Tamron 85mm F/1.8 Real world images:
I love the 85mm focal length. When I owned the Sony A-mount system, I heavily used the Sony 85mm F/2.8. With the Nikon D750, I started with the Nikon 85mm F/1.8 G before switching to this lens, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8. Currently, I’m heavily using the Sony 85mm F/1.8. Switching from Nikon to the Sony FE system, I knew the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 would be a lens I would miss. So let’s send it off with this review.
Every brand makes 85mm lenses. They are ideal for portraits, long enough for headshots and short enough that you can take full body shots from comfortable distances. For the most part, 1.4 aperture lenses are the professional grade lenses while 1.8 aperture lenses are designed for consumers.
Recently, Tamron sought to shake things up with their SP lenses. Essentially professional grade 1.8 aperture lenses with vibration reduction/lens stabilization.
For purposes of this review, the Nikon F-mount Tamron 85mm F/1.8 was adapted [Commlite CM-ENF-E1 adapter] on to the Sony A7riii. Click any of the images in the review for larger.
Body and Handling
Build quality of the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 is exceptional though the lens is heavy for a 1.8 aperture lens. At 700 grams, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 is double the weight of many competing lenses but still lighter than most 1.4 aperture lenses. It is one of the few 85mm lenses to include image stabilization/vibration reduction.
The body feels like solid metal with switches for vibration reduction and AF/MF. The focus ring is ribbed rubber allowing for smooth manual focus. There is a depth of field window.
Image Quality
Priced at $750, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 is the most expensive 85mm F/1.8 on the market so it better produce top tier image quality.
Vignetting / Distortion
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 vignette at 1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 vignette at 2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 vignette at f4.5
Distortion simply is not an issue. Vignetting is severe at 1.8, very mild at 2.8 and non existent at f4.5. As shown in the below images, at 2.8 is really doesn’t affect your images. These samples are all uncorrected, so even at 1.8, it is very correctable.
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 vignette at 1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 vignette at 2.8
Flare / Chromatic Aberration – Purple fringing
Backlit situations that lead to flare often also produce purple fringing. All testing was done with the hood on.
Flare rarely pops up, purple fringing is almost never significant enough to be noticeable.
A real world example:
The sunset photo does show some very slight flare and ghosting, but nothing serious enough to really degrade the image.
Bokeh
Portrait lenses should produce good bokeh…..
Background separation is smooth. Bokeh is well rounded, the “cat’s eye” effect isn’t very severe. I’d call the bokeh a little busy but still pretty good overall.
Sharpness
The one thing you can’t really correct with post processing would be sharpness. Click the images for larger. All shots were RAW exported through Lightroom, with only the default sharpening.
Starting with center crops [click for large]:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f2.5
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at 2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f5.6
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f8
The Tamron 85mm F/1.8 is very sharp wide open but reaches incredible levels of sharpness by F2.8 – F4. For typical portrait use, the center is plenty sharp wide open. Same when viewed from closer focus:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at 1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at 2.2
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at 2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f8
Let’s take a look at the off-center borders:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f2.2
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at 1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at 2.2
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at 2.5
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f5.6
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at f8
Off-center, at the border, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 continues to show excellent sharpness. Wide open at 1.8, there is just a slight bit of softness. I still wouldn’t hesitate to use the lens wide open. By 2.2, is is tack sharp and by 2.8-4, just like the center, it is amazingly sharp.
The corners should be the most challenging:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f2.2
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f5.6
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f8
Pretty impressive, looking from closer focus:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f4
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f8
Although not as sharp as the rest of the frame, the corners remain completely usable at all apertures.
Caveat:
This is probably the sharpest 1.8 aperture lens I tested but there was one issue: focus shift/spherical aberration. As I stopped down, the focus distance kept moving, forcing me to re-focus the lens. This can make the lens difficult to micro-adjust for a typical dSLR user. In other words, you may find it difficult to get the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 lens’ optimal focus results as you change aperture.
Compared to the Sony 85mm F/1.8
My readers know I am now primarily a Sony shooter and most of my reviews are Sony lenses. So let’s just take a few comparisons between the excellent Sony 85mm F/1.8 and the Tamron 85mm F/1.8:
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 corner at f2.8
Sony 85mm F/1.8 extreme corner at F2.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 border at 1.8
Sony 85mm F/1.8 border at F1.8
Sony 85mm F/1.8 center at 1.8
Tamron 85mm F/1.8 center at f1.8
The Sony 85mm F/1.8 and Tamron 85mm F/1.8 appear pretty evenly matched. Having shot with both extensively, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 might be a hair better, but it also costs $200 more and is double the weight.
Overall:
The Tamron 85mm F/1.8 is a professional caliber lens in build and image quality. You need to work around the focus shift issues. For any Canon or Nikon user who shoot portraits and doesn’t want or need the weight and price of a 1.4 aperture lens, the Tamron 85mm F/1.8 should be a serious consideration. With the added benefit of image stabilization, there is strong reason to consider this lens above 1.4 aperture 85mm lenses. It is an incredible sharp and mostly defect-free lens.
Rating [1-10]: Score: 9
1 point deduction for the focus shift issues and the fact that is is a pretty heavy lens for a 1.8 aperture lens. I owned the Nikon 85mm F/1.8 G, which is an excellent lens. But the Tamron is even better. As a Sony shooter, I look forward to Tamron developing and releasing more Sony FE lenses.
[About my scoring: 9-10 is a superb lens which could have a place in the bag of almost every photographer. 6-8: recommended with caveats. 3-5: A compromised lens that may still be suitable for some shooters and situations. 1-2: Just stick to your phone camera]
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