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Tamron 15-30 vs Nikon 14-24 Lens Comparison

In: 
Published: 19/09/2022

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The Nikon 14-24mm remains among the best wide-angle lenses. However, the new Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 proves to be a notable competition. I'm giving you a comparison of the Tamron 15-30mm vs Nikon 14-24 and to see which one would work best for your real estate photography.

Tamron 15-30mm vs Nikon 14-24mm Lense Comparison

The new Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 DI VC USD may be as good as the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G. Having a similar maximum aperture and almost the same focal range, they produce nearly identical image quality in full-resolution.

However, there are a few differences that you need to know. To save you time, I'm going to review the similarities, differences, as well as perks of using the Tamron 15-30mm and the Nikon 14-24.

Perspective

The Tamron 15-30 lens has a broader perspective than the Nikon 14-24 lens, which means there's a greater chance that you may encounter barrel distortion on 14mm and 15mm. A real estate image must have straight lines, so you have to be careful with your composition and angles.

Light Transmission

At first, when taking RAW images, the Nikon 14-24 has better illumination across the whole frame than the Tamron 15-30, despite having the same camera exposure settings. The 1mm difference between 14mm and 15mm can make a significant impact on its ability to collect more light.

Furthermore, Nikon has a higher T-stop rating, which measures the amount of light that passes through the lens. As a result, it performs extraordinarily well in light transmission.

Focus Ring

They both have quick focus and zoom rings, although the Nikon lens tends to suffer from a focus shift in autofocus, which means it has a spherical error that affects the image quality. Meanwhile, the Tamron lens has greater control over both manual focus and autofocus.

Color Balance

Even after increasing the exposure and saturation, the Nikon lens has a cooler color balance on images. In effect, you can get a more accurate color reproduction or display.

Chromatic Aberration

Among the first things you might notice on ultra-wide-angle lenses is that they have some minor chromatic aberration, which creates purple fringes in the corners of an image.

Due to more glasses or optics in the lens, the color wavelengths find it harder to focus on the same focal plane.

However, chromatic aberration won't cause grave problems, especially since you can fix it in Lightroom. Stopping down the f-stop while taking images can also help.

Vignette

This is a tie because you would see the same amount of vignetting or darkening in the edges of an image frame.

When capturing images at the widest apertures, the lens barrel partially blocks the light that enters the front element, creating the dark sides. In some cases, light rays at the periphery of wide-open lenses travel longer than in the center.

To solve this, the first option is to shoot wider and leave space for cropping. Another is to apply the Lens Correction feature in Lightroom to fix vignetting as well as barrel distortion and chromatic aberration.

Coating

Even if you're photographing properties, you may still encounter rainy, humid, cold, and hot weather conditions. This is why coating is an essential feature these days.

The integrated coating of both lenses reduces flares and ghosting when taking images of properties with reflective materials. It also resists moisture and dust.

Man taking a photo using a Nikon camera in front of a mirror

Vibration Reduction

In comparison, Tamron has much better image stabilization because it has vibration reduction capacities. It enhances image clarity by minimizing blur caused by motion shake.

Likewise, shooting properties usually requires a large aperture value to gather as much light as possible, which means you might set a slow shutter speed.

Since real estate photography leans more on capturing still images, you can set a tripod to support the camera shutter speed. When you're taking exterior images, and it's quite windy outside, this feature will also come in handy.

Value for the Money

The Nikon 14-24 lens is more expensive than the Tamron 15-30. Although you can also get great deals by renting or buying secondhand products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use a Tamron Lense for Full-Frame Nikon and Canon Cameras?

Yes, Tamron is a third-party brand that's compatible with full-frame Nikon and Canon cameras, like the Nikon D810. The Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 is also an alternative to the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II. However, you can't interchange the lenses between Nikon and Canon.

Can I Try Other Kinds of Lenses for Real Estate Photography

Yes, you can make use of other lenses with different focal lengths because properties also have varying layouts, dimensions, and features. Prime, tilt-shift, and zoom all have particular purposes, especially in modifying the field of view.

The Verdict

All things considered, the Tamron 15-30 has better focusing, vibration reduction, and cost. Additionally, you can mount it on full-frame Canon and Nikon cameras. On the other hand, the Nikon 14-24 is more powerful in terms of T-stop rating, perspective, light transmission, and color balance.

While both suffer a bit from chromatic aberration and vignetting, they make up for superior coating to combat flaring, ghosting, and environmental elements.

Whichever of the two you like to buy for your camera, it can support your real estate photography needs and help you produce excellent image quality.

17 comments on “Tamron 15-30 vs Nikon 14-24 Lens Comparison”

  1. We have had this new Tamron 15-30mm since it came out this summer, and we are just amazed at the color difference and clarity this lens has! Everything shoots at a much truer image and requires much less post processing time! The only negative is it is MUCH heavier than the last Tamron lens we had. We will sacrifice the weight for the better final product! Best money we have ever spent!

  2. I'm new to real estate photography and just started following this site and I was wondering why the Fuji X series is not included in the list of camera and lenses. Is no one using this system for this practice?

  3. Yep! Super love this lens. Tack sharp, minimal to zero CA, quick focus and handles sun flare really well. It is very heavy - so be prepared for some weight-lifting! Been using this since the very first batch was shipped. (I pre-ordered and received mine before Adobe even had a camera profile for the lens correction, and that was not fun...!)

  4. I agree with Drake. I use Fuji for real estate. It's a great system. XT-1 and both the 14mm and 10-24mm for real estate.

  5. Wow, Dana, you certainly got my attention when you said "minimal to zero CA" ... that's one thing that is a huge pain in r/e photography. Sounds like one for the list, indeedy!! Thanks for the info!!

  6. wonderful lens, works perfectly with my Nikon D610. There is some sun flare and care does need to be taken when shooting with the sun on your face. I tend to avoid the ultra wide end except for very small spaces. Using ACR prior to photoshop, the correction for barrel distortion is quick and accurate

  7. I should have added the VC is really handy - I am confident hand holding even with shutter speeds down to 1/15. Saves using a tripod apart from twilight shoots when the shutter speed gets down to 1/4 or slower. Also it seems to be a good lens for stitching images for panoramic 180 degree views

  8. A week ago a local realtor asked me to photograph a high end home for him. The widest lens I had is the Excellent Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. The problem is that at 24mm I just could not get enough of any bathroom or closet. Everything in small ares looked strained and forced, not relaxed. I thought to myself, I need something wider (That, and I need to learn how to do multiple exposure bracketing and combining images.

    This was my first ever real estate shoot and I am no pro at anything by any means. However, there is a lot of pressure on me to do something to earn some money soon.

    I had things narrowed down to three choices: 1. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 2. Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, and the Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD.

    The shop in Las Vegas had all three so I drove the 80 odd miles to do a first person comparison, albeit, a completely unscientific comparison. There are people that write great reviews of both Canon lenses, and also bad reviews. I've always bought my gear online to avoid the sales tax and the expense of driving to Las Vegas. For this particular purchase I felt I needed to put the lenses on my camera to make a more informed decision. This is the last gear purchase I can make for a long time. Things need to be right.

    When I got to the shop I first looked at the Tamron. This lens is heavy and built like a tank. I like heavy lenses. Heavy lenses just feel good in the hand to me. While it is not so massive as Canon's 11-24mm f/4L USM... it is close weighing less than 3oz less. The Tamron dwarfs Canon's 14mm f/2.8L II USM and is bigger than the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM.

    I'd read several good reviews of all these lenses, but in the back of my mind the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM wasn't going to make it into my bag. I never even held it.

    That only left two choices: The 14mm Canon or the Tamron 15-30mm zoom. The price difference is massive. The Tamron chimes in at $1,199.00 and the Canon screams $1,999.00 Hmmmm...

    Times are hard for me right now. I had a career ending set of injuries and have not worked since January. As such, this purchase has me a little nervous.

    I'm a Canon fan boy. I really am. I clicked off a few photos with the Canon and then the Tamron in the shop with my 5D Mark III. Honestly, on the tiny screen on the back of the camera I can't tell much of a difference if any. The Canon is wider, but is that worth $800 more dollars?

    I chose the Tamron. While the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8 II USM is a fine lens, I feel the Tamron has more to offer at a much more reasonable price. It is not as wide as the Canon. However, it is much more versatile (zoom and vibration control) and costs a whole lot less. The obsessive side of me will have to get used to having a non-Canon lens as part of my gear collection, but I think I'll get over it.

    When I got home I shot a photo of my tiny bathroom and small living room. I think the Tamron will work out well.

    I'd like to thank the owners and participants of this website for the reviews and comments. I just saw the review of the Tamron this morning and I weighed heavily in my decision making. Many thanks to all of you.

  9. @Charles - If you are buying a lens to shoot real estate you don't want a 14mm prime on a full frame body! You want a zoom. Sounds like you made a good choice for real estate.

  10. After shooting faultlessly with my trusty 14-24mm on a D800 for the last couple of years in RE, yesterday an overzealous RE agent bumped my tripod over sending it, lens first, onto the ground : /

    Even with broken hood/petals and a (now) loose front element, It continued to zoom, focus and produce sharp images for the rest of the day, and onto todays shoots! My local authorised Nikon repairers took a look at it today (had to collect another SB910 that I took within an inch of it's life) and said it was an easy repair ±$300 and the lens still looked good (besides the broken bits : )
    Testament to the rugged build quality of the body and lens.

    While I was there they showed me the 15-30mm that they had just repaired (they are also the authorised Tamron repairers) and said that it was getting rave reviews from owners.
    The decision is now I want to get another backup lens while the 14-24 is being repaired. Do I get another 14-24 or give the Tamron a try (about 25% cheaper than the Nikon here in Australia)
    I also consistently shoot most of my RE (especially smaller properties and teeny tiny bathrooms) at 14mm and wondered how much I'd lose in the Tamron compared to the Nikon?

    Anyone have some practical use of the Tamron 15-30 in RE?

  11. I want to purchase a new wide angle lens for interior room photography and am struggling between the Nikkor 14 - 24 f2.8 and the Tamron 15 - 30 f2.8. (I currently have the Nikkor 10-24 f3.5). From all the reviews I have seen it looks like the new Tamron is as good or even better in some regards. My conundrum is loosing the 1mm wide angle. How big a difference does it really make? I have only been able to find exterior and landscape shots on-line to compare, which doesn't provide enough info. Price is not a factor.

  12. @Marilyn- When shooting interiors you will not be able to tell the difference between 14mm and 15mm. Furthermore, when shooting interiors you should NOT be shooting with the lens racked out to it's widest angle (14 or 15 mm) because the perspective distortion in interior shots at these wide angles is very wonky! you should strive to shoot between 20mm and 24 mm. In landscapes shooting at 14 and 15mm is not so noticeable because there typically isn't as many straight lines like there is in interiors.

  13. "Furthermore, when shooting interiors you should NOT be shooting with the lens racked out to it’s widest angle (14 or 15 mm) because the perspective distortion in interior shots at these wide angles is very wonky! you should strive to shoot between 20mm and 24 mm."

    Are you saying Larry that you are better of with let's say a 10 or 12mm minimal focal lens glass and shoot at 15mm, rather than have the Tamron (15-30mm) for example and shoot @ 15mm?

    Assuming the quality of both lens are the same.

    If so, have you heard good things about a glass that wide? (10-12-14mm?)

    Thanks

    Antoine

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