Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 UWA Lens Review

I had an interesting phone call from a friend who is now Editor-in-Chief of a new photography online magazine called the Travel Photographer Magazine. And he asked me for a phone review of a lens I had, the Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 lens.

Since I have already given him my thoughts, I might as well also share it with everyone when may be interested in the lens. As usual, this is a user review and I have used this for a year now.

One of the reasons someone invests in a DSLR is because DSLRs allows one to use special lenses which no compact camera can ever provide, no matter how great they are (yes, even my X20). Ultra Wide Angle (UWA) lenses are one of those special lens which I really love for it's very interesting perspective.

As a former Pentax user, the choices of UWA were pretty limited (excluding fisheyes). Currently these are the choices:

• Pentax DA 12-24mm f4 (a Tokina with SMC)
• Pentax DA 14mm f2.8
• Pentax DA 15mm f4 Limited
• Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6
• Sigma 10-20mm f3.5
• Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 (made for Full Frame cameras)
• Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 
• Tamron 10-20mm f3.5-4.5

It may seem like a lot of choices, but my requirements were:

1. Must be able to accept screw-in filters. Some lens have a bulb-like glass in the front, so that eliminates the Sigma 12-24 and Sigma 8-16
2. I need a zoom. I have tried the DA15Ltd and DA14 before, but I feel the need for wider.
3. It must be at least 10mm. So I am left with the two Sigma 10-20mm and Tamron 10-24.

While I liked the idea of the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 constant aperture, I read that the lens is soft compared to it's older brother, the Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6. In the end, I ended up buying both that and the Tamron 10-20mm f3.5-4.5 to compare before I sold one (can't justify keeping both!).

Taken at 24mm f5 1/60s

Built Quality

Like most Tamrons, the Tamron 10-24 is all plastic. Compared to the Sigma 10-20, this guy is "skinny". It can fit into my small camera bag when the Sigma finds trouble fitting, EXCEPT that the hood on the Tamron is just oversized making that the hardest thing to fit into my bag.

Also, unlike the Tamron 17-50, the 10-24 doesn't have a zoom lock. Although it doesn't creep, it makes it harder to unmount the lens because of it's small base. Whenever I try to unmount my lens I would accidentally turn the zoom instead of the lens.

The printed words on the gold ring of the lens also fades over usage.

What I Liked

• No slim mount filters required. 77mm filters are expensive. Slim version ones even more. The good news is the Tamron 10-24 can accept standard sized filters without vignetting, unlike the Sigma 10-20.
• Widest zoom range for UWA. Very useful for events when you need that extra reach.
• Relatively fast. Compared to the Sigma 10-20, the Tamron has an edge on the speed (f3.5-4.5 vs f4.0-5.6).
• Closer focus. I can focus an object pretty close (closer than the Sigma), giving an interesting perspective over my subjects.
• Good CA control. For a UWA, it controls Chromatic Aberrations pretty well and no real problems with it. I'm not saying it's not there, but rather it doesn't make you wanna pull your hair. I've compared it with the Pentax 10-17mm fisheye and that lens really has major CA.
• Price. It's the cheapest UWA available in the market.
• Small size. As mentioned earlier, it's really quite small compared to other UWA (except maybe the Pentax DA15Ltd)

St. Anthony Catholic Church, KL

Inside St. Anthony Catholic Church

What I Didn't Like

• Low Contrast and Sharpness. The IQ of the Tamron is acceptable, but not fantastic. I do quite a lot of post-processing to get better photos.
• Noisy bokeh. Bokeh is not a problem for landscapes, but for closeup shots. I guess I can't blame Tamron for this because all UWAs suffer from this problem (Sigma 10-20 as well). Except perhaps for super expensive UWAs like the Zeiss Tuoit 12mm f2.8!
• Focusing speed. Sluggish guy this is. Compared to the Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 10-20, it's really a slouch. 

A Princess' Birthday!
Too bad the lower contrast can been seen in this picture quite apparently even after editing.

Sample bokeh at 10mm f3.5

Conclusion

The Tamron 10-24 is a very functional lens, but you will need to work around the limitations to get the best images from it. That means post-processing, as I have done with all my photos here. But I won't complain (not too much anyway) for the price I paid for this lens. 

I've since sold the lens and I am now waiting for the Fujifilm X 10-24mm f4 to replace my Tamron. Still patiently waiting...