Customer Reviews

Tamron AF 180mm f/3.5 Di SP A/M FEC LD (IF) 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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

 

 

I am professional photographer specializing in botanical and nature photography. I bought the Tamron 180 lens after many years of using the equally great 90mm macro. I love the 90mm but was looking for a lens with greater working distance and better ability to control backgrounds. The 180mm has proven to be excellent optically as well as ergonomically well designed. The light weight, for its size, coupled with the very intuitive af-mf push-pull design are great in the field. I work at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. For images taken with the above lens, please visit [...].
Regards

I love this lens.
The AF is very slow, but I use it for Macro Pictures, SO I am on Manual Focus Antway.

This is a very good lens for macro and working in a studio setup, however don't count on the autofocus to work very well. I have a Canon 100mm macro and love it. The AF works reasonably well 50% of the time when shooting in a well lit area. This is good as you can free up one hand to hold a light modifier. The Tamron 180mm, perhaps its a bad copy, doesn't lock the focus with auto. The 180mm is great because of the added working distance to the subject. Compared to the 100mm macro which works at about 4-6 inches from your subject from the front lens element, the 180mm is closer to 16 inches which is perfect for a flash or reflector to provide more light. I like the way Tamron shifts from auto focus to manual by shifting the focus ring either forward or back. It is convenient versus finding a side switch. I give it four stars because it's well packaged with the hood, carrying case, and tripod ring and is very sharp when using manual focus. If you are fascinated with manual focus macro photography and use a sturdy tripod(required for the 180mm) and perhaps even some strobes, this lens is for you.

I am an amateur photographer. 12 years old but don't be fooled; i have several thousand dollars in equipment. please check out my work here: [...]
my macro photos are here: [...]
I bought this used like new, and it is JUST like new

cons:
slow autofocus
heavy
makes loud click when u switch from autofocus to manual
autofocus is loud

pros:
amazing sharpness/contrast/saturation
great magnification
awesome construction quality
comes with tripod collar/ case/ hood
doesn't extend when focusing
min aperture f3.5/ potential for tiny dof
can quickly switch between autofocus and manual by pull/pushing lens

conclusion:
I love this lens. It does have some cons, but I am glad that i bought this lens instead of the 90mm. I love it. It's an amazing piece of equipment, good for those that like to really plan out and think about images; it is very versatile even though it has no zoom (you do have legs). Also, you've probably heard that the 90mm is sharper that the 180mm but the difference is tiny. the 180mm is a VERY sharp lens even when opened to f3.5. I highly recommend this if you're serious about photography. if you do more than point-and-shoot, invest the extra money into this one, rather than give into the temptation of the 90mm.

Bought this lens with high expectations and it has gone well above what I thought. This is by far the best purchase for my canon that I have made as of yet. The pictures have turned out great in both macro and normal settings. I would buy from Tamron again without question.

This is a sharp contrasty lens. Its focal length means you can be further away from your subject when photographing it. Also its sharper than my 2 Canon L lens. Wide open, it is slightly soft (no surprise) but stopped down one stop, it is sharp. Focus is good enough, not as good as Canon's, but usable-even in low light. Came with a nice pouch. I can't complain-the canon 180 macro is almost twice the price. nice lens.

I bought this lens Last year on the Tamron Student program. Its a nice lens. My first one had a problem that showed up in the first 3 days, it would not go from manual to auto focus. So I had to replace it. A hassle but still worth it. I liked the lens a lot and only sold it off to move up to the much sharper Canon 180mm L 3.5. If you are looking at a 90/100mm Macro or the 180, get the 180, its so much nicer. If you cant afford the Canon L series, get the Tamron! Its tons better than the sigma junk! And the 180 gives you some distance between you and the object, very nice esp if you are shoot an insect!!!! I have some images up at Tamron.com and if you have a tamron lens you can post images there too!