Other than the obvious between these two lenses for sensor size, what is the difference in perception? I have the Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8 which is the APS-C lens and I have the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 Full Frame Lens. I have been trying them out but I'm trying to see if there is any difference besides the focal length. I want to know if one would give more clarity than the other or what ever the perception differences are. Just trying to learn my lenses better and how to decided between them in certain situations.

Hi Aaron

I have on my main camera, two lenses I use and one is going on eBay today as it really sucks! I have a 17-50 F2.8 Tamron and a 28-75 F2.8 Tamron and the first is APSC and the 2nd is FF ... The Full frame 28-75 just does NOT perform ...focus is much softer than the 17-50 and the image is just crappy! I'm not sure about the reason (not being an optics expert) but I assume that the FF lens "projects" the image as a larger "picture" to cover a FF sensor ...maybe something gets lost here but I do know that the FF performance is nowhere as good as the APSC lens.

Chris

Hi Chris,

That is interesting... I have the Tamron FF 24-70mm f/2.8 and that is the one I use the most, probably because it was the most expensive and in the back of my mind I feel that it would give me more. I will try mixing it up a bit to see if I can tell the difference. I have to say though, I prefer the softness because I lean more to the cinematic side as oppose to the documentary style of shooting. My Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8 which is the APS-C lens did not get much use lately. I can recall in a couple of instances at receptions I should have switch for the wider angle.

Hi Aaron

I shot 3 weddings this weekend and the first two I had the Tamron 28-75 for the ceremony and speeches and noticed that the B-Cam footage (Sigma 18-35 F1.8) was way sharper so I had to sharpen in post. On my Sunday wedding I took off the 28-75 and zapped on a Tamron 17-50 and used that for ceremony and speeches and WOW! what a difference!! I'm not sure if the 28-75 maybe has a back focus issue but it sure looks fuzzy compared to the 17-50 and matches the cutaway shots of the Sigma a lot better too.

If the 24-70 works better for you then by all means use it but there seems to be a huge difference between my 28-75 (FF) and my 17-50 (APSC) for some unknown reason?

Chris

Hi Chris,

So were you using peaking with the 28-75? I'm just curious because I know peaking is no always exact.

Hi Chris,

Is this the lens you are were referring to? http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-28-75mm-Aspherical-Canon-Digital/dp/B0000A1G05/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416196606&sr=8-3&keywords=tamron+24-70mm+f%2F2.8

Hi Aaron

Nope I'm sure that is an APSC lens ..the FF lens has aperture rings... Yes I use peaking all the time but even in bright sun the 28-75 with a small aperture (lots of DOF) the lens seems soft compared to the 17-50!!

It might just be me but I also find that the colour using the FF lens is a bit washed too compared to the 17-50 ... Maybe it's just my particular lens ????

If you are happy with yours then great!! If I need big zooms I have a Nikon 18-200 but it's only F3.5 but still better than the old Sony stock lens.

For your fashion shoot I would let the models walk past me in the centre of the runway so you halve the runway distance ..it's less DOF that trying to keep in focus the complete length of the runway. If you calculate a triangle so you are almost positioned in the middle and roughly half the distance away from the actual runway your subject to camera distance is almost constant!! Easy to focus!!

Chris

Good Advice Chris, Thank you!

sounds like you're both talking about different lenses - one is the newer 24-70,the other the older 28-75. Would be interested in other folks experience with the latest 24-70 with vc

Other than the obvious between these two lenses for sensor size, what is the difference in perception?

If you are talking about using the same focal length on the two different sensors, the difference is the angle of view (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_view). This makes the image from the smaller sensor look similar to an image made with the larger sensor using a longer focal length lens. This is where a given sensor size's crop factor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_factor) comes from.

If you use crop factor to use lenses with the two sensor sizes that give the same angle of view result with each sensor, then you get into the differences in focal length. The longer focal length lens will need to be stopped down a bit more to give equivalent depth of field, for example.

Apologies to the OP, but this is regarding the later confusion in the thread over different Tamron lenses. I currently use the latest Tamron SP 24-70 F/2.8 on my A7S and I prefer it over the Zeiss FE 24-70 F/4, which I also still own (for when I want to travel light). This is the A-Mount version without VC. I liked it so much I bought the newer 70-200 version of it as well (I owned the older 70-200 and though the image was decent for the price, the build was crap.) I previously owned Canon L lenses, but never used them with this particular camera, so I can't really compare. However, there is a line of Tamron glass that is quite good, is weather sealed and built like a tank.

Tamron SP F/2.8 24-70
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/845351-REG/Tamron_SP_24_70mm_f_2_8_DI.html

Thumbs up for the Tamron SP 24-70 F/2.8 - I use it both on my EA50 and A7s - quality glass with a pin sharp image and great stabilisation - on par if not better than my Canon L-series lenses.

Pete

I have a Tamron SP 24-70 F/2.8 with IS and don't have any problems with it.

Looks a lot better than the kit.

I am curious now about comparing it to the sigma 18-35 f1.8.

On a side note I also have a canon apsc 17-55 f2/8 which I spent a lot of money for. It looks great but the zoom feels harder in certain ranges which sucks for video...

I am thinking of going for the Sigma 17-55 f2.8 and selling my canon lens. The 70-250 2.8 tamron lens I am also curious. looks good for shooting people far enough away without them noticing. (some people turn their heads when thy notice iam shooting them..)

The SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD is looking really sweet to me. (http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/70200_vc_a009.php#ad-image-2)

Sheesh! You guys like to shoot from a distance don't you. For me even 75mm is too much zoom. Your DOF becomes so critical at high zooms especially at F2.8 or even faster!

I stay between 18 and 35 during the reception and no more than 50mm at the ceremony!!

At 18mm and 10' away I have a good 14' DOF to play with but move away to 30' and zoom to 150mm and it gets to a scary just over 12" !!!

Each to their own of course... at a ceremony I would rather move myself and shoot wide than zoom to the back/front of the ceremony

Hi Chris,

Yes the closer the better for weddings, but me and my wife are trying our hand at some of everything to see what we like the most. We are trying commercials, fashion shows, PSA's, TV Shows, and I also would like to get back to some short films if i can ever get the time. So having some versatile glass is a premium as i never know what i will need until I get the opportunity. Sometimes you get into a limited situations. I have my 3rd cam now which is a 70D DSLR andI'm looking to get three different point of views with my weddings. I'm even looking to check out a flying drone the DJI 2 Phantom Vision to ad that little extra to our product in hopes to add value. So for me it is about trying out different things and seeing what will work and in what situation. That being said, I have grab a lot of wisdom from you and I'm putting it to good use.

Chris, I think you have a bum lens. It should not perform that poorly. Also, your preferred focal lengths have always fascinated me. I always wonder if you are up in their faces to get tight shots or if shooting as wide as you do is part of your "personal style"? I started out shooting professional sports for a living (stills). My two primary lenses were Nikon 300mm f2.8 and a 600mm f4. Shooting tight and tack sharp was pounded into me. That style still caries over into almost everything I shoot today. In other words, the shallow DOF rage of today has been with me since 1990 : )

Aaron, Full frame vs APSC should have no effect on perceptible sharpness. It does affect other things already mentioned. I shoot with all Canon FF "L" series glass, (I did however keep my kit lenses). They are consistently sharp and a good match.

I been following your posts as you expand your kit and I have a word of advise. In weddings there is a lot of leeway to do and use what ever the shooter wants to get the job done. In this thread you said you want to expand into commercial work. It is a different ballgame altogether. For instance, every lens and every camera produces its own look. Shooting with cameras and lenses that match each other is a minimum expected professional requirement on commercial shoots. Using a kit with an assortment of different camera models and a selection of lenses from different manufacturers rarely happens. If I were you I would pick a line of lenses from one manufacturer and stick to that line and that line only. It should be the highest quality line you can reasonably afford. You also said "I don't mind my soft lens because I lean towards a film look". You can throw that lens and that type of thinking away if you are going to venture outside the wedding market. No offence to anyone, just my opinion.

Steve

Hi Steven,

Thank you for your advise. I take all the wisdom I can. I have been learning to have a certain style of shooting. What I have been doing so far is to shoot for the way I want to edit. I don't shoot to have a finish product right out of the cam. I think there is a balance of shooting properly to lessen the amount of edit that is needed. With my latest wedding videos I have been getting more popular in the wedding market. i find that I have been shooting incorrectly but have been saved by my editing and the use of Magic bullet and the Denoiser. I read as much as i can on these threads to get a better understanding to the art of videography. It is a given that I have so much to learn, but I like it. Because my wife is a photographer we are loving working together. I have only been doing this for about a year. I work at my regular job 12 hours a day 7 days a week unless I have an event to shoot. That being said I have a limited about of time when i get out of work to research and practice. Youtube has been one of my main teachers. Now that I have been here i have learned even more to read your understanding behind why you do what you do. Anyway thank you for your advice it is taken with an appreciative heart.

Thanks Steve

It's gone now!! Some budding photographer wanted it for his lens collection. I have the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 to replace it and that does a far better job. Then again it also might just be my age/eyes?? It's a lot harder to accurately focus a lens at 75mm than one at 50mm as your DOF is a lot tighter at F2.8 ... At 50mm I can technically fall short of the true focus point and still be sharp whilst at 75mm I need to be spot on. At weddings it's sometimes pretty hard for the camera to find something to focus peak on in the half darkness so the more latitude I have the better.

I use a lot of ambient audio at receptions, guest congratulations and the rest so standing 40' away with a honking great tele lens means I have no contact with the subject plus my audio will suck!! I shoot normally about 10' away so the shotgun mic gets acceptable audio and I can interact with the subject without shouting!!

Chris

The SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD is looking really sweet to me. (http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/70200_vc_a009.php#ad-image-2)

This is the one iam looking at. And its only 700$

Amazon.com : Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Model A001E) : Camera Lenses : Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-70-200mm-Digital-Cameras-A001E/dp/B0013DG08E/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416556188&sr=1-5&keywords=70-200mm+f2.8)

Hi Francisco Estrada,

That is a very nice lens. Keep in mind that that one does not have Vibration Control.

Francisco, I owned that cheap Tamron 70-200 and though the image is good for the money, the build quality isn't pro. Also, that lens doesnt have any weather sealing. In fact, mine is sitting on a shelf with damaged focus gears due to some dust that got into it. For photography the auto-focus was pretty useless (loud, slow.) I never use AF in video, but given it's loud, slow performance I can safely say it would be a poor choice for that application.

I replaced the cheap one with with the much, much better SP 70-200 (in A-Mount, no VC) Yes, even at twice the price, it's more than twice the lens. Sharp. Super-fast with near silent focus and the focus ring in the right place.
http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-70-200MM-Telephoto-Canon-Cameras/dp/B00A34GQEC

Ok guys, I have an update on this thread. I was noticing that my 17-50mm f/2.8 was looking more vivid than the 24-70mm f/2.8. So I did the unthinkable... I saw a youtube video that showed how to take the tamron lens apart and clean it and i tried it.

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 repair & cleaning glass - YouTube

To my surprise after i cleaned both ends of the lens it has more sharpness and more vivid in color. I was able to clean some dust out of both ends and give the glass a good clean with my micro fiber rag. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE AT ALL. I'm an electrician and I'm used to electronics and so on so I thought I would give it a try. I was originally set to send it to Tamron and get it cleaned until I cam across the video and thought about it for a while. It is very very delicate and anyone trying this would need to have some precision tools. I got lucky and all went well. I will be looking at my other lenses a little funny now and may get the itch to try them.

To be honest it was bothering me that my 17-50mm was seemingly showing more quality than my 24-70mm and the 24-70mm is worth double the value of the 17-50mm. Now I can make another comparison and see how it turns out. If I have time I will try and make a little video of before and after the cleaning.

Awesome Aaron and also very brave!!

I tried to strip a Sigma 24-70 once as the zoom bearings got sticky but in the end it was a doorstop!!

The Tamron 17-50 (non VC model) has a reputation of being ultra sharp compared to other lenses so don't beat yourself up if the 24-40 still doesn't look as good. The VC model isn't as sharp as the non-VC one for some reason?

Chris