Macro Lovers, You’re Going to Want This Lens: We Tested the New Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD

If you're in the market for a new macro lens for your Sony E or Nikon Z mount, you're definitely going to want to check out the new Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD. I recently had the pleasure of testing this lens to review for you all, and I have to say, in price, quality, and features, it is spot on. Let's dive into it, and I'll share why.

Right off the bat, this macro lens is packed with features and thoughtfully engineered for beautiful macro imagery on full frame mirrorless camera bodies. The first point I want to draw attention to about this lens is that it has a 12-blade circular aperture design. This means it creates a perfectly circular bokeh wide open. So if you love having a tack-sharp subject and a perfectly creamy background, you're going to love this lens. You can also stop down to use it to create 12-point starbursts instead. You'll see in my example photos, as I'm someone who loves a shallow depth of field, that I was enjoying using this lens so much. I'm so sad to have to send it back to Tamron.

In using the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD for about a month on all different kinds of subjects, I noticed that it was extremely fast to autofocus. This is due to the high-speed and high-precision VXD elements, which improve both locking onto a subject and tracking performance. One trick I like to use when photographing macro subjects is continuous autofocus mode, even if I'm on a tripod. That way, if the flower or insect I'm photographing moves slightly, my focus will still stay locked onto the target. Between my camera's continuous AF and the high-precision VXD, my focus remains tack sharp and locked onto exactly what I want.

Customization Features

The next point about focusing that I have to mention is the focus-limiting switch. This switch allows you to reduce your autofocus range and prevent it from searching or hunting. This is such a common trouble spot when photographing tiny macro subjects on a busy background. Solving that problem is a big help! Tamron took it a step further—not only does this lens have a focus-limiting switch, it even has three settings. Most only have two! First, you have full range if you don’t want to limit anything. Then there's an Infinity to 0.7m setting for distant subjects. Lastly, there’s a 0.7m to MOD setting for subjects up close to the minimum focusing distance. I found myself using this last setting most often. When up close to those tiny details, I wanted my equipment to know what I was doing so I didn’t have any frustration from it trying to focus elsewhere. Most lenses only have two settings, so with three, you really have customization just the way you like it.

Speaking of customization, the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is also compatible with the Tamron Lens Utility Software. This allows you to customize settings, assign functions, and update the firmware when new releases come out. Because the lens has an assignable focus set button, you can use Tamron Lens Utility Software to reconfigure the button and set your lens up just how you like it.

In addition to the assignable focus button and focus-limiter switch, this lens also has one more little improvement that I really enjoyed. It’s a small but thoughtful detail—the lens hood has a specially designed sliding window. This window means you can rotate a circular polarizing filter or swap out your filter without having to disassemble everything. Because I often photograph in both vertical and horizontal compositions, and as you know, using a circular polarizing filter means adjusting its rotation as you turn the camera. With the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD, the little window slides right open, allowing me to rotate the filter and orient it properly. Or, if I decide I don’t want the filter or want to adjust its strength, there’s that window again. This matters when you're already very, very close to the subject doing macro, and you don't want to disturb whatever you're photographing. It’s so easy, and I got so used to it that I didn’t even have to take my eye away from the viewfinder to rotate my polarizing filter through that window.

Main Stats

For photographers who like a small form factor, this lens is compact, at just 5 in. in length and weighing only 1.4 lb. It uses a 67 mm filter size. As is common in modern macro lenses, its maximum aperture wide open is f/2.8. Its minimum focus distance is 9.1 in. All of these specifications mean that whether you're using the lens’s autofocus to shoot handheld or on a tripod, you can get up super close to the subject, as we like for macro.

Additional features in this lens, commonly found in modern Tamron lenses, include protective elements. You’ve probably heard me mention these often. I never want to let weather, heat, humidity, cold, or anything else get in the way of photographing. So I’m always happy to see when a lens like this Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD macro has moisture-resistant construction and fluorine coating.

Nerd Time

The BBAR-G2 coating is a specific feature of this lens. Not to nerd out on you too much, but that’s Tamron’s latest Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 coating. It’s a technology that reduces ghosting and flare. It’s made up of multiple layers of both low- and high-index materials deposited onto the lens surface using Electron Beam Deposition. Whether or not all of these technical details are your thing, what matters most is what this technology means in use. With the BBAR-G2 coating, you’ll get fine subject detail with true clarity and increased contrast, regardless of lighting conditions. Paired with the fluorine coating, which is water- and oil-repellent, you’re well equipped.

Long story short, if you're out photographing in a little light rain, you don’t have to worry. Humidity, no problem. Snow, no big deal. I know for myself, when there's a bit of weather—snow or dew in the morning—that’s my favorite time to photograph! Golden sunrise light with foliage and flowers will have little water droplets in warm seasons or frost on them in cold. Even if you get a cloudy sky overhead, that is just nature’s giant softbox, creating the gentlest, most even lighting. Knowing that my gear is protected with moisture-resistant construction and coatings, I can keep photographing without worry. However, if the weather suddenly turns for the worse and there’s a downpour, I always keep a rain cover in my camera bag just in case.

Field Test

So we've discussed the specs and features of this lens, but let's talk about how it performed in the field. The timing of me receiving this lens for review couldn’t have been better. I got it at the very end of September, which for me in the northern hemisphere meant a whole month of playing with it during autumn colors. I took it on all of my autumn road trips and hiking adventures, photographing everything from leaves, to late-blooming flowers, insects, fungi, and all the little woodland textures and colors you can find. Testing it in a variety of locations and subjects, on different days and in different light, really gives you an idea of how this lens will stand up to real use in your kit.

You’ll hear me say it often, but I really did enjoy the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD macro lens. The focus limiter and how fast and sharp it was—it just kept me taking macro pictures. I’d get lost for hours exploring tiny details on the forest floor. The focus limiter helped ensure that I only focused on what I wanted. So I would approach photography in little sessions. Sometimes, switching your mindset from big panoramics to macro can be difficult. For me, I’d set the focus limiter at 0.7m to minimum and start with only the tiniest, closest textures. Then, I might wander farther to find larger subjects. That’s when I’d switch the focus limiter to the opposite range, from 0.7m to infinity, and start thinking in that size and range. This feature helped me compartmentalize and make more sense of the chaotic forest floor, with all its hues and layers. Feel free to click on the gallery images in this review to see the fine macro details and colors up close.

Forest Flat Lay Series

If you’ve seen other reviews or follow me online, you know I love creating flat lays using organic materials from the forest. If you’re unfamiliar, flat lays are images taken directly above, like a bird’s-eye view, of carefully arranged objects. It’s often used in high-end product or commercial photography. Instead, I like to use it with leaves and sticks. I’m quirky like that. This lens was perfect for flat lays, and I included some pictures above of the flat lays I created and photographed with it. As someone who paints, draws, and sculpts in addition to photographing, flat lays activate the artistic part of me, where I’m creating by hand and curating in addition to photographing. The fast, sharp Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD macro lens with its 3-mode focus limiter switch was the perfect tool for achieving these artistic visions.

Want One? Me too

All in all, this is a fine showing from Tamron in its newest generation macro lens. It has an array of features suited for macro photography combined with high-quality optics at a price point many will find accessible. As I mentioned earlier, I am sad to send this lens back—I was having so much fun photographing with it. The Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD macro lens just released for purchase on October 24th at $699 in mounts for both Sony E and Nikon Z full-frame mirrorless. If you would like to add the Tamron macro to your kit before me, you can find it here on B&H.com.