So, I’d been hearing a ton about this Tamron 24-70mm lens for ages. Everyone and their dog seemed to have an opinion on it, mostly good, some not so good. I was in the market for a do-it-all kind of lens because, let’s be honest, swapping lenses all the time is a pain, and I needed something reliable for everyday stuff and the occasional gig.
Getting My Hands on the Beast
I finally decided to pull the trigger. Got it delivered, and the unboxing was pretty standard, you know? Box, lens, hood, the usual paperwork you never read. First thing I noticed was the weight. It wasn’t a feather, that’s for sure. Felt solid, though, which I guess is a good thing. The build quality seemed decent enough for a third-party lens. I’ve handled those fancy native lenses that cost an arm and a leg, and this didn’t feel that far off, at least not initially.
The zoom ring was a bit stiff right out of the box. The focus ring was smoother, thankfully. I mounted it on my camera, an old faithful DSLR I’ve had for years. It balanced okay, but yeah, you definitely know it’s there.
First Forays – Out and About
My first real test was just a walk around downtown. I figured that’d give me a good mix of stuff to shoot – buildings, people, maybe a pigeon or two.
- At 24mm, it was wide enough for some decent streetscapes. Pretty happy with that.
- Zooming into 70mm, I tried a few candid shots of people. The compression was nice.
- The autofocus… well, it was mostly okay. Snapped into focus pretty quick in good light. In dimmer spots, it hunted a bit. Not terrible, but not lightning fast like some others I’ve tried. Sometimes it would just miss, and I’d be like, “Come on, it’s right there!”
Sharpness seemed pretty good, especially in the center. I’m not one of those pixel peepers who blows things up to 400%, but for practical purposes, the images looked crisp. The VC, or vibration compensation, Tamron’s fancy name for image stabilization, seemed to work. I have slightly shaky hands, especially after a coffee, and my shots weren’t as blurry as they sometimes can be at slower shutter speeds. That was a definite plus.
Living With It – The Day-to-Day Grind
Over the next few months, this lens pretty much lived on my camera. I took it everywhere. Family events, a couple of small local events I shot for friends, hiking trips. It’s versatile, I’ll give it that. Going from a wide landscape shot to a decent portrait without swapping lenses is super convenient.
But the weight, man. After a full day of carrying it around, my shoulder would be screaming. It’s not just the lens, it’s the lens plus the camera body. It adds up. And that zoom ring? It loosened up a tiny bit, but it never got what I’d call buttery smooth. Sometimes, if I was pointing the camera down, it would creep a little. Annoying, but not a dealbreaker.
Image quality held up. Colors were nice, bokeh was decent enough for a zoom. It wasn’t giving me that magical prime lens separation, but for a workhorse f/2.8 zoom, it did the job. I did notice some vignetting wide open, especially at 24mm. Easy enough to fix in software, but it’s there.
One thing that kinda bugged me was the weather sealing. They say it’s “moisture-resistant,” but I was always a bit antsy using it in anything more than a light drizzle. I’ve seen what real weather sealing looks like on other gear, and this felt more like a “suggestion” of sealing. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
So, What’s the Real Story After All This Time?
Look, is it the best 24-70mm lens ever made? Probably not. The first-party versions from the big camera brands are likely a bit sharper edge-to-edge, focus a tad faster, and maybe feel more refined. But they also cost a heck of a lot more. Like, seriously more.
For what I paid, this Tamron has been a solid performer. It’s taken a beating, been bumped around, and it still churns out great images. It’s been reliable. It’s like that old pickup truck that’s not the prettiest or the fastest, but it starts every time and gets the job done.
There were times I cussed at it, especially when the autofocus missed a critical shot or when my arm felt like it was going to fall off. But then I’d get home, look at the photos, and most of the time, I’d be pretty happy. It forced me to be a bit more deliberate sometimes, which isn’t always a bad thing.
It’s still in my bag. Not for every single shoot, I’ve got other lenses now for specific things. But if I need one lens to cover a lot of ground, and I don’t want to break the bank or my back (too much), it’s often the one I reach for. It’s a compromise, sure, but most gear is, isn’t it? You just gotta find the compromises you can live with. This one, for me, mostly worked out.
