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Tamron AF 14mm f/2.8 SP Aspherical [IF] (Pentax K) - Review / Lab Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Pentax
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Review by Klaus Schroiff, published May 2007
Special thanks to Patrick Pihl for providing this lens!
Introduction
The Tamron AF 14mm f/2.8 SP Aspherical [IF] is a fairly old lens from the film era.
As such it does not yet benefit from the latest "digital" lens coatings and design
optimizations for image sensors. That said it is certainly still an attractive lens on paper
even for APS-C DSLRs where its field-of-view is equivalent to 21mm (full frame) so
in this scope it gets transformed from an extreme ultra-wide to a mainstream ultra-wide
lens. The Tamron is a pricey lens at around 1100€/US$ - you get lots of big
glass for your bucks here but that's almost twice as expensive as the Sigma AF 14mm f/2.8 EX
or the new Pentax SMC-DA 14mm f/2.8 ED although the latter is admittedly "only" an APS-C
lens (but Pentax will not move back to full format in the foreseeable future anyway).
The SP (Super Performance) lens belongs to Tamron's pro grade lens league.
The build quality of the Tamron is decent based on fairly good quality plastics.
The broad rubberized focus ring operates pretty smooth. If you set the
(independent) AF/MF switch on the lens to AF the focus ring will not rotate
during AF operations. This pushing/pulling AF/MF mechanism doesn't feel overly
high grade. The lens does not extend during focusing. As you have surely noticed
the immense (non-rotating) front element does not allow any front filter mount.
The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the
camera. As a result AF operation will generate a moderate degree of noise.
The AF works very fast on the K10D.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 21 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/4.2 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 14 elements in 12 groups inc. 2 hybrid asphericals |
| Number of aperture blades | 5 |
| min. focus distance | 0.2 m (max. magnification ratio 1:6.5) |
| Dimensions | 87 x 87 mm |
| Weight | 675 g |
| Filter size | - |
| Hood | built-in, petal-shaped |
| Other features | - |
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