Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Ultra Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 4.3 x 4.2 inches ; 4.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00066EK40
• Item model number: AF061C-700
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 2, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Maintaining the high performance of the previous model, Tamron's new 28-300mm zoom lens now features our "Di" (Digitally Integrated) design, making it the ideal lens for use with both digital and film cameras. The "Di" design is achieved by applying a new optical design to its coated surfaces, and by further enhancing our already stringent quality control system. Whether you shoot film or digital, the lens provides high image quality for both platforms. When used with APS-C size digital SLR cameras, the lens provides an angle of view equivalent to approximately 43-465mm, covering the standard to ultra-telephoto range with no sacrifice of quality or aperture range.

• The world's smallest and lightest 28-300mm lens (June 2004)
• Designed to meet the performance characteristic of digital SLR cameras as well as film cameras
• Remarkable close-focusing from wide to telephoto
• True macro capabilities with no mode-switching

New Standard of Lenses for Digital Cameras
"Di" (Digitally Integrated design) is the designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristic of digital SLR cameras as well as film cameras.

Toward Ever Greater Compactness Featuring Key XR Technology
Reducing the total length of the optical configuration, we succeeded in developing optics that allow for a smaller lens diameter while maintaining the same aperture values as previous lenses for overall compactness. Optical power distribution was enhanced in a compact package through the innovative use of XR (Extra Refractive Index) glass, resulting in minimum aberration.

Achieving the Same Aperture Value with a Smaller Size
With a short barrel, it is possible to obtain the same visibility (aperture value) as with a long barrel. By using this principle, we were able to shorten the optic system length for a more compact overall lens design while maintaining aperture values.

Advanced Optical Designs Include XR, LD, AD, and ASL Glass
The ASL lens technology compensates for spherical aberration to achieve outstanding image quality. At the same time, reducing the number of elements results in a more compact, lightweight lens package.

Product Description

Maintaining the high performance of the previous model, Tamron's new 28-300mm zoom lens now features the "Di" design, making it the ideal lens for use with both digital and film cameras. The "Di" design is achieved by applying a new optical design to its coated surfaces, and by further enhancing Tamron's already stringent quality control system. Whether you shoot film or digital, the lens provides high image quality for both platforms. When used with APS-C size digital SLR cameras, the lens provides an angle of view equivalent to approximately 44-465mm, covering the standard to ultra telephoto range with no sacrifice of quality or aperture range.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice all-around lens for Digital Rebel, December 13, 2004

By	D. Smith (North Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love taking photos, but I hate carrying lots of equipment when photography is not the focus of my journey, so I looked to find a lens that was light, inexpensive, a useful focal range and decent sharpness given all of the above. I believe the Tamron fits the bill.

Although this lens will not win any points with 'L'-series purists, I found it to be a very useful - and lightweight - lens. Sure, it's slow... Sure - it has a plastic mount... Sure - it's not as sharp as a lot of lenses with smaller zoom ranges and bigger price tags... But for most people who aren't looking for poster-sized enlargements, a lens that won't break your shoulder or your bank account like the Tamron is a good fit. I have used this lens for a few weeks now, and have compared the results to the excellent Tamron 28-75 2.8 XR Di, the Canon 50mm 1.8 (the 'plastic fantastic'), and the kit lens. It does lack the tack-sharpness of the 50mm and the 28-75, but it is still very acceptable. The reach is what will 'wow' you about the lens. Outdoors in decent light you can really pull your subject up close. In a photo taken from the 6th story of a beach hotel, I was able to clearly read a standard beach umbrella-rental sign that was approx. 500 yards away.
Indoors, this lens is just too slow to be useful at full zoom, but does reasonably well between 28-100mm with built-in flash (just be sure to remove the lens hood or it will shadow the lower part of the frame) and even better with an external flash (I use the EX550).
The focus is quick and quiet in decent lighting, but it will hunt in darker scenes.
In short, if you want a lens that offers reasonable sharpness, an incredible focal range, lightness and compactness at an attractive price, then consider this lens. You may find, as I did, that it will let you take that long lens with you instead of leaving your gear behind... I would much rather have a picture that may not be 'as sharp' than the one I did not take because I left the two pound lens behind.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Check the zoom capability on this lens first..., February 27, 2006

By	The Camera Eye "rfishjr" (Bowie, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

[This is a modification of a previous review]

I want to first comment on the manufacturers claimed focal lengths. I originally purchased the 28-300mm lens as an all purpose utility lens to go with my 20D. At the time I purchased it, I noticed the focal length wasn't as long as expected, but assumed it was probably a 10X, and that it was actually 280mm. A recent test proved it to be very much short of even that amount. I took several shots of a fur animal against a white background, w/ several DVD's sitting beneath and to the side of the object. With the Tamron set to 300mm, all the way out, then with a 75-300mm Canon set dead center of the 200mm mark and the Canon 70-200mm set to 200mm, all the way out. Framing and size of everything in the picture are identical. At this point I believed this to be a 28-200mm lens. However, I recently tested Canon's 28-200mm lens, hoping to get a little better autofocusing performance in lowlight situations. First, the 200mm position on the Canon 28-200mm was not comparable, it was a wider angle than the Tamron 28-300mm and than the other Canon's set at 200mm, that I had tested previously. This has led me to the conclusion that these "Beefed Up Wide Angles" just won't zoom in quite as close as their similarly rated telephoto zoom counterparts.

I have modified my rating and my review, because I have decided the lens should be reviewed for what it is - a mid to low priced utility lens - and should NOT be compared to my high end Canon lenses. That is not a fair comparison, whether it is by focal length or anything else. However, it is imperitive to ALWAYS check the assumed focal lengths against anything else you may have, so you know what you're getting. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the numbers written on the lens are (they are guidance), what matters is the usefulness of the lens.

Pros:
- It comes with a lens hood (very nice) - the Canon 28-200mm doesn't and wouldn't you know it, on my first application, I needed it. Overhead stage lights caused some horrendous glare that would have been completely eliminated by a lens hood).
- Despite my earlier criticism, within it's class, the Autofocus is decent (The Canon 28-200mm didn't perform a whole lot - maybe slightly - better than the Tamron).
- The range isn't what it's purported to be, but it's still a very versatile lens and does have a decent zoom range despite this fact.
- Exterior lens contruction is very solid for this price range (the Canon 28-200mm isn't bad, but probably not quite as solid).
- The price

Cons:
- Plastic lens mounting (the Canon 28-200mm has a metal mounting).
- The rotation direction for zooming is inverted. (I am not a Nikon user, however, it APPEARS that Tamron manufactures these lenses to first be compatible with Nikon cameras - it looks like a Nikon except that it says "Tamron" on it. it appears that they just add a Canon chip and mounting to an existing construction - which would certainly make SENSE for cost reasons.) Whatever the reason, you have to turn it the opposite way from what you are used to if you use mostly Canon lenses, and this can mess you up in the heat of the moment (I photo stage action - bikini, lingerie and fashion shows and contests - I do photo shoots of the models with the good lenses, which is the majority of my time, then I use the cheaper equipment for the shows, which are often in the city, not always in the nicest areas. Places where the really expensive stuff WILL NOT go...)
- The lens cap is a bit of a pain. I finally figured out why they made it this way, because it makes it a little less difficult to get it off when the lens hood is on. BUT... this does not make it any less of a problem when the hood is NOT on - it can easily be knocked off by a simple brushing against the side of it, when the hood is not on the lens.
- The aperture on the high end is f/6.3. On the Canons in this price range it is f/5.6, which is already a pretty slow lens. Tamron should consider a future upgrade to a faster lens. Even if they have to bump the price by a few bucks. Within reason it would be worth it.

To explain the construction - I looked very carefully at the materials of this one and the Canon 28-200mm. It's very clear to me that Tamron has saved their money in the area of mounting and added a little more in the exterior construction, plus they added a lens hood. Canon saved their money on the exterior construction (though it is good - much better than those cheap throwaways that come with the Rebel DSLR's - so don't get me wrong on that), and but a little more toward the mounting. So, which is more important for your application? You have to think that one through.

I have upgraded this review to 4 stars for the following reasons:
- My focal length criticisms are not exclusive to this lens or manufacturer for similar prosucts of similar price, regardless of manufacturer.
- The Autofocus criticisms were more directly geared to my experience with $1500 lenses. And that just plain is not a fair comparison at all. Compared to similar lenses - this lens performs very well.

Why four and not five stars - the plastic lens mount, and the fact that I wouldn't rate any "economical" (and for a 35mm camera lens this IS economical) product five stars as long as it shows signs of being an economical product, and this does (not to harp on the mount, but...)

73 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality, terrific value, December 16, 2004

By	Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

(Note: Tamron also makes this lens available for Nikon and Pentax digital SLRs, for the same price. In fact I have the Nikon version since I own a D70, but I thought my experience with this lens could help Canon d-SLR users as well. Please don't flame me!)

This new digital SLR-friendly zoom lens from Tamron is a great way to acquire a high-quality zoom lens for a fraction of the cost if you bought from the camera maker (e.g., Canon). Tamron claims this is world's "smallest and lightest" zoom lens for the focal range. I have no idea if that's true. It's small and lightweight indeed. To my eyes it's an all-plastic lens, but this made-in-Japan lens looks and feels solid. It has all the bells and whistles of a modern lens: XR, LD, asperical, plus macro capability. In real world shooting I'm very happy with the result, and I really don't think buying an official Canon lens would make much of a difference. Two things to keep in mind is, 1) as long as you buy a namebrand lens (Tamron, Sigma, and maybe Vivitar) you are getting a good deal, and 2) the marginal increase in lens quality (perceived or real) from the camera maker is extremely unlikely to improve pictures by any discernible amount. Give Ansel Adams a disposable camera and he would still take better pics than you and me, period. As long as you have a high quality, capable lens like this Tamron, you are armed with all the gear you need to NOT miss a great picture opportunity. The only ingredient nobody can sell, is your creativity. (Unfortunately the latter is what I lack and try to improve. For now, at least the Tamron is giving me the right tool.)

For the Digital Rebel, the 1.6 "magnification" factor (or crop factor) means the effective focal length of this Tamron is about 45-480mm in 35mm equivalent. Whoa!

In short, this is a really top-quality lens that any Digital Rebel enthusiast should consider. It's a lot bang for the buck, and it's even made in Japan unlike many Canon official lenses which are made in sweatshops in Southeast Asia.