70-300mm 1:2 Macro is great! Inexpensive

Slow speeds in low light, but consider the price.

I really like this lense, and I bought it because of the reviews on this site. I think hour processing does not do justice to the picture quality afforded by this lense. As I gain more experience with it I like it more and more and the results are better as well. A tripod is a must and keep an eye on shutter speed. But other than that a great lense at a great price. Also got a 1.4 power teleconverter with the deal so that was nice, but the thing hogs light.

Customer Service

Not needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 50MM 1.8 (Amazing lense) Sigma 28MM 2.8

solid build, metal mount, sharp optics, smooth zoom control

a tad noisy, may-be, on my Canon, and for those who really care, a bit on the slow side. But most of us amateurs don't really care. Use 400 speed film!

bought this used as a Promaster lens, which is the same lens, apparently. Have been very satisfied, thus far. The pictures have come out very sharp, even at 300 mm. Pictures of seagulls taken in mid flight have come out perfectly, with every white feather in fine detail. Not a pro lens, but more than adequate for 95% of us.

Customer Service

not yet needed

Similar Products Used:

sigma 100-300

Tamron optics are quite good - not quite those of Canon or Nikon, but still quite good. Shots I''ve produced with this lens rank up there with shots I''ve taken with comparable Canon equipment. The low cost is a bonus - if you''re on a shoestring budget or just don''t feel like dropping quite a bit on a pro telephoto, you have a safe bet here.

Loud as anything. There is a tendency to hunt sometimes, but it depends on what camera body you put it on. I usually shoot this lens on my Canon 7E - it hunts a little bit in servo mode, but otherwise it''s not bad. And of course, it''s rough in low light - but most lenses are unless you have an AF assist light. That''s why they invented manual focus, after all. Also, the included lens hood won''t fit if you stick any kind of filter on the front end, which is a pain. Supposedly you can find older-model screw-in hoods if you look, but Tamron really should''ve thought about that one.

The 70-300 from Tamron is a decent, low-budget telephoto lens. Sure, it''s not a pro lens, but if you''re looking for value with somewhat better than average quality, this one''s a pretty good bet for you. Performs pretty well wide open and just fine when stopped down. Reasonably sharp and reproduces colors quite well, responsive focus and seems to be a fairly high-quality build. The metal lens mount is nice - they could''ve slapped a plastic mount on there just as easily, since this is a consumer-grade lens.

Customer Service

Never needed ''em, which speaks to the value of the lens.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 70-300 f4-5.6, Sigma 70-200 f2.8

Very Sharp at all focal lengths and all important apertures. Lightweight without being flimsy. Well constructed and feels good in the hands. Good autofocusing.

For the price I cant think of any. Maybe it is a bit noisy during autofocus.

I had brought this lens for my Canon EOS10s which I use for general photography (i.e family, travel, vacations etc). I had not done any review for this lens; my only criteria was that the lens should be a cheap one as I already have Nikon F100 and a bunch of lenses for more advanced photography. So when I saw the Tamron 70-300 Macro lens in the shop display I just went ahead and bought it as I liked the look and feel of the lens and my gut feeling told me it was a good lens. Later on I read the review in Popular Photography (July 2001) which said that this is quite a sharp lens. I have been using this lens for about one year and it is quite a sharp lens. The contrast is also very good and the lens is also very light. An excellent choice for the price.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 75-300 F/4-5.6 Nikkor 28-70 F/3.5-4.5 Canon 35-70 F/3.5-4.5 Sigma 24-70 F/3.5-5.6 Tokina 28-80 AT-X PRO Tamron 24-135 F/3.5-5.6

- Sharp enough for amateur work. Can be sharper but you will have to spend more to get that, a lot more. - Clear pictures. Those who are used to P&S camera are surprised by the clarity and vivid color this lens produces. - Keep in mind, this is a consumer grade lens and it wouldn''t be fair to compare it to pro lens. You want professional quality images? Get the professional quality equipments. - Light weight for this zoom range. - Price vs. performance gives this lens a good value.

- Aperture is too small (slow) for indoor sports photography. You will need at least f/2.8 for that and plenty of cash to get it.

For the price, it is a very good lens. Many complements from my friends. The most common one "Your picture is so clear!"..

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon 100-300mm f/4-5.6 USM

1) Low price (relatively; photo gear in Poland is generally much more expensive than in the US) 2) good build quality (the barrel when fully extended doesn''t wobble like the Sigma 70-300 DL which I have handled) 3) quite good sharpness and contrast for a telezoom, and low flare 4) smooth focusing and zooming with no rough spots, adequately wide manual focusing ring 5) relatively fast and quiet AF for a "dark" telezoom when the lighting conditions aren''t too bad 6) very little pincushion distortion between 70 and 100 mm 7) small size and low weight 8) doesn''t tend to creep when pointed up or down (but will creep when jostled if carried with the camera on a strap around the neck or shoulder)

1) image quality falls off somewhat when zoomed out (beyond 200mm) 2) pincushion distortion quite noticeable between 135 and 200mm, still present at 300 (much more disturbing than in the Russian 80-200 F4.5) 3) visible vignetting when used wide open, gone when stopped down 4) focusing ring has a very "fast" gearing which makes for fast AF, but as a result manual focusing when zoomed out requires very small movements of the hand and is difficult 5) handholding the lens when zoomed out is difficult - it would be best to support the front part of the lens with your left hand, but the entire front part which extends when zoomed out rotates when focusing; it''s convenient when focusing manually but not recommended when AF in on! This may be why it might be difficult to avoid blurring the picture - it''s difficult to hold the camera and the lens properly! 6) I don''t really miss the 1:2 macro at longer focal lenghts of the newer model, but I wish the lens could focus closer than 1.5m (5ft) at shorter focal lenghts (70-135mm) - at least down to 1m.

This is for the previous version of the lens, model 472D, with 1:3.9 macro (not the latest model 572D with 1:2 macro). A very useful lens which handles well and has very reasonable image quality; may easily satisfy almost all the telezoom needs of an average amateur who doesnt need fast apertures. To avoid disappointment by unsharp images best used with a tripod when zoomed out (and stopped down).

Customer Service

not used (but only a 12 month warranty in Poland)

Similar Products Used:

Granit 80-200 F4.5 (Russian) - has much less pincushion distortion than the Tamron, but not as sharp Tair 300mm F4.5 (Russian)- sharper than the Tamron @300, no distortion but lower contrast; heavier

Very good value for the money. Sharp (I think the LD glass really helps). Very useful focal length range. Good lense hood

Zoom ring somewhat sloppy and will creep under some conditions. Manual focus ring somewhat underdamped. Build quality about average for price range. No internal focus, so front of lense rotates with change in focus--not so handy with polarizers. No tripod mount, although most lenses in this class do not have them. Light enough that it is probably not a big deal and would add to cost. Be nice if one was offered as an option. Can get a little quivery at longer focal lengths when forced to mount tripod on camera body. AF tends to hunt a little.

I bought this lense as a companion to the Tamron 28-105 4-5.6, and it complements it very well. I often use this lense with a AF 1.4x teleconverter, with very good results. However, as is usual with AF lenses, it will not autofocus reliably past an indicated 4.5 which occurs at about 200mm. I often use this lense wide open at 300mm, sometimes with an extention tube, for soft, dreamy, flower photos, with excellent results. All in all I think that this lense makes a very good companion to the Tamron 28-105 4-5.6, and is a very good value for the price.

Customer Service

Very good

Similar Products Used:

Tamron SP 70-210 3.5-4 Adaptall(just a killerr of a lense; very hard to find; focus to 1:2; only have seen one in person; bought it)
Tamron 80-210, 3.8-4 Adaptall
Sigma 70-300 APO 4-5.6
Pentax 100-300 4.5-5.6

Cost
Picture quality
Range

Not aware of any

As an SLR beginner, I purchased this lens to expand my horizons beyond the 35-80 AF zoom that came with my Pentax ZX-7 camera. I didn't expect too much from it but the price was right - with a $50 off special at Cameraworld plus $30 rebate, plus Cameraworld doubling rebate, I picked this lens up for about $120. Due to my lack of experience, I have some pretty bad shots with it, but the good shots are very good. I have some closeups of apple blossoms that turned out great. The pink colored veins were picked up as well as rain droplets.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 35-80

GREAT RANGE WITH GREAT PICTURE QUALITY. SURE IT'S NOT REALLY FAST, BUT FOR THE PRICE (<$250), IT'S A GREAT LENS. WORKS FLAWLESSLY ON NIKON D SYSTEM.

SLIGHTLY SLOW AT LONG RANGE AND WITH 2X CONVERTER.

A WONDERFUL LENS FOR THE PRICE. IF YOU HAVE MONEY TO BURN AND SCHWARZENEGGER'S, YOU CAN GET A 2.8 LENS. FOR THE REST OF US, TAMRON HAS ALMOST HIT ONE OUT OF THE PARK.

Customer Service

NOT NEEDED

Similar Products Used:

NIKKOR (SAME ZOOM & SPEED)

Very Versatile lense, from tele end all the way to macro, capable of sharp, contrasty images. Has held up to 1yr of weather extremes (-10 to 90+ humidity)

Small manual focusing ring, bit of a pain when using 1.5x teleconvertor on tele end (requires manual focus depending on available light)

Very Versatile lense, tack sharp macro capability, would recommend to any photographer needing to keep wieght down, but still wanting flexability and quality.

Customer Service

Never Needed

Similar Products Used:

None