Ulf Westerberg wrote:
>Just unwrapped my new Tamron 400/4 (with 1.4X teleconverter).
>
>Olympus never entered this market seriously, and only alternative is
>of course the Zuiko 350/2.8, its main drawback being weight (4 kg).
>
>In fact, a 400/4 is a perfect compromise between size and max aperture.
>My choice was a Tamron. Very rare in Sweden, it compares favourably in
>size and performance with Nikon 400/3.5, but costs much less.
>
>I can't wait 'til the weekend to try it out, it sure is exciting!
Ok, while Ulf is out testing his new "baby", let me report on a similar
test I conducted this week, with the help of a friend who has loads
and loads of OM gear.
All were tests were conducted with my trusty OM-4 (blk) and Steve's
OM-4T (champagne), using two sturdy tripods (one Slik and one Bogen).
The participating lenses were:
- Tamron SP 400/f4 LD (IF) Adaptall-2
- Tamron SP 300/f2.8 LD (IF) Adaptall-2 (older version, khaki color)
- Tamron SP 350/f5.6 Adaptall-2 (mirror lens)
- Zuiko 350/f2.8
- Tokina RMC 400/f5.6
- Vivitar Series 1 450/f4.5 (mirror lens)
- Vivitar Series 1 600/f8 Solid CAT (mirror lens)
- Vivitar 800/f8 (preset lens)
In addition, the following teleconverters were used:
- Olympus 1.4X-A
- Olympus 2X-A
- Tamron SP 2X Adaptall-2
The following combinations were tried out and compared.
300-400mm range:
----------------
- Tamron SP 300/f2.8
- Tamron SP 350/f5.6 (mirror lens)
- Zuiko 350/f2.8 <-- 2nd place
- Tamron SP 400/f4 <-- best
- Tokina RMC 400/f5.6
400-500mm range:
----------------
- Tamron SP 300/f2.8 + 1.4X-A = 420mm F4
- Zuiko 350/f2.8 + 1.4X-A = 490mm F4 <-- best
- Vivitar Series 1 450/f4.5 (mirror lens)
500-600mm range:
----------------
- Tokina RMC 400/f5.6 + 1.4X-A = 560mm F8
- Tamron SP 400/f4 + 1.4X-A = 560mm F5.6 <-- best
- Tamron SP 300/f2.8 + 2X-A = 600mm F5.6
- Tamron SP 300/f2.8 + 2X SP = 600mm F5.6
- Vivitar Series 1 600/f8 (mirror lens)
600-900mm range:
----------------
- Zuiko 350/f2.8 + 2X-A = 700mm F5.6
- Tamron SP 400/f4 + 2X-A = 800mm F8 <-- best
- Tamron SP 400/f4 + 2X SP = 800mm F8 <-- 2nd place
- Tokina RMC 400/f5.6 + 2X-A = 800mm F11
- Vivitar 800/f8 (preset)
- Vivitar Series 1 450/f4.5 + 2X dedicated TC = 900mm F9
Without going into the gory details, let me summarize the main results.
First, the Tamron SP 400/4 really did an amazing job, easily beating
the competition in all but one category: the Zuiko 350/2.8 worked a tad
better with the 1.4X-A converter -- not really surprising, since the
1.4X-A is optimized for Zuiko telephotos. Unfortunately, we did not
have the Tamron SP 1.4X TC, which is supposedly optimized for Tamron's
big guns, so the 400/4 SP may yet have a chance to be king of the hill.
In all fairness, one must mention that the Zuiko 350/2.8 had seen quite
a bit of action, and once had its front element replaced by Olympus
service, while the 400/4 SP is almost new, and so maybe this particular
Zuiko sample wasn't up to its anticipated standards.
Second, both the Tokina RMC (without any TC's !) and the Tamron SP 350
mirror lens, by far the 2 least expensive items in this group, did very
well indeed. I knew about the Tokina, since I have owned this lens
for a while now. The Tamron 350 mirror is a new purchase, and I was
really impressed with its performance. Btw, according to Tamron USA,
it, the 400/4, and the 180/2.5 were discontinued because it cost more
to make them than Tamron could sell'em for.
Another pleasant surprise was the Vivitar 800/f8 preset lens. It's
huge, heavy, breaks into two parts for storage, and at f=11, the only
aperture I've tried :-), it produced beautifully sharp and contrasty
results. Does anyone else have any experience with this lens? It's
not mine, but I definitely wouldn't mind getting one. :-)
The bottom line: the Tamron SP 400/f4 is a great catch, and IMHO Ulf's
excitement is entirely justified. The Tamron SP 350/f5.6 mirror lens,
while not as petite as some other 300/f5.6 lenses, is never the less
a very fine lens, and it focuses VERY close (3.5 ft = 1.1m, or 1:2.5
life size).
Cheers,
/Gary Schloss.
Studio City, CA
schloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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