The Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 Di II LD[IF] Macro 1:1 lens is available for purchase. That's quite a title, right? What's with all those letters? Are they really important?

Here's the explanation:

SP = High performance specifications (I know, pretty obscure)

AF = stands for auto focus

F/2 = the widest aperture is F/2.0

Di II = this lens is made for digital cameras (not film cameras)

LD = Low Dispersion glass

IF = Internal focusing

Lots of techy stuff represented in those letters. But are they really important? You bet they are!

The technology that goes into the Tamron 60mm macro lens makes it quite special, and those letters give us an indication of just exactly what that technology is.

In spite of the long list, there are a couple of "letters" that could make this an even sweeter lens - VC and USD. VC stands for Vibration Compensation, and USD stands for Ultrasonic Silent Drive. This would add something similar to Image Stabilization and Fast Focus. In spite of being excellent additions to the technology of the lens, they would add lots to the price tag, making it too expensive for the many intended users.

Who are the intended users? This lens can only be attached to APS-C type cameras... Oh, no, not more letters. APS-C cameras are digital SLR cameras with a smaller than "full frame" image sensor. These are cameras like the Digital Rebels in the Canon line and the D5000 in the Nikon line.

The great part about being for APS-C cameras is that those cameras now have a really GREAT macro lens readily available to them.

Here are two of the most outstanding features of the Tamron 60mm Macro Lens.

1. Image quality is superior. It was commonly acknowledged that the image quality was beyond the expectations of each person who reviewed the lens. Just a short aside here - prime lenses, that is those lenses with only one focal length, tend to produce the very best image quality, typically much better than zoom lenses.

2. Depth of Field. Bokeh is a term bandied about by photographers referring to the blurring of the background of a photograph. It happens when the depth of the focal plane is not very deep. This is true of this macro lens. It has a very shallow focal plane allowing for a nice blurring effect that helps the main part of the photo stand out even more.

This statement by the manufacturer is significant: The Tamron 60mm Macro lens is the only lens in the World that can boast an F/2.0 aperture at that focal length. The closest rival has as its largest aperture F/2.8.

It is a macro lens, but that is not the only type of photography you can do with this lens. Portraits are also produced with excellent results using the 60mm lens. Many photographers use a 50mm lens for portraits, but this one worked exceptionally well for taking sharp portraits.

Much has been mentioned in favor of the Tamron 60mm Macro lens. But are there any negatives?

There actually is one feature that has caused some negative feedback. The lens has auto focus with a manual override. That means that you can use the camera to get the focus automatically, but if you feel that you can tweak the focus manually to get it sharper, you can do that. The complaint is that the reviewing photographers had trouble with this feature, because the lens tended to try to revert back to auto focus.

This is a problem with some other macro models, too. The problem is due to the closeness of the camera lens to the actual subject of the photo and the very narrow depth of field. The lens tries to "search" for the right focus. With the Tamron 60mm Macro lens, the testers agreed that they were able to master this problem, but it was somewhat of a negative in their evaluation.

All in all this is a really great lens for entry level to mid level digital slr cameras. Photographers who are looking for a really good macro lens without having to break the bank are able to pick up this one for a fairly realistic price.