Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

by Tamron

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 3.7 x 3.7 inches ; 2.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00021EE7W
• Item model number: AF08N-700
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

A powerful zoom for capturing close, detailed views of faraway subjects, this high-magnification beauty is the perfect choice for nature and sports shooters. Remarkably light and compact, it compresses the apparent distance between objects within the frame, giving stunning pictorial effects.

Ultra telephoto shots further than the eye can see

This is a zoom lens from Tamron that lets you bring your far away subjects up close while compressing the distance between the main subject and the background for professional-looking results. Even while covering up to a 500mm that enables you to take ultra telephoto shots of subjects further than the eye can see, its design is extremely lightweight and compact. When mounted on an APS-C size digital SLR camera, it provides a focal length equivalent to a 760mm for super ultra telephoto imaging.

SP AF 200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di Highlights

Enhance the ease of your polarizing filter use

Filter Effect Control (FEC)to Enhance the Operational Ease of your Polarizing Filter Use
The Filter Effect Control is designed to rotate the filter to the desired position while the hood is attached. This is accomplished by turning the FEC ring that in turn rotates the portion of the filter mount where the filter is mounted.

Digitally Integrated (DI) Lenses for Top Imaging Performance
Di (Digitally Integrated Design) is a Tamron designation that applies to lenses that have been optimized for digital capture using advanced multi-coating techniques and optical designs that assure excellent image quality across the entire picture field. Because of these characteristics, Di lenses provide outstanding performance on cameras with full-frame and APS-C format sensors as well as on 35mm film.

Super Performance (SP) for Discriminating Shooters
Tamron SP (Super Performance) series is a line of ultra-high-performance lenses designed and manufactured to the exacting specifications demanded by professionals and others who require the highest possible image quality. In creating SP lenses Tamron’s optical designers put their foremost priority on achieving superior performance parameters—they are all designed to a higher standard with little regard for cost constraints. As a result, Tamron lenses bearing the SP designation feature impressive and innovative designs that have established an enviable reputation for excellence among those knowledgeable photographers that demand the very best.

Internal Focusing (IF) System
Internal focusing provides numerous practical benefits to photographers including a non-rotating front filter ring that facilitates the positioning of polarizing and graduated filters, and more predictable handling because the lens length does not change during focusing. Even more important, Tamron’s Internal Focusing (IF) system provides a much closer minimum focusing distance (MFD) throughout its entire focusing range. In addition, IF improves optical performance by minimizing illumination loss at the corners of the image field, and helps to suppress other aberrations that become more troublesome at different focusing positions.

Low Dispersion (LD) glass reduces chromatic aberration

Low Dispersion (LD) Glass for Greater Lens Sharpness
Low dispersion (LD) glass elements in a lens help reduce chromatic aberration; the tendency of light of different colors to come to different points of focus at the image plane. Chromatic aberration reduces the sharpness of an image, but glass with an extremely lowdispersion index, has less of a tendency to separate (defract) a ray of light into a rainbow of colors. This characteristic allows the lens designer to effectively compensate for chromatic aberration at the center of the field (on axis), a particular problem at long focal lengths (the telephoto end of the zoom range), and for lateral chromatic aberration (towards the edges of the field) that often occurs at short focal lengths (the wide-angle end of the zoom range.)

Product Description

L9) 200-500MM F5-6.3 DI F/NIKON

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm betting that this lens gets better with time..., June 1, 2008

By 

Paul L. Jakubowski (Grand Island, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I got this lens in the same set of purchases when I moved up from a Nikon D80 to a D300. So naturally, I tried it out on both before I sold the D80. Four stars on the D80; five on the D300. What CA I saw on the D80 images disappeared on the images from the D300 - the D300 automatically corrected the CA. This is why I say I think it will "improve" with age - the bodies will continually get better, and compensate for minor flaws.

But in its own right, this lens is a significant value. Not only in price, but in utility. I had to ask myself if I would really use a lens in this range enough to want to hump it around (yes), if I really needed a fast lens in the 200-500mm range (no), or practically, if I could afford same (no). I decided I didn't want to deal with the weight and bulk of a multi-thousand-dollar fast pro lens, and I certainly had better places to put my already out-of-control photography spending in relation to what would be my least used lens.

Since I wanted this lens primarily for cruise side trips (whales, bears, bridges, foilage, etc) which usually take place during the middle of the day with lots of light, convenience/cost was much more important than sophistication. I didn't need low light capability for sunrise/sunset landscapes, or to be sure to capture that one rare bird that only ventures out in the evening twilight. Further, portability was important. So, even though it's still the biggest space hog in the backpack along with four other lenses, all of which I use more than this one, the weight/bulk/cost to functionality ratio of this lens is still very acceptable to me. One other thing - it comes with a high quality, very usable, padded case of its own if you don't have a dedicated photo backpack.

Advice? Use it on at least a monopod. Even though it's light enough to be shot handheld, the images are highly dependent on good support.

One small negative. I've not found software yet which will automatically correct its barrel/pincushion distortion at various focal lengths. Neither PTLens nor DXO have it in their databases, and I've not seen the compensation factors published for Photoshop. While I am good enough to plug in factors that somebody smarter than me has figured out, I am not good enough to figure out those factors myself. So if any readers here ever find them/figure them out, could you share?

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to Beat For The Price, November 10, 2006

By 

M. Barrera (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I have had this lens for almost a year and normally don't write reviews but the person who gave it four stars claims the pictures were great and focus fast and everyone agreed but gave it four stars? The lens deserves five stars for the price and flexibility. It does seem to work better on my 20d then on my 1Ds, the pictures are sharp and focus is fast for a zoom lens. Ihave all but two lens that are not Canon L lens, this one and the Sigma 150 macro and they are both fantastic lens. The lens is heavy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent lens for its purpose, March 15, 2011

By 

Randy B. Cheek (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I got this lens to upgrade my kit with the purchase of a Nikon D90. I travel a lot and spend a good bit of time in southern and eastern Africa. I always go on safari when I'm there, even if only for a day or two, so I was looking for a long lens that could be easily moved about, both on and off the camera. This lens was the biggest glass I could find that was a reasonable weight and length. It's also affordable, given the quality.

While I haven't taken it into the bush yet, I have taken it to the zoo to simulate both the distance and subjects I'll be photographing. The results are better than I expected. The focus takes a bit of getting used to, and the tracking is going to take even more practice. But, even after only a few hours of working with zoo-constrained animals, I was able to signficantly improve my ability to get hand-held sharp shots of slowly moving animals. When on a tripod, the sharpness increases, but then you lose the ability to track. Wide open, it's a bit soft, but then so is any lens of this size under 5K, so you can't complain.

The best thing about this lens is its weight, or lack thereof. It's about 2.5 pounds, and with the hood inverted it will fit easily inside a LowePro slingshot. Its weight and length make it possible to hand-hold and easy to lug around on your back through rough terrain. Overall, for an affordable long lens that can be mobile and versatile, you can't do much better. This is not a perfect lens, but it's a darned good one.