I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
2.8 fast lens. nice walk-around lens. good FL range. optical quality
Cons:
build feels somewhat cheap-plastic.
first Tamron lens i bought. i haved used it for weddings, casual walk-around, outdoor, indoor, portraits - this is a really versatile lens and it becomes hard to take it off (you wouldn't need to in most cases). The zoom ring is nicely dampered (not too stiff not too loose). Optics must be great (i've never taken it apart or know what to look for in great optics, but it produces very sharp, contrasty photos). For the price, it would be the first lens i would recommend anybody looking to replace their kit - but don't think this is merely a kit replacement. it does far more and will exceed expectations.
negative 2 points: for body/build quality. lens hood gets in the way of using cir. Pl.
Registered: February, 2007
Posts: 3626
Location: Sterling, VA, USA
Lens Review Date: March 15, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $378.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Sharp, fast & verstalile focal length range
Cons:
lack of "quick shift focusing"
This is nearly a perfect indoor modeling studio lens.
My primary reason for purchasing it were my experiences in the studio shooting with my DA 16-45 and DA 50-200. I found myself having to switch lenses constantly. When I looked at the EXIFs later on I noted that 90% of the shots where in the 24mm to 90mm range.
The only modern comparable Pentax lenses in this range is the fairly expensive FA* 28-70mm F2.8. The other Pentax zooms covering this range are f4s or are variable aperture lenses. I specifically skipped Pentaxes new DA 18-250mm due to it's variable aperture.
I had read several positive reviews of the Tamron and decided to try it out at the store and liked it immediately. Thanks to the f2.8 it was nice and bright even at 75mm and the images were sharp and evenly exposed when I examined my sample shots later at home.
When I went to my next studio shoot, the lens really showed its worth. I never felt a need to switch to the 50-200 and only switched to the 16-45 for about 10 shots (out of 750).
My only gripe was the lack of Pentaxes "quick shift focusing" capability but I didn't notice this as much as I would have on an F4 or slower lens since the auto focus seemed very precise thanks to that nice f2.8 constant aperture.
Registered: October, 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Toowoomba - Australia
Lens Review Date: March 16, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $370.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
NO CA or Flare! Size, weight (for an f2.8 zoom), build quality.
Cons:
only 28 at the wide end.
YMMV, but... i've had some beautiful lenses, both zooms and primes, and this beats them all for practicality - which is why it's always on the body. Sharp - corner to corner - with great contrast (even at f2.8). fast focusing, beautiful rendering, smooth bokeh. Of course, on a K10/20d, this is a 42-100 ish lense, which really suits me, but some may miss the width of a kit lens. For a walk around + portrait lens, all that's missing is going wider than 28mm. But hey, if you have an old film camera in your bag, you can always throw it on that for the times when you just have to have the width.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
cost, sharpness
Cons:
lens creep
Absolutely the best bang for the dollar in a mid tele zoom. Pretty sharp at 2.8, outstanding stopped down. Mine seems to be a very good copy. Gets used a lot.
Registered: May, 2007
Posts: 9321
Location: East Coast Canada
Lens Review Date: April 1, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $329.00
| Rating: 4
Pros:
Build, sharp, fast, IQ, close focus, Corner to corner sharpness
Cons:
Sometimes the bokeh can be harsh
Edit June 2009, I'm revising my review. I've left what I said earlier because lens was that good the first year and a half. But I shoot a lot of events, portraits and weddings. This was a primary lens. Probably 6,000 images shot with it. The lens went soft on me after 16 months and I suspected the lens elements became misaligned. I sent it in for service and they claimed it was out of focus due to wear and tear.
The repair lasted 1 month and it's soft again. The inside of this lens is all plastic and even though it's a great design, it won't hold up over time like I'd hoped. Pentax and Sigma lenses are better built. (Sigma EX's have metal inner barrels) So now I'm sour on this lens and it is a paper weight.
For the casual shooter, a good choice, for the heavy user. Not a lens to buy IMO. I'm getting a Sigma 28-70mm EX DG f2.8 to replace it and will go back to using the SMC A 35-105mm f3.5 Pentax (a superior lens anyway but MF, I wish they'd make this in an f2.8 AF DA*).
Earlier review: It's Hard to add more to the above comments but IMO a must have lens. I've owned over 50 Pentax and 3rd party lenses over the years. This would rank among the best I've shot with. It's always either on the body or in a pocket nearby. Decent close focus and great center or corner to corner sharpness. Very good IQ in almost all respects.
Only minor issue is the bokeh can be a little harsh if the background has highlights that are contrasty. But that can be controlled with shooting angle or light control. This is the ONLY area the Pentax FA*28-70 f2.8 beats the Tamron. And you can buy 3-4 Tamron's new for the price of one used Pentax.
Perfect length as a portrait lens and a must have if you shoot people or weddings.
Registered: February, 2008
Posts: 49
Location: USA
Lens Review Date: April 8, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Great range, pretty sharp wide open, fast and close focusing
Cons:
A bit heavy for me, but apparently light for constant aperature zoom
I gave this lens a 9. I rarely give out 10's for things.
I recently purchased this lens, and I'm really happy with it so far. I like the range it provides and the lower light capability as well. It's a little heavy for me, but I'm sensitive to that, plus I'm comparing it to the Pentax DA kit zooms, which are insanely light.
It seems pretty sharp when it is wide open too, depending on the circumstances and the shutter speed. I don't have the steadiest hands sometimes, so camera shake is a factor for me.
I've been using it to shoot fast moving stuff (dogs that can't sit still) and I'm happy with the results, even in low light.
I highly recommend this lens to anyone who needs this range, and doesn't mind the little bit of extra weight. I can definitely see it being an excellent walk around lens, that is great for landscape (if you don't need the ultra wide angle) and portraits alike.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Zoom, F2.8, good value
Cons:
A small room with a crowd of people can be a problem
I would have to agree with everything that has been said.
I guess the kit lens is worth $100, maybe, but why put it
on a K10d ? I was generally happy with the lens, until I recently purchased the Pentax 50mm F1.4. That has made the decision more complicated, for portraits. It seems to me that Tamron is
keeping people really honest with their value and technology.
Thank you.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $349.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
sharpness, constant f2.8, feel/weight, range
Cons:
rear cap is finicky, wide end range
This is my favourite all around lens.
I did a fair amount of research before going ahead with this purchase over the Sigma 17-70mm and Pentax 16-45mm, as I found that what I was going to loose on the short end of the range I was going to gain back in low light use and sharpness. This lens does not disappoint.
Lens has a very nice quality feel to it's components, and has a nice weight to it (unlike the pentax kit lens).
The only minor complaint I have is that the rear cap is pretty finicky to put back on once it's off the lens. Not too big of an issue, as the lens is on my K10D almost 100% of the time. Also, some users may find the short end to be a bit too lengthy.
For portraits and all around general use...this lens can not be beat.
Registered: March, 2007
Posts: 12140
Location: Toowoomba, Australia
Lens Review Date: April 28, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $375.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Fast, good IQ, versatile
Cons:
not wide enough for APS-C
Another top performer in consumer zooms.
Very very good IQ for the price you pay, and really very little to complain about with regards to its performance.
As it was designed in the pre-digital era, its focal range would have sufficed for a wide to mid-range lens choice in film cameras, but now the 28mm is just not wide enough on a dSLR. On the other hand, for uses in weddings and general portrait use (from one to 10 people), it's hard to beat.
Pentax's FA 50 f/1.4 is still unrivaled for single or couple portraits, but the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 does very well and is more versatile.
Very highly recommended especially if you don't need wide angle range.
Registered: January, 2007
Posts: 7251
Location: Toronto
Lens Review Date: July 18, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 9
Pros:
fast versitle focal length zoom, with full frame coverage
Cons:
zoom creep, full frame coverage
this is an excellent lens with good sharpness and contrast.
The focal length range makes this a very good general purpose lens, but leaves some gap at the lower end between 28mm and what ever ultra wide zoom people put in thier kit.
the zoom creep is a little annoying, and although there is a lock at minimum focal length, it is ofter forgotten.
I listed full frame as both an advantage and disadvantage as the lens hood is designed obviously for full frame and therefore is not optimal for the ASP-C sensor of a pentax DSLR. It would be nice if there were an optional lens hood for ASP-C sensors.
There is also an advantage with this lens compared to similar range Full frame lenses from sigma, specifically that the lens uses a less expensive 67mm filter. As this lens will get a lot of travel use, landscape use etc, you should expect to add polarizers, graduated ND filters etc. These can be very expensive in 77 or 82mm diameters needed for the Sigma 24-60 and 24-70mm EX DG lenses.
One thing missing with respect to polarizers and graduated ND filters is a small opening in the bottom of the lens hood to allow filter adjustment.
I have found the lens hood can be very stiff to attach in its lock, especially in the storage position. I have resolved this by rubbing a bar of soap onto the plastic tracks of the lens.
In terms of exposure and accuracy, there seems to be a slight error in apature as the lens is stopped down.
Wide open, metering (on a K10D) the exposure of a uniform surface results in an average grey scale of 110 (where it should be) but as the lens is stopped down (using the camera to control it) the exposure increases linearly with F stop to produce a grey scale value of 140 at F32. This represents about a 2/3 stop error at minimum apature compared to maximum apature.
Registered: December, 2007
Posts: 882
Location: Denver, Co
Lens Review Date: July 21, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 9
Pros:
2.8, Smaller then anticipated, Sharp, Price.
Cons:
lens body not as robust as some
I was a little worried after I received my my first copy of this lens, it was soft and appeared to have a FF issue. After several conversations about the quality of this lens on two diffrent forums I sent ot back to B&H for replacement.
I must say that the second copy is much bettter then the first, as Ben put it in one of his posts "I consider it to fall in to my "Brutally Sharp" category" and I agree with his statement.
I think this lens may have a hard time finding it's way off my camera.
Registered: January, 2008
Posts: 1
Location: South of Sweden
Lens Review Date: October 27, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: No |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $410.00
| Rating: 2
Pros:
cheap, small
Cons:
poor production quality
I am a Pentax K10d user. I bought this to replace the kit lens.
The first one had some kind of front/backfocus problem so it was sent back, the second i got after a week had some centering fault i beleive and now i am waiting for the third lens
I dont think its worth all that struggle and hope to accidently get a good sample, i reccomend to look for another lens.
Kjell
Edit
Ive got my third sample today and it was perfekt between 50-75, between 28-50 no sharpness at all on longer distanses than 2 m, below maybe ok. I will try something else i think. At last with help from Tamron i sent my carmera for calibration with a new lens, then they found out that the focusing problem relates to the camera, i will come back with a final verdict on the lens when i get it back.
Edit 04-09-2009
I have now got 4 lenses and after calibrating my camera the lens IQ is Ok but nothin to rave about, mecanically its very poor i think and wonder how long it will last for me, i am very dissapointed. It is not much better than the kit lens.
Kjell
Registered: May, 2008
Posts: 14
Location: Izmir, Turkey
Lens Review Date: November 11, 2008
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $560.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Optical quality, sharpness, fast, great walk-around lens
Cons:
Only 28 mm at the wide end, rarely focusing problems in low light conditions
I use this lens with my Pentax K100D. I was worried about getting a bad copy. But I had no ff or bf problems. I really like its performance and recommend it.
Registered: December, 2007
Posts: 13
Location: İstanbul / Turkey
Lens Review Date: January 22, 2009
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Fast, Good IQ, Full Frame, Great Price/Performance
Cons:
Only 28mm wide, build quality, Front/Back Focus issues
I bought this lens a year ago. It had got a front focus issue and have calibrated it at Tamron Germany. Now it is my most favourite lens both on Digital and Film. Has got a good image quality but feels like cheap plastic build material. I think it is the best lens to be bought to that price.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $350.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
sharp, good colour, good contrast
Cons:
QA problems.
I must first say that the lens arrived with a bad front focus problem. I sent it to Amplis Foto (in Canada) to have it calibrated under warranty. It came back spot on.
Now, on to the review.
This lens is so sharp, I have stopped using most of my primes. Also, the close focus allows for some macro-ish shots, even when using auto-focus for critical focusing. I attribute that to the 2.8 aperture allowing much light to the AF system. The AF is so precise, that I rarely feel the need to manual focus anymore, and I have a split-screen installed!
The lens is indeed the perfect walk-around lens, and even a good low-light lens if you push the ISO to 1600. In all I am extremely happy with it, and would have scored a 10 if not for the front focus problem that I had.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $369.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Sharp, Very good lens for the price.
Cons:
Feels plasticky.
Ever since I purchased this lens, it is rarely off my K2000. Bokeh is very good. Shots are sharp. First impression is it has a plastic feel to it and the zoom ring is a bit notchy. Don't let that deter you from purchasing because the lens generate excellent photos. I'm very happy with the investment and I would buy it again. My only wish is for it to be wider. I'll be eating cherries at that point.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $300.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
sharp, useful, good closeup
Cons:
Bit heavy
I bought this lens used from a PentaxForums member maybe 6 months ago. It's been my default lens since then, only rarely coming off so I can use more specialized lens like an ultra-wide. It's a darn useful focal length, fast enough for almost all situations, and the close up feature means I don't need to take it off for light macro work. The IQ is great. It's very nice & usable even at wide open, though stopped down gains a bit more. It doesn't have any problems with vignette, flare or CA that I can find.
This is an all around great lens to have in your kit.
Registered: March, 2008
Posts: 194
Location: Israel
Lens Review Date: October 13, 2009
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $300.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Image quality, relatively low weight, ergonomics
Cons:
Sample variation
There are times when you have to shoot with a zoom lens. Yet, you want a reasonably good image quality and fast speed. And if don't want to spend 4 digits figure on original optic, then comes this Tamron lens.
Mine was bought second hand from trusted fellow Pentaxian (PDMLer as well) source. My copy is sharp all across the range - both of focal lengths and apertures. Amazingly enough it is very sharp even wide open. Add to this good close up ability, tight build and good rendering - and you get a very desirable optic. Some say that it is slightly warm in color balance department. It might be so, but it does not spoil any of the 4,000+ images that I've taken with it.
Having said that, I should say that I also met some less sharp copies of this lens. Indeed, sample variation and/or production QC may be the culprit here. For that purpose, I am giving it only 9 out of 10.
Last but not least, all the rings on this Tamron rotate the same direction as they rotate on original Pentax zoom lenses - big plus.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $450.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Handy Focal length, nice bokeh
Cons:
none really
This lens came with the used K10D I bought but I know the previous owner paid around 500AUD for it. I am glad he did his research and bought this lens as I seem to want to keep it on the camera. For a cheaper type of lens I'm very impressed so far.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $300.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Sharp, Fast Focus In Good Light
Cons:
AF Poor In Low Light, Electronic Connection Problems
First the bad: I bought this lens years ago, and should have returned it for a different lens. It has connection issues where you have to hold the adjustment ring in the lock position for the electronic connectors to sit right against the camera (both my old *ist DS and also my k200). I was foolish and just held on to it. The only other negative I've got about this is the AF is very poor in low light and will just spin around searching for a lock.
Now the good: This lens sits on my camera about 90% of the time. It's marvelously sharp, and the AF in decent light is quite fast and snappy. I use this all the time as my go-to lens for portraits, although mostly at the 75mm range, but it comes in great as a semi-wide at 28.
As a pro photographer pointed out: "kit lenses are a waste of money. It's only an extra $100? That's a $5 lens, you're getting ripped off." If you're in the market for a good all-round lens, you can't beat this one for the price.
I can recommend the Tamron Macro SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 9
Pros:
extremely sharp, nice range on film & digital
Cons:
build quality may degrade quickly in heavy use
This is one of the lenses where opinions are widespread - not surprising!
My copy had excellent sharpness (too sharp for portraits even!), but made strange noises and had a manual focus feeling, like having subdivisions on the focus leverage. I sent the brand new lens to the German service center to check it. Three months later, I claimed and was told, that they were waiting for spare parts from Japan. Two days later, I had the lens back!??!?! Obviously without changes or repairs, because the noises are still there, but the lens still produces outstanding sharp pictures. So, I decided to give up on the noise and focus feel. Unfortunately, I am not confident about the long term quality of that lens if used daily under maybe harsh conditions - the heavy 1:2.8 lens glass is sitting in thin plastic.
A word about the focal length: on a film body 28-75 is the classic-modern standard zoom, but what about the 42-113mm on APS-C? Well, I never missed the wider angle and enjoyed the extra length above 100mm, which is the excellent focal length overall, I think.
Bottom line is: I am satisfied with my copy and, being an amateur photographer, can recommend it from my point of view.
