Tamron 135mm F / 2.5 Lens Overview

For the review, special thanks to Maria Skakunova (http://skakunova.com/)

Tamron 2.5 135mm on a modern camera

Tamron 2.5 135mm on a modern camera

TTX of the Tamron 135 mm f / 2.5 lens
Focal length: 135mm
Aperture limits: F / 2.5 - F / 32
Number of Groups / Elements: 4/4
Minimum Focus Distance: 1.2m
Front Filter Diameter: 58mm
The weight: 400g.

Sample photo on Tamron 2.5 135mm. Doll making master

Sample photo on Tamron 2.5 135mm. Doll making master

Tamron 135mm f2.5 Adaptall-2 model 03B - A very interesting manual fix telephoto lens with a large maximum aperture. Perhaps it is very rare to find a lens with such a large focal length and aperture more than 2.8. For example, Nikon, at the moment there are only three analogues, this is Nikon 135mm f / 2.8 AI-s and super lenses Nikon 135mm f / 2 AI-s, Nikon 135mm f / 2 DC. Nikon 135mm f / 3.5 is already twice as dark as Tamron from this review.

Sample photo on Tamron 2.5 135mm

Sample photo on Tamron 2.5 135mm

Important Tamron 135 mm f / 2.5 lens information

  1. Big aperture. F / 2.5 aperture fully operational, and it is 1/3 foot lighter than zooms of the type 70-200 and 80-200 F / 2.8.
  2. Manual lens. And this means that focusing will have to be done manually. For this, the lens has a very convenient, rubberized focus ring. On the Nikon system, a green circle in the lower left corner of the viewfinder will serve as confirmation of successful focusing.
  3. At the lens auto bounce aperture. This means that you can focus on the Nikon system with the aperture fully open, and take a picture at the aperture value that was set on the lens. For this, the lens has an aperture control ring.
  4. Lens fits full frame cameras type Nikon D3(x, s), Nikon D700as well as film cameras. On the cropped matrix, the angle of view will correspond to a 202.5mm lens for a 35mm film. Therefore, in order to remove a person to his full height, you will have to retreat to a decent distance. But portraits with such an effective focal length to shoot is a pleasure.
  5. The lens has integrated telescopic hood. Although it is very small and very poorly helps with side and back light. But still a pleasant useful trifle.
  6. Measurement exposure will only work on older Nikon cameras such as Nikon D200, D300, D7000 and all the top D1-D3. In more detail, about all sorts of obscure measurements with manual lenses in the article Soviet optics.
  7. Well done. Made in Japan - glass and iron. Given that the lens has not been released for a long time, and it all works - an honor and praise to Japanese designers.
Sample photo on Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

Sample photo on Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

Of the disadvantages:

  1. Small stroke of the focus ring. It is quite difficult to get into the depth of field, since a small rotation of the focuser makes large corrections when focusing.
  2. The lens does not particularly tolerate backlight. With side light, the overall contrast of the scene drops.
Photos at Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

Photos at Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

About the picture. Color rendition is very fake. Great bokehSee the examples themselves. My copy gives normal sharpness at a full aperture. Given that they can mainly shoot portraits, at F / 2.5 it is sharp enough for portraits. Excellent sharpness starts with F8.0, but from 16 to 32 softit due to diffraction. Sharpness is maintained throughout the frame field of my cropped matrix. HA quite serious and do not disappear, even if you close the aperture to 8.0. I do not observe distortions, just like vignetting. Since the lens has a large aperture, a long focal length and does not suffer distortion, then he ideal for photographing portraits, and other kind of photos where you need a short fast telephoto. The lens loses contrast in side light. If you take an unprocessed photo from this review, which was taken in the side light of the sun, and set auto levels on it, then there are strong differences in the contrast and in the picture in general between the original and the revision.

Photos at Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

Photos at Tamron F / 2.5 135mm

Personal impressions... I liked the lens very much. The only thing is that it is quite difficult to focus on a fully open aperture. If you are looking for such a lens, then I advise you to pay attention to an excellent option in the role of Jupiter-37A 135mm F / 3.5, which also gives a very high-quality picture and is quite inexpensive. The Jupiter-37A also has a minimum focusing distance of 1.2 meters, but the focusing ring has a longer stroke and is much more pleasant to focus. Well, if you need autofocus, then you have to pay a tidy sum for Nikon 135mm f / 2.0D AF DC-Nikkor or Nikon 80-200mm f / 2.8D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor and the like.

Photo on Tamron 135mm 2.5

Photo on Tamron 135mm 2.5

Nikon becomes on the system through an Adaptall-2 interchangeable shank. Since Tamron does not release its cameras so that lenses can be used on different systems, for a number of old Tamron lenses there is an Adaptall-2 shank that allows you to use the lens on a large number of cameras.

Photo on Tamron 135mm 2.5

Photo on Tamron 135mm 2.5

Sample photos on Tamron 135mm f / 2.5 (no RAW processing -> JPEG, 1600 * 1200 + watermark)

Catalog of modern Tamron lenses can look at this link.

Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.


Conclusions: Tamron 135mm F / 2.5 just wonderful manual portrait lens with a big aperture for such a focal length. The lens doesn’t really like light, and suffers from light HA, the rest is just a wonderful portrait portrait.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

Add a comment: KalekseyG

 

 

Comments: 36, on the topic: Tamron 135mm F / 2.5 lens overview

  • Smetanka

    very good, truly autumn photos)))

    • Arkady Shapoval

      The photos were taken on December 3.12.2011, XNUMX in winter))) it is true that winter is late in Kiev.

  • I am so amazed at the garrison of small obktiv!
    Arkadiy, dyakoy for the review!

  • watch_dog

    For 2.5 super sharp)

  • Masha

    Hello, while I have d5000 ... with him a whale and 50 1.8 af-s
    nooo ... they are very difficult to shoot in the club .. at events ..
    want to choose a variable distance lens ...
    with good color rendering…. sharpness ...
    I liked this lens, but can you advise something .. most likely not from the Nikon link ... that is, the lenses are expensive ((

  • Igor

    good evening! what can you say about the tamron 35-135 f3,5-4,5 lens?

    • anonymous i

      Arkady does not favor manual optics with variable RF, only fixes

  • anonymous i

    If I am not mistaken, does the device have a 8 aperture diaphragm?

  • Sergiy

    I can tell you about the Tamron 135mm F / 2.5 Adaptal II on PENTAX. Scold 1decorum@gmail.com abac 0508203241

  • Gennady

    Question - Is Soligor 135-2.5 not a direct descendant of Tamron? Very similar characteristics

    • Old Makhno

      Probably yes.

  • Vasil

    “About the picture. Color rendition is very irregular ”typo)

  • Natalia

    Good evening! Tell me, please, it’s possible to use Tamron 135mm F / 2.5 on the Nikon D5200 (I’m looking for a portrait and for a macro lens, I would like something two water)

  • Helen

    Tell me, please, is this lens suitable for the Nikon D3000? Thank you

  • Sergei

    I wonder how he will show himself on the Sony A7

    • Paul

      He showed himself perfectly on Sony a7s))

  • Katrusya

    Hello, can you tell me where you can buy this same interchangeable shank in Ukraine?

  • anonym

    What can you say about the Tamron 133mm F2.8 BBAR VULTI C?

    • anonym

      135 mm Ф2.8

      • Lennaganci

        I once chose between them and chose 2.8. The picture is more artistic and plastic, the front is not lilac as 2.5. Great glass

  • Kirill

    Arkady, hello!
    Probably a very strange question, but curiosity overpowers))) The beautiful girl who is here in the photographs, and in the photographs of most of your reviews, who do you have?
    I just really love your reviews and probably read them all, and every time I come across this girl, I am pleased with her beauty and grace ...

    • KalekseyG

      http://www.nata.tv/

      • Kirill

        Thank you very much for the answer, but if you read more carefully, you will notice that my question was somewhat different)

        • KalekseyG

          If you read this blog a lot, you should have found the answer. Arkady can answer, but I will not say anything.

        • KalekseyG

          And yes. I read the question carefully from the beginning, too, between the lines.

    • Ivan

      To find girls who are beautiful and not very usually use other resources ...

  • Vladimir

    I had such a lens. Got it inexpensively in excellent condition and with a proprietary shank that supports aperture control. The picture is amazing ... But ... I sold it. I could not adapt to the tiny move of the focuser ... Every time after shooting I was upset. I decided to save my nerves. Now I use u-37 :)

  • comrade

    I bought such a lens for pentax with the corresponding adaptall-2 adapter (which is simple, for km, without aperture control). But there is a problem: it does not focus on infinity, even if you unscrew it on this infinity. And as luck would have it, everywhere they discuss a similar problem, but for a model of 90mm, not 135mm, which has a different construct. For 90mm, it is advised to remove the focuser’s elastic, underneath the tape and then twist the lens halves, and at 135mm there are only a number of screws in a circle under the elastic that hold the upper half and the focus scale, i.e. I do not understand how to achieve this combination. Maybe someone has already encountered a similar one?

  • Alexey V

    Good afternoon, tell me, can this lens for the Pentax K mount be somehow put on the Nikon F system? Thank you!

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Especially not at all. Sell, buy under Nikon F.

      • Alexey V

        No-no-no, it looks like I figured it out - unscrew this Adaptal for Pentax, buy it on Alik for Nikon! :))

        • Alexey V

          On the other side! )

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