Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Model A17E)

by Tamron

• 9 Groups, 13 Elements Lens Construction
• Rotation Type of Zooming
• 9 Diaphragm Blade Number
• F/32 Minimum Aperture
• 59 inch Minimum Focus Distance (1.5m) in normal setting, 37.4 inch (0.95m) in macro mode f=180mm-300mm range

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.1 x 4.1 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000EXOXVA
• Item model number: A17E
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (391 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 8, 2006

Product Description

Style: Canon

From the Manufacturer

Designed for optimum handling ease and portability (it weighs only 458g <16.2oz.> ), it’s ideal for handheld shooting with full-frame and APS-C format SLRs. Its unsurpassed close-focusing ability (down to 0.95m (3.1 feet ) or 1:2 in macro mode) makes it perfect for nature and portrait photography.

Zoom in to 300mm from a distance

AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens Features

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 low dispersion 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

Tamron offers a lightweight, compact, high-image-quality telephoto zoom lens with macro capability of 1:2 that can be used with digital cameras. This new lens is a Di type lens using an optical system with improved multi-coating designed to function with digital SLR cameras as well as film cameras. With this 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, flipping a macro switch in the focal length range of 180mm to 300mm obtains a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 at a minimum focus distance as short as 37.4 inch, enabling close-up shots of flowers, insects, and other objects that normally require the use of a specially designed macro lens. Moreover, this is a zoom lens that casually offers the distant capture and foreshortening effect pleasures of the 300mm ultra-telephoto world. 1 - 2 Macro Magnification Ratio at f=300mm MFD 0.95m Filter Diameter - 62 Weight - 435 gram (15.3 ounces) Diameter x Length - 3.0 x 4.6 inch (76.6mm x 116.5mm) Accessory Lens hood

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 141 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good lens with some nice extras July 23, 2006

By Hiram Grant

Style Name:Canon

The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.

Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly "macro") position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That's about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.

Compared to the Canon lenses, it includes a lens hood ($$ from Canon) and a six year USA warranty (vs. 1 year). It's a bit noiser than the Canon lenses in autofocusing. Additionally, the Canon 75-300 III is a considerably older design, which came out well before the needs of digital cameras were known. One slight drawback is that the Tamron uses 62mm filters vs. 58mm for the Canon (which is the same size as the popular 18-55 kit lens).

174 of 182 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good lens for just over a $100 March 3, 2009

By D. Brodsky

Style Name:Nikon

I own both Canon gear (Canon 40D) and Nikon gear (D40). Since Nikon is my cheaper lighter gear, I am not to invest a lot of $$$ into it. While D40 is light and cheap, it is an excellent camera which I use all the time for many reasons. I needed a tele lens to compliment my kit 18-55 lens (which is excellent in itself and gets great reviews). I was between Tamron 70-300 and Sigma 70-300 APO since Nikon's 70-300 is 4 times more expensive than Tamron and Sigma. After reading tons of reviews and playing with both Tamron and Sigma, I chose Tamron and I am very happy I did. There are several versions of Tamron's 70-300, however this one is the latest, 2008 version, which autofocuses on D40, 40X and 60. This lens is remarkable for the amount it is sold for. I've taken many great photos with it on vacation and around town. It is also very compact and light. While it is not an ideal lens to shoot Birds in Flight (neither is D40 with its 2.5 fps) due to its slow autofocusing mechanism, it is great for general photos and portraits. As you can see from samples I even took some bee shots with it. I took a star because of slow autofocusing, but hey, you are paying $130 for it, realize it. I recommend this lens over Sigma for budget shooters who want 300 tele, but don't want to pay $450 Nikon wants for its version. I am happy with it

92 of 96 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value in this updated design. July 23, 2006

By Hiram Grant

Style Name:Konica Minolta & Sony

The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.

Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly "macro") position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That's about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.

If you're buying this for one of the new Sony Alpha series, this might be your best bet. The Tamron will include a 6-year USA warranty. It also includes the lens hood. The Sony 75-300 is repackaging of the older Konica-Minolta 75-300 lens, a lens that hit the market before any KM digital SLRs.