52 21 September 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Testbench SECOND-HAND LENSES
Ta m r on 18 -2 0 0m m
F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC
l Guide price £110-135
All-in-one superzooms are a great choice
for travelling, if you’re prepared to sacrifice
image quality for the convenience factor of
not having to change lenses between wide
and telephoto shots. One argument against
them has traditionally been that you have
to pay a lot of money for the privilege, but
Tamron’s low-cost 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3
bucks this trend. Despite its bargain price, it
doesn’t make many concessions compared
to its more expensive peers either. You’ll
get the most out of it if you’re prepared to
shoot in raw and post-process away its most
evident flaws, which include pronounced
distortion and lateral chromatic aberration.
This should make your images fine for many
purposes, unless you like to print large or
scrutinise them for pixel-level detail. Available
in Canon, Nikon and Sony Alpha-mount
versions, it can be a great option for when
you want to travel light.Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS
l Guide price £130-175
While there aren’t many bargains to be
had with Sony full-frame mirrorless, richer
pickings can be found on the used market
if you shoot with the firm’s APS-C format
E-mount mirrorless cameras. The Sony E
50mm F1.8 OSS stands out from other
lenses with the same core spec (including
Sony’s own full-frame FE 50mm F1.8)
by being a modern internal-focus design
specifically tailored for the smaller sensor
format that also incorporates optical image
stabilisation. The upshot is that it’s simply a
better choice all-round for APS-C users than
its bulkier full-frame sibling, despite being
fractionally more expensive. In terms of
optics it’s nice and sharp, particularly when
stopped down to f/2.8, with the only obvious
flaw being colour fringing in out-of-focus
areas due to longitudinal chromatic
aberration that may require treatment in raw
processing. It’s available in a choice of silver
or black finishes.Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX
DG OS HSM Macro
l Guide price £190-230
Now supplanted from Sigma’s range by an
optically stabilised version, the older 105mm
f/2.8 is still an excellent macro lens, and one
that we used in the AP studio to test cameras
for many years. Its minimum focusing
distance of 31cm provides a true 1:1
macro magnification, while giving a good
working distance for any budding close-up
photographer. The reliance on screw-drive
focusing means it won’t autofocus on many
Nikon DSLRs, while the extending-barrel
design results in rather slow AF with other
brands. But for macro work, chances you’ll
be focusing manually anyway. Optically it’s
difficult to fault; our tests reveal very little
difference in sharpness between the old and
new Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lenses at
the apertures most commonly used for
close-up shooting. Versions are available
for all the major DSLR mounts.I captured this using
the Tamron 18-200mm
at its wideangle end
Canon EOS 50D, 18-200mm at
18mm, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100ALL PRICES WERE TAKEN FROM W W W.MPB.COM AT THE TIME OF WRITING.