Tamron AF55-200mm F4-5.6 Di II LD Macro review

Overview

The new telephoto zoom from Tamron, designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras, is ideal for anyone who wants to capture truly dynamic telephoto images. It goes far beyond the capabilities of the standard zoom that comes with a digital SLR camera. Ideal for photos of family fun, sport events, scenery, and portraiture, the lens naturally creates a out-of-focus background that emphasizes the main subject of your photo.

Optical/Mechanical Feature Key

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications

Lens Type: Zoom
Lens Special Features: Macro
IS / VR / OS: None
Min Focal length (mm): 55
Max Focal Length (mm): 200
Number of Elements: 13
Element Groups: 9
Max Aperture: 4.5
Minimum Aperture: 32
Diaphragm Blades: 9
Closest Focus Distance (m): 0.95
Maximum Magnification: 1.3
Filter Type: Screw In
Filter Diameter (mm): 52
Diameter at widest (mm): 71
Lens Length (mm): 83
Weight (g): 300

Details

AF55-200mm F/4-5.6 Di II LD Macro
	Product Overview The new telephoto zoom from Tamron, designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras, is ideal for anyone who wants to capture truly dynamic telephoto images. It goes far beyond the capabilities of the standard zoom that comes with a digital SLR camera. Ideal for photos of family fun, sport events, scenery, and portraiture, the lens naturally creates a out-of-focus background that emphasizes the main subject of your photo. Optical/Mechanical Feature Key



Model	A015
Lens Construction (Groups/Elements)	9/13
Angle of view	28°28'-7°59' (APS-C size equivalent)
Type of Zooming	Rotation
Diaphragm Blade Number	9
Minimum Aperture	F/32
Minimum Focus Distance	0.95m (37.4") (entire zoom range)
Macro Magnification Ratio	1:3.5 (at f=200, MFD 0.95m)
Filter Diameter	ø52
Weight	300g (10.4oz)
Diameter x Length	ø2.8 x 3.3in. (ø71.6 x 83.0mm)
Accessory	Lens hood
Mount	Canon AF, Sony/Maxxum AF-D, Nikon AF-D

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Editor review : Tamron 55-200mm DI LD Macro


Overall rating (weighted)		3.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		2.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		4.0

On the face of it, this Tamron's optic is something of a non-starter. Its incredibly lightweight only has a tiny manual focus ring and sports a plastic mount, which doesn't bode well on the durability front. It's also only suitable for digitals SLR's with a crop to sensor - if you have a full frame model or a 35mm SLR, then you'll have to look elsewhere. But all of these the shortfalls are forgotten when you see the quality of results it produces. The lens displays a minimal optical anomalies and produces impressively sharp and contrasty images, particularly at the 55mm setting. Using the central aperture is normally the best bet, but this lens can be used with confidence at the wide and small aperture, too. Granted it's not going to win any durability awards and the auto focusing motor can whine a little, but the fact remains that these little lens punches way above its weight. Unless you really need a fast maximum aperture you'll need to have a very good reason not to invest in this cracking and piece of kit.

Why should you care what I think?

My relationship with this item: I have borrowed a friends
Where did you buy this item?: N/A
Price paid: 0
When did you buy this item?: N/A

Conclusions at a glance

Would you recommend this Item: Undecided
Pros: impressivelysharp
Cons: build quality

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 4 user(s)


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.5
Build Quality		4.5
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Good Lens for a Cheap Price, Wednesday, 31 December 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.0
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		3.0

I originally bought this lens in order to have a zoom along with my 18-55mm kit lens for my Rebel Xti. Overall the build quality of this lens is very nice. It comes with a lens hood which is great because Canon usually charges you around $30 extra dollars for a lens hood. The only bad thing about this lens is the autofocus speed. I have often tried to use this lens for sports photography and have really been disappointed. It often takes a while for the lens to focus on hat you want it to. In low light the autofocus is completely unusable. Sometimes at the last second the camera will focus on something else and all I get are some blurry action shots with the background in focus and the event completely blurry. Overall I would recommend this lens for a person that wants to increase their lens capabilities to a mid-range zoom and whose budget is somewhat lower. If you're really looking for a lens more suited for sports photography you're not going to find anything at such a low price. But the price you pay an the quality you get is impressive. This was my first experience with Tamron and I will continue to buy their products in the future.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

great quality for not big bucks, Friday, 07 September 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I am just a debutant photo amateur but I was looking for a not pricy telephoto zoom mainly for portraits and bumped into this option. Basically all critiques are good, nice image quality, good color rendering the only downside is the slow and noisy AF. It is a real good deal for a beginner on a budget.

A nice macro zoom lens, Monday, 09 July 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I like this lens and it is a very good lens for the price, light weight and precise. Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Great companion to my standard 18 to 55mm lens, Saturday, 19 November 2005


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

I took the Tamron AF 55-200mm out for a test drive along with my (new to me) Cannon digital rebel (300D). I went for a few hours into the wine country of Northern California. The Tamron is a perfect companion if you already have the standard Canon EF-S 18-55 mm lens. The Tamron is 55 to 200mm, so it takes over where the cannon leaves off.

Also, you get better lens performance compared to a lens that "tries to do it all" by going from super wide to long telephoto. Outdoors the camera was able to focus the Tamron quickly and reliably. I am very pleased with the lens.

I'm also pleased because this lens is designed specifically for digital cameras. (Digital cameras are different from film cameras in several respects). For example, a digital camera uses what amounts to a big chip to gather light, the surface of the chip is far more reflective than film. This means bright light can hit the chip and some of it bounce back into the lens. If the rear-end of the lense does not have good coatings, you can get re-reflections *back* to the chip. The light rays hitting the chip also need to be parallel NOT in a "cone". These are the types of design elements Tamron has paid attention to when designing this lens.

HOWEVER, you cannot use this lens with a film camera, or you will get dark fading (Vignetting) around the edges of the photo.

Also, this lens is designed specifically for cameras with a CMOS or CCD chip no larger than 15.5 to 23.2mm (perfect for the Canon 300D) To see how big your chip is, refer to the specifications in your owners manual.