good optics for a zoom of this range. excellent range also, and at 5.6 (at 300mm) it isnt that slow. It can still be used for shooting outdoor sports events. Really an incredible lens for the price, just as good as the Nikkor at $100 less!

focuses slow, but not a problem. I dont mind using manual focus.

The optics are better than acceptable. It may not be as sharp as a prime lens, but the image quality is still very good. For the price it is unbeatable.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28-105
Nikon 28mm, 50mm 1.8

Seems very robust, great clear shots so far.

Tends to hunt a bit at higher end at close subjects - suspect though it is me moving somewhat.

Great value - good optics and am waiting to take on my next trip to the UK to see if my choices have been good for new camera and lenses

Customer Service

Never needed - this is my 5th Tamron for various NIKONs.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 70-210 AF D

Wonderful lens for what you pay. Excellent value rating. Focuses well even zoomed in to 300. Sturdy feel yet fairly light weight. Smooth operation. Takes sharp pics.

A little noisy and tends to seek a little at 300.

Definitely will recommend to all my friends and family. Great price, great pics. Superb warranty. Really lets you get in close.

Customer Service

None Yet

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-135 USM IS
Canon 28-105 USM
Canon 50mm f/1.8 II

I'll defer to others who will vouch for optical quality. Photozone survey results rate optics of this lens at par with Canon 100-300 USM.
Attractively priced.

Auto-focus is very slow with a tendancy to hunt. Construction quality feels suspect, leaving concerns over how well the lens will hold up.

I purchased this lens on the basis of glowing comments posted by other users at this site, optical tests showing it to be comparable to the Canon 100-300, positive previous experience with Tamron, and an attractive price. However, I immediately found the auto-focus to be unacceptably slow (on an EOS-3). I owned this lens for 1 day, and then returned it to the camera store. I do place a high priority on auto-focus speed. For those shooting subjects which are more stationary, this lens might perform perfectly fine. However, I would caution prospective buyers to ensure they can live with the slow AF speed. For $100 more, I'm much happier with the Canon USM lens.

Customer Service

Not required.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 100-300 f/4.5-5.6 USM
Canon 28-135 IS
Sigma 70-210
Tamron 200-500 (manual focus)

Great optics - images are sharp and crisp from the 70 to the 300mm range;

Lightweight for hiking/backpacking, comfortable feel;

Priced right.

Would like to see a wider manual focus "ring", otherwise could not find weakness.

Would I buy this lens again? Yes!

Excellent optics, the LD element and internal (lens) construction looks very close to the Nikkor 70-300 ED, it appears the LD element is in the same grouping as the ED element on the Nikkor.

Enlarged print film taken from the Denver Zoo, and was very impressed with the image quality. (ISO 200 Fuji Sueria print film, Nikon N90s)

This lens would be a good candidate to be added to Tamron SP series - would like to see the external consrtuction match their other SP lenses and added to their 6 year warranty program.

We may see the quality of 3rd party lenses greatly improve and compete directly with "prime" lenses in the coming years. I give Tamron credit for their efforts...

Customer Service

Customer Service was not needed. But responses to questions before pruchase was quick and accurate.

Their pamphlet sold me on their lens - I was asked to pay for pamphlets fom Sigma (tacky of Sigma!).

Similar Products Used:

tested and tried:
Nikkor 70-300 ED
Sigma 70-300 APO

Its a great lens for the money, comes with a lens hood, and it gives you a wide range.

None

Its a great lens!!!

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

None

Can't beat it for the money. Feels sturdy. Good quality even at full zoom. Comes with lens hood.

None so far.

I looked at several lenses in this zoom range. None could beat this lens for anything close to the money. LD optics give great results. Feels well built. Great warranty.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-80 USM

Well built, with construction feel the same as or slightly better than Nikon's consumer-grade lenses.

When focused manually, the throw is ample and barely adequately-damped.

Sharp at all apertures from 70mm to about 250mm, with surprisingly beautiful, round bokeh. It has slowly become my favorite portrait lens.

Actually delivers competent results at 300mm, if your technique is solid.

Fairly even illumination at 70mm when shot wide open; stopping down even a half-stop helps and by a full stop down it's very even.

Marginally adequate close focusing ability.

The 70mm wide end is just wide enough that the lens works well as a one-lens solution for places like the zoo. With my 80-200/2.8D, I always wish it had a smidgen more on the wide end.

Works extremely well with a diopter (either the cheap sets or the Nikon 6T). Works OK on a short tube (PK-11A), but not with a teleconverter.

Much quicker (but noisier) AF than my 80-200/2.8D.

Zoom creep is prevalent, and if you carry it mounted on a camera slung over your neck or shoulder, the jostling will have it at vulnerable full extension in no time.

Focusing goes in the opposite direction from Nikkor lenses, a minor annoyance when using this lens manually.

Bayonet-mount hood blocks the use of a polarizer (or grad, if you use one), so I found an old Tamron 58mm screw-in hood that works fine.

At 300mm, there is light fall-off wide open, which is discernable even one stop down. Keep in mind that this is a clear blue-sky test; in real-world shooting of real-life subjects I never noticed the fall-off.

No comparison with a 300mm prime - but if you really need 300mm, get a 300mm lens. Suggestion: the old Tamron 300/5.6 is pretty good and can be found cheaply. Of course, the Nikkor 300s are superb but pricey.

I've owned two versions of this lens, the 372DN and 472DN (the N stands for Nikon mount). These two models have slightly different specs, but the only physical giveaways are that the 372D has a zoom ring with raised "Tamron" logo lettering and a somewhat flimsy plastic bayonet-mount hood with white lettering; the new 472D has plain ribs and a sturdy plastic bayonet-mount hood with gold lettering. I emailed Tamron and asked if there were any optical or mechanical differences, and they said that the two lenses are optically and mechanically identical. My experience was that the older 372D was soft at 300mm; the newer 472D is much crisper at 300mm but still no substitute for a fixed 300mm. Minimum focus is about 4-1/2 feet throughout its zoom range - I often wish it were a little closer so I carry a #1 close-up lens as a matter of course. With a 6T on a step-up ring, the results are extremely good. The street price recently dropped to less than $200, less a $30 rebate, which makes it a real bargain. The specs for this lens and the Nikon 70-300 f/4-5.6 ED AF-D are virtually identical, and some people suspect that the Nikon is a re-badged Tamron. As for me, I think the Tamron's performance is strong enough that I wouldn't spend twice as much on the Nikon even if it were twice as good.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 80-200/2.8D
Nikkor 300/4.5 EDIF (no comparison)
Nikkor 300/4 (no comparison)

Also, the previous version of this same lens.

I found this at a very good price, and bought it to team with my Tamron 28-105, good match, I agree that the LD glass tends to yeild a sharper image most of the time, is pretty light allowing me to lug it around without much problem

The autofocus has been frustrating me a bit, it tends to have quite a bit of trouble at londer lengths, compared to the 28-300 feels kind of second rate

I couldn't beat the price at the time. For $200 I got the 28-105 and the 70-300. So, really I am not all that disappointed. It seems to fuzz out a bit at the max length. I think I would still have gotten it, and I recommend it to any beginner because it can be so fun to use, while still remaining cheap, and it is not a pain to lug around a large tele lens. However, in retrospect, I think I would have shelled out the extra bucks and just gotten the 28-300 for the aspherical lens as well as the amazing flexibility. Oh well, it is a very decent lens.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 28-105, 28-300, Sigma 35-80

Great lens for the price
Solidly built
Light weight

Focuses a little slow

This is a great lens (and really cheap). I'm a student and can't afford an expensive lens - and its great to have a focal length all the way out to 300. I don't think you can find a better deal on a similar lens.

Similar Products Used:

None