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1. First of all, I feel I should point out that the lens James is referring to is the 55B and not the 55BB. Tamron dropped the tripod mount with the 55BB. It’s also worth noting that the 55BB is a redesigned optic and that Tamron claimed it’s even sharper than the 55B. Well, I don’t know about that — I’ve seen some very sharp photos taken with the 55B.

   I’ve only recently acquired my 55BB. Most of the shots I’ve taken have been of the moon. I was actually surprised at just how sharp this lens is — very nearly as sharp as my Century Precision Optics 500mm f/5.6, which is a very sharp telephoto. The difference in sharpness between the two lenses is, in fact, negligible. I am very impressed.

   A couple of capabilities of this lens that didn’t get mentioned: its close-focusing ability and the degree of rotation of the focusing collar. This Tamron lens is labeled as a “macro” for good reason. It focuses so closely that it can be used for macro photos, but at a very comfortable distance from the subject. Also, the focusing collar rotates through almost 360 degrees. Unlike some cheaper mirror lenses that rotate through maybe 1/4 a circle. Having such a long “throw” to the collar enables the photographer to more easily nail focus. And let me say that, when photographing the moon using a DSLR with Live View and the image magnified 10x, even with the lens’s long focusing throw, focusing still takes a gentle touch. With a short-throw mirror, trying to accomplish the same thing is an exercise in frustration.

   The Tamron 55B or 55BB are usually fairly expensive when they show up on eBay. I got lucky and bought mine at a local camera shop for less than half of what they typically sell for online. Woot!; It came originally with a hood, a case, and a set of filters. Ideally, you want all three items and if they aren’t shown, you should at least ask if they aren’t included. Sometimes the person placing the auction forgets to mention these items.

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