While overall dimensions are confined to the absolute minimum, the new SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 zoom lens is packed with features that allow stress-free photography: a versatile MFD of just 37.4" over the entire zoom range; best-in-class maximum macro magnification ratio of 1:3.1 at f=200mm; and an advantageous Internal Focusing (IF) system. The new tele-zoom lens covers a desirable Focal length range of 70mm medium telephoto to 200mm telephoto when mounted on full-size format SLR cameras and a focal length range from 109mm to 310mm* ultra telephoto when mounted on a DSLR camera with an APS-C sized imager.
I find this lens to be very sharp at the wide end and acceptably sharp at the zoom end. This lens is comparable or even a Bit better than Nikon 70-200 mm f2.8 at almost 3X the cost!I did not have any focusing problem on my D300 or D700.
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Picture Quality is excellent. Autofocus is truly , Sunday, 09 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
2.0
I bought the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 to replace my Nikkor 18-200 VR lens. I figured that at 2.8 flat, I would be able to get better shots. I was correct....when the shots are in focus. When I'm in daylight, the autofocus is not all that terrible, but when I'm indoors and especially when I'm in lower light (where the f/2.8 shines), it takes literally 3-6 times as long for this lens to focus as my others. Sometimes I have to wait upwards of 3-5 full seconds. I thought I might have just gotten a bad lens because the speed was so incredibly slow, but after checking the reviews online it's pretty clear that this is a well known issue with this lens. Obviously I should expect it to perform like the Nikkor lens, which is twice the cost, but this is ridiculous. I really like Tamron lenses and don't understand how they could possibly release a lens with this big of a problem. I should say that, if you're willing to stick to manual focus, the image quality is top notch. I just want to make sure others who are looking at this lens are aware of the problem before they lay down that much cash.
I would rate the lens 4 stars for picture quality and 5 stars for value, but the I would have to find a way to award negative stars for the autofocus. In the end, I'm giving it 2 stars
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Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Macros lens for , Saturday, 01 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This is an amazing lens. I have used it for photographing my son's Friday night high school football games and I couldn't be more pleased. As with any lens you have to follow the game as it moves but it is well worth it. I have taken pictures that look as good as the newspaper pictures of these games. I am not a photographer per say, I am a scrapbooking Mom who has learned to be a better picture taker and my only regret with this lens is that I didn't purchase it sooner. I am thankful that for what I needed my camera and lens to do I was able to afford this lens, a $10,000.00 lens is out of the question for me. This lens does have some weight to it but I use a mono pod and that is a lifesaver for me. I have not experienced the noise problem that other people have, the way I see it, if I get the pictures I want a little noise would be worth it--I have 2 boys- noise doesn't bother me. The camera I use this lens on is Canon Rebel XTi, which I love very much by the way!
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Great quality, sloppy focusing, Saturday, 01 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
Great image quality, but slow and noisy focusing system. Good for music concerts and portraits, bad for sports and bird pictures.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
An excellent alternative to those "high priced" le, Monday, 20 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
After using this lens for a few weeks now, I have to say that I am simply floored by the quality. Using this lens with a Canon 40D, the image quality has been simply superb. Sharpness, color, focus, etc., have all been right on the nose. More over, compared with other "3rd party" lenses, this lens is also quiet and rather fast focusing.
When I first opened the package I will admit that I was rather surprised by the weight of this lens. According to the specs, it's still the lightest lens in it's class, but being a fixed fast, aperture lens (f/2.8), it is still rather heavy...something to be aware of if you have neck problems. That said, the build quality of this lens is top notch. The focus and zoom are both steady and sure, the new auto/manual selector is very nice (once you get used to it) and the fit and finish is very nice indeed. No this lens doesn't have weather sealing o-rings, so I would not recommend it for "extreme" shooting conditions (such as in a desert or the arctic or something) but beyond that this is a serious piece of equipment for your arsenal.
If you are one of those "lens snobs" who will ONLY own L lenses because having that big ol' white chunk of metal on the front of your camera somehow makes you feel special, then this probably isn't the lens for you. However if you are open minded and looking for a great alternative to those high priced lenses, the new Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 is definitely worth a look. For the price this lens just can't be beat!
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Big, heavy, but nice pictures!, Thursday, 02 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
The lens is big, the lens is heavy, but MAN, does it take some nice pictures!
BIG & HEAVY: This lens is definitely a head turner. You will get some weird looks from random people. I had a lady come up to me and ask me if I was a professional photographer (I'm not). Either that, or she was thinking I was a paparazzi (I'm not... but more on that later). But that's just the way this class of lens are and its nothing against Tamron's lens. It's a pretty weighy lens also. You definitely work out certain parts muscles that you never knew existed.
NICE PICTURES: This versatile lens can be used to shoot anything from landscape to portraits to macro to anything in between. It offers great depth and beautiful bokeh. F2.8 is fast and makes shooting indoor or low lighting much easier without IS. Back to the point of being a paparazzi... I'm always tempted to be one because this lens get such good results from shooting candid pictures of random people. I just stay away from taking pictures of little kids.. because that might get me into some serious trouble.
The gripes that I have about the lens is the autofocus. It is not very fast and it is not very consistant. For instance, I was taking a picture of a bird and I aimed at the head, but instead of focusing on the eyes and head, the lens focused on the butt of the bird. It was subtle and I couldn't tell until I saw it on the computer (way too late to do anything but discard the picture and shed a few tears at that point). At night or dark lighting, sometimes the AF would be none existant. There were more than enough times where I had to switch to manual focusing because of that. Well, I guess that makes me look more the part of a professional photographer. But this in my opinion prevents it from being a full 5 stars. Nonetheless, its a wonderful lens and I have no regrets buying it.
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Fast & Sharp, Sunday, 14 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
After reading previous reviews, the decision to buy came easy. Everything I had read about this lens, was true or better! Focus is fast and sharp, and despite what other reviewers had written I found this lens to be plenty fast and accurate, with great bokeh, and light weight for sports shooting. For a sport shooter you can't beat this lens. IS would be nice for some indoor shooting, but even at f/2.8 it may not be enough for faster action where an f/1.4 would be more appropriate. This lens is a great buy, and I would highly recommend it as an economic alternative to the camera maker versions.
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Simply Outstanding, Saturday, 06 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I have had this lens for a few weeks and it hasn't been off my d300. It's sharp at 2.8 and razor sharp by 5.6. In fact at 5.6 I can't tell it from my Sigma 150 macro. It pairs very well with my Sigma 1.4 TC though the EXIF data is 1 f stop faster than reality. Macro mode is very good and with the 1.4 TC is excellent.
It can be a bit slow to AF in dim light or in macro mode focusing on small objects. If I could only have one lens this would be it.
PL
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Side by side with f2.8 L series Canon 70-200, Saturday, 23 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I just did a side-by-side test of this lens with the f2.8 L series Canon 70-200mm and am convinced that Canon glass doesn't live up to the L-series Snobs' hype. The autofocus is fast (maybe faster than the L-series), though I only tested it in fairly bright light. Bokeh was different, but very nice and just as good. Slightly lighter than the Canon, but only by a tiny margin. There's no reason to buy an L-series unless you're looking for a hypothetical 1% improvement for twice the cost.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Great lens at the great price. The best lens of Ta, Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I have used this lens 3 weeks so far, took around 300 pictures. This is the greatest lens Tamron has ever made, I think! I were so surprised about its optical performance, far more than what I expected!! I owned Tamron 28-75 before and this lens is even much better optically. Super sharp in all aperture stops, even at 2.8 ! The colors are very true-to-life and bokeh are so wonderful, creamy. The AF is pretty accurate although not very quiet ( on my D80), but still quieter than the Nikon 80-200 I tried before. The weight: lightest in the class. Built: very nice.You can take off the tripod collar easily to make it much lighter if you don't need a tripod. If you don't shoot pro and fast sports to earn money, this lens will meet all your needs. The only missing on this lens is VC ( or VR). But you can not require that at this price! Get it, and you will happy with it.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
light weight and extremely sharp., Friday, 13 June 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
quality glass, light weight design, tripod collar can be removed even mounted, focus is fast and accurate, but did it with a noise and impatient way. produce exceptional bokeh and generate vivid color. A++ item.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Good first impression, but critical testing needed, Saturday, 10 May 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I've had some limited use with this lens, but for the most part, I'm pleased on a value basis. I had one serious issue, but it was resolved by Tamron.
Image quality is very nice (on a Canon 40D), with good performance throughout the range. However, the 40D is a smaller sensor design, and the full-frame designs will be more demanding.
Build quality seems about average for this class of lens (which is higher than your typical lenses), and the size and weight are also average. Used on a 40D, the focusing is fast and accurate. Switching to manual is quick, but not as quick nor as easy as on Canon's comparable USM designs.
Compared to the competition, the Tamron does not have a USM/HSM type motor; therefore, it's a bit noiser (and doesn't have the quick manual focus mentioned above). Also, Tamron is not offering a newer teleconverter option like Canon or Sigma.
The serious issue I had was with the tripod collar. It simply would not turn. You'd have to undo the collar and remove it to turn the camera. Tamron replaced the collar, and now it works as designed. An educated guess is that the first collar was slightly out-of-round.
If money's not an issue, the Canon 70-200 (or IS version) are tough to beat. If not using teleconverters, I'd say I like it a bit better than the Sigma, but they're close in value.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Great lens, Thursday, 24 April 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I am an amateur photographer and I have been very pleased with the overall quality of this lens. I use it on the Canon xsi. The lens provides sharp pictures with great color and excellent Depth of field.
The only negative would be lens is bit loud focusing and can, at-times, take a moment to focus. Neither of these are an issue for me though. I cannot compare this to the Canon L Series lens and I'm sure it's not at that quality especially on the focus speed... but for $500+ less it's a great lens that takes great pictures.
If you cannot afford the extra $ for the Canon L series, then buy this lens and you will not be disappointed.
