Japanese optics manufacturer Tamron is hoping to show the world that third-party lens manufacturers can keep up with the big names in the industry. Much as Sigma has done with its Global Vision lens series, Tamron has released an onslaught of its award-winning “SP” lenses, and it continues to crank them out.
The latest in the series is its brand new SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lens designed for Sony’s A-mount camera system, following behind the already-released Canon and Nikon editions.
The design of this lens is inherited from Tamron’s previous macro lens, but improves upon the design with more specialized glass elements. Constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups, the SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lens includes one low dispersion (LD) and two extra low dispersion (XLD) elements for keeping chromatic aberrations and light dispersion to a minimum.
It’s not only the glass that’s specialized either. Tamron has also put a great deal of effort into utilizing specialized coatings to improve the image quality of its latest macro lens. Tamron has coated the front element of the lens with fluorine to help repel water, smudges, oils, and dirt. Inside the lens, Tamron has used two proprietary coatings to help reduce internal reflections and flares caused by light bouncing around inside the lens.
At the heart of the SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lies Tamron’s Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) autofocus actuator, which works hand in hand with floating optical elements to provide quick and accurate autofocus.
Tamron says the system is especially useful when having to worry about the back and forth motion of a subject that commonly occurs when shooting macro photographs.
The new lens is also compatible with Tamron’s TAP-in console. For those uninitiated, TAP-in is Tamron’s proprietary console that lets you attach a lens to your computer to fine-tune its mechanical setup and button preferences.
As you may have noticed, the lens is designed for Sony’s A-mount cameras, which are the DSLRs and not the mirrorless E-mount models like the A7-series. You will need an adapter in order to use it.
Like its Canon and Nikon siblings, the SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lens will retail for $650. It’s currently available for pre-order and is set to ship August 25.
