A new era begins for Tamron as the company famous for its zooms moves into the premium fixed-focal-length lens market. Damien Demolder tests the first, a 45mm fast standard.

Want some attention in this DSLR lens-filled world? Introducing a record-setting lens has been a popular business strategy lately and Tamron is once again putting their name in the record books with the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Lens.

This standard lens from Tamron sports a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, silent internal focusing with full time manual override, Vibration Compensation, moisture resistant construction with eBAND and BBAR lens coatings to help suppress ghosting and flare and a special moisture repellent fluorine...

Very good sharpness; especially in the centre; Good build quality; Effective Vibration Compensation system; Moisture resistant construction; Low distortion; Close focusing for a standard; non-macro lens

May be priced a little high at launch

Having watched one of their main rivals, Sigma, garner all the recent plaudits with their popular range of Art lenses, Tamron have responded with the premium quality 35mm and 45mm f/1.8 SP prime lenses.

So why do we use 50mm as a standard? Well, it doesn't really matter, but the maths does explain why Tamron is touting this unusual focal length as a standard for full-frame users. The company isn't the first, either, as Pentax offers a rather nice 43mm f/1.9, and has done for some time.

Tamron's new SP AF 45mm f/1.8 DI VC USD prime lens has few rivals, being slightly wider than a standard 50mm focal length, having a fast (f/1.8) maximum aperture and including weatherproof sealing and integrated stabilisation.

The open aperture is set to F/1.8 with optimized critical properties at a higher level: superb optical performance coupled with a VC system, a shorter MOD, and a well-balanced form factor.

We have it in our heads that 50mm is the standard focal length for 35mm format, and it has been for years. The rule is that the length of the diagonal of the frame, of film or sensor, is the focal length with the ‘normal' angle of view, and that's what makes our standard focal length.

It's the closest thing to a stabilised 50mm lens that also manages to be lightweight and high performing...

Nice and light; Weather seals; Lovely bokeh

Not quite f/1.4