Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

I rented this lens out for a weekend to check it out. So I guess I qualify to comment. It's a humongous hunk of a lens. Auto focus works pretty fast in good sun light, but I noticed hunting after the slightest change in position. I haven't noticed any distortion or softness at the 500 range.
Considering the quantum price shift when one desires a Canon or a Nikon, this is a very good buy for wildlife photographers. Don't even nurse the thought of any action photography, let alone tracking a flying bird, at least in the higher zoom range. I did track a Dobermann running full speed, to be fair :-)

I have had this lens for not quite a week. I use it on a D200, and also on a D70S. I have taken pictures of aircraft, surfers, birds and have learned a lot about how to get the most out of this lens. I doubt that it was designed to be hand held, so if you want good pictures, use a tripod. I don't even think a monopod is adequate unless you have no other choice, like shooting a sporting event. It's a fairly bulky lens.
I use a relatively slow shutter speed, like 1/500 of a second. This is not a very fast lens. Faster shutter speeds result in reduced image detail. When I am focusing on an object that is fairly bright, even at extreme telephoto (500mm) I am getting very good image detail. But if the object that I am focusing on is dark, then the image detail will be marginal. The sensor in digital cameras requires lots of light.
I have a VR 18-200 mm Nikon lens, and my images are as clear with the Tamron zoom lens, as they are with the Nikon VR lens.
With these two lenses, I can cover the 18-500mm range, with respectable results. It's a bargain.

I like this lens, a lot. I always use a heavy tripod. If it is windy, I use a remote shutter release. I use a circular polarizer for most of my shots and really appreciate the integral filter adjustment feature. The anti creep lock is a nice feature.
I am kayaker and am fortunate enough to live near the Snake River, so I am a little partial to river shots. Pair a Dice Rapids shot with a 55mm-200mm lens, shows the river from canyon wall to canyon wall. With this lens, I can shoot individual rapid section details that aren't even visible with the 55mm-200mm lens. Pretty neat.
I read whines about "too heavy", get real, try an F4 lens if you want HEAVY.

I bought this lens about 2 weeks ago. I was shooting with Nikon D40x for a few years now and have a 18-200 lens with it.
I bought this lens because it had the best price for a decent lens. I also bought a D90 camera for it because the auto focus of this lens will not work on any Nikon cameras (D40,D40x,D60 ...) that needs the auto focus motor inside the lens. I mad a few shots in my backyard of birds and other wildlife as well as pictures of the moon (just for fun ;o) ) and I have to say this lens is great. In bright light the auto focus is fast and accurate. If its twilight outside it needs a bit more time and tries to get focused on the right point. Then I went to a local motocross track and snapped some shots (350 ;o) ) of dirt bikes jumping and racing by. And the pictures came out awesome at whatever focal length I picked. Only 20 pictures where not usable.
I'm very happy with the lens would recommend it to friends in a blink of an eye.

I took a jump into this lens by research and faith... Bought it mostly for further reach of birds, I'm not disappointed. It took some use to handheld which got some decent shots and even better on a tripod...I'm pretty happy with it. As in comparing with the brand name competitors, I have no idea but I know cost was a factor...think its well worth it!

you cant beat this price for the kind of zoom you get, sure it's no f2.8, but a nikon similar would cost 6x's this and you can still get some great background blur with this lens. I like how light this lens is (lighter than my standard everyday nikon 2.8), i cant imagine how heavy a 2.8 zoom would be). I was a little worried when people said it can have slower auto focousing... but NO issues there, they seem to be comprable to the focousing speed of my nikon lens.

VERY HAPPY!

Lets start this review by stating the obvious, this is not a 500mm prime lens costing about 10K, this is a decent lens with great range for under 1K. It is silly to start comparing this lens to others that cost 6 to 10 times as much money.

I am using this lens on a Nikon D7000. I have read other reviews about the slow focus speed but I am not seeing that on my camera body. It focuses fast and adjusts rapidly using the continous mode. Focus speeds have as much to do with the camera body you are using as it does the lens itself. This lens does not have the internal focus motor so it will not work on cameras that do not support this such as the D5000.

The pictures I have got are very sharp up to about 400mm. The image quality suffers a little from there to 500mm. It is something I can live with and the images are still usable but get a little soft. Up to 400mm this lens is very sharp. For wildlife this lens works great and you can get shots you would have otherwise missed because of the reach.

It is a fairly slow lens but I have found that it does not get into the 6.3 range until you pass the 400mm mark. I bump my ISO to 800 or so and have no problem getting crisp images handheld. I normally shoot on a monopod because I am shooting wildlife and mostly in the wait and shoot mode and this lens gets heavy.

With the hood on and zoomed to 500mm this lens is long, very long. With the hood off and the zoom returned it is a short lens. One of the things I do not care for is how many rotations of the zoom ring you have to turn to go from 200-500. The Sigma is much quicker.

This lens does not have Image Stabilization which would have been nice but would probably add another couple hundred dollars and weight to it. It does come in a very nice padded case and features a filter ring that can be adjusted with the hood on. Filters are 86mm which are very costly. Tripod mount is very solid and located well for easy access.

Conclusion: This is a great lens for the money. It focuses fast and produces crisp pictures. It is a slow aperature range but I have not had any issues in daylight with focus or speed. I didn't want to spend 3 to 5 grand on a lens that I will not be using that much. IMO, this is a specialized lens that I use for wildlife. I might use it 20-25% of the time. I normally shoot a 80-200 Nikon 2.8 for my sports and action photography. This lens would not be very good for that task.