Lens of the Month

Tamron's SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD Prime Lens (F016)

By Erica Robinson

Tamron’s SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD is a lens that I almost never leave home without. With its low aperture of F/1.8, its added VC (Vibration Compensation) and its 85mm focal length, it is ideal and most commonly known for its role in the portraiture world. Because of its low aperture of F/1.8, I use it consistently for my environmental portraits. The low aperture allows for both that creamy bokeh look in the background and for my subject to be separated from the background. As professionals, we always need to find ways to draw our viewers eyes in to the most focused part of the image and by making use of the lower apertures in the 85mm F/1.8 prime lens, this is one way to do just that.



In the images below, the SP 85mm was perfect for the shots I was looking to capture. At the 85mm focal length, I was able to be close enough to still talk with my subjects and keep them focused on looking in the direction of the camera. Being too far away, let’s say for example 200mm, my 4-year-old nephew and 3-year-old niece on a swing set likely wouldn’t have paid any attention to me, and being too close, let’s say 35mm, I would have invaded their space too much to where they wouldn’t have been able to play. The focal length has to be just right. Taking advantage of the low aperture, I shot these at f/2.8 to create that separation between the colors in the background and my subjects, still keeping them the most important parts of my images.





Although the 85mm has a known sweet spot for portraits in and out of a studio, its uses have endless possibilities. Given its new physical attributes, it makes for a great lens to accompany other primes in a travel kit. Physically, it is only approximately 24 ounces, so traveling with a few prime lenses is no problem for a long day, and its moisture resistance helps the rugged traveler worry less about being out on a rainy day. Photographers also now have the advantage of the VC, Vibration Compensation. When we are in low light situations and do not have the ability to change that, the VC makes it possible for photographers to hand hold at slower shutter speeds without resulting in images with camera shake. All of these attributes combined, are reasons why the SP 85mm always has a reserved space in my camera bag.