Tamron 45mm f/1.8 VC Lens Review: Sharp, stabilized and easy on the wallet

posted Friday, September 18, 2015 at 11:37 AM EDT

Best-known as a producer of affordable zoom lenses, Tamron is bringing a new face to their "SP" line of higher-end lenses, starting with two premium, full-frame, f/1.8 primes. Since unveiling both the 35mm f/1.8 VC and 45mm f/1.8 VC lenses a few weeks back, we've had a chance now to test both of these sweet new lenses, beginning with the SP 45mm f/1.8 VC portrait prime.

Not only is the lens nice and sharp wide-open, the all-alumimum construction feels both lightweight and solid. As an added bonus, this full-frame lens is not only fully weather-sealed -- including a gasket around the mount -- it also has built-in image stabilization, making it an all-around unique lens. Offering a slightly wider 45mm focal length than your typical 50mm prime, this lens offers performance and a feature-set well above your average "nifty-fifty," and could be seen as a much more affordable rival to the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art.

For all the details from our in-depth testing of this lens, including image quality analysis as well as image stabilization results, build quality characteristics and autofocus performance, head over to SLRgear for our Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 VC review! (The 35mm f/1.8 VC review will be coming along very shortly. Spoiler alert: it's very good, too!)

Canon 5DS R: f/1.8, 1/3200s, ISO 100

The Tamron 45mm f/1.8 VC comes in at a very competitive price point at around $599, and includes a lens hood and SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.0 image editing software. Check out purchasing links below for more info on pre-ordering, as this lens and the 35mm version are set to hit store shelves at the end of the month. Buying this lens, or any other item, at one of these trusted affiliates helps support this site and keeps the reviews coming!

B&H -- Canon mount, Nikon mount, Sony A-mount
Adorama -- Canon mount, Nikon mount, Sony A-mount

In the meantime, check out some sample photos below shot using the Canon 5DS R and 5DS cameras. You can view more sample photos, plus download the full-resolution files, over at our Flickr page.