This is the third model in Tamron's line of 90mm f/2.8 macro lenses and the first to offer image stabilization (called vibration correction or VC by Tamron). It's available for Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts--I purchased the Canon mount version. Tamron lenses have always been considered a low-cost alternative to the brand name lenses albeit with a reputation for lower build quality and slightly inferior optical quality. This has started to change however, as they have been producing some real winners lately, in particular the 24-70mm Di VC that was released in the spring of 2012.
Happily, this new version of their 90mm Macro continues that trend. It's predecessor, the AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP 1:1 Macro, was already a well-regarded contender in a somewhat crowded field of ~100mm macro lenses also occupied by Canon, Sigma, Tokina, and Zeiss. It remains the lightest most compact lens of the group at 400g and is optically excellent, however the lack of image stabilization leaves something to be desired.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS is the standard bearer, but is also quite heavy at 625g. The new Tamron has gained an inch in length and is now nearly as long as the Canon, and the weight has increased to 550g, so it is no longer as compact. Still, the difference of 75g or 2.6 oz can matter if you're carrying it around all day, and it's even 50g lighter than the Canon non-IS 100mm Macro.
Here are some of my initial impressions: Auto focus has been greatly improved; the new ultrasonic silent drive motor lives up to its name and is quiet, snappy and accurate. Sharpness and contrast are superb wide open across the field. Ghosting, flare, distortion and chromatic aberration are almost non-existent. Light fall-off (vignetting) is typical at f/2.8, virtually gone at f/4 and completely gone by f/5.6. Bokeh is smooth and rounded at all apertures. Full-time manual focus override is seamless, simply turn the focus ring and shoot; no more fussing with that push-pull clutch mechanism. In short, Tamron has hit it out of the park with this lens and I really like it!
I compared this lens in several tests against the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS and the Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens, two Canon lenses with a similar field of view that consistently rate at the top of the Canon line in terms of image quality. Here are the results:
Sharpness and contrast: It's a virtual tie with all three lenses. If I have to set them apart I would say that wide open the Canon 100L is a hair sharper than the other two, because the blacks are the deepest. But the Tamron really impresses with how sharp it is into the corners, and you have to zoom in to 1:1 magnification or higher to really see any difference. Canon 100L wins, but only by a hair. Stop them down a bit and there is no difference at all.
Light fall-off (peripheral illumination, or vignetting): The Canon 90mm TS-E wins by a landslide with no light fall-off even at f/2.8; as would be expected for a tilt-shift lens. The Canon and Tamron macros have similar amounts of vignetting wide open which is almost gone by f/4. The Canon 100L has an edge over the Tamron if you own a newer camera like the 5D Mark III with built-in lens aberration correction and you only shoot JPEG. Otherwise, if you shoot RAW, you can just correct this in post.
Brightness: Sometimes called the T-stop value in the motion picture industry, it's how much light the lens actually gathers at a particular f-stop. In my tests, the Tamron is 1/3 stop brighter than the Canon 100L which is 1/3 stop brighter than the 90 TS-E (tested at f/5.6).
Weight: Canon 100L. 625g; Canon 90 TS-E, 610g; Tamron 90 VC, 550g. Tamron is the winner.
Cost: The Tamron is the clear winner; the price is $200 more than the non-VC version but it's still a bargain compared to the Canon 100L. Check current pricing as the cost has already dropped since I purchased mine. (I received the difference back, thanks to Amazon's 7 day price guarantee.)
Field of View: Just for reference, the Tamron 90mm actually falls right between the Canon 90mm TS-E and the Canon 100L.
The following apply to the Canon and Tamron Macro lenses only (The Canon TS-E is a manual focus lens with no IS):
Autofocus: Both the Canon and Tamron macros have a focus selector switch with Full, Normal limit, and Macro limit ranges. In focusing back and forth between a close and far subject, they performed equally well, even in low light. This is very impressive for the Tamron since auto-focus is one area where third party lenses tend to lag. They both hunt a bit in the true macro range, or if there is nothing contrasty to lock in on. After some practice, I was able to get the Tamron to auto-focus in the macro range, but many dedicated macro shooters shoot in manual and simply move the camera to focus. A tie.
Image Stabilization: With the Tamron I was able to get sharp results hand-holding down to 1/6 of a second before the keeper rate started to drop off, while with the Canon 100L, the keeper rate started to drop off at 1/10 second. Plus, the Canon IS motor constantly makes a high-pitched whine; it's not very loud but is a bit annoying compared to the Tamron which is virtually silent! I was pleasantly surprised that the Tamron won here.
In summary, the Tamron actually comes in with a slight edge in many respects. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Tamron macro lens above any 100mm 1:1 macro lens, including the Canon 100L, which has until now held the top spot in this field. Check out some of the images I posted. Happy shooting!
UPDATE 3/21/2013: After having used this lens for nearly three months now, my opinion of it has only gotten better. It balances on my camera better than the front-heavy Canon 100L, and the virtually silent image stabilization (aka Vibration Correction) is a real dream. I like it so much that I am tempted to sell my Canon 100L. This has become my favorite macro lens. I also still really like the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro OS for its great image quality, but the size and weight of the Tamron is so much easier to manage.
UPDATE 5/7/2013: I just posted some photos shot at very small apertures (f/25 f/32) with a macro flash. This lens holds up very well when stopped down. The image quality is very good all the way down to f/22 and surprisingly usable at smaller apertures; even the f/32 shot is OK, on the full res version you can make out the eye of an ant! The AF works at macro distances and there is clearly image stabilization steadying the viewfinder in the macro range, which helps take the shot. I don't understand why this lens hasn't caught on yet.
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