Tamron 24mm f2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 First impressions on an APSC body (A6400)

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks to Tim and Fstoppers for alerting me to the Tamron sale, I decided to beg the wife for some fun money and buy the 24mm prime by Tamron for a remarkably good price of $196+tax!
Now, I don't have a full frame camera, I have an A6400, but hear me out on this. I have two goals:

• 24mm x 1.5 crop factor = 36mm full-frame equivalent, which is as close to a 35mm prime as I can get (and did not have in my collection).
• The macro capabilities of this lens are said to be quite good, so I think this will make a good food photography lens.

Amazon got it to me in 24 hrs, which is great, but they shipped the lens in the Tamron box with a shipping label slapped on the side ie: no outer box or packing material. Thankfully it arrived in one piece.

Initial impressions:

• The lens is quite light for its girth, I am happy enough with the plastic construction because they at least used a full metal mount and a weatherproof o-ring.
• The lack of buttons or switches on the lens is fine by me, keeps the price down!
• The lack of VC (vibration compensation), or OSS as Sony calls it, is a bummer but at this price I didn't expect it.
• The focusing motor is indeed loud; an onboard mic would pick up the focusing noise in a quiet room. Thankfully I've moved on to a wireless lav for my videos, so I'm not disturbed by this. Also, who cares if the focusing motor is loud if you're just taking stills?
• The focusing action is a bit slower than my Sony E 35mm f1.8, but its still quite capable.
• The focusing ring isn't as smooth as a Sony or Sigma, but it does the job.
• The macro capabilities are legit! I was focusing on the text on the side of the box from 3 inches away!

I have yet to film anything with it, but to me that's a bonus as I intend this for stills anyway.
I will update the thread with some pictures later.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[J.Duffy]

That lens looks great on your a6400!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

That lens looks great on your a6400!

The lens hood makes it seem even bigger as it funnels down from a 67mm filter thread to the narrower e-mount itself
Still, this is lighter than my Sigma 16mm, and might actually balance on my gimbal (unlike the heavier Sigma lens).
Going to take some photos shortly and post up samples now that work is over for the day.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Some random shots around the house with the new lens (all shot at f 2.8, 1/125 for the kitchen shots and I think 1/250 for cat):
The kitchen where I make (most of) my youtube vids.
A random shot of some bananas for you to see the detail of the labels and color.
And finally, a picture of Abby, sunning herself on the tiles by the sliding door.

 

[J.Duffy]

Great examples! Love your stove, I miss cooking with gas. Abby is pretty cute too! Nice details on the naners!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks Jessica!

Something I forgot to mention is that even taking photos on an APSC where the crop factor is giving you 36mm equivalent, there is still barrel distortion to the shots. Thankfully photoshop has no problem correcting this with the lens profile correction feature.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Ellie (Abby's sister) is here to help me demonstrate that the Eye Detection Auto-focus still works a treat on this lens and camera body combination:

• ILCE-6400
• E 24mm F2.8 F051
• 24.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 125

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

And finally a video sample.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

My first time using Adobe Premiere Rush; its a nice easy-to-use software. I am going to suggest it to my cousins who like doing quick editing of snowboarding shots and stuff from their GoPros.

 

[Jeff A]

Ellie (Abby's sister) is here to help me demonstrate that the Eye Detection Auto-focus still works a treat on this lens and camera body combination:
View attachment 8370

Ellie is a cutie. My Kitty, Dottie, is checking her out as I type.