Travelling with Tamron

Shelton Muller discusses the benefits of two Tamron lenses he found almost indispensable on his recent overseas assignments.

The travelling photographer cannot afford to be encumbered with too much equipment. Ideally, he wants as much versatility in as few pieces as possible. On the other hand, the images he takes can't suffer in terms of sharpness, colour or distortion. For this reason, the right combination of lenses is important. They need to maintain a balance of versatility and quality.

For my recent travels through Argentina and the Canadian Rockies, I used two lenses more than any others I own - my Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD and my Tamron SP 11-18 F/4.5-5.6 Di II LD. OK, they're a mouthful, but they are fabulous lenses.

Travel can incorporate an unexpected variety of photographic opportunities. The photo tours that I run ensure a vast diversity of image opportunities from landscapes, portrait and culture to social comment and even wildlife. Each destination you visit will offer you images you didn't quite expect. For this reason, a photographer needs to be well equipped so that each opportunity is given its best shot - so to speak.

I have owned the Tamron SP 11-18 for a while now, having travelled with it along the Silk Road in China, through Northern Argentina and recently in the Canadian Rockies. Because I am now shooting entirely digitally, the 11-18 gives me the wide angle I used to get with my 20mm Nikkor, except wider. Not only that, but it is a zoom, and so I can compose more precisely without having to move.

The creative advantage of such a wide angle zoom cannot be overstated. Primarily, a lens of this width can fit much within the frame. But more than that, the sweeping perspective it offers to a landscape creates a dynamic image, allowing for strong foreground interest and powerful leading lines. I have effectively used my Tamron SP 11-18mm zoom for every kind of image from candid environmental portraits to sweeping desert or Rocky Mountain landscapes. It is incredibly sharp and is an invaluable tool for me.

The other Tamron I own is the new 17-50mm F/2.8. The focal length of this zoom provides me with a great working lens, a medium range zoom that has the advantage of its fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. In 35mm terms this is the same as working with a lens of about a 28-80mm range and so it is the perfect lens to sit on your camera and leave there until something else is needed. It is ideal for landscapes and portraits and its f/2.8 aperture means that it can be effectively used in low light conditions and to reduce depth of field. These features suit me perfectly. Again, I have used this lens for everything from portraits of Gaucho cowboys in northern Argentina to alpenglow landscapes in the Canadian Rockies – and much more. This lens is my best friend for most of my wedding photography also. Its range and fast aperture are perfect for that kind of work.

If now I were to combine these two lenses with the Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2, I would have a range of options that would suit my needs in only three lenses. Admittedly, I do carry more than three lenses when I travel because I can. But my point is that if I needed to, I could very effectively travel with these three and have lenses which enable to me to capture almost every conceivable kind of image – even macro. The other option of course would be to use Tamron's 18-200mm zoom in conjunction with their 11-18mm. That would provide you with almost the same versatility, but with one less lens. Personally, I do love that f/2.8 aperture of the 17-50mm however. I am not one for flash, and I often employ wide apertures for minimal depth of field in order to highlight the subject so the 17-50mm F/2.8 works very well for me.

I am now the proud owner of the Tamron SP 180mm F/3.5 Di Macro LD (IF) and I am looking very much forward to using that. No doubt we will get an article on this site about it very soon. Tamron lenses are excellent. For me, they have produced wonderful images that are sharp, colourful and dynamic. To return from overseas with images of that order is very rewarding. To use these lenses in my everyday work here at home is both comforting and convenient. They are indispensable to me now.

Shelton Muller is a Melbourne-based photographer and the editor of Total Image and Better Pictures magazines. He can be contacted via his website at www.photographybyshelton.com