Tamron SP AF 11-18 F4.5-5.6 Di II LD Aspherical IF  reviews

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: kerrath   review date: May-17-13  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 20-40mm F2.7-3.5
Generic 19-35mm F3.5-4.5

price paid:

$235 USD

positive:

-Fairly inexpensive.
-Close focus.
-Sharp at the center.
-Minimal weird distortion.

negative:

-Circle of confusion smearing at the edges.
-Prone to lots of lateral CA and a little longitudinal CA in high-contrast areas.
-No lens profile available.

comment:

So far I've only edited photos done in IR with it, but when I get to my normal color photos, I will be updating my review.

Flare control is mediocre. If there's a bright spot in the scene, it WILL flare. However, with a single light source, it's easy to compose around the source, and the flare it produces isn't actually unpleasant. A benefit and a drawback both.

I'm not impressed with this lens. It's inexpensive and gets the job done, but is otherwise fairly unremarkable. I've associated 'SP' designation with quality, which this lens does not embody.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: tomiZG   review date: January-13-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

- Sigma 15-30
- Samyang 14

price paid:

350 € (new)

positive:

- sharp (enough)
- cheap (compared to all other UWA's)
- colors
- almost no vignetting

negative:

- soft on the long end
- underexposes for 0,3 - 0,6 stops

comment:

Needed an UWA for my aps-c bodies, and to be honest, I like the results. This lens produces sharper pictures wide open than the UWA FF Sigma 15-30 on my a900. Of course it's two different leagues but I am happy to have an UWA for my aps-c bodies.

Sharpness is good wide open at the wide end and not so good on the long end, but I will be using this lens 90% on the 11mm side so I don't care.

Stopping down does not seem to bring any significant benefits on my copy, the sweet spot seems to be at 5.6 at 11mm, this is what I need for events and weddings so I'm happy.

Got a copy in mint (new) condition, could swap it for another lens which I did not need anymore, so the price paid is actually only 130 Euros.
Did not want to spend 800 Euros for the Sigma 8-16 or buy a new Tamron 10-24 for 500 Euros.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: squarepants   review date: January-09-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 17-50
Minolta 35-105

price paid:

330 EUR

positive:

No vignetting
Good sharpness
Compact size
Very light

negative:

Focus ring a bit toyish

comment:

I was a little afraid before I bought this lens, because some reviews I read all over the web were a bit negativ, some were very postitiv. So what's it going to be?

After using this lens for almost a month now, I think it is a great ultra wide lense. I really enjoy using it and the images I get. Sure the body is not as solid as like the beercan, but it makes it light, which is a plus, since I always carry this lens as an additional one in my bag. The sharpness is also great, for this kind of lense at least. The colors are also very good. The focus really isn't the fastest, but it is also not slow.

In conclusion I think it is the best value you can get for the price on the sony alpha system, if you are looking for an ultra wide lense. And since in my opinion the sharpness is already good at maximum aperture, I don't care if there are faster lenses out there.

sharpness: 3 

color: 3 

build: 4 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 4 

user: svendf   review date: February-07-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6 EX DC

price paid:

369 Euro(new)

positive:

Wide
Not heavy

negative:

Under-exposed all the time
Corners didn't get sharp until you really closed it down to F9.0

comment:

This was my first wide and I bought this one new.

What a disappointment.
Within weeks I bought a second hand Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6 EX DC and after comparitive tests I sold the Tamron with a loss of 85 Euro's.

Both had the same amount of sharpness in the centre but the Sigma was sharp in the corners at F6.3 and the Tamron had to be stopped down to F9.0 to become sharp in the corners.
Plus the Sigma didn't under-expose.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: Minolta Head   review date: June-01-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

GBP 232.00

positive:

Enough coverage for anyone.
Light to carry.
Quick to focus.
Sharp enough across it's range.
Good colour.

negative:

Poorly fitting hood.
Have to watch for flair, even in flat light.

comment:

Pretty much my most used lens, that is always in my bag. The 77mm filter size is not the cheapest to buy for.

I have used this model on an Alpha 700 and currently on a Nikon D90. I am going to try it on my Nikon F4s film camera [wide enough to avoid vignette]. Overall my favorite lens. I would reccomend it to anyone, even if only for the shear fun value :-}

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: Vancouver   review date: January-20-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

SAL11-18

price paid:

450 CAD$ New

positive:

Surprisingly no vignette
Very good distortion control
More affordable than SOny version

negative:

Built

comment:

I love this lens. Shotting with it has beeen absolutely pleasurable.
It s quite sharp.
Yes it is not a very bright lens. However I managed to shoot indoor without flash or bumping up ISO too much.

Highly recommended.

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: Kilkry   review date: January-02-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Minolta 70-210 f/4
Sony 18-70 (A100 kit lens)
Sigma 50mm f/2.8

price paid:

400 USD

positive:

11mm, relatively little distortion, quite solid feel.

negative:

Underexposure, too much contrast

comment:

It takes its time focusing, but it's not exactly meant for photographing ferrets so that's ok.

I can get decently sharp photos with it stopped down, but not sharper than for example the kit lens. It sometimes adds too much contrast to photos, and it needs compensation for always underexposing.

It's fun though for its width, and is (in good light) capable of rather fine landscape shots.

I haven't handled any other wides but I quite like the feel of this one in the hand. It's small and feels rather compact.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: stamper   review date: October-16-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

CZ 16-80 F3.5-4.5
(no direct comparison but a bit of overlapping focal range)

price paid:

500 USD (2007)

positive:

Range
Size
Weight

negative:

Slow

comment:

This is my first (and only, so far) wide angle lens and it's been a lot of fun to use it. I don't use it that much, but it comes in handy every now and then.

I originally got this lens for my a100 to augment the 18-200 kit lens. It has seen most use outdoors since the a100 isn't that great with low ISO and using a flash with wide angle takes a bit of planning. I didn't have a clear goal in mind other than to extend range at the wide end, and approached the lens mostly as using a new toy. The most interesting shots were in small quarters such as fishing boats on mountain lakes where you want to take in the entire scene and surroundings, and it does great for those circumstances.

I have since upgraded to an a700 and used the 11-18 for indoor shots as well, using higher ISO settings, and have seen nice results capturing home remodeling projects and so forth. I'm also using a CZ 16-80 on the a700, which overlaps a little bit on the wide end and is much brighter between 16 and 18mm than the 11-18.

The lens is quite sharp but does suffer a bit from flare, even with the hood on. I don't think either of those characteristics are unusual for a wide angle lens. The front element protrudes a bit, and I have used a (large!) filter at times to protect it when in situations where I could see potential for damage (kids, gear on boats). The Zeiss T* coated filter performs well on it, perhaps introducing a slight amount of vignetting at 11mm.

I haven't compared the lens to others in its range.

On APS/C, this is a nice lens that may not see a lot of use, but it's small, light and easy to carry in your bag and you never know when an opportunity arises to pull it out for some fun shots.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 3 

user: jakubh70   review date: October-09-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 10-20, Tokina 19-35, Cosina 19-35

price paid:

350 EUR (new)

positive:

No vignetting problem, close focusing, good sharpness, very light

negative:

Flare can be a problem as for all wide lenses, could be faster

comment:

It's not killing sharp, but sharpness is good from wide open aperture. If one knows how to use ultra wide lenses, won't be dissapointed. There are newer, faster ultra wide lenses on the market, but this one is probably the best when we talk about distortion and equal exposition of whole frame.

I remember horribly dark corners when I used 19-35 lenses on Minolta film cameras, this is something you never get with this lens.

Some shots taken at ultra wide angle come off very dark. I believe this is a problem of beginners that don't feel how large part of much lighter sky is covered by such lens and how it affects AE. Setting AE to central-weighted helps.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Asmok   review date: August-25-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

KM 17-35 f/2.8-4 D

Tam 17-50 f/2.8

Sal 18-70 f/3.5-5.6

Tok 35-70 f/3.5-4.5

Min 50 f/1.7

price paid:

2200 d.kr.

positive:

Sharp - from wide open, but gets sharper when stopped down a bit (sweet spot between f/6.3 and f/11).

Pretty good colour and contrast.

And a very cool focal length!

negative:

Build quality - The lens is build ok, but it doesn´t have that luxury feeling. But again, it is a cheap lens, and I think that Tamron has just focused more on the optics than on the build.

Sometimes colours appear a bit flat.

Underexposes in some situations.

comment:

It is so much fun to use this focal length. I wouldn´t mind if it had been a 11mm prime, cause it´s stuck on 11mm 99% of the time anyway. I recommend this lens for amazing landscape shots, funny portraits and dramatic architecture. Flare is controlled ok. Distortion is hard to judge, cause there is a lot of it, but that´s also what makes the pictures of this lens so awesome!:) Btw. the Tammy 11-18 and 17-50 makes an absolutely amazing combo for the price!

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: jakubh70   review date: July-09-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

SAL-16105, Tokina 19-35, Cosina 19-35

price paid:

330EUR (new)

positive:

Sharp, compact, no vignetting, no purple fringing, great lens

negative:

could be "a bit" faster

comment:

Great ultrawide lens. I considered Sigma 10-20 or newer Tamron 10-24, but after reading reviews I decided to buy this one, which was made for photographers, not for marketing. At 11mm wide open this lens has no visible vignetting effect, no visible CA and is quite sharp. Flare can be a problem, use a hood under bright sun.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: kassandro   review date: January-23-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Konica Minolta 17-35mm/f2.8-4

price paid:

329€ (new)

positive:

superb sharpness when stopped down a little. Usable already wide open. Relatively low distortion.

negative:

Pictures are underexposed without correction, mediocre build quality, small zoom range

comment:

The price of this lens has come down quite a bit in recent months. It is now well below its competitors, which have a somewhat larger zoom range though.
All the ultra wide angles lenses have excellent sharpness in the center. This lens stays surprisingly sharp even at the edges, if you stop down to 6.3 at 11mm and 7.1 at 18mm. If the sun comes from behind or you use the flash, this lens is also usable wide open. Distortion is extremely low for such an ultra wide angle. There is no visible vignetting.
This lens belongs belongs to top Tamron's SP series. However, the build quality is mediocre at best.
Images taken with this lens are notoriously underexposed. I always correct with 2/3 stops. Then some high lights get lost. It turns out that the contrast of this lens is significantly higher than all the other lenses I own. With raw this is not a problem but it definitely limits its JPG usability.

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: josefy   review date: December-08-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

KM 17-35/F2.8-4
Tamron 28-75/F2.8

positive:

ultra wide angle
fair build
good price

negative:

poor sharpness and CAs near left edge area
underexposure (D7D,A700)

comment:

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: yuri1111   review date: November-09-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Minolta 35-105
Minolta 75-300
Minolta 50 1.7
Tamron 19-35

price paid:

378 EUR new

positive:

DOF
close fokus
good AF with 7D
acceptable quality at 11mm f4,5

negative:

nothing realy important

comment:

I always wanted very wide lens for my 7D and when I find one on eBay under 400 EUR, I just got it! It's worth every cent I paid for it. Of course it has some weaknesses, like CA, distortion, plastic build, slow aperture. But, at 11mm one can take pictures so impressive, that all talking about negative sides of this lens becomes irrelevant.
Get one, and enjoy it!

See examples at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38703655@N00/sets/72157603025621962/

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: Mauricio   review date: April-27-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

positive:

Compact light weight
Ultra wide

negative:

Under exposure with A100
Contrasty
Colour?

comment:

It's a buzz using this lens with its great DOF and surprising sharpness. Superb in tight spaces and distortion free for architectural use. Landscapes with a crisp CU under the nose of the lens - so easy. But, like others my example under exposes by 1/2 to 2/3 of a stop. This is more pronounced in bright daylight, also contrast is weirdly harsh. Personally I'm not too sure about the colour - a touch too cold for me. Short comings are easily adjusted to personal taste in PS. Overall, such a useful lens - awesome!

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: jstartin   review date: December-12-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

positive:

Sharp stopped down
Light weight and compact
Can take a permanently mounted filter, for protection
Internal focus and non-rotating front element

negative:

Slight CA, but easily and completely correctable with software
Some underexposure oddities on 5D

comment:

I love this lens; a joy to use! Stopped down (I usually use f/8 or less for the DOF) it is very sharp and probably out-resolves the 6mp sensor by quite a lot.
Some transverse CA at the edges, but RAW and Silkypix Developer Studio fixes this completely.
Odd problem with slight underexposure on my 5D (and noted by others too) - spot metering from an even white surface gives a histogram peak around 0.7 EV below centre.
Mine gives infinity focus at the end stop and not the calibrated mark. I had it checked and it was pronounced OK, so it might be the camera sensor position in the camera - ultra-wide lenses seem very intolerant of such things.
Oh, and for some reason I thought it was going to have a plastic mount - it doesn't - good metal one.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: barri   review date: October-17-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tokina 2.6-2.8/28-70
Sony 1.4/50
Sigma 10-20

price paid:

430 Euro (new)

positive:

leightweight.
acceptable sharpness when stopped down.
best option for the moment.
no back/front focussing issues

negative:

not really very sharp.
all plastic construction.
gives constant underexposure.

comment:

I tested this lens a lot and compared it also to the Sigma 10-20. This lens is currently the best option for Sony A-100 users. It is cheaper than the identical Sony and it gives better (sharper) pics than the Sigma 10-20.
However, sharpness is still not great. You need to stop down to f7.1 or f8 to get o.k. results.
Also, contrast is very high with this lens. I often get problems with insufficient dynamic range provided by my camera.
Finally this lens constantly underexposes 0.5-1 stops. I don't know why this happens, but it is annoying.

sharpness: 5 

color: 3 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: H20boy   review date: July-16-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

My nearest WA lens - 24/2.8
Sigma 10-20 EX

price paid:

500 USD (new)

positive:

Love the wide angle capability; can Tamron's pinch cap count as a positive?

negative:

Appears underexposed, or TOO contrasty; colors bland

comment:

In a tight spot, this lens works wonderfully. I try not to use it if I can find another lens because it has, above distortion qualities, my lens just has a strange exposure to it. A little dark, too much contrast and colors that just don't jump out of the photo like my other lenses. Mine was at Tamron's repair center one week after I bought it new. It just couldn't focus correctly, backfocused horribly! After a realignment, the lens is as sharp as any others . If I do use it, I always add a +1 exposure and drop the contrast in post processing. I just deal with the colors I get as a result. Hopefully, with more experimentation, I can find a filter or a setting that will help this lens be less frustrating to use.

Plastic build doesn't bother me at all. At least its lightweight for such a wide lens.

Thank goodness I can deduct it on my taxes for work related equipment, because a $475 lens that is barely used is quite a waste of funds.

--- Updated ---

After selling this one for a Sigma 10-20 EX model, I can now give it a comparable wide angle reference. The two lenses are comparable in all aspects except for one - distortion. The 11-18 is much more linear at the corners than the Sigma. I never realized how much until I was using the Sigma at 20mm, and I still saw moderate distortion in the corners. The 11-18 at the long end didn't have any. Missing my tamron right about now. :(

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: tankm   review date: June-16-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

positive:

Light. Reasonable sharp.

negative:

Plastic build. Small coverage.

comment:

Plastic body to reduce weight I guess. Not sure it it can stand heavy usage or accidental drop. Sharpnest is reasonable. Better in the center than the edge .

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: terrylloydsmith   review date: March-30-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

409 USD

positive:

Lightweight and plastic but nicely built.

negative:

comment:

Just received this lens and I'm impressed. Purchased it for $409 new, much less than the KM 11-18. Sharpness and contrast is excellent and the build quality is very good. No wobbly lens barrel and focus is smooth. Highly recommended.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: omerbey   review date: December-26-05  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

tokina 12-24, sigma 10-20,

price paid:

520 USD new

positive:

appropriate for AS system. good image quality. flare resistant for such a wide lens, consistent sharpness, perfect colors

negative:

expensive

comment:

Tokina at-x pro 12-24 is a constant 4, sigma has 3mm better range. But most of the time only the wider end will be used, and the lens will be stopped down a good deal. And probably on a tripod. After christmas I will test this lens outdoor and will see if it can deliver a good landscape handheld with AS.

edit 2:
Already tried outside. scape with near object. 1.5" exposure AS on. One out of three is blurry, other one near object a little blurry, the last is good. And I am not a person with very stable hands. So I guess it works well with AS. Don't know how other UWA lenses would fare tho.

edit 3: Tried a 10-20 minolta mount sigma. Tamron's sharpness is definitely better. Already sharp at wide open. better CA control than tokina. Overall better than or as good image quality compared to competition.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 3 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: pramarko   review date: December-25-05  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

positive:

- straight lines stay straight
- low weight
- overall sharpness
- above 15mm can also be used on film cameras

negative:

- i prefer sturdier lenses

comment:

Sharpness falls on the edges and it's a bit soft when wide open. Still, a great performance for a wide angle lens. I use it a lot when shooting indoors. The focusing ring rotates while focusing (i got used to Tokinas focus-clutch mechanism), but this is the case with most Minolta mount lenses.

Not to forget: i'm being tough on rating build quality, i'm spoiled with Tokinas ATX-Pro 28-80 2.8 :)