Simply wonderful experience for you thank you for sharing.
Yes looks like the Tamron is front focusing, but it's not really bad and I suspect if you play with it a litle more you'll be getting nice shots with it. Overall witheveryones inputs and your visit to your local photography store I think your seeing some fruitition for your efforts.
Biggest thing you may have learned is just how much camera shake can screw up a picture.
With the Tamron close ups try spot focusing a little to the rear of the of the bit you need in sharp focus.
I have the canon 24-70 L 2.8 it's a nice lens but oh it's heavy, also the 70-200 L 2.8 IS, not the friendliest walk around lense. had the canon 50mm 1.2 it back focused like the devil sent it back to canon and they charged me and still didnt get it right. sold it!
I bought the Tamron 17-50 2.8 without stabilazation and wow it's light, fast and so sharp It's amazing and with acceptable bokah on close ups.
I am actually considering getting the same Tamron lens your not happy with so if ou would like to sell it let me know cvcalderbank@gmail.com
Yes correct, remember a lens can short focus also, just keep your spot focus on the center chart mark
Check out your focus.
Do an online search for "BACK FOCUS CHART" and download the chart (s) you can also check in Hedgehog for info on doing this there have been numerous posts about it.
http://focustestchart.com/focus10.pdf (one of many sites that will tell you what to do)
Set up you camera at about 45 degree angle, focus on the center of the chart using "spot" and take your pic and check your results.
do the same with your other lenses, any problems will show up really fast. You might post us the results how you get on, it could of courser even be the camera..................good luck
Chris
I"m full time, work for a large catalogue/web retailer of stationery and wedding invitations both. Do some wedding stuff for friends and some other bits & pieces.
How are you being given the choice of the TIFF? from your reaw developing program ?
If so the develope as a tiff if you want to use it for image manipulation, a 12 meg raw will become 40 meg as a TIFF but it gives you plenty of beef to mess with also if yur going to be ding HD manipulation and 16 bit development instead of the normal 8bit.
Then convert to jpgs after you have changed things, in the professional world of prep for catalog/magazine printing.
everything starts out RAW-TIFF-EPS
JPG are used for all the casual stuff and home printing etc
One has to wonder how many great sunrises are Photoshop generated.
The old art of just "EXPOSING FOR A REALLY GREAT PICTURE"
and having to accept the color the film gave you are gone.
I love digital it has opened up so much for so many of us but color can now be put in to or taken out of any picture however you choose it to be
Chris