35mm Prime Lens Comparison - How Does The New Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Compare?

Lens manufacturer Tamron has today announced that its branding and lens designs have had a bit of a makeover and to introduce the new look to the World, Tamron has created two new fast, fixed focal length lenses that promise to deliver 'ultimate performance' in bodies packed with features. 

The new SP 35mm and SP 45mm lenses both feature f/1.8 apertures as well as Tamron's Vibration Compensation (VC) Image Stabilisation system. Both lenses are compatible with full-frame DSLR cameras as well as APS-C format cameras and they will be available from October in Canon and Nikon mounts. There will also be a Sony mount available at a later date but mirrorless fans shouldn't get too excited as it's for the Sony Alpha DSLR range and, as a result, the lens won't feature VC as the Sony DSLR camera bodies already have this built-in. 

With a new design philosophy and a fast aperture that Tamron promises will deliver impressive results even in dim lighting conditions as well as smooth bokeh (background blur) when used wide open, it'll be interesting to see if these lenses will deliver the image quality Tamron SP products have come to be renowned for when we get hands-on with both pieces of kit. For now, as the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts, we thought it would be interesting to compare the specifications of the SP 35mm with the 35mm lens offerings from Canon, Nikon and Sony. Sigma also has a 35mm lens and even though the Tamron 35mm won't be available in a Sigma fit, it's still a lens you may consider adding to your collection. 

The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD offers a similar angle of view to the rest of the lenses featured in our comparison as they're all 35mm lenses designed to be used on full-frame cameras. Max apertures are pretty similar as well with the Tamron and Nikon offering f/1.8 while the Sony, Sigma and one of the Canon lenses feature a max aperture of f/1.4. The other Canon lens featured in our comparison only offers a maximum aperture of f/2 but it does feature IS, and share a minimum aperture value of f/22 with the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G and Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM. The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G and the new Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD have a minimum aperture of f/16. 

The new Tamron offers the closest minimum focusing distance at 20cm and is also one of the lighter 35mm lens weighing just 450g. Only the Tamron SP 35mm and the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM offer Image Stabilisation systems which can help when composing shots but all, apart from the Sony, do offer internal focusing. 

For more details on the specifications, take a look at the below comparison table.

Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Photos of Equipment