First Tests with the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Macro Lens

Fallen Oak Leaf; late day winter sun
(Test with Nikon D800E and the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro VC lens)
(Handheld; ISO 400, 1/800 sec. @ F/6.3)

Several months ago,  I decided it was time to digitize my extensive film files.  I have about 35 years worth of 35mm slides and negatives as well as medium and large format negatives.  Thousands of them, in fact.  Many thousands!  This will be a daunting task.

First, I need to go through them and find the ones worthy of converting to the digital format.  That means opening box after box of 35mm Kodachrome slides, putting them on my 2 ft. lightbox, looking at each slide through an 8X loupe, then deciding if I will digitize it or put it back in the box.  I have to mark all these slides so I can later put them back in their correct boxes.  Also, I will have to do the same for my negatives.

I have already sent three large batches off to Scan Cafe and had them digitized.  The first batch I got back were all out of focus.  All of them!  It took a month or so, but they agreed to redo them.  I was surprised as I had never heard a bad word about them.  The second and third batches were fine.  That is the easy way, but it will be expensive to convert the number of files I anticipate converting.  So, I starting thinking about an alternative method.

I have a Nikon D800E.  Wonderful instrument.  Very large files and terrific RAW files.  No anti-aliasing filter, so to speak.  Sharp.  Why couldn't I use that along with the best macro lens I could find?  No reason, but I would have to do some research and find a great lens and devise a device and technique to copy the files.  My technique would have to flawless to optimize quality.

The results of my initial research led me to buy the very nice Sigma 150mm F/2.8 macro lens with image stabilization.  Very sharp.  One problem.  During my initial lens testing with Focal software, it would not consistently focus.  Therefore, without consistent focus, the software was unable to determine the optimum aperture.  I sent it back.  Back to square one.

Recently, I again started my hunt and narrowed my choice down to the Nikon 105 F/2.8 micro VR and the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD (whatever all that means).  I researched both carefully and decided upon the Tamron instead of the Nikon.  The numbers looked better and, a big plus, it was a couple of hundred dollars less expensive.

1:1 Crop from image above (Test with the Nikon D800E and the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro VC lens)
(Handheld; ISO 400, 1/800 sec. @ F/6.3)

I bought the lens on Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend and scored a $100 discount plus a $100 rebate. Even better!  I put the lens through the three Focal software tests to a) optimize the micro focus adjustment between the lens and my D800E, b) have the software determine optimum aperture as well as produce a chart to allow me to determine other apertures with excellent resolution, and c) check focus consistency.  I am happy to say, those three tests allowed me to learn about my new lens.  I then went outside and did some practical photography with the lens, imported the files into Lightroom and looked at them at 1:1.  The top image is the full frame image and the image here is a 1:1 crop.  I don't know if you can see it well on your monitor, but you can see the fibers in the leaf material.  I handheld this at ISO 400, 1/800 sec. at F/6.3.  Not the best way to test, but if it passed this test, it would pass a tripod test.

One last test will be to copy a couple of slides that I had Scan Cafe copy and personally examine if I can see a difference in their work versus mine.  They save files in 8-bit JPEG, mine will be in 14-bit RAW.  That should also make a difference.  Here is a copy of a Provia 100 slide of an image in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia that I had made several years ago with my Leica M6, 35mm F/2 Summicron Asph. lens.  I made this with just a jury rigged setup with a tripod propped up at an angle against my kitchen table and the camera above and sensor plane parallel to my light box.  I focused using Live View with the D800E on aperture preferred exposure at F/8.  I locked the mirror up and put an additional 3 second shutter delay before it fired.  After a couple of test shots, I found that copying the slide "emulsion side up" is a bit sharper than shooting through the film base.  That would then require the extra step of horizontally reversing the image in the editing process.  But that can be done as a batch process, so it shouldn't meaningfully impact the process.  Lots more tests before I determine my final copying protocol.  I may buy a copy stand and/or construct a system to use highly diffused flash from my Nikon SB-800 and see how that also does.

Nicolson Store on a Clear Winter Afternoon, Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Preliminary Slide Copy Test 1
(Original made with Leica M6, 35mm Summicron Asph., Provia 100 film)

All in all, I'm very pleased with the lens with these preliminary tests and I predict that if I don't get good results in copying my slides and negatives, it won't be the fault of the lens.  I still have to experiment a bit more  Also, I have already determined to make at least three images of each file, defocusing and refocusing each time, to ensure I find the best focus.  I will provide my process after it is fully thought out, tested and developed.

Is it easier to send them off?  Absolutely.  Is it more fun to do it myself and accomplish something new?  Even better.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  Thank you.


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