good Tamron vs Nikon (85/1.8) video

[richardHaw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO6o_YL54bo

nice video.
darren miles makes good videos and i enjoy them a lot. he should start making podcasts

[Airy]

Nice indeed. The same contents could have been delivered more efficiently (to me) in a side-by-side text + illustrations form, but I am becoming a man of the past

[stenrasmussen]

Fairly good review. As for AF speed I would claim that the difference is substantial in favor of the Tamron. High contrast edge bleeding was not covered but the Tamron easily outperforms the Nikkor. VC can be a curse and in my experience it has to be used with care.
Background blur; the Tamron produces larger blur circles and is smoother IMO. The Tamron is quite more expensive (here in Norway) so better performance is to be expected.

[Akira]

Here in Tokyo, Tamron 85/1.8 is around 35% more expensive than Nikkor counterpart.

[richardHaw]

i would say that the Tamron is one step up from the Nikkor in most regards

it is an awesome lens, very good value for money

[Hugh_3170]

Richard, thanks for the video link.  Competition is good for the consumer.

Nice to see the improvement in quality in respect of the top shelf items from the independents - Sigma EX, Tamron SP, and Tokina.  That said, there are lesser items from these three that I would not touch, so caveat emptor applies here as for elsewhere.

[Tristin]

Guy has some pretty relaxed standards for testing optics.

[armando_m]

I have the nikon and have no complains , it is my favorite lens , high contrast edges have CA , but for my use, mostly portraits, it has not been a problem

There are times when I wish I had VR, using higher ISO usually solves the problem
Weather sealed would be nice ...
Sharper ...  for portraits? ... and then bring the image into PS to blur the skin blemishes ...
Smoother bokeh, yes I would like that
More expensive , I do not like that
Better manual focus ring , hmm, on an autofocus lens does not make much of a difference
Heavier , probably good so lower speeds can be used more consistently without the need to use VC

Anyway it is good to see competition, the lens I'll like to see come out is the sigma art 85mm

Thanks for the link to the video

[pluton]

He does clearly state that the two compared lenses are very close in image quality, that the Tamron feels less plasticky, and other things, but comparisons with each lens isolated on D750 and D810 bodies? 

[David H. Hartman]

The focus direction of Nikkor lenses is the reverse of most other brands of lenses. Because of this I haven't bought a non-Nikkor for my Nikon system in years.

The Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD in Nikon F mount has a reverse focus direction to Nikkor lenses in F mount. I know these are AF lenses but if one ever uses manual focus this would drive me up the wall. In film days I coped well with reverse lenses in different camera systems, e.g. Nikon and Hasselblad but not within the same camera system. For a time I owned a 400/6.3 Tele-Astornar lens and "learned" that telephoto lenses focus backwards. When I bought an 80-200/4.5 Nikkor I focused correctly at the short end but tried to focus backwards at the long end. I sold the 400/6.3 soon after buy the 80-200/4.5.

Reflexes are very important to smooth photography. I would not buy the Tamron 85/1.8 SP for the reverse focus direction alone.

Dave

[John Geerts]

If you like speed and bokeh the 1.4 is the solution

[stenrasmussen]

In case this posting has been missed:
http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,3866.0.html

[elsa hoffmann]

Sharper ...  for portraits? ... and then bring the image into PS to blur the skin blemishes ...
Smoother bokeh, yes I would like that
More expensive , I do not like that

Anyway it is good to see competition, the lens I'll like to see come out is the sigma art 85mm

Armando - I agree on the portraits..... a lens can be too sharp.
I wonder if I would be able to afford the Sigma 85 ART........