Very good for the money considering warranty and quality.

None

I don't agree with reviewer stating that pictures taken at 300 mm looked like lens had 6 oz of vaseline on it. Well, 6 oz of vaseline would basically stop all light and you would get no image. Secondly, when I looked at some pictures I shot first, I realized that this lens cannot be so bad so I tried tripod and difference was huge. The point I try to make is that you should improve your technique instead of critizing Tamron. At 300mm it is hard to shot pictures handheld. Probably you need at least 1/1000 of second to minimize camera shake. You just can't compare your 28-90 USM lens with Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. It is just plainly not fair. They are in different categories. They are apples and oranges. For this lens tripod or monopood are highly recommended. I have not tried monopod but I know that it is better than handheld shots but worse than tripod.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good optics for the money. Great warranty. Solid build quality.

Slower focus.

I purchased Tamron AF 70-300mm LD lens for Canon over a month ago. The first roll of film was a bit of disappointing. I liked colors but some pictures lacked sharpness (fuzzy). After that I purchased introduction photography book published by Kodak. I used tripod and Kodak Gold 200 color print film. Pictures were developed on 5x7 photographs at York Labs. All pictures of second roll turned out very nice and sharp (especially considering 200 film on 5x7 pictures). I even made picture of caterpillar in macro mode at 300 mm and f/8 and this turned out very nice as well. All pictures (including ones taken at focal length of 300 mm) turned out very nice. Ultra telephoto lens is demanding but wide-angle lens is forgiving. You have to consider it when you use telephoto lens. You need solid technique; otherwise, you might be disappointed if you take handheld pictures with lower shutter speeds. It is pretty hard to make sharp pictures even at 1/250 shutter speed and 200mm. Tripod works well though (I suggest it to use as much as possible). The larger focal length the harder it gets. I would not feel comfortable with anything slower than 1/250s. Some people mentioned that f/8 gives better results. That is true pretty much for any lens. But at this aperture you need tripod when using ISO 100 films unless you are in sun and at 70 mm. If you can’t use tripod but you want to use this lens then you might use faster films (IS0 200 or ISO 400) to reduce camera shake. Build quality is good and great warranty gives you peace of mind. Customer service is quick too (don’t worry my lens is not broken but I had some technical questions to Tamron). This lens is also sold as Nikon AF 70-300mm ED and users seem to enjoy it as well (even though they pay 100$ more). Focusing is kind of slow, especially in low-light conditions and at larger focal lengths (i.e. 300 mm). You can’t blame lens for it because camera does focusing. At this low amount of light and shallow angle (7 degrees – camera gets not much lights through lens). It is not Tamron but nature of telephoto lens. This is why camera haunts in low-light conditions. Lens comes with lens hood (lens shade) so you don’t have to buy one for this lens. Overall, I am very pleased with pictures and expect even better pictures on ISO 100 films and 4x6 prints. By the way, I used cable release for my Canon Rebel G. Great lens for the money. Period.

Customer Service

Responsive. I needed it for technical questions.

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None

Great clarity-- even at 300.
Excellent price and overal deal.

a bit slow to focus in low-light.

I had read that this lens was essentially a Nikkor, but at a lower price, so after seeing that the Nikkor was at $400, and this lens was a mere $199, I jumped. I had also read that there was a lot of camera shake at 300, and that you should use a tripod if you want any good pictures . . . but I spent the past week without a tripod, using this lens on the Nikon N65 body, and I didn't have ANY blurred pictures. Clarity is excellent-- for example, the fur on the animals I was shooting pictures of is not just one blurry patch-- you can see individual hairs. Granted, if blown up to poster size, some distortion may be present, but I am not planning on doing that, so all is well. If that's what you want to do, you might be better off getting a more expensive lens. But if you want a lightweight lens at an affordable price, look no further. Just use a steady hand, or a tripod if you choose.

I have to mention the deal I got with this lens. The price was $199, I get a $20 rebate, AND a Tamron 1.5x teleconverter. So, essentially, when you add the teleconverter to this and my other lens, I have 4 different lens configurations! Hurrah!

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 28-80
Nikon N65

light weight, price, good resolution, 6 yr warranty.

a little slow to focus at longer focal lenghts and in low light situations

I believe a very good value. I have a Nikon N65 which we use for family photos, kid sporting events like softball and baseball and some wildlife pictures. The lens has performed very well. Canoga had a deal which included a 1.4 tele-converter and a manufacturers $20 rebate which only enhanced the value. I purchased a Tamrac carrying case for the lens which also works well. I like the light weight of the lens. We have run about a dozen rolls of film through the camera with this lens on it and have been very satisified with performance. For the casual photographer taking snapshots of family events, some travel pics etc. I would highly recomment this lens.

Customer Service

not needed

Similar Products Used:

none

Price, Well Construction, light weight

Should have a tripod at 300 MM

I am very please with this lense. Very well made for the price. I also received a tele-converter (1.4) and a $20 rebate. I seem to need a tripod for distances longer than 275 MM to get a clear picture. Lense is great for traveling or back packing. Lense does excellent with close-up portaits. Very comparable, if not better than the Nikon 70-300 ED. This lense goes well with my Nikon N80. Shot at lease 5 rolls using this lense and get better and better results. I would Highly recommend this lense if you want a low price and high quality lense.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 28-200
Nikon 70-300

Lighter weight
Nice feel on my N6006
Decent macro capabilities
Sharp images

Perhaps a little slow. But for mainly outdoor work,this hasn't been a real problem.

I have found this lens to be surprisingly sharp. In simple field tests along with the Nikon 70-300 ED lens, it was equal to, and at the longer end, better than, the Nikon. Most shots were taken on tripod. The macro mode is a real plus; and the reason that I bought this lens and sold Tamron's previous 70-300 model. This makes a perfect portrait lens at it's shorter end as well. The color(patially dependent on film choice)was outstanding. Took some shots at a local cemetery that was all decked out for Memorial Day. Beautiful reds, whites, and blues. That sold me on this lens. If my 'sample' is any indication of the quality of all of these lenses, this one is a real keeper. And inexpensive too.

Customer Service

None required yet.

Similar Products Used:

Previous Tamron 70-300(non-macro)--a fine lens also.
Nikon 70-300
Nikon 75-300
Nikon 70-210 f4

Price.
Quality of image.
Zoom range (especially when coupled with the Tamron 1.4X converter).

None that I've found.

This is perhaps the best value product in my camera bag. The lens is very sharp (on par with the two Nikon Zooms I've used). And, the lens is significantly less expensive than most. The true quality of the lens can only be seen when used with a tripod, of course. The package I got came with the 1.4X convert. The zoom and the converter work quite nicely together with very little loss in image quality (though the light loss when using the converter is a bit painful). This lens, combined with my Nikon 28-105 and the Tamron converter, covers most of my needs quite nicely. I highly recommend this lens to anyone who can function with the apeture settings of f/4-5.6.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28-105
Nikon 28-80
Various Konica Zooms