Tamron 15-30mm Lens

Reporting from the photography department, I am very enthusiastic about the new Tamron wide angle zoom (the SP 15-30MM F/2.8 Di VC USD). Just to note how disruptive the times we live in are... Tamron, the "economy" brand has introduced yet another lens that outperforms much more expensive Nikon or Canon siblings. The lens is extremely solid and delivers optically.

I like the vibration compensation. Yest it is a great addition to a wide angle lens - you can take 1 second photos handheld. Think capturing any type of motion - flowing water or falling snow without a tripod. Also when stopped down in less-than-perfect light, for more depth of field, you don't need to crank up ISO to 6400 or more...

At the same time the 15mm focal length paired with f/2.8 aperture and extremely well controlled coma, makes it a great candidate for night sky photography.

The lens is demanding. I mean the wide angle is demanding. I'm just learning the composition rules for ultra wide and this is a completely different story. Telephoto is sooo easy in comparison: aim, point and shoot and you will always have a great result! Not so with ultra wide. Which is why I'm looking forward to this learning curve. The joy of mastery: this is exactly why we should design some things to be difficult to use.

As a follow-up to the last year's Photo Musings post, it now looks like I will be traveling with two rather heavy pieces of glass: the Tamron 15-30mm F/2.8 and the Nikkor 80-400mm F/4-5.6, the wide mounted on a D750 body and the tele on a D7200. I ended up with the Black Rapid system, which is a must for any body+lens combo exceeding 1kg. Especially the M-Plate Pro makes the system so well balanced.