I’ll be doing the Tamron 11-18 review here.
This is Tamron’s first ever wide angle lens for cropped sensor DSLR.
And it’s the worst Tamron lens ever made. Period.
I borrowed the Canon
Everything is an issue with this lens. Chromatic aberration, distortion, vignetting, expensive, you name it. I don’t even know why Tamron bother making this lens at all.
Don’t waste your time reading this review, go straight to the Conclusion section to see what your alternatives are. However, if you are curious to know why this lens is so bad, then you’re welcome to read this review thoroughly.
Special message to Tamron: Whatever you guys do, don’t ever release this kind of lens again.
Read my Tamron 11-18 review below.
Specs • Performance • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Tamron 11-18 Review Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Tamron SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF)
Focal Length Markings:
11mm, 13mm, 15mm and 18mm
Features:
SP – Better build quality compared to standard Tamron lens.
AF – Autofocus. Allows the lens to focus automatically on your subject.
Di-II – Specially designed for cropped sensor DSLR. You shouldn’t use this lens with a full frame camera.
LD – Low Dispersion Glass to reduce chromatic aberration at the telephoto end.
Aspherical – To minimize the lens’ aberration and distortion.
IF – Internal Focusing. Lens will not change dimension during autofocus. Front element will not rotate, so you can use a polarizing filter with no problems.
Full Technical Specs (from Tamron’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 12 / 15 |
| Angle of View | 103°-75° |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/32 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.25m (9.8″) |
| Filter Thread | 77mm |
| Weight | 355g (12.5oz.) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø83.2mm x 78.6mm (3.3in x 3.1in) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:8 |
| Available for | Canon and Nikon |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Tamron 11-18 Review – Sharpness
The center sharpness is very good in general. However, what really kill this lens is the border sharpness. It’s soft and noticeable to the naked eye, even at the maximum aperture of f/8.
See the result of this Tamron 11-18 review below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di-II Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 11mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 14mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 18mm | n/a | Great | Excellent | Great |
Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di-II Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 11mm | Fair | Good | Good | Good |
| 14mm | n/a | Good | Good | Good |
| 18mm | n/a | Good | Great | Great |
Distortion
Distortion is also an issue on this lens. Throughout the zoom range, barrel distortion is very pronounced, especially at 11mm. To see what I mean, see the unconvincing grid distortion test below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is also an issue on this lens (see why I said this is the worst lens ever?). At any aperture and any focal length, vignetting is visible. See my vignetting test below for more details.
Chromatic Aberration
If you think distortion and vignetting is bad are not enough, the chromatic aberration level makes this lens the worst lens ever. The chromatic aberration is visible on any aperture at any focal length, especially on the corners.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di-II Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 11mm | High | High | High | High |
| 14mm | n/a | Very Low | High | High |
| 18mm | n/a | High | High | High |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
High quality plastics. Made in Japan.
Zoom Ring
Zoom ring is pretty smooth.
Focusing
Focusing ring is also pretty smooth. However, the annoying thing is the focus ring rotates in autofocus mode.
The autofocus speed is pretty fast but a bit noisy.
Compatibility
The Di-II acronym means that this lens can only be used for cropped sensor DSLR. You cannot use this lens for a full frame DSLR (such as Nikon D3
Conclusions
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Well, you’ve read the introduction. I already said this is the worst lens Tamron ever made.
Everything is an issue with this lens.
To summarize, below are my conclusions:
Drawbacks
- Distortion is an issue
- Vignetting is an issue
- Chromatic aberration is an issue
- Expensive
- Need I say more?
Positives
- None (Well, its lightweight, but it doesn’t really help)
Good For
Nothing. Here’s your alternatives:
If you’re using Canon, get the Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 EF-S USM (Amazon
).
If you’re using Nikon DSLR, get the Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 DX AF-S (Amazon
Not So Good For
Everything. See the recommended alternatives above.
What Others Are Saying…
by “Mesmerizer”
So-so performance from an (relatively) expensive lens. I’ve been playing with this lens attached to my EOS 400D for couple of weeks now and I’m affraid it’s not living up to my expectations, or it’s relatively high price. It’s way too soft…
Click here to read the full review
by “M. Rauwolf”
On my Canon 30D, the lens is not quite as sharp as my kit lens (28-135mm). I also get some purple fringes on back-lit edges. There seems to be a lot of contrast, making it hard to get the right exposure – pictures tend to be very overexposed and underexposed in a single shot…
Click here to read the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di-II (IF YOU DARE) from Amazon (best price online):
See these related lens review below as well.
Now I hope you know why you shouldn’t buy this lens after reading my Tamron 11-18 review.
I’ll be doing the Tamron 11-18 review here.
This is Tamron’s first ever wide angle lens for cropped sensor DSLR.
And it’s the worst …
I’ll be doing the Tamron 11-18 review here.
This is Tamron’s first ever wide angle lens for cropped sensor DSLR.
And it’s the worst …
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Help Me Help You
Like this site? Want to keep reading for free? Want to see more good reviews and helpful articles coming? You can help me for FREE!
It's extremely fast and easy. Here's how - Start your online shopping by clicking any of these links: Amazon
How will this help me? When you buy your lenses or anything else from them, I got a tiny fraction of the sales which I will use for paying the maintenance cost of this site. They will also lend me more lenses to review if I hit a certain sales target. The price you pay for any item from those sites is always the same whether you use the above links or not. The only difference when you use the links is that you help me keep this site fresh, alive and FREE for you and for all readers. So, it's a win-win situation for all of us. You, me, everyone.
Please note that I always put you, my readers, as a first priority. Although I sometimes those vendors lend me lenses to review, I am always unbiased in my review. "I will be brutally honest with every review. Don't expect me to always write good stuff about the lens." That's what I told my vendors. And thankfully, they're fine with it.
Finally, you're not planning to shop, but have some extra cash to give out, consider making a small, $5 donation by clicking the "Donate" button below. This can also help paying off the maintenance cost of this site.
I hope to keep serving and helping you with your photography needs.
Many thanks for your support and thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Luke Darma
P.S: Stay in touch with me on Facebook and Twitter (you can add me as a friend):
Luke Darma | Create Your Badge
|
