Hearing Good Things About Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8

 

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” 

– Anais Nin

Tamron has been a dabbling in optical manufacturing for 70 years and their technologies have improved through superb R&D, Acquisitions, and Strategic Partnerships. They've made lenses not just for cameras, but optics for binoculars, cell phones, telescopes, CCTV and surveillance cameras, and lenses for automobile applications (does that mean Tesla? Not sure.) You name it, they got glass for it.

But let's stick to photography. That's what I'm familiar with. Tamron is known for their affordable 3rd party lens options. Fifteen years ago, you could get a comparable alterative to some of your brand selections. If you bought a Canon Camera but bristled at expensive lens options, then you could find a quality Tamron equivalent to get the job done for half the cost, especially for crop-sensor cameras.

Then Tamron upped the ante and began competing for the full-frame market. I can tell you that when I switched to Nikon, their 24-70mm lens did not resolve well enough for their new high resolution D800e DSLR. I tried different copies of the lens and was not satisfied. I can't say what made me try the Tamron, but it was an instant improvement. It beat Nikon's own lens!

So when I heard about Tamron's new 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Lens, it definitely got me curious. An f/2 wide-angle zooming out to 150mm telephoto and only losing one stop? Really? Granted 35mm is on the cusp of being called wide angle. But 150mm is definitely telephoto. And Tamron is known for their odd focal length zooms. 

The reviews are great on this thing. I'd be anxious to try it! But even so, a few things hold me back on it being a definite buy for me:

1. I've been strictly prime for 4 years! I've been served well using a 24mm prime and a 55mm prime. All I'm truly missing is my 90mm macro.

2. I've hardly ever done telephoto work in all my years shooting. Most everything has been up close preferring to shoot normal to wide-angle, or macro.

3. The weight! This thing is every bit of 2 and a half pounds (1165g)! I don't know if I can swing that as a traveler who has to carry everything I own on my back or in a camera bag slung across my shoulder. It's not the heaviest lens I've ever owned. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II was 3 and a quarter pounds but I carried it in a Pelican hard case that had rollers and a handle which I put in the pack seat of my car! 

4. That hefty price! The lens is $1,900. It's not much for what you are asking it to do. That's about $600 more than I've paid for any Tamron lens I've owned, however. 

Why even consider it? I mean... DANG! My travel plans have become far different from what I imagined when I initially set out. When I set out, I imagined 18 months. That's it. It's been 52 months! And I'm not even done in Vietnam yet! And in that time, YES... I have run across a FEW situations when I wished I had some longer reach! Not often, but enough to where my imaginations took me to the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS... or Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6.

I wish I could just put it behind me! But it seems like every dog gone week, there's another review about how surprisingly impressive the Tamron 35-150mm is. But I may as well dispense with any notion of this lens until I get back stateside. When will that be? I'm working on it! 

Fix Your Procrastination

“Procrastination is like masturbation. At first it feels good, but in the end you’re only screwing yourself.”

~ Unknown

I know many of us declared at the beginning of this year that you were going to finally get to that "Dream" project that you've been putting off for a few years so far. Well! You're in luck. There's still plenty of time left in the year to get your butt in gear and get to working on that gig so you can start some new promises for 2022. So yeah, this is a reminder that you are now midway through the year to get busy and get hot on that project. I know you have to work. The summer is coming up. Busy, Busy, Busy, as a little bee. That's cool. Everybody's busy. But honestly. How long does it take to conceptualize your dream, plan it out, secure a location/model/prop/equipment and get it in the books? The answer is not long once you commit to the idea.

Let me help you out a bit. Start here: Tell yourself, "No matter what, I WILL get this project done!". Then sit down for a minute. Got no time? Sure you do. You're human. That means you require food and water. At some point you're gonna have to go to spend a little time in the bathroom... a few minutes at least. Sooo, can you see where I'm going with this. No? Fine, I'll spell it out. Take a pad and pen into the bathroom with you the next time you have to "spend some quality time" in there. While you are sitting down for a few minutes, this is an excellent time to conceptualize, write down ideas, and think about how you're going to pull this thing off and what you'll need. You don't need to spend a whole day in the bathroom, just enough time to get pen to paper and get those ideas out before your legs go to sleep.

See, that's a guaranteed few minutes every day! You don't need much more than that. And once you've got it written down, you can commit some time while you go about your regular day. On your way home from work, you can call up that fave model of yours and ask about her availability. Gotta pick up groceries from the store? Great. Stop by the hardware store right next to it and get the materials for the set you have to build. Or maybe its as simple as getting some gear. B&C Camera has a bunch of cameras, lenses, and lights you can rent for the weekend. You can easily reserve what you need ahead of time, pick it up Friday and return it Monday. So if you require a macro lens, they got it. Prefer a wide-angle lens instead...they got it. What about some lighting? They have 2-light, 3-light wireless trigger kits complete with soft boxes and stands that you can get for about $40 for the entire weekend. If you're not in Vegas, check out some online rentals like LensRentals.com or BorrowLenses.com.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

~ Walt Disney

Need some ideas? Okay. Do that thing you normally do, but this time shoot it at night. Just try some long exposure stuff for a change. Add some light painting. Take that flash off TTL and use some of its other functions. Ever drag the shutter with it? Ever do any high-speed sync work on it? How about some stroboscopic techniques? Ever do that? Try some macro work. Do something in that remote location that you came across while hiking last year, next to that goofy looking tree your friend took a picture of you climbing. 

Work on that self-portrait project you've been saying you were going to do. Try to emulate a lighting style you saw in that movie poster your girl/boyfriend likes so much. Here's another one. Freeze the action on a quick-moving subject. Like a dancer spinning around, where you capture every single strand of hair frozen in space with no blurring. You now have 40 days left to get your project done. Don't procrastinate any longer than you already have. If you think I'm speaking to you, I am. Get started. No more excuses. Go Shoot.