Tamron large aperture telephoto lens + Sigma

A review and photo examples using the Tamron 63B SP 180mm LD [IF] with the SIGMA SD9

Please see the disclaimer regarding advertising here.

Gallery

The sample photos were taken with the SIGMA SD9

Review

Overview
Usability
Add info

1．Overview

The Tamron 63B SP 180mm F2.5 was released in 1992 as a telephoto lens with a focal length of 180mm and the Tamron Adaptall 2 mount.

The main specifications are an aperture of F2.5, a minimum shooting distance of 1.2m, and a fixed lens length due to internal focus.

The lens hood is a metal bayonet hood 73FH.

This lens uses Tamron’s proprietary Adaptall 2 mount, and by replacing the mount, it can be used with SLR lenses from various manufacturers. In addition, if you use an Adaptall 2 adapter, which has many adapters for mirrorless cameras such as Nikon F and Canon EF mounts, it can be used with the latest mirrorless cameras.

2．Usability

Tamron 63B is a manual focus (MF) telephoto lens from the later Adaptall 2 series.

With a focal length of 180m, when shooting with the SIGMA SD9 APS-C sensor (sensor magnification x1.7), it is equivalent to a 306mm telephoto lens in 35mm format.

To mount an Adaptall 2 lens on a SIGMA SLR camera, you can use the SIGMA SA-M42 mount adapter and P/ES mount adapter, or remove the aperture control rod from the PK-A mount adapter for PENTAX K or the PK-M mount adapter and mount it on the camera. The PK-A and PK-M mount adapters can be mounted on Sigma cameras because the mount shapes of the PENTAX-K and SIGMA SA are the same, and the flange back of the PENTAX-K mount is 45.5mm compared to the 44mm of the SIGMA-SA, so although the minimum shooting distance will be a little longer if it can be mounted, it can be used because it is possible to focus at infinity.

When used with a Sigma SLR camera, the actual aperture is used, so there is a drawback in that the viewfinder becomes dark when the aperture value is increased. In this respect, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) of a mirrorless camera is easy to use because the brightness is automatically corrected when the aperture value is increased.

As it is Tamron’s 35th anniversary lens, it is well-built, and the metal lens barrel with an aperture value of F2.5 is heavy at 856g.

The wide focus ring provides a good focus feel. Fine manual focusing is also possible.

When used with an APS-C size sensor, the image is less likely to break down because the center is used, but purple fringing may occur in backlit conditions. If a deep hood is attached, there is almost no annoying flare or gouges in backlit conditions. I have not taken pictures without the hood, so I do not know how well it will withstand backlighting without the hood. The hood can be reversed when stored, so it is best to use it in the upright position only when using it.

The focal length of 180mm may result in images that are a little monotonous, but you can take advantage of the minimum shooting distance of 1.2m and use your feet to adjust the distance from the subject, which is the true joy of a prime lens.

3．Add Info.

Apparently the 63B comes in a limited edition with a gold plate for the 35th anniversary and a regular version, but I’ve actually bought this lens three times, and it always came with a gold plate. I’ve only ever seen the gold plate version on Google Images and in the used market, so it’s interesting to wonder how many non-gold plated versions were made.

In the prime lens era, telephoto lenses over 200mm were used for somewhat specialized purposes, and for general photography, there were only two options: 135mm or 180mm. However, as SLR lenses entered the zoom era and large-aperture zoom lenses such as 70-200mm F2.8 were released by various companies, 135mm and 180mm prime lenses were hardly considered.

In the 2000s and 2010s, this lens could be purchased in good condition for around 20,000 yen, but as the number of lenses decreases, the price of good quality lenses is gradually increasing.

With the advent of the mirrorless era, we are seeing a return to prime lenses, but these are mainly wide-angle lenses, with the telephoto end limited to around 100mm, and the hopes of a 180mm prime lens being released seem slim.

Leica has a large lineup of 180mm lenses, but this lens is capable of rendering that is competitive with the latest two APO lenses, the APO ELMARIT 180mm and APO SUMMICRON 180mm.

Specification

Item	TAMRON	APO LANTHAR	APO-TELYT
focal length(mm)	180	180	180
Maximum aperture	2.5	4	3.4
Minimum aperture	32	22	22
Lens configuration	8	9	8
Leaf blade	10 elements in 7 groups	9 elements in 7 groups	7 elements in 4 groups
Minimum distance(m)	1.2	1.2	2.5
Lens length(mm)	124	79	135
Lens max diameter(mm)	81.5	65.6	68
Filter type	77	49	60
Weight(g)	856	485	750
Hood	73FH	LH-75S	組み込み
Lens mount	ニコンF キヤノンEF ソニーα オリンパスOM キヤノンFD M42 ペンタックスK ライカR CY など	ニコンF オリンパスOM キヤノンFD M42 ペンタックスK CY	ライカR
Production numbers	3000+α	–	17,000
Release date	1988-1992	2003.08	1975
Price	¥133,000	¥65,000	–