The Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD prime lens is a fast short telephoto in the classic focal length for portraits. It is also a focal length that usually offers the very best of the lens makers' art, so the standard expected is very high. It is a 35mm-format "full frame" lens.

Beautiful; high-quality images; Fast and silent AF; Effective VC system; Very well controlled CA; Excellent flare resistance; 5-year warranty; Low distortion; Beautiful bokeh

Limited choice of mounts

The new Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is an exciting lens, offering built-in vibration compensation and weather-sealing, which the comparable lenses from Sigma, Canon and Nikon do not feature.

The Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD prime lens is a fast short telephoto in the classic focal length for portraits. It is also a focal length that usually offers the very best of the lens makers' art, so the standard expected is very high. It is a 35mm-format "full frame" lens.

Just received my 85VC. Optically it's perfect -- wide open resolution is amazing, coma and chromatic aberrations are non-existent, and flare resistance is very good. However it is so big and heavy, much larger and heavier than my Samyang 85/1.4 and approaching the Sigma 85EX.

Top notch optics; Very good focus speed and accuracy; Vibration reduction is usable

Focus drift with residual spherical aberration; Very big and heavy; Expensive

Andy Westlake tests Tamron's new image stabilised short telephoto prime

It's fair to say that third party lens manufacturers have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years. From Samyang's inexpensive but optically fine manual focus primes through to Zeiss's premium optics, photographers now have more choice than for many a year.

Tamron's 85mm f/1.8 combines a fast aperture with optical stabilisation I have to admit I was a little sceptical about the Tamron 85mm f/1.8 when I first started testing it; it's big, heavy and expensive for its type, and conventional wisdom might have you think that image stabilisation is redundant...

The lenses is lighter than it looks so it's well balanced on smaller body SLRs. Focuses fast and image stabilization is great. Aperture of 1.8 is nice but competing lenses are faster. If you get this lens you are trading faster aperture for image stabilization.

Tamron made a big to-do about its latest line of SP lenses , easily identified by a silver ring at their base. Four , all with image stabilization, have been released to date, and they've all been excellent performers.

Extremely sharp; Minimal distortion; Wide aperture; Optical stabilization system; Available for multiple camera systems; Full-frame coverage

Dim corners at wide apertures; Pricey

When it comes to portrait photography, full-frame users instinctively reach for their 85mm lens, as this focal length tends to produce the most flattering results. Tamron's latest release in its new-look range is a stylish 85mm f/1.8 that boasts a sleek, clean design and a special coating that...