11-07-2011, 09:01 AM
Yes really.
The difference in stars is just not justified by the facts in the reviews. In terms of sharpness the lenses were level at f/8 but at wider apertures the tamron was a clear winner. The tamron was slightly ahead in CA and slightly behind in vignetting but nothing significant in ether. Bokeh is not measured with numbers but I defy you to look at the samples and pick a firm winner. In short the theory that underneath the plastic the tamron and sony are optical twins is certainly not disproved by these tests if you assume that the tamron was a slightly better copy.
The difference in stars is just not justified by the facts in the reviews. In terms of sharpness the lenses were level at f/8 but at wider apertures the tamron was a clear winner. The tamron was slightly ahead in CA and slightly behind in vignetting but nothing significant in ether. Bokeh is not measured with numbers but I defy you to look at the samples and pick a firm winner. In short the theory that underneath the plastic the tamron and sony are optical twins is certainly not disproved by these tests if you assume that the tamron was a slightly better copy.