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I preordered a Canon 5DS r and I was wondering if the Tamron SP AF Di VC USD 24-70mm f/2.8 XR LD ASL [IF] would be good for that camera?

I plan to use it for wedding pictures.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Good? In what way? Are you photographing a landscape? sporting event? portraits? Street photography? Hiking up a mountain? \$\endgroup\$
    – user13451
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 15:43
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    \$\begingroup\$ Possible duplicate of How do I choose between 24-70 f/4 and 24-105 f/4 Canon lens? or Which one wide-medium lens to buy as the main lens for an outdoor wedding? with additional reading Is the Canon 24mm f/1.4L II good for weddings? and What Canon lenses do you suggest for wedding photography on a tight budget? \$\endgroup\$
    – user13451
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 15:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ @RussellMcMahon I was looking at the type of lens rather than the specifics of that lens. There are far too many different versions of a given lens out there to reasonably do a review (which the Q&A format is poorly designed for) for each one in each situation. The duplicates are more the "is a 24-70 a good lens for these situations." \$\endgroup\$
    – user13451
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 16:11
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    \$\begingroup\$ Best not to accept a sole answer too soon. It may discourage others from answering and somebody may add some useful material. You can de-accept I think - and I'm happy for you to do so. Then if nobody else answers within a few days ... :-) \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 17:07
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    \$\begingroup\$ mattdm, First and foremost, Will it be compaptible with the 5DSr? Then, I like it for the stabilization but will it be as sharp as a canon EF? Finally, is there a difference with the Tamron A007 version? \$\endgroup\$
    – lopata
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 22:27

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I preordered a canon 5dsr but I was wondering if the lens Tamron SP AF Di VC USD 24 - 70 mm will be good with that camera?

Summary: You are liable to be happy with this lens on most counts if you are happy with the 24-70 mm zoom range and f/2.8 constant aperture. According to DxO, you cannot get a sharper zoom in the 2X mm - 7Xmm f/2.8 class, although a number of others are as good. The vibration control feature was unique for f/2.8 lenses when this was introduced, (and may still be?).
When it comes to sharpness and contrast, the 5DSR is liable to be demanding of lenses due to its 50 Mp sensor - but no other lense will do vastly better and many will be substantially worse.

A few days ago, after the usual due deliberation, hand wringing, review reading and wife persuading I purchased a Tamron SP Di USD 24 - 70 mm f/2.8 lens with a Sony mount.
Mine does not have the VC feature (sadly) as Tamron cunningly leave it out of the Sony version (while charging the same price) as they argue (as do other Sony mount lens makers) that the Sony in-body stabilisation does the job instead. Be that as it may, I would very dearly loved to have the VC feature to compare with the Sony stabilisation and to try both together "just to see". A number of the terms at the end of your description do not usually get mentioned with this lens but I'm 99.93% sure it's the same one.

Before purchasing I read a range of reviews (DPReview provided their usual quality analysis), I looked at the DxO Optics analysis (still a review but measurement biased), looked at various sample images. I pored over the MTF graphs but all they told me that it was going to be good. How good they really didn't convey. And I looked for some user comments. That's what really decided me.

For a Sony version lens I usually first look at the Dyxum site, but there is every reason to think that other user reviews will be not too different. Canon and Nikon users will be wowed by the anti-vibration feature on a constant f/2.8 zoom. The Sony version hasn't got it or has it already depending on perspective AND what makes this lens utterly marvellous is independent of the VC feature.

The Dyxum summary page is here

Ratings are out of 5 with 0.5 step gradations available.
Assessment is up to each user but for eg Sharpness, 5 is probably utterly astounding, 4.5 is superb and 4 or less probably means the user wasn't fully happy. There are, so far, only 9 users reviews. Sharpness gained 5 x 5 and 4 x 4.5 for an average of 4.78.
Higher sharpness scores have been known to happen, but at that level it's getting immensely subjective. Overall the 9 users rated it:

overall: 4.62
sharpness: 4.78
color: ... 4.56
build: ...4.67
distortion: ...4.67
flare control:... 4.44

The Dyxum user reviews are here

The lens is not perfect. DxO identify a degree of vignetting in corners at some settings./ I've yet to notice it visibly in any of the 100's of test shots I've taken so far.
There are the usual comments about various degrees of softness in various areas under various combinations of zoom and aperture.

But, as I said, the user reviews clinched the deal.

I did like:

  • MASTough: I returned the Sony-(Carl-Zeiss) because of quality! I'm a Sony fan boy, owned Sony's (only) for the past 15 years, and when I got the nerve to purchase the 24-70f28Z I was super excited...until I twisted it on the a99 and there was slop. The slop made extents zoom uncomfortable...you could 'feel' it move. Back it went!

Also

  • TimonW: ... To sum up, without trying to sound like I'm overstating the facts, this lens alone will be the reason why as a wedding photographer, I can finally shoot Sony at weddings. In the past, I shot with a combination of Sony and Nikon (for tracking purposes and low light). ...

  • CommonAussie: ... Sharp from wide open with smooth rendering of oof areas. Renders beautifully in the F2.8 - F5.6 range at all focal lengths.

  • MASTough: ... Sharp photos throughout range at f/2.8

  • ShineBox: ... I have this lens for my SONY and Canon cameras. This is a great lens and is sharp from whatever aperture I shoot at. Build quality top notch and focus is fast and quiet. What more can you ask for? It is always on my A99 and it is my go to event camera when taking group photos and even portraits. I believe the 28-75 to be just as good except at the borders where this lens shows its quality over the older 28-75.

  • Boyzone: ... No hunting and accurate focusing in dim light.. this is the only reason to make me let go my 24-70CZ and get this lens. This is because of 24-70CZ unable to serve me well on in-door event job.. a lot of out focusing and hunting !!

And more.

So - What do I think of it?

I'm astounded.
I read what people said re "sharp at f/2.8" BUT everyone knows that best sharpness is at least slightly stopped down. Right? Well, it MAY be, I haven't yet found out for sure, but it is so sharp at f/2.8 that if it's even sharper anywhere else it would probably be dangerous.

The AF is good, as they all say.

What I found marvellous, and nobody mentioned this as a feature that I noticed, is that the focus ring is completely decoupled mechanically during AF focusing (that's easy enough) BUT is instantly available with no change in feel to fine adjust the focus as if required. You can apply hald pressure on the shutter button while holding the focus ring and as soon as it locks (or before) can adjust the focus manually. With the sony focus peaking feature (anything in focus blazes red in my case when using MF) the speed of getting to a stable MF adjustable focus point is superb.

I have not tried this yet but I'm fairly certain that this will allow eg fine tuning of focus on individual birds in a flock and similar. "A bit hard" with almost any AF system.

But, back to, or to, the question:

I preordered a canon 5dsr but I was wondering if the lens Tamron SP AF Di VC USD 24 - 70 mm will be good with that camera?

The 5DSR 51 Mp sensor is going to give ANY lens a hard time. The Tamron seems liable to do as well as any lens in its class and price range.

If you find the focal length range acceptable and the constant aperture f/2.8 adequate (and you are in trouble if not), then at double the money you may or may not do better.

DxO provide comparisons of the combinations of cameras and lense.
They do not have the 5DSR yet.
Here is a DxO combination for the 5D MkIII & Tamron ...

Of all the "official" results this table probably best tells you what you want to know

Look at which lens is 5th from top, and the price. Look at what's above it. They can come later.
Buy one :-)

Canon 1Dx version of this table - Canon version equals Tamron on sharpness and scores 27 vs 26 overall. And launch prices were $2299 vs $1299

Note that the older Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD at $499 is a bargain if you value sharpness and don't care too much about the VC feature. (VC is excellent for when YOU move, but makes no difference to blur caused by subject motion).

enter image description here

Nikon version:

From their "Best lenses for the Nikon D810" review. Yes, it's not a Canon, and not a 50+ Mp sensor but close enough. A very demanding camera. This is their "best zooms for D810" listed in descending order of overall score and sharpness.

enter image description here

Mine? I love it. Pictures, sometime. I have no doubt.

DPReview review of the 5DSR

DPReview reviews for

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II- 87% - "Gold" (unstabilised) and

Tamron - 85% - "Gold"

Value of VC Vibration Compensation?:

My FF Nikon D700 is 2+ stops better in low light performance than my APSC Sony A77. But I have been disappointed in the unstabilised results from the D700 when compared to the Sony in limiting low light situations. If you can stabilise the camera or subject movement dominates shutter speed issues then VC is largely irrelevant. For hand held low light with "well behaved" subjects it matters muchly.

This page in the DPReview Tamron test provides with & without comparisons of 'blurred' shots at 2 focal mengths and various shutter speeds with and without VC.

There are some questionable results there, but a quick comparison suggests that Tamron's VC provides about 4+ stops (!!!!) of improvement at 24mm at very low shutter speeds (eg they got a higher % of "sharp" results at 1 second with VCX that at 1/15s without it.
And about 3+ stops at 70mm - eg 40% sharp at 1/5s with VC versus ~ 20% sharp at 1/40s without VC.

My own experience with Minolta's (and now Sony's) in-body stabilisation is that I can often get acceptable results in the 0.1s - 1s range when I didn't really expect to. You obviously try to use much faster shutter speeds and you'd not want to shoot too many wedding photos at that speed (not none*) but it's a useful tool. You have to try hard, Ninja breathe, adopt 3000 year old sequoia mindset, (slow or stop heartbeat if that feature is available to you), and hope - but it often works very well indeed.

enter image description here

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Where are the Canon lenses in the chart above? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 3:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MichaelClark THere is a Canon version link in bold text just above the table. 16/31 of the lenses in that table are Canon branded. ... Update: Added Canon table so no need to click on link. Left Nikon table as gives an even wider comparison cross-section. \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 8:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks! I just decided myself and bought this lens! The VC is something I really need since I am doing wedding videos. \$\endgroup\$
    – lopata
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 8:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ @TheoZ I used the lens as the main one at a wedding last weekend (25 April). Generally superb. Focusing speed was not quite as good in low light reception situations as I'd have liked - or as good as the most enthusiastic users had made me expect - and a 24-70 f/1.4 would occasionally be useful (dream on) BUT overall very very nice indeed. Focusing almost invariably good in actual service where light levels are higher that on dance floor or table situations. (Church was wholly artificially lit). (Having a Nikon D700 with a f/1.8 on my left hip meant a fallback was available - always helpful). \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 26, 2015 at 12:43
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Sharpness (measured by careful manual focusing in a lab environment) is important, but remember with a wedding lens AF consistency is equally important.

  • Sharpness: The Tamron is a sharp lens, but it is not quite as sharp as the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II.

From DxO Mark (click the Measurements tab, then sharpness and profiles and play around with various focal length aperture combinations):

Wide open f/2.8: at 24mm it is fairly even, but by 35mm there is a clear advatage for the Canon II all the way from center to edge. The difference is stronger by 50mm and at 70mm the difference is even more significant. At 24mm and a medium aperture of f/5.6 the Canon is slightly sharper on the edges, at 35mm and up they are virtually indistinguishable.

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L, and Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC all at 70mm and f/2.8

enter image description here

Roger Cicala at lensrentals.com had similar results (scroll down to the resolution results chart).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ +1 Good info. The Tamron AF is, as others said in the reviews that helped persuade me (and elsewhere), awesome. I essentially always focus with half pressure and then take the shot, even in the most extremely urgent of situations. I set the camera to release preference so that if I want to take a shot before the camera says its ready I can take it. Today I set the camera to Af precedence and practiced going from out of focus to shot with a single press. The results were super. You have to make sure you are focusing on what's intended (of course) but once you are you can "point and shoot" ... \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 13:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ ... with a single press with great confidence except in very low light and with very fast subject motion (eg traffic) . Even those could be helped along I imagine. I doubt that I'm going to be converted to AF priority single press shooting any time soon, but my A77 can be run in AF preference mode and taken back to MF with user release control instantly using the AF/MF button just under the edge of the right thumb when in normal shooting stance. SO some brain reprogramming is liable to be in order with a likely best of both worlds result. \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 13:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ Your graph shows that paying the additional 75% for the Canon ... II does give you something for your $. And no doubt some will pay that for the difference, and the Canon badge. The Tamron 70-200 looks tempting. And I can see my D700 asking for a companion Tamron 24-70 WITH VC (unlike the Sony one) at some stage. \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 13:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ The Canon list price has been lowered since the US$ has grown stronger vs. the Japanese yen. The current US list price is $1,899 and during March you got a $150 mail-in rebate for a net price of $1,749. The Tamron is still selling for $1299. That's only a 34% premium for the Canon. With the 50.6MP resolution of the EOS 5Ds R, it is probably worth the difference. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 23:44
  • \$\begingroup\$ Interestingly, the Tamron cost less here than in the US or even from ebay Hong Kong sellers. | Whether the Canon is worth the extra $450 would depend heavily on how much value people placed on the VC feature, which is of extreme importance to some people (including the OP, although for reasons which are deemed irrelevant in this forum :-) ). I'll add review links and a VC comment at the end of my answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Apr 23, 2015 at 0:10

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