Customer Reviews

Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

All of you out there that are reading this review of the Tamron 70-200 are probably in one of two categories. 1) Looking for a fast low light zoom but don't wont to pay the price of the Nikon/Canon 2.8 tele or 2) Your looking for a backup telezoom for your Nikon/Canon. I do wedding, family, sports shoots as a side biz and I'm in category 1. You're probably worried about buying it and it not Auto Focusing fast enough or having some other issues that you've read......because that was a concern of mine. Let me put you at ease.....don't worry, the Tamron 70-200 is fantastic! In fact I was so pleased that I ended up purchasing other Tamron lenses. The 28-75 f/2.8 and also the 17-35 f/2.8-4mm and all 3 have been exceptional to say the least.

AF - Lets get to what everyone is concerned about...Auto Focus. I have two Nikons that I've use this lens on. A D5000 (cropped 1.5x sensor) that I use for quick pics of the kids and vacations (non paying gigs) and a D700 full frame for my professional paying gigs and if the kids have very special events like my daughters kindergarten graduation. I'm really not seeing what everyone is fussing about this lens AF's just as fast as my Nikon DX lens....55-200 VR for example. I use this lens for in and out doors and have never had a problem with it auto focusing. It's like any lens you use.....take a person dressed in black standing in front of a black background and any lens will have a hard time trying to find the focus. Adjust your focal point on the face where the contrast is different and boom it finds it. This is only rare occasions but it does happen sometimes and it also happens with my Nikkors. One thing I do notice is my D700 AF quicker compared to my D5000. It's not by much but it is noticeable, but not an issue. I honestly believe it's due to the difference of the AF systems in the two cameras. D700 is known for its superb AF.

AF Accuracy - Spot on, never a problem. I have my D700 set where it will not release the shutter unless it's in focus and I've never have had a problem with it being fooled or hunting for focus unless it's in a dark closet.

AF loudness - Is the Tamron louder than the Nikkor lenses when Auto focusing? Yes it is. It's not quiet but it's not loud by any means. You have to remember you're the one looking through the viewfinder and of course you're going to hear it. Others won't even notice it. The shutter closing/opening when taking a picture is twice as loud as the Tamron AF system. It's not even an issue. I don't know if I would take it out to the Amazon taking pics of dangerous and exotic animals where my life depended on it......but then again you'd still probably be ok. Remember the shutter is louder than the auto focus.....again it's not even an issue I don't think.

Sharpness - Super sharp at all focal lengths. I've actually have been very pleased with all of my Tamrons and the sharpness it produces. When hand held at 200mm 2.8 it is a tad softer but 95% of that is due to camera shake. I've tested this and have mounted it on a tripod at that setting with sharp as a tack results. Vibration Reduction or Tamrons VC would be a huge plus but it's not totally necessary.

Construction - Very well made, very hefty and durable. I've used Nikons version and it's a fantastic piece of engineering that is weather sealed, built like a tank and is without a doubt more durable. I think this is where the price difference is. The Tamron is not cheap feeling by any means. When you hold it you know its made very well but the Nikon just takes that to another level which is why its $2000 plus US dollars and the fact this it has Vibration Reduction. If you're going to be going through some rugged terrain on a paid photo shoot it would only make sense to purchase the Nikon. Honestly if you took care of the Tamron and kept it clean I'm sure it could make it out fine also but I wouldn't try it.

Overall - Superb sharpness, old school but very effective AF system and AF accuracy, AF noise is not a problem and is really not even loud enough to even mention in this review but I know people have brought it up and are concerned. I'm 100% pleased. Even if I would have paid more I still would have been pleased but that's the beauty of Tamron. Giving you a great professional lens at a great price. Quick story: I was outside under the patio just a couple of days ago taking pics of the massive storm that we had here in Oklahoma using this lens. I would AF on the clouds and press the shutter and to my surprise the shutter would not release. Remember I have it set where it will not take the pic unless it's in perfect focus. After a few times of this I was getting very frustrated and thought to myself........this is what everyone must be talking about when they mean the Tamron has trouble AFing. Few seconds later the shutter goes off taking pics of nothing. I'm thoroughly confused now and then it hit me. Just a day earlier I was taking some self portraits for my online profile and I was using the auto delay 20 second timer and I still had it in that setting.......sigh.....I was quick to blame the Tamron....poor Tamron.

8/19/10 UPDATE:
I've owned this lens going on 3 months now and have used it extensively for indoor events (weddings) and low light evening portrait sessions. I'm still very pleased with the performance. There is one thing I'm a little disappointed in but its not a deal breaker but enough to drop my original 5 star rating to a 4.5.

Sharpness -
At f2.8 and 200mm the sharpness takes a hit some, its actually more of a soft image.....especially in low lighting. If you back off the focal length to 165mm or under it improves. Stopping down to f4 is razor sharp. Its annoying that I can't use f2.8 for razor sharp pics but in reality there's not a lot of lens that are razor sharp when completely stopped down to its maximum, with the exception to some. I'm finding all my Tamrons are this way at f2.8. Of course when asking owners of the $1750 Nikon 24-70 2.8 and $2200 Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR they all say its tack sharp at 2.8.

Auto focusing -
Its still does a great job at AFing but now that I'm getting used to other lenses in my bag (Nikon primes and Tamron Zooms) and then coming back to this 70-200 I am seeing a difference in speed. Its not much and its not a problem but I do feel the difference. Its a tad slower....even slower than my Tamron 28-75 2.8 which in my opinion is still fast. My Tamron 17-35 2.8 does not have internal AF and is a screwdriver cam type where you rely on the camera to do the AFing. Its so fast that it can become violent..it will take your finger off if not careful...ha,ha.

I was doing my research prior to buying this lens for couple of weeks. I read everything I could find on the internet about this lens as well as it's competitors.

First, let me provide you with quick summary of my findings:

1. Major competitors for this lens are:

a. Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 OS. This lens is very sharp according to all reviews I read. It has fast and precise auto focus, high quality image stabilization. This is clearly the best lens out there. The negative side is cost (3 times as much as Tamron!) and watch out for defective lens (quality control issues). Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S NIKKOR Lens For Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

b. Sigma 70-200mm f2.8. This version doesn't have image stabilizer. Compare to Tamron it has faster focus but lower quality glass. Image resolution is significantly lower and shows worse results with teleconverters then you get with Tamron. There are some complains about focus motor goes bad and coating of the lens is easy to scratch. I also want to mention that tests showed slight color cast with Sigma lens. There is a new version available for pre-order that has image stabilization. Nobody tested this new version yet, also cost went up 2 times! Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

c. Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 - No Image Stabilization. This lens received good feedback from user community and from pros. Resolution is good but not as sharp as Tamron. Cost is about 50% more. There are number of complains about quality of manual/auto focus switch that breaks by it-self. Cost of repair is about $300 to $400 (don't remember exact number). Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

2. Now lets talk about Tamron 70-200mm for Nikon. I got this lens 2 days ago and shot lots of subjects and test charts to calibrate focus and evaluate performance.

a. Focus speed - This is THE MOST common complain about this lens. The focus motor on this lens is faster then screwdriver used on 50mm 1.8 prime, but not even close to Nikkor 16-85mm VR. It's not fast but acceptable in most situations. I usually track my subject for a little while before pulling trigger, so speed should not be a problem. Sometimes this lens takes a while to focus (like 2 seconds). It happens when room has low lights or subject doesn't have contrast edge. Tip: release shutter and press again and it will focus way quicker second time. Focusing performance is fine with flashlight focus assist lamp. I feel that focus is not great, but acceptable sacrifice for high quality glass and lower cost.

b. Resolution - I was concerned with results from dpreview that showed major degradation in sharpness at 135mm f2.8. I'm happy to report that it's not a case with my sample. Resolution is very good from 70-170mm and goes somewhat softer by 200mm at f2.8 aperture. Stopping down to f3.2 from f2.8 increases resolution significantly for entire zoom range. Note: 3.2 vs. 2.8 is only 1/3 EV stop. The sweet aperture spot for my sample is f3.5 to f8. I got very decent results from f3.2 to f16. In general, sharpness in sweet spot is the same as my prime 50mm f1.8 lens at f4.0 aperture (the sharpest aperture for this lens).

c. Contrast - somewhat low at f2.8 but is fine by f3.2 aperture setting.

d. Manual Focus - I liked clutch type focus ring. If you pull focus ring toward camera body it goes to manual focus, push it outside and auto focus is engaged. It's fast and easy. Try it couple of times and it feels natural to use. However, it's not easy to focus at 200mm 2.8. Depth of field is extremely shallow and any minor errors are very easy to see.

e. Macro performance - Tamron is the only lens out of all listed that offers you reasonable macro performance. Sigma and Nikon can't focus as close as Tamron can.

f. Calibration results - lens had front focus which I was able to correct using Nikon D300 lens adjustment settings.

Couple of words about Image stabilization. Image Stabilization allows you to use slower shutter speed by an average of 3 EV stops. Let's say you can make sharp picture without image stabilization at 1/200s with 200mm zoom.Image stabilization would allow you to make similar sharp image at 1/25s 200mm. Image stabilization works great with static objects, but doesn't help with moving objects. You need shutter speed faster then 1/200s to avoid blurry pictures.

Conclusion: I feel that this lens is a good choice for people who want high quality pictures and don't want to spend $2,000. Professionals may want to go all the way up to Nikon 70-200mm. Tamron has awesome optics, good quality construction, acceptable autofocus and reasonable price.

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.

I have owned this lens since November and have taken 1000 plus pics with it. 25% of them are out of focus! I have used it on a 40D, XTI and 50D. I have been shooting middle school sports for 8 years and used a 70-200 f4l, 70-300IS, 85 1.8, and a Tamron 28-75 2.8. All focus much faster and more accurately. All the glowing reviews you read from most users are true, if the image is in focus, The image quality is great. But just like ALL professional review sites point out, this lens mis-focuses much to often for critical once in a lifetime shots. If you cant check your shot and reshoot if needed, do not use this lens. I got this lens to replace the F4L and there is no way I can do that. If the IQ of the 7D at high ISO 3200-6400 are any good I will sell this lens and get that and not need 2.8 for low light any longer.

Here is a quote from the most popular photo website in the world, During testing of this lens.

One problem we encountered with this lens in real-world shooting was a higher than expected proportion of slightly defocused images, especially visible when shooting at F2.8 where the depth of field can be extremely shallow. This was not a systematic 'front-focus' or 'back-focus' problem, but instead an apparently random tendency to miss focus slightly in situations for which we would normally expect a 100% hit rate. This issue persisted across a variety of camera bodies, from the EOS 450D through to the EOS-1D Mark III, so we can only conclude that it is a problem with the lens itself.

Good luck with your purchase.

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

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

I recently bought this lens hoping to save some money by not getting the Nikon 70-200. I returned it the next day due to several factors. I'll keep this brief and just make a list of positives and negatives.

Positives:
1. Stopped down to F8 this thing was RAZOR sharp.
2. Handling was good.
3. Not terribly heavy.
4. Zoom and focus rings fairly smooth.

Negatives:
1. Nowhere near sharp wide open. Almost unusable.
2. Slow focusing, especially in moderate to low light.
3. Inaccurate focusing in low light.
4. Noisy when focusing. Didn't really bother me, but it may bother some.

Anyway. If you are shooting static subjects and stop the lens down it is really nice. Otherwise, you get what you pay for. Don't even thing about using this for indoor sports.

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

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.

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.