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

by Tamron

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: AF017C-700
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (301 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #68 in Camera & Photo > Lenses > Camera Lenses
• 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

The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens is a compact, light-weight, ultra-tele zoom which covers the 70mm to 300mm telephoto range and produces photographs of exceptional image quality. It is ideal for taking pictures at a distance particularly when the subject is difficult to approach such as in nature and wildlife photography as well as at sporting and theatrical events. The Tamron 70-300mm also excels at portraiture and allows you to isolate the subject from the background for eye-catching, dramatic portraits. This versatile zoom has superb macro capability with a magnification of 1:2 enabling 1/2 life-size close-up shots of flowers, insects, and other objects that normally would require the use of a specially designed macro lens. This new lens is made with the Tamron Di (Digitally Integrated) design which uses an optical system with improved multi-coatings designed to function with Digital SLR Cameras as well as Film SLR Cameras. Tamron also incorporates LD (Low Dispersion) glass in this lens to correct chromatic aberration, resulting in clear, sharp, and beautifully vivid images.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 130 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 - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens with Built In Motor for Nikon Digital SLR (Camera)

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

113 of 116 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 "just call me Sam" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

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).

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome lens at a bargain price, December 11, 2007

By 

L. Smith (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Konica Minolta and Sony Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

When my old Sigma 70-300mm lens died this summer, I wondered if I'd be able to replace it with anything I liked as well. I'd used it with my Minolta SLR camera for years, and then for a couple of months with my new Sony DSLR, and it had performed beautifully. But this Tamron lens far exceeded my expectations. It is relatively lightweight, yet feels sturdy enough to stand up to hard use. The focus is sharp and quick, and it works very well with Sony's Super Steady Shot feature (essential for me since I don't use a tripod). Pictures shot in macro mode are gorgeous, once I got used to the minimum focal distance. And the price of the Tamron lens is a real bargain when compared to other lenses that work with Sony DSLRs. I'm a pretty good amateur photographer, and I'm picky about the quality of my equipment, but I don't want to spend more than I need to. This lens is just what I needed.

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