It was very meticulous and thoughtful planning that made me choose my new Z Mount Tamron 35-100mm lens. There were a number of other lenses that have been mentioned to me since buying this lens, and they were considered (among others) before I decided to purchase this extraordinary lens.
“Where It Fits”
To give instant perspective to the lens choice, I also own the wonderful Tamron Z16-30mm F/2.8 lens, and for work I also carry two camera bodies when needed. When I’m photographing with two cameras such as for a wedding, event or portrait shoot, the lenses attached are usually a Nikkor Z35mm F/1.4 paired with a Nikkor Z50mm F/1.4 or the Tamron Z90mm F/2.8 macro lens (it was the Viltrox 85mm F/1.8, but I have recently sold that lens).
“The Choices”
Looking first at the Tamron/Nikkor Z28-75 F/2.8 (or even the Nikkor Z24-70 F/2.8 for that matter), I already owned the Nikkor Z24-70 F/4 “S” line lens, but it was a lens that I rarely used, and never used for work (due to it being an F/4 lens and needed for low light). I needed to cover at least 35mm through to 90mm, and although close, the 28-75mm F/2.8 just did not meet the requirements.
Many people have asked why I did not choose the legendary Nikkor 24-120 F/4 “S” lens, and although it is a stunning lens, it is not an F/2.8 lens. Light gathering is everything in my type of photography, and so is bokeh (which so many clients ask for, as it just looks professional to many people). Also, generally in these types of work I try as much as I can to never go wider than 35mm, because once you start getting wider, you get unnatural distortion, plus your images just end up looking like they were taken with a mobile phone, where wide angles are the norm.
“Conclusion”
The Tamron Z35-100mm F/2.8 is small for an F/2.8 lens, nice and light and covers all the most important focal lengths that you need for the photography I do. It is sharp corner to corner and it has an amazing 3D pop up the images it produces. It has extremely close focus at the 35mm end which is perfect for tabletop photos, and very close at 100mm. The bokeh has a swirl to it, and it can be nice and creamy. Autofocus on this lens is instant and accurate, which is always important!
On its own it is an amazing walk around lens, capturing life around you with no distortion, even in low light. Paired with my 16-30 F/2.8, it is a match made in heaven for landscapes, architecture, street photography, portraits, weddings, events, certain sport and even the odd wildlife.
But regardless of which lens you choose for your photography, you can’t go wrong in this day and age. Every lens is amazing for professional and amateur use in 2026!
My name is Mark G Adams and I run Photography By Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography – This Is My Personal Website
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Nikon Recipes for the Z system can be found here.
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