Tamron 28-75 f2.8 VS Canon 24-105L IS

[shutterbug2010]

Tamron 28-75 f2.8 VS Canon 24-105L IS -

Anyone have experience using one or both of these lenses? What would you advise between the two for family and children outdoor portraits? Thank you!

[RichardTaylor]

I use the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens on a 5D.
It is my general purpose lens. I only use it for portraits very occasionally.
Build quality is excellent, It focuses fast. IQ is great with beautiful bokeh.
The only downside is the barrel distortion at the wide end. Very evident with architecture etc. The distortion can sometimes be fixed in PPing.

It is a good lens & I am very happy with mine.

Examples.
(1) The distortion at 24mm (notice the gutter).


(2) Bokeh @ F4 & 105 mm


I have not used a 28-75mm lens, however I would be inclined to go for the Canon 24-70 F2.8 L mainly because of the better IQ at the edges and, quick focussing and better mechanical construction. I have never used one.

[shutterbug2010]

Great information! I have been leaning towards the canon also. Just seeing if anyone had as nice things to say about the less expensive Tamron. Thank you! Beautiful pictures

[autofocus]

I have the Tamron lens and can say it's been a good performer for me. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fast midrange zoom that's also affordable

Vince

[inkista]

+1 on everything Richard said about the 24-105L. Richard: re: the distortion of the 24-105 @24 on FF--have you tried using lens profiles in Lightroom3 to correct for the distortion/vignetting? I'm finding it's doing a very nice job.

I also have the 24-105 and I've used it on crop (and now FF), and while it's a very nice lens on a crop body, it really sings on a full frame at the wide end. On a crop body, the focal length range is more like near-normal-to-telephoto, not wide-to-short telephoto. The Tamron will be even more normalish at the wide end on a crop. So, I think whether or not these two lenses are what you want does, in part, depend on what you plan to shoot with it, and what body you're using.

If you're on a crop and want wide angle for some landscape, environmental, or architectural shooting, you might be better served by a lens like the Tamron 17-50/2.8 or the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM. If, however, you just want to get closer to stuff and you tend to shoot long, both should work well for you. The Tamron's likely to be the better bargain and is a stop faster, but the 24-105 is likely to give you better color and contrast, future compatibility, and stabilization.

[RichardTaylor]

@ inkista

Thanks for the tip.
Have used the correction tools in LR3 (and CS4) but not the profiles. I will check it out.
That pic was taken in 2008 before I knew about such things.