Opticallimits

Good
http://www.opticallimits.com/canon_eos_ff/1049-tamron85f18vc

Looks very cool. It seems like I was wrong to have doubted the results of the review published by EPhotoZine.com.

I would get that and the 45 if I had the money right now.

The loca and bokeh seem weak spots. Looks like there are better choices given the large number of 80's available. Don't you agree ?

The bokeh looks nice, actually. Not exactly a weak spot? Foreground bokeh usually is not that important, rather the background renders smoothly than the foreground. LoCA is normal, and not a big issue with this lens.

So lets recap. A lens that is lighter and cheaper than a Canon EF 85mm f1.4 L IS USM and Sigma 85mm f1.4 ART, that renders nicely, offers IS(VC), nope. I can't see better choices.

Not my experience with the copy of the lens I tried. Less sharp and less reliable focus when I tried it. But I didn't do so extentially, so no long AF adjustment. It was just not very snappy and I could not discover a real sharp area in the picture.

Nice to see a full review of this excellent lens........it was the portrait lens I was thinking about.....very nice, sharp and compact....VC is a big plus.....but unfortunately my needs are not sufficient.

#1 for the bokeh........soft/smooth behind where it matters.....

Yes, the paint used is "only just" in terms of robustness and adhesion............very thin!

It's a nice lens, but in the middle of nowhere, I doubt it will make good sales

A week ago, on a whim, I went out and bought this lens, used. So after all the years of yearning, my 85mm itch is finally scratched. Besides, my 45mm Tamron now has a pair.

The 45 was never tested on PZ despite all my whining but I bought the 85 because it got such a stellar result in Klaus's test (I think EPZ also praised it but I put considerably less faith in their scores). I've taken it out on a work shoot (along with its 45mm brother and the mandatory 16-35), and it did not disappoint, in either the sharpness of the AF department.

So a thank you to Klaus is in order. Wish I was in Australia (I have people to see there anyway...) so I could lend my 45 for testing, after all

Thx ;-) Have fun!

I reckon (almost) nobody will come to Covid-Fortress Australia until at least mid-next year - except for the Kiwis.

As if it's any better over here (though a few countries like Japan are open for travel). Ironic enough, in January we closed the border with China to prevent the spread, and now they're returning the favour. Fair enough given how the stuff blooms over here, while China looks a lot better (how much of that is due to possible forceful measures and/or fudged statistics is another question entirely).

Interestingly enough (returning to the lens) a few reviewers - Dustin Abbott for example - mentioned that their units had the prominent DESIGNED IN JAPAN marking coupled, shockingly enough, with the less visible "Made in China" inscriptions. I was curious so checked mine, and it says "Made in Japan" in addition to the bold "DESIGNED" lettering. Maybe some part of them are made on the islands, after all. Not that I've been giving much attention to such things, at least not for the last 20 years, much less getting my knickers in a bunch over this, but still...

The hoods are interchangeable with the 45. That doesn't say much though, since these hoods, oddly enough, fit another lens with a 67mm filter thread, the Canon 24-85 USM, but they're loose on that one (although I would've loved for the 45's hood to be shareable with the 24-85, seeing as how genuine hoods for the old EF lens are now impossible to find). From the side, the 45 and 85 look like they're twins, one of which has had slightly more hamburgers and pizza in its life, but from the front they are not as easy to mix up. Now it looks like I have a killer triple fast prime set at 24, 45 and 85, though maybe, just maybe, the lone Canon L of that bunch should best be exchanged for the Sigma A. I would've done that in a heartbeat if the Sigma had been weather sealed.