Tamron 20 mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2 review - Summary

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Tamron 20 mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2

27 March 2020

Maciej Latałło

11. Summary

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Pros:

very good image quality in frame centre,
lack of problems related to longitudinal chromatic aberration,
slight lateral chromatic aberration,
good correction of coma,
properly corrected astigmatism,
sensible performance against bright light,
silent and accurate autofocus,
macro 1:2 mode.

Cons:

some problems with spherical aberration,
huge vignetting on full frame,
monstrous distortion,
slow autofocus.

I can't say I am charmed by this lens. I would expect a better performance, especially with a price tag of $349. Tamron optics specialists gave up on distortion correction so they should have guaranteed a better performance on the edge of the frame. Apart from that the lens is not especially small and its vignetting level suggests otherwise; in fact it performs as if it was the smallest 'pancake' available on the market.

Fortunately such serious slip-ups as monstous distortion, a very slow autofocus or huge vignetting, not especially sensitive to stopping down of the aperture, are recompensed by several serious assets. You get very sharp images in the frame centre, no matter what apperture you employ, you don't experience any problems connected to chromatic aberration, astigmatism, or coma, and the performance against bright light is really sensible. You also shouldn't forget about the 1:2 macro mode which allows you to use the tested lens in a bit more creative way than your standard 2.8/20 instrument.

Overall I would have far less objections to recommending the purchase of this lens if its price was reduced. However, if you manage to find any bargains, cash-backs or special offers or if its price is lowered after a while it might be a really interesting option and a good, wide-angle addition to the very well-put-together Tamron 28-75 mm.