Solidly built; compact design; sharpness and image quality in general are really good for prints up to 20x30cm, at some focal lengths and aperture settings even up to 30x40cm; zoom lock is a big help when carrying; attractive price (available only second hand in 2020)

noisy af, which is a bit slow (and sometimes takes two or three attempts); some CA in the corners wide open; strong barrel distortion at 18mm and slight pincushion above 20mm, getting stronger at longer focal lengths;

Very contrasty and sharp.
Solid constuction and zoom ring feels just right, (Not too light or not too heavy.)

Lens zooms out when hanging the camera. Zoom lock is a must when not using.

I brought this lens for Pentax k-m. It now works as Tamron 18-200mm VC since k-m has a in-camera VC. I am using the internal flash less often for natural lighting and slow shatter speed. The max aperture at tele-end is slow but I don't care since I can hand hold it with in-camera VC up to 1/15s. I can rely on the AF of this lens while k-m comes with no focusing points on the viewfinder, and manual focusing is impossible in this dim view finder.

Customer Service

No need to use customer service so far.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 18-200mm (Sold due to soft focus.)
EF 28-105mm (Still own but barely used.)
Tamron 28-200mm (Sold to replace with the following lens.)
Tamron 28-300mm VC (Still own but too heavy.)

GREAT value!

Sharp.

Relatively light weight.

Professional looking results.

Feels very solidly built.

Comes with a great petal lens shade.

Difficulty with low-light auto-focus.

I shoot with a Canon Digital Rebel XT. I only own two lenses. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 and this Tamron 18-200 Zoom. So far, these are all I've needed. If you've seen my outdoor photos on PhotoSig, most of which are shot with the Tamron, you'll see that this glass gives superior results.

The lens feels nice and solid, despite the amount of plastic from which it is constructed. The zoom and focus rings are very solid feeling, not binding, not loose. I've never had a problem with zoom creep, no matter what angle I use and no matter how long the exposure.

As can be expected from the minimum aperture, this is not a low-light lens. This lens is to be used primarily outdoors in good light, or indoors with flash. When used within these parameters, this lens shines.

I've used this lens on my job and as a hobby for over a year. I've had zero problems with it. I have noticed the difficulty auto-focusing in low light that others have mentioned, but as I've said, this is not the lens for that type of shooting. This, in my opinion, is the perfect non-professional travel lens. It's the only one you'll need on a trip.

Customer Service

Haven't needed.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Light ,compact and easy to mount on the camera with the bayonet mount.

Sometimes I wonder if I am not getting sharp enought images.

I bought the telephoto to go with my rebel XT. I wanted it for stormchasing , nature shots and more.The reviews were good and much less expensive then canon of the same type.
'So far so good. Good pictures of tornadoes, wallclouds, supercells and nature stuff. It works well. Have gotten used to most of the "bells and whistles" on the canon to learn how to then use the telephoto well.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

none

Price, image quality

Poor focusing performance...

This lens gives good reults for a general purpose walk around lens. The dowside is that (particularly in lower light condtions) it does have difficulty in focusing and can often be heard huntng .... for a long time. Generally Focusing is accurate but quite slow and noisy. Value for money? Its worth the money I paid but definitely no more. If I was buying again I think I'd probably pay a bit more. Compared to the canon 24 - 105 it has the advantage of price and focal range, but thats all.

Sharp image quality. Good colours with lens coating. Fast to focus, very very well built.

Heavy-ish, otherwise non so far

I read the occasional review that said this lens was absolute rubbish,well,I discount those type of remarks as no lens today falls into that bracket.
It not a light-weight lens by a long shot but feels very well built indeed and has a lovely solid,not stiff,zoom action and I can,with my lens,see no need for the zoom lock as it doesn`t move about at all.
I am using it on my Canon EOS 350D as I wanted a much longer zoom than standard lens supplied with kit. Focusing is very fast and accurate,lens is by no means noisy at all. Results so far have given me very sharp, well coloured images--I do intend to post some later as a photo,as they say,speaks a thousand words. My friend spend a lot more on his Canon 28 135 IS--I think that is the size of the IS lens,am not sure as forgot. He paid almost double,but true to form he had to have the Canon badge as nothing else would be good enough in his opinion.He is now regretting it since he has seen my photographs and I let him use it and try it for himself and he is now convinced it is the far superior lens. Ok one might say,that lens has IS, so what,you only need to increase ISO on the Canon to 400 and the playing field is now level. At that ISO the 350D still gives absolutely noise free images. I think he is going to get rid of lens he has and buy the Tamron. Believe me when I say you have nothing to fear buying it.Unless you are a pro and wish for absolute pro results and your living depends on it,then by all means buy L series Canon glass,or equivalent of course, but if not save your money and but this wonderfull lens from Tamron.

Customer Service

Not needed yet so cannot comment

Similar Products Used:

Sigma --- not a patch on this Tamron

Light, excellent focal range, creditable performance for a consumer grade lens.

It ain't a pro lens !

I bought this lens fully expecting to be disappointed with its shortcomings, but wanting a light walk-about lens for occasional use. I was surprised to find it performed extremely well as a consumer grade lens and now use it almost exclusively. At the wide end its performance exactly matches Canon's EFS 18-55 for resolution, distortion and colour balance - but with slightly less C.A. At the telephoto end it is markedly sharper than my Canon 90-300 (which is marginally sharper again than the 75-300 mk111 it replaced.) Used as a macro at the 200mm end it is quite acceptable - although it's not a patch on my Canon 100mm macro! Focusing is quicker than the canon lenses, but slightly noisy. It has manged to lock on to racehorses, dogs and flying birds. The zoom lock has not been needed since the zoom doesn't creep ... yet! Against the light it is surprisingly free from flare, although contrast does drop. I now use this lens almost exclusively, changing to the only when macro when needed.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

EFS 18-55, 80-200. 75-300, 90-300

Light and short lens Easy to cary Ease of use Sharpness up to 120mm Little vignetting

Sharpness @ 200mm Barrel and distorsion at full opening (18mm)

I bought a Canon 20D with a Tamron 18-200mm. Just though it would be great. And actually it is. No need to speak too much about it. You get the right lens when you need it from 18 to 200mm (i.e. in 35mm format 29 to 320mm). But only for daylight pictures. The lens is short and light enough to be carried on the camera as the every day lens. In term of sharpness, I did some testing with the bundled 18-55mm from Canon which is bad. And the Tamron is significantly better. I did some testing also with the famous 50mm f1.8 @ f8. And surprisingly the Tamron is much better in term of sharpness (details of a house)! Of course the 50mm beats the Tamron when the light is low, such as interior pictures. I regret not to be able to attach pictures to prove it. At 18mm, there is some barrel and distorsion, but not more that the Canon 18-55mm and this is easily corrected by use of the ptlens software (http:/epaperpress.com/ptlens/) At 70mm, sharpness and color are just great. For novice, let say that this is the right focal for portraits. To make a long story short, this lens is great if you are looking for a good lens to do portait or outdoor shooting. And the price is right. I have seen comparison with the Sigma 18-200mm. I don't know how true it is, but I agree that the Tamron is rather soft at 200mm. Nobody's perfect.... To take nice indoor pictures, like architecture or museum, I think you should look for a wide angle zoom with aperture down to f2.8 or less. To capture picture of the wilderness, look for a telezoom with image stabilization. In both case, these are very specialized and expensive lenses. For a good work-horse in any situation, the Tamron 8-200mm fits very well the bill. BTW, I am using a Canon 20D with this lens. No wonder why Canon is the undisputed leader on this market....

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Canon 18-55mm Canon 50mm f1.8