This is a restored article from early 2010.
Photopurity has spent about three months using a Tamron 28-105mm F/2.8 zoom in connection with both a Full Frame Canon 5D II and an APS-C crop sensor in the 550D (Rebel t2i). After using this lens for a variety of purposes including one wedding and one convention event, we thought we would finally get around to performing a full review of its performance.
First things first, this lens has been discontinued by Tamron and is no longer manufactured. It was produced in all the major mounts during its active phase and used copies of this lens in all mounts are in the neighborhood of $300-400 depending on condition.
Size and Weight
With any fast zoom, the lens is going to be big and heavier than any of its slower peers. The longer the zoom range and faster the maximum aperture will greatly increase the dimensions and weight of the lens. The Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is no exception. The lens has considerable heft coming in at 31.4 oz (880 grams). That’s about 17 ounces lighter than the considerable Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS USM L lens and about 23 ounces heavier than Tamron’s current 28-80mm F/3.5-4.5 Aspherical lens. The physical dimensions are 3.4? x 4.4?.
Construction and Ergonomics
The Tamron 28-105 f/2.8 is fairly well constructed but makes considerable use of plastic. The zoom ring in particular has a cheap plastic feel with few ridges for easy gripping. Compared to more modern zooms the 28-105 F/2.8 shows its age. The lens features a standard AF/MF switch. The manual focus ring is very thin and can be difficult to find just by feel. The zoom ring itself is also quite stiff and can require more than expected force to twist. After using the lens for three months extensively and considering the lens itself was already used previously we did not find the action to smooth any, it was just as stiff at the end of 3 months as there was at the beginning.
Image Quality
The main reason to buy a fast zoom (F/2.8) is to precisely to use it at that maximum aperture. The Tamron 28-105 performed extremely well throughout the range although at 105mm it did noticeably soften. Sharpness was pretty consistent throughout the rest of the range. Its an excellent portrait lens with a considerable focal range which works very well on a full frame body like the Canon 5D II. Even on a crop sensor body it can give a very nice range presuming you don’t need the very wide end (28-105 x 1.6 crop becomes: 44mm – 168mm).
One thing that became very noticeable with the 28-105 F/2.8 is the color saturation is very strong with this lens. I had never noticed just a strong effect of a lens before in any of my reviews. Images produced using the Tamron 28-105 has a deep rich saturation of hues so much so that I had to back off the saturation settings in my camera body to counteract the effects. Switching between my Canon 70-200 L produced noticeably different images in terms of image saturation. This can present a problem when you need consistent color tone. Shooting RAW would mitigate this problem.
The Bokeh of the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is not entirely pleasing. It can take a harsher look that is reminiscent of “blades of grass”. Better of course than a slower standard zoom but not nearly as lush as a prime or even the Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L or even the excellent Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro.
Price
Since the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is no longer in current production by Tamron, you will have to find your model on the open market. Used models are routinely carried by Adorama, BHphotovideo.com and KEH.com. Depending on the condition of the lens and whether it comes with a hood and accessories the price range should vary between $300-400.
Autofocus
Tamron has never been considered a leader in autofocusing technology in their lenses and the Tamron 28-105 f/2.8 is no exception. I found it to be slow but generally accurate. In low lighting it took some time to acquire focal lock but when it did, it generally was correct. Interestingly enough, it seemed a touch faster when combined with my 550D (Rebel t2i) than on my Canon 5D II.
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised with the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8. After testing Tamron’s also out of production 35-105 F/2.8 only to find it disappointingly soft throughout the entire focal range I assumed I would discover the same with the 28-105. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Tamron 28-105 produced consistently sharp images even (and most especially) at its maximum aperture. I would not have been satisfied with a lens that needed to be stopped down to F/4.0 in order to get good results so its performance at F/2.8 was essential. For the price, the lens performed admirably and the only real quibble I had against it was the extreme color saturation it produced. That’s not necessarily a major problem unless you are switching lenses often and need to compensate for the differences between them. For use with a full frame camera you won’t find another lens out there with a comparable focal length. If you don’t need the 70-105mm range then I would recommend the Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro as a similar priced competitor that performs just a small bit better than the Tamron. However, since I found that I needed that extra length, I was very satisfied with the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8.
