Zooms up to 300mm Inexpensive Seems solid Plenty sharp

Autofocus is loud, slow Apertures not good for most indoor events

I bought this lens in 2002 when I felt I needed a longer lens for my new camera. Up to that point I only had a 28-80 that came with my Rebel 2000. That didn't get me close enough to some subjects, like animals, birds. I didn't do much research before I bought, just took some salesmen's advice. Some people I knew recommended a Quantaray lens of the same length, and the Canon lens was too expensive for me then. I saw this one and it came with a free 1.4X TC at the time, so I decided to go with it. It has been great. I've used it a lot the past 3 years. I won't go into how sharp or colorful the lens is vs. other lenses. I will say it has worked exactly like it's supposed to since I got it. The macro has been nice for a few things. Plenty sharp for close-ups. The zoom range is good for arenas, but you have to be aware of how much lighting you have. Focus is slow and loud compared to Canon USM lenses, but manual focus is smooth and easy. Generally, this lens is good for outdoors, large amounts of light, or tripod or monopod mounting otherwise. The long focal lengths are good for portraits, but you don't get the thin depth-of-field of lenses with wider apertures.

Customer Service

none so far (on any Canon product)

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 28-80 II, 200mm f2.8, 100mm f2

Price quality of pictures taken( yes you will need a tripod in low light at 300mm)

A bit load motor but i dont care i dont shoot in a library.

This camera , regardless of other reviews I have read, has no faults what so ever when you consider the quality of shots you get to the amount of money you paid. There is not one review or test out there that shows me that an L series lens has 3-4x the optical quality that the tamron lens has, yet they cost 4-10x higher. Is it the best lens, of course not, but it gives you superb quality photo's, and lets be real it only cost you less then 200 bucks. People stop writing reviews comparing it to other lenses that cost 2-5x more unless you can prove there image quality is that much better, and all the independent test will show you that the expensive lens are better but not by much. If you need a pro lens then for sure buy the best lens (Canon L's)but for the majority of photographer that rely on these reviews this lens is a great purchase. Too loud some say then wear ear plugs the noise level really is not that bad. Sorry but i needed to vent. Hate to see people who knock a lens but then tell you the only alternative is to spend over 1000 bucks, give me a break

Similar Products Used:

Canon 18-55 canon 28-135 is usm

very versatile....MACRO function....manual function...range from 70-300......good with a tele converter(on tripod) and WEIGHT! and sharpness and non distortion.. ITS TRULY A BEST BUY!

The price

I have the 572 DE model(it seems theres to models of the same product out there) well,all in all im quite happy with this tamron 70-300 LD and i find it very good considering the prize and weight. Sometimes i hate to bring The heavy >L>glass from Canon with me,or when i travel for joy i bring this Tamron and the Canon 18-55 with me as the only lenses covering a range of 18-300 mm! I either put it on a Digital rebel or Canon EOS 100(lovely machine..both are!)and GET the pictures,of course none of them are in the hight end class but please note the price ! Anyway often when i concentrate and remember to put it on my Manfrotto travel Tripod i get surprisingly good results,and satiesfied with the results. Also remember to put on a good 62 mm filter!

Customer Service

nope

Similar Products Used:

many from canon and nikon minolta of very pro class!

Model 572D is great in the 70-300mm range for distant and close subjects. I prefer the 472D for action/distance shooting, when using a teleconverter.

Model 572D tends to hunt ALOT in low-light closer subject conditions when using a teleconverter.

I own both the 572D 1:2 macro and the 472D 1:3.9 macro models. One thing I have noticed, is that when using the Tamron 1.4 teleconverter with these lenses on my N90, the focus speed is much better on the previous model, especially in low-light conditions.

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 70-300mm (Model 472D)

Very sharp for the price you pay .

you have to stop down to get good quality photos but that is almost with all zooms at this price level and sometimes above .

The lens is very good for the price you pay . You can get good sharpness over the whole range but with good technic . From 70 - 180 the lens is very sharp stoped down 2 stops or more , from 180 - 300 the sharpness declines but still almost not noticeable . In the 300mm setting you have to shoot aperature f/8 - f/16 and speeds from 1/750 and up to get nice results . If you cant get to that speed or aperature dont press the shutter release Set the camera on tripod ! and then shoot . If you want to shoot hand held mainly i recommend using high asa film from 400 and up . To summerize what i said , i dont see the need to spend 1000$ for lets say 80-200 2.8 and have to lug 1.3 kg lens on your shoulder . Take the Tamron and you will use it more often and shoot more pictures , and have more fun :)

Customer Service

None .

Similar Products Used:

nikon 70-300G Good quality pictures but cheaply built .

CHEAP. Light. fast enough

Non really for the price you pay

Good value. I use it with my digital SLR.. so no need for a x1.4. AF is ok. I use it mostly at night, but with high iso setting. can get good photos hand held.

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Many.. but more expensive for same out put

It is amazed to get such a tele lens with this price.

It is a bit noisy and you have to get used to the macro lock function, well, I think it is alright. Afterall, I don't expect a perfect lens for such a cheap price.

It is a very affordable tele lens which comes with 1:2 macro. For beginnger like me, it is a good to buy such a lens, you know, one little price for two function :). It works well for me. I am happy with the 1:2 macro and the tele is also OK. Speaking of tele, the image is relatively not that sharp.

For the price ; allmost all

a little slow AF focus a little soft on the 300 mm..but come on guys..ive seen it selling for 150 usd ?what can you ask for?

This zoom from Tamron is like the marvel prime Canon Ef 50 mm 1,8!! ;(IF you get a good sample),in other words a true best buy where youre money is so well placed that it hurts any pro using 1000 of dollars only getting slightly better results because of the name or other silly reasons. I suspect this model is sold under other brand names costing double up or more!But believe me you cant se any difference.Whether you use it on digital SLRs or normal cams you will be more than satiesfied,its sharp and contrasty with lots of details with very good colour rendition in the hole are only a little tiny soft towards the 300 mm end.And You can still use a teleconverter with good results if only you go manual. What can you ask for more than that??wau....Bravo Tamron !!!!

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

many from nikon canon e.q. 100 -300 mm 70-210 ,70-300 etc.......

Price Lightweight & compact Adequate sharpness and contrast Good build quality Price

Slow autofocus

This lens is small, lightweight, and low cost. It is an ideal lens for travelling or hiking, when weight is an issue. Optical performance is adequate, but not up to professional standards - but then, neither is the price. With a 1.4x teleconverter and good technique, images at 300mm are adequately sharp. With a 2x t/c the optical weakness starts to show itself. Build quality is pretty good - certainly better than some low-end Nikkors I have owned. However it is a consumer lens, and is mainly plastic. Nothing wrong with that, but don't expect it to feel like a professional grade Nikkor. Autofocus is pretty slow, and becomes very slow with a teleconverter (on a Nikon F80). The lens really needs good bright conditions to autofocus successfully. I find that when using a teleconverter I always switch to manual focus. In summary, a good quality consumer lens with the right attributes at the right price. Not to be confused wth a professional lens - this is a consumer zoom, and performs very well when treated as such.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 80-200/2.8ED Tamron 28-200XR Vivitar 100-300 (Blechh!!)

Sharp and contrasty Fairly light and well balanced Nice feel Well made Good macro performance Nice Price Enough focus travel for manual focus Low group count makes it a better match for multipliers

Can't think of any!

This is a very nice lens! I find it sharp and contrasty even at 300 mm. The group count is fairly low, so the contrast and flare performance is quite good. It also allows use of a Kenko 1.5:1 multiplier with very good results. My N80 will autofocus quite well with the multiplier in place, given just a little subject detail and contrast to work with. The balance is very good on camera. Focus travel is long enough to allow easy manual focus, and I use this lens on an FE-2 as well as the N-80. Macro is surprisingly good at 180-300 mm and I also use it with a Nikon 5T close up lens for closer working distances and higher magnifications. For most nature subjects, this works out better for me than a dedicated macro lens.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 70-210 f/3.8-4, Sigma Apo macro 70-300, Pentax 70-210 f/4, Series 1 70-210 f/2.8-4.