It used to be common seeing people shoot with 135mm telephoto lenses. They were great for portraiture and some of the clearest lenses every made. Virtually every serious photographer had one. Mine was a Pentax "K" mount lens in a 2.2 aperture. Later, I bought one with a 2.8 aperture (I sold the first one, like a fool).

I have not seen a new 135mm telephoto lens in years. If an OEM made a 2.2 aperture 135mm tele, it would be over my budget anyway. So, what's a photographer to do?

Every once in a while you run across a fantastic lens at a great price. Tamron has a lens in its line-up that is just such a lens. The SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di is the closest thing to my old 135 telephoto lenses that I have found in modern times and a great value to boot. So, when I found one at a local camera specialty store, I grabbed it and never let go. It now occupies the place of honor being the resident lens on my favorite digital SLR.

My primary reason for investing in this lens was shooting portraits. Figuring my digital SLR's "lens factor" of 1.5, this Tamron lens equates to about 40mm at wide angle end and 112mm at the telephoto end of the scale. It makes a better working length for the top end and is still wide enough at the low end to get reasonable group shots.

These two portraits are typical of the kind of shooting I do when I work with people in my studio. This lens is not only a great working focal length, it is very clear and is optimized for digital SLRs to prevent ghosting and odd reflections.

My other reason for buying this lens was shooting close-ups, especially wild flowers and commercial work. That's where a 2.8 aperture comes in very handy. The biggest challenge macro shooters face is the wind blowing their subject around while they are stuck using a slow shutter speed to get a good exposure. Their wild flower shots end up being blurry and useless. Without a fast lens and decent shutter speed, you might as well forget shooting insects like bees.

Another great benefit of this lens' 2.8 aperture is depth of field. I can't tell you how many times I have seen digital pix of flowers that had cluttered backgrounds because the camera did not have a wide enough aperture to keep the depth of field shallow. Some flowers in the background can be good and even add some interest, but, if they are as sharp and clear as the subject, they can be a distraction and compete for the viewer's eye.

This next shot is a good example of how a lens with a 2.8 aperture can be beneficial when you want to focus on a subject that is surrounded by distractions. For some reason, park rangers and naturalists frown on photo bugs pruning unwanted plant-life from their field of vision. Debating with the ranger never works and you won't convince them that you are helping beautify the park. So, the next best thing is using a very shallow depth of field.

If you absolutely must deal with the unwanted background objects and a shallow depth of field is not enough, and, there is no other way to compose the shot, there is always Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. You can edit the image and remove it later. That's another benefit of shooting digitally. Personally, I feel that this is the biggest benefit of using a digital SLR. Touching up digital images to remove telephone wires, odd twigs and other background distractions can turn a fair shot into a great one.

If you carefully plan your ourdoor close-up shots, you can usually avoid problems with cluttered backgrounds. There are a few tips that make a big diffence, though.

Always remember, groups of flowers are often much more interesting then a picture of a single blossom. Whenever possible, shoot groups of flowers, not a single flower.

When you shoot close-up images, you need a steady hand or well-made tripod to support your camera. Outdoors, it is not as easy to use a bean bag support or similar device as manufacturers make it sound. Having a tripod that can bottom-mount a camera or one that can use a boom or legs that can spread to any angle is a big asset. Remember, the closer you get to your subject, the steadier you have to be when you click the shutter. Don't waste money on a tiny tripod (those little telescoping leg things are meant for tiny pocket-sized digital cameras, not SLRs so do waste time with them.

I pack along a Manfrotto tripod whenever I shoot. Yes, it is heavier than Velbon, or Sunpack, but it's worth its weight in gold when shooting at slow shutter speeds and macro shots.

If you use close-up filters, a bellows, or barrel extenders to shoot closer than "macro" (which originally was defined as shooting a 1:1 ratio), you absolutely must have a tripod that is stable as a rock. You still might want to use your digital SLR's timer to take the shot or get a remote shutter release of some kind. Even the slightest vibration can ruin an otherwise great image by causing softness or blur. Enlargements would magnify every flaw and could make a soft image totally worthless.

As I said previously, having a fast lens, one with a 2.8 aperture, can make a big difference in low light, and getting close to your subject when shooting the fastest shutter speed possible is the only way to go. The Tamron SP AF28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di will be on your list of favorite lenses if you shoot portraits or close-ups, there's no doubt about it. This lens is a great investment.