True or False: This Tamron Lens Outdid Canon, Nikon, and Sony?

The year is 2016: and the photography world is in this fascinating place of evolution between DSLRs and mirrorless. And because of that, brands are willing to try new and different things. The brand that really truly was doing something different was Tamron. Today, the brand is known for odd focal lengths that end up working well and lenses with character and reliability that puts everyone else to shame. But in 2016, we saw a version of Tamron that I think wanted to really get in the ring with Canon, Nikon, and Sony. The crazy thing: none of the other reviewers really respected it.

Just around a decade ago, I published the Phoblographer’s review of the Tamron 85mm f1.8 Di VC USD. This lens did it all:

• Canon, Nikon, and Sony DSLR mounts
• Weather resistance
• Fast autofocus
• Unique color rendering that hasn’t been seen since
• Image stabilization
• Sharpness
• Bokeh

Dude, this thing was a beast and it put Sony’s G Master lineup to shame. Since then, Tamron hasn’t made a single lens like this. I truly mean that: very little to nothing comes close to this lens.

If you think about it, it sounds a lot like a modern lens. However, it took that and even a step further. And to understand that you have to consider this: today’s world of lenses lean either towards character or sharpness. But Tamron somehow or another made both happen. They delivered a lens that was, and still is, insanely sharp. It rendered colors like I’d never seen before. And the bokeh was and still is something to truly behold because it’s so much different than the super smooth stuff we see today as a result of the elimination of onion bokeh.

These images are from my review made 10 years ago.

Trust me when I say this: very little editing was done to these photos. Instead, it was just my Canon 6D, good off-camera lighting, and understanding how to blend flash with natural light. Every now and again, I think back to this lens and how magical the output felt.

So how can I describe this more? The images had a nearly apochromatic-style pop that you’d expect from a Leica lens. Plus, the colors felt more saturated than normal yet left skin-tones to be only just a bit more warm. It output sharp images that you can appreciate both at the pixel peep level and when looking at the whole frame. And most importantly, you actually want to look at the whole frame. You don’t want to sit there and zoom in because there’s no point.

A quote from the image quality section of my review puts it so well:

“So here’s the section that you’re going to care about the most. For years now, I’ve been a Sigma 85mm f1.4 lens owner. Despite the fact that it’s starting to show it’s age in terms of sharpness when looking very closely, I’m still not at all dissatisfied with it. The lens is highly capable and still helps me create beautiful images in the same way that all the super antiquated Canon glass does but that people still drool over.

For what it’s worth, the Tamron 85mm f1.8 Di VC USD wipes the floor with everyone else’s lenses except for the newest offerings from Zeiss. It doesn’t have micro contrast but instead it has a couple of things that have made me change my editing workflow. I generally don’t need to do anywhere as much of a clarity increase and instead what I tend to do when working with this lens is work with the shadows and the individual color channels.”

And isn’t that all we want? I ended up giving this lens the Editor’s Choice award. And even today, I think that it’s worth discussing. According to WatchCount, it still goes for really decent prices. It even still sells for brand new at good prices. I’d argue that this lens probably held its value the best of any Tamron lenses for a good reason.

So why doesn’t Tamron make this lens again? Honestly, I’m really not sure.