Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD [IF] Macro Lens for Canon

Got this lens promptly from Amazon and at a keen price and I love it.This lens is very much as described - big and with some weight. The weight is not a problem for me but this must be distinguished from a pure consumer and lighter lens like for example, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 which is also a good performing lens.I chose this version over the more recent Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 version which is heavier and reportedly has* faster focus with its Hyper Sonic Motor - well, my version has excellent auto focus and I have read too many reports of failure in lenses with such motors and so I prefer to do without;* Optical Stabilisation [OS] - I already have OS in the camera body so no need for that.This lens which I consider to be robust in build terms, delivers excellent image quality and has the magical f/2.8 aperture for isolating the subject matter from the background. Although not advertised in the Amazon web page, this lens comes with a 5 year European warranty. I do not think you can go wrong with this excellent lens that Amazon delivered the next day. I am well pleased with the Amazon service.

This is my second one! After my previous one was accidentally knocked out of my hand by a staggering drunkard at a gig, I was offered the same lens by my insurance company and was I thrilled? Yup! This is without a doubt the best lens in my collection. I use it for gigs, landscapes, close ups of insects and much more, despite owning a brilliant Tamron 90 macro lens! It is incredibly sharp, with practically no distortion when wide open at f2.8. Having become used to the push-me-pull-me eccentricity of switching from manual to autofocus, I now prefer this method. I can photograph people unposed, acting naturally (we all know how hard it is to pose children) and get brilliant close up, 'bokeh' portraits. Oh, and if you want to photograph sports, then again this is a great lens for you. It's incredibly well priced and Tamron have got it absolutely right with this lens. It is a heavy lens, so you might need a tripod, but for me I find using it hand held very easy, as it is such a fast lens.It has a five star rating, but if I could give it a 10 star I would want to expand that further to 100!

As an HD video alternative to the lovely Canon f2.8 L series alternative, this represents superb value. Sure, the Canon is even better built (though this is a solid chunk) and has a nice red ring round the front so everyone knows how wealthy you aren't, but if you don't need the image stabilised (IS) version and just want a fast, long zoom it's a great lens with super optics for the price. I can't do an A-B comparison of the equivalent Canon, but using it manually I'd say there's not much to choose between them. If you're a stills photographer, maybe pay the extra for Canon's snappy, super-quick, near silent AF but if you're strapping on a follow focus ring and using it for video, go Tamron. I only wish they made an equivalent 24-70mm f 2.8 to complement this. Highly recommended!

I would probaby have given the lens 4.5/5 if available but chose 5 because I didn't want to under value it.I can't compare it to the equivalent Nikon or Sigma because I haven't used them. That it is considerably cheaper is a matter of fact but really shouldn't be a factor in the review because all photographers want to know is if it is sharp, fast, etc. Well, it is. In good light I can shoot at apertures of f5.6 at 1/8000s (with a Nikon D7100). Photos are sharp at 2.8 but I think even better at f4. In less good light conditions you will need to up the ISO, 400 is usually enough to keep the shutter speed high. One bonus I didn't really expect is that at wide apertures, you do get some lovely bokeh.For me the lens works best for portraits & for close ups of insects, flowers, etc.The reason i would have given it 4.5 is that in poor light focussing is sometimes a little slow, so for wildlife & sport it might not be the lens you would choose.The lens is heavy but I expect that is usual for these lenses.Overall then I'm happy with this lens & enjoy using it despite its slight imperfections.

I've bought this as the best option for high image quality in the up to 200mm f2.8 zoom lens region on my Pentax K-30 without spending over £500 or so. The Pentax 60-250 f4 would match it optically but it's not as bright and costs over twice as much but does have quiet AF whereas the Tamron is body driven screw drive old school AF. The HSM Sigma 70-200 f2.8 isn't in the same class optically by all accounts so I never considered it, it's also much more expensive. Pentax cameras from the K-7 on are quite fast with most screw drive lenses though, they have torquey motors and this made this Tamron a viable option on the K-30 (in theory anyway).Testing the lens, it meets all my expectations for image quality. I found a little body AF adjustment made it even better as it was slightly front focusing at f2.8 - it's as sharp as zooms ever come - as good as most primes in fact throughout all of the 70-200 range. f4 seems to be a bit sharper than f2.8 but f2.8 is fine. I took a load of cat pictures indoors focusing on her nose from across the room and every pore and whisker was razor sharp. Focus holds good if the zoom is adjusted after an AF lock - a handy quality. Smaller apertures are also great, maintaining sharpness, important for obtaining deeper depth of field when needed. The AF is fast enough but there may be the odd hesitation and fine adjustment in time honoured Pentax screw drive tradition - I think release priority rather than focus priority in the K-30 will sort that one out. It's nowhere near as noisy as a lot of screw drive lenses. As long as the main priority is image quality, which it is for me, it's a great lens.