Pros & Cons
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- Exceptional resolution.
- Bright aperture.
- Available for Canon and Nikon SLRs.
- Mirrorless compatibility with adapter.
- Splash
- resistance and fluorine protection.
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- Vignette at wide apertures.
- Not stabilized.
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD Specs
| Dimensions | 4.1 x 3.2 inches |
| Full-Frame Equivalent (Wide) | 35 |
| Mount | Canon EF |
| Mount | Nikon F |
| Optical Stabilization | None |
| Weight | 1.8 |
The photography industry is in a transition period. Stalwart SLR makers Canon and Nikon are finally embracing mirrorless technology whole hog with their respective R and Z systems. But there are a lot of photographers still happily working with a full-frame SLR, whether it be the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV or Nikon D850. The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD ($899) is a wide-angle prime lens, available for either system, that delivers exceptional image quality at about half the price of first-party options. It's a better performer than the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, which has long been our favorite affordable 35mm f/1.4, and earns our Editors' Choice.
Basic Black
The SP 35mm f/1.4 isn't a flashy lens. It's finished in matte black, with a modest silver accent ring at its base. It measures 4.1 by 3.2 inches (HD), weighs 1.8 pounds, and supports 72mm front filters. It's about the same size and weight as others of its type, including the Sigma 35mm F1.4 (3.7 by 3.1 inches, 1.5 pounds), the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM (4.2 by 3.2 inches, 1.7 pounds), and the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G (3.5 by 3.3 inches, 1.3 pounds).
The lens ships with front and rear caps, a reversible lens hood, and a soft pouch. You can buy it in your choice of Canon EF or Nikon F mount, and Tamron has certified it for use with Canon EOS R and Nikon Z mirrorless systems. Sony owners can reach for a third-party adapter, like the Sigma MC-11, to use the lens on an a7 or a9 series camera, though the combination is not one that's officially supported by Tamron.
The lens is housed in a sturdy metal barrel. It's cool to the touch, and offers internal seals to prevent dust and moisture from getting inside. In addition to the standard array of anti-reflective coatings, the front element incorporates fluorine protection. The material repels moisture and oils, which means you'll need to clean your lens less frequently.
On-lens controls are minimal. There's a manual focus ring toward the front. It's wide, and finished in textured rubber, so it's comfortable to grip and turn. There's an AF/MF switch on the side to adjust the focus mode, but manual override is always available, even when the lens is set to autofocus.
Close focus is available to 11.8 inches, measured from the sensor plane. That gives you roughly five inches between the front element and your subject when working near the minimum distance. It's good enough for 1:5 life-size reproduction—pretty typical for a 35mm f/1.4 lens. You can get a bit closer with the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD, which focuses close enough to provide 1:2.5 magnification.
Of course, you lose a bit of light-gathering capability by opting for the SP 35mm f/1.8. You'll save money—it sells for $599—and gain optical stabilization, which isn't a feature you'll find in any competing 35mm f/1.4. Tamron's SP 35mm f/1.8 doesn't stand alone, though—the Canon EF 35mm f/2 USM is another way to go if you want a stabilized 35mm prime. It's not a feature that's essential for still imaging, but stabilization is very important for handheld video recording.
Exceptional Resolution
I tested the SP 35mm f/1.4 along with Canon's highest-resolution SLR, the 50MP EOS 5DS R, and Imatest software. Even at f/1.4, the pair delivers resolution that we consider very good, 3,678 lines. There's a bit of loss of clarity as you move toward the edges, but even the outer periphery shows a good 3,182-line result. This is a lens you can use with little compromise at f/1.4.
Resolution improves to 4,013 lines, an excellent result, at f/2, and gets better at f/2.8 (4,435 lines), before crossing into outstanding territory at f/4 (4,861 lines) and f/5.6 (4,802 lines). Edges lag a little behind average, but it's not worth fretting about. The pair resolves 4,166 lines at f/8, which is still an excellent result.
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Diffraction, the effect that causes light to scatter as it passes through a small opening, sets in a little early on the 5DS R. I wouldn't fret about using the lens at f/8 or f/11 (3,790 lines), but would caution against setting the f-stop to f/16 (3,218 lines) if you're going for the absolute sharpest photo.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
We test lenses along with a camera body and an SFRPlus test chart, but there are other methods. Lensrentals' Roger Cicala tests independently of a camera body using different equipment. His tests mirror what we see—the SP 35mm f/1.4 is one of the best 35mm f/1.4 designs out there. It's a little bit better than Canon's own EF 35mm F1.4L II USM, an $1,800 lens.
There is a little bit of visible barrel distortion, about 1.2 percent. It's a subtle effect, but one you should be aware of if you're using the lens for architectural work. For most images, you won't notice it. Adobe Lightroom includes a lens profile to remove distortion with a single click.
The SP 35mm exhibits a vignette at wider apertures. We measured it as -5.1EV at the corners of the frame when photographing a flat gray field with the lens set to infinity, just slightly less than the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM (-6EV) and Sigma 35mm F1.4 (-5.7EV). It lessens as you stop down, and is essentially gone at f/4.
It's not something you'll notice in every image. It's lessened when focusing close, for example. As with distortion, Lightroom's lens profile compensates for the effect. Canon cameras don't offer in-camera corrections for third-party lenses, but if you're a Nikon owner you'll enjoy a bit of automatic correction when shooting in JPG format if you'd like.
Razor-Sharp Optics, Affordable Price
There's no doubt that the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD is a killer lens. It scores well in the lab and is just as good in the field. It's built tough too, with an all-weather design and fluorine protection. It's not any bigger or heavier than similar lenses, a complaint we lodged against the Sigma 40mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, and is roughly half the cost of similar offerings from Canon and Nikon.
As such, it's an easy lens to recommend for any SLR owner shopping for a 35mm prime. You'll find few other options that match its performance, and certainly none that are as affordable. It's also compatible EOS R and Nikon Z mirrorless systems using an adapter, and if you use the lens with a Z 6 or Z 7, you'll benefit from in-body stabilization.
But I do recommend that photographers who have already moved to a mirrorless system take a bit of caution before investing money in yet another SLR lens. That said, both the EOS R and Nikon Z systems are fairly young, and neither currently has a native 35mm f/1.4 lens available. It's up to you whether to deal with an adapter, or to simply live with an f/1.8 design like the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM or Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S.
The waters are less muddy if you're happily making images with a full-frame Canon or Nikon SLR. The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD is more affordable than first-party options, with better optics and without any compromises in fit and finish. If you're in that boat, and shopping for a new wide-angle prime, it's our Editors' Choice.
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