Review Of Ultrawide Lens Tamron 15-30mm G2

The long-awaited alternative to Nikon’s 14-24 mm ultrawide lens, Tamron 15-30 mm f/2.8 G2, arrived for testing in early July. I took the ideal opportunity to put it through some serious testing during my holidays at Zlatar mountain. Six days were quite enough to realize that I was dealing with a serious lens. Combined with the Nikon D750 body, it turned out to be a total win.

The first three days on the mountain were extremely bad for taking photos, involving strong sun and a lot of haze. Mornings and evenings saw no clouds thus provided no chance for a magical sunset. But this meant a great opportunity for night photography – no light pollution, clear skies, moon under the horizon. This is how Tamron 15-30 mm made its first photo around 10:30 pm. Making proper camera settings and composition I was amazed by the sharpness of the lens. Although I worked with manual focus and aperture of f/2.8 the result was unspeakable.

Nikon D750, 15mm, f/2.8, 15s, ISO400

One of the days I visited Gostilje waterfalls and took some photos. This was a challenging location as I had to arrive early and do some shooting before the Sun dominated the area and created a huge contrast.

Nikon D750, 19mm, f/11, 1/4, ISO50

In this case, I had to lower the ISO sensitivity and minimize the aperture so I could get a slower shutter speed and desired effect on the waterfall. The sharpness that this Tamron lens provides is just perfectly visible at the aperture of f/11. I’m utterly impressed how it did its job. The only downside, if it can’t be called that anyway, would be somewhat slower focusing. Being a landscape photographer, fast or slow focusing is not a determining factor. But for someone this could be crucial. 

Nikon D750, 22mm, f/8, 1/80, ISO100

Even in low light conditions, the focus was precise. The above photo was made in extremely demanding and bad weather conditions. Rain, low clouds, and wind challenged the lens. Despite all that, it did more than a great job. The fact that each photo is sharp from edge to edge is something I particularly like about this lens. There are no distortions or any unwanted and difficult to solve deformations on photos.

Nikon D750, Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 G2
Podešavanja: 15mm, f/11, ISO100, 1/80s

With its widest range of 15 mm, this lens gives exceptional possibilities to capture fantastic shots. In this photo, I tested how close I can get to the subject. 28 cm is excellent proximity, and what’s more, there’s enough space on both sides and in the background to make a great composition. I also did this photo to nourish my soul, moving focal points from closest to furthest. By simple merging action in Photoshop, I got the sharpness from the bottom to the upper edge of the photo.

I can say that it was quite an honor for me to play with and test this lens. I am seriously considering including it in my arsenal.

The price is a bit higher and to some extent this justifies the quality lens possesses. Tamron did a great job.

Author: Dejan Zakić

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