Is This the Best Lens Available Today?

We are living in an age of incredible lenses that offer combinations of versatility, performance, and image quality that were unimaginable even just a decade ago. One lens makes a strong case for the best combination of those aforementioned factors, however, and it is from a manufacturer you might not expect. 

Tamron has recently established themselves as a company that creates affordable yet high-quality lenses. However, they have also branched out into more extreme designs, and perhaps the most emblematic example of that latter trend is the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, which Stefan Malloch reviews here. It was not until just a few years ago that a full frame zoom lens with a maximum aperture wider than f/2.8 was even a remote possibility, but since the introduction of the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L, we have seen a slow increase in these more extreme designs that blur the line between prime and zoom. Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 provides arguably even more versatility by offering a huge range of common focal lengths, and it does so at an impressively affordable price considering all the lenses it replaces. Check out the video above for Malloch's full thoughts. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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5 Comments

Well, I suppose the title will draw the punters; but, that's not what he said.

To address your question, I suspect the "best" lens would be something like an Zeiss Otus or Schneider (Phase One).

This site regularly posts other peoples video's then gives the 'article' a clickbaity headline that isn't said in the video. Quite annoying.

If it were my opinion, despite having not used the lens, I'd probably say, yeah, the 35-150 is the best all rounder on the market. I rarely shoot wider than 35, and having 150 at f2.8 is completely nuts. That said, the vast majority of my photos are taken at 85, so maybe the best lens for imo would be the best available 85mm equivalent - maybe a Canon or Sony f/1.2.

Why does this site keep freezing? Tried to post a number of times...given up 😞

It depends on your style. For me 35mm on the short end would not be enough. I would take a 24-70 over a 35-150 every day of the week. I don't crave the best possible image quality, good is good enough. And the weight of over 1 kg is simply too much for me. I would not use it even if somebody gave me the lens for free.