Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF) 35mm Zoom
Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF) 35mm Zoom
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[Sep 23, 2001]
lindavid
Intermediate
Strength:
28 300 focal length
Weakness:
soft photos-slow autofocus-poor cutomer service I have used this lens for approx. 1 year and would not recommend.Photos are soft at every focal length over 150mm.Slow autofocus. Customer Service They have customer service????? Similar Products Used: 75 300 vivatar-28mm canon-50mm canon(all were sharper lenses than the tamron 28 300) |
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[Aug 07, 2000]
Bruce Anthony
Intermediate
Strength:
Light and compact. Great flexibility and value. I don't need to change lenses anymore.
Weakness:
Kind of slow so you need to use higher film speeds. I use ISO 400 at f/8 to f/16 with good results. I've had it for a year and I like it a lot. Probably not the lens for someone who is looking for a perfectly sharp photo, but great for the amateur or someone who needs a lot of quick flexibility. Plan to stay in the middle aperature range for best results and use fast film in telephoto unless you're in bright sunlight. Similar Products Used: Lots of Canon stuff but I use this lens on a Nikon. |
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[Aug 05, 2000]
Judy Kim
Intermediate
Strength:
This lens is a good choice if you want the convenience of having a wide-angle, normal, and telephoto lens in one. Switching from a wide shot to a close up is very quick. This lens also has a macro setting.
Weakness:
Very slow. It is very difficult to take a picture indoors or in low light situations without a flash. The image quality also deteriorates at the extreme upper and lower ends. Good lens for the convenience and the price. Would suggest it for casual photography but is not the best choice for critical pictures. Similar Products Used: None |
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[Jul 31, 2000]
Bill Carr
Intermediate
Strength:
Ability to move from close up 28mm to distance 300mm with close to 1/2 turn rotation of focus ring. Low weight for quality unit with this flexibility. Lock feature easily accessed by the forefinger of the grip hand to keep lens from extending and injuring the lens mechanism with rapid movement with the camera in the rest position hanging on your neck strap.
Weakness:
None with the unit. Excellent in use and easily adapts you to many varied uses with just a roll of the focus ring. Customer Service Have had no need for service but the unit has a 6 year factory warranty, that is extendable by one year purchased on a credit card. Similar Products Used: A 80-300 unit of questionable manufacture that weighed several pounds and was bulky in use. |
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[Jul 16, 2000]
John Freitag
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
Stupendous focal range
Weakness:
Slow I am very happy with this lens. After the mount failed I treat it rather delicately but that may have been a manufacturing flaw. Customer Service Not tested Similar Products Used: None |
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[Jun 30, 2000]
Larry Fabian
Expert
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
I can't complain about its portability, ease to use and its compactness when traveling.
Weakness:
Its weaknesses are negated when used with an AF APS camera. I fell in love with this lens because of the added 200-300mm extension. There are other competitive lenses from 80 to 200mm and I was only looking for a 28 to 135mm originally to go with my Nikon 6i. Compared with the lenses I carried with the Canon and the Nikon I use with the Tamron, my shoulder no longer hurts. For an old and grizzly veteran, the Tamron is a savior for someone that is tired of carrying a lot of lenses. Its sharpness is comparable to my FD lenses but I didn't buy it to phase them out but to extend my photo experience as I slowly go out to pasture. I would suggest this lens to someone who is too lazy to change lenses and who doesn't like cleaning the inside of their camera. If someone is on a strict budget, this is the only lens they need. This lens is fun. Customer Service None Similar Products Used: Canon FTb, EF, EOS 1, 1n |
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[May 26, 2000]
Christopher Johnson
Expert
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
Compact. Versatile. Solidly built.
Weakness:
Has lots of difficulty focusing in low light. Slow aperture. A nice lens. Fun to use. Produces nice results. Would like it to be a bit faster (aperture). Can be frustrating trying to get it to fucus in low light/low contrast situations. But, all-in-all I'm very pleased with the lens. Customer Service None. Similar Products Used: Sigma 70-300 |
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[May 18, 2000]
J Smith
Intermediate
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
One lense that can do it (almost) all! Compact, reasonably light weight. Very sharp up through about 150-200mm.
Weakness:
Fights to focus at the 300mm extreame, especially in low light situations. Have to refocus as you zoom in and out. Picked this lense up a year ago and have run about 100+ rolls of film through! Picture quality has been very good. Reliability has been excellent. I use it for about 90% of all my shots. I have always been told you can't have a lense that does it all but in my opinion this one comes pretty close. Customer Service Not Needed Similar Products Used: Tokina 70-210 |
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[May 12, 2000]
Ollen Mullis
Casual
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
Replaces multiple lenses at a fraction of the weight, yet produces excellent results. I bartered a Nikon 8008s from my best friend for some cabinet work. Came with Nikon 28-85mm/f3.5-4.5 and he's been letting me borrow his Nikon 80-200mm/f2.8. I have a trip to Belize coming up this summer with my son and have been more than slightly dreading the weight and the responsibility of keeping up with that big f2.8 lens. Bought the Tamron 28-300 and shot a roll of Kodak 200 to compare. Back-to-back photos of same subject with 1st the Tamron, always using the widest aperature it would provide, then one or the other Nikon, as needed to match focal length, using the same f-stop as the Tamron and letting shutter speed float. Just got the prints back today, scanned them at 600 dpi and zoomed in 200%... and side by side on my 19" monitor, the Tamron photos are just as good as the Nikons. On the 200mm shots, there is some SLIGHT corner darkening from the Tamron, but how many people put the subject of interest way out in the corner anyway? Hey, for a 2/3 reduction in total weight (the 2 Nikons weigh 1740g combined; the Tamron is 585g!) and no lens-swapping, it has me smiling ear-to-ear and chuckling out loud.
Weakness:
AF is slower than the 2 Nikon lenses I have to compare it to, but I'm not an action/sports shooter, typically. So far (1 roll, admittedly), so GREAT! I try to be a practical sort, not an elitist. I don't need oxygen-free copper wire to listen to my music and I don't need top-of-the-line, pro-grade, f2.8 lenses when I shoot photos. This lens, so far, seems like an outstanding choice for me. For the price (and weight) difference and the significant convenience of a single lens, this is a purchase I'm GLAD to have made. Customer Service Not applicable. Have not used. Similar Products Used: None (no all-in-ones, anyway). |
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[May 12, 2000]
Isaac Oshima
Intermediate
Model Reviewed:
AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF)
Strength:
Great lens for the price. I used this lens to replace a two lens system (canon 28-70 and 70-210). I am fairly happy with this.
Weakness:
With lens hood in place and long focal lengths; the autofocus has a hard time. Good lens for the price. Very useful for most shots. I use this as my primary lens with others for other situations like low light etc... Similar Products Used: None |