:

Texy
 
On the matter of "does it matter" .. frankly, no it doesn't.

For any good macro / close-up work, you will need to use manual focus to get things spot on.

Thanks again - thats what I thought.

Texy
 
Well I 'won' the auction for £90 which seems a good price, although it isn't the Di model. I wonder if it will autofocus, either way is doesn't matter for close up work, which is what I,ll be using it for.(y)
Texy
 
That's an outstanding price .. is it an f2.8 lens? Let us see some results asap.
 
I am inclined to believe it may not autofocus with the Nikon D40, D40x, D60 which all require the lens to have its' own internal motor :shrug:

Still, that's a very good lens for an outstanding price .. and since you're going to use it primarily for macro then manual focus is all you need.

Do let us know once you get it ... I am curious about this, too.
 
I suspect the seller bought a D40/60 and discovered it wouldn't AF the Tamron. That seems a very good price, so he's probably told all the digital users it won't AF on their camera!

I use one of these lenses on all my bodies (2 film and 2 digital) and it AFs just fine, although for Macro use I switch to MF - or pre focus and move the camera forwards or backwards a fraction.

It's a nice lens for portraits as well as Macro, although on digital (Dx) it's a little long for indoor use if your house isn't very large!
 
OK, the lens arrived today. First the good news - it appears to be in absolutely mint condition. no marks on body or lenses - looks like it has hardly been used, but I guess it must be over 5 years old, as the Di was introduced then. The bad news is that it appears to be fully manual - no electronic connections to the camera. The only way I can take a picture is if I set my D80 to Manual mode. Noob alert - does that sound right?
I,ll post some pictures at some point.


Edit : I,ve also discovered it uses the "Adaptall II interchangeable mount system", which may explain its lack of features.

Texy
 
Thats a good price for a mint f2.8 lens. The seller does say manual focus on digital, so you got what you paid for.
Does it matter? You would really only want manual focus when using it for macro anyway as the dof would be so shallow it would be almost impossible for an af lens to focus on the part you want.
I look forward to seeing some shots from it.
Allan
 
Oh don't get me wrong - I,m not complaining, there was just that hope that it may have more features than the seller realised(y)

Texy
 
Glad that it came in such good condition.

I have to say, if you are happy with it (look through the lens elements without it being mounted on a camera and make sure you see clear in to the lenses, no sign of weird abberassion, of fungus developing inside). If all seems well, and you are happy with it, as you've said you primarily want to use this for macro - which means manual focus - then go out and shoot with it :)

I am not aware of the settings on the D80, may be someone with experience on that front can give you some feedback on the manual setting. Question, when you put the camera in to manual mode, are you able to change the setting (apperture and shutter speed), and does the lens work well that way?
 
Glad that it came in such good condition.

I am not aware of the settings on the D80, may be someone with experience on that front can give you some feedback on the manual setting. Question, when you put the camera in to manual mode, are you able to change the setting (apperture and shutter speed), and does the lens work well that way?

......yes it does. Downside of that of course is that in order to take a picture, I will have to set all of those parameters - I bet all you old hands are laughing, 'cos us youngsters never had it so good:LOL:

Texy
 
I laugh out so hard, not just because of that, but because I see where this addiction is taking you :). Soon you will be eyeing the Sigma 150mm f2.5 macro .. and not too soon after than you will get yourself a few extension tubes.

Mind you, the fun part of macro is playing with all these setting and being a true part of the picture that you're taking. It is A LOT easier than you can imagine.

Enjoy.
 
Edit : I,ve also discovered it uses the "Adaptall II interchangeable mount system", which may explain its lack of features.

Texy
adaptall mount was used in the 80s and early 90s so i'd say it's quite a bit older than 5 years, as stated have a good look through it before you store it with any of your other kit as fungus spreads
 
Strangely enough...whilst looking into macro equipment, I also had my eye on a set of kenko tubes on ebay. They finished a day later than this lens. I nearly choked as they were about £50 up until the last day, but finished at £85 plus postage. I seriously cant believe they fetch that much money - there's not even any glass in 'em:thinking: All the same, thats next on my shopping list. Thats got me thinking though - as this lens isn't using any electronics passing from lens to camera, then the kenko's are wasted. I just as well get the 'dumb' tubes for now, and if (sorry, when), I upgrade my lens, I,ll also upgrade to the intelligent tubes. Makes sense?

Texy
 
Weathers crap so took a few shots inside today, and all seems well.

Not enough light on this spider, and i,ve yet to get a seperate flash.
DSC_0262.jpg



Jalapeno Summer Heat chili, late flower nearing the end of its life - I doubt the chili will come to anything either;)
DSC_0247.jpg


Roman silver denarius of the year AD90, about the same size as a 20pence piece
DSC_0215.jpg


Regards,
Texy
 
Nice shots, I particularly love the one of the spider (y) (I love spiders).
 
Here is a review of the Tamron from Nikonian:

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/non-nikon_articles/tamron/90_macro/

I have a 90mm f/2.8 Tamron AF SP macro lens with a Canon mount. This lens is the previous model to the Di (Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Macro) and works just great on all of my Canon DSLR cameras from the older D60 through the 40D.

It autofocuses on all the model cameras although I normally use this lens in the manual focus mode for macro use.

The Di is supposed to indicate that the optics are optimized for digital - not whether the lens will autofocus with a digital camera. Even though it is not a Di model, my lens provides image quality up there with my excellent Canon L lenses.
 
Thanks...and I guess I have the previous model to you (non-AF).

Texy
 
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