Or, trying out my new old Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC that came out I believe in the early 2010’s. Also this is not an exhaustive review of it or even that technical. Just my own experience with it. Plus some thoughts about photography in general.
So I know that this lens isn’t the newest version or possibly the best version. But if you’re like me, that’s not always an option. I personally have always wanted to have a lens like this. Something wide enough for landscapes but yet close enough for portraits. I heard from a lot of people that it’s a must for event photography so naturally I felt I needed one.
Laurelhurst Park, Portland, OR
First off, it was quite heavy. Heavier than I anticipated. That’s not really a big deal for me as I figured I got muscles right? I should use them! Granted, I haven’t used this consistently for any shoots yet so I’m sure I’ll be glad to get a lighter version when the time comes. I also have a 6 month child now so I better get used to not buying any upgrades for a little bit. Really, I felt I had to get used to the way it felt on my DSLR. I’ve always had to either conform to a 50mm or a 200mm, but never something in between. It was quite awkward. But that’s just me.
Kenton Club, Portland, OR
As far as any kind of being incognito with it…..no way. To be honest, my best camera for street photography is my iPhone 15. Everyone seems to notice how loud you are with a lens like that and a DSLR like mine (which is d780 in case you were wondering). That’s fine. Im getting used to that. When I go out any kind of lens like that you might as well accept it and run with it in any way you can.
As far as specs, the sharpness is what I would expect. I believe f/16 is going to be the sharpest if you’re looking to get all the scenery in focus. I’m sure every person who is looking at your photographs is going to take that into consideration.
Laurelhurst Park, Portland, OR
So at first I started to do a lot of wide shots with at least an f/8. You know, really try and get that street photography aesthetic. I think it worked out okay. I mean, I definitely liked those photos, but I felt something was missing.
But it wasn’t till I was forced to use f/2.8 cuz of low light that I felt like I actually had something with this lens. Something about how sharp it came out together with the softness was just what I was looking for.
Art is endless work of experimentation. And with someone adhd, I’m happy to continually shoot new stuff. Keeps my dopamine levels up.
Downtown Portland f/2.8
What is street photography? Is it
Kenton Club
Perhaps this is why people get a lens like this, for my aforementioned descriptions. And yeah, it’s a great event photography lens. But it definitely offers more than just that. So it’s nice to see it in action