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Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8 Review RSS Feed

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8

Sharpness 
 9.6
Aberrations 
 9.0
Bokeh 
 8.8
Handling 
 8.4
Value 
 9.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
14 52,292 Wed March 20, 2024
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $244.18 8.85
Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8
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Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8
supersize

Description:
"This is an absolutely superb optical design which features a three element focus group incorporating one low dispersion (LD) element, plus a five element variator group coupled with a three element compensator group. Resolution and contrast, compared to similar OEM lenses, is excellent to say the least. Quite possibly this lens is the ideal portrait lens due to its flexibility in combination to its inherent sharpness and contrast. Professional photographers know that lenses of around 80mm to 100mm focal length produce portraits which feature visual distortion that closely mimics the human eye. - adaptall-2.com

Premium fast "pro" zoom. Normally comes with removable tripod mount ring (pic 2). Alternatively, the cheap 65-66mm ID ones from China (typically described as for "Canon EF 70-200mm" ) fits almost perfectly in front of the aperture ring, no modding required.

* Focal length: 80-200
* Aperture min/max: 2,8 / 32 AE
* Angle of view 80/200mm: 30°-12°
* Elements/groups: 16 / 12
* Minimum focus distanc: 1.5 mm
* Filter diameter: 77 mm
* Outside Diameter: 80.0 mm
* Length: 178,0 mm
* Weight: 1218 gr.
Mount Type: Third-party (adapter required)
Price History:



Add Review of Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8
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New Member

Registered: December, 2023
Posts: 13
Review Date: March 20, 2024 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, fast, freeeeee
Cons: Heavy, large
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K5, K3ii   

This lens was a gift from a very good friend, I gave him some Graphlex stuff recently. But this has been on my short list for a bit, He even got it with the PKA adapter!

Clean example, smooth operation. Push/Pull zoom/focus reminds me of my first zoom in 83, a Sakar 80-200 f4 for my Fujica STX1, but bigger and heavier. And sharper, better color and contrast. Yes, it is a contemporary to my old Sakar, but so much better in every aspect.

My copy did not have the tripod collar, so I bought one off Amazon for "Canon EF 70-200mm". It does indeed fit tight and holds securely. Even has a Arca Swiss dovetail built in. Photo friends are always curious when I show up with vintage glass, I always carry a Nikon adapter for my friends to try... All are impressed for what it is and it's age...

My K3ii seems to give better exposure, more consistent than my K5.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2022
Posts: 1
Review Date: August 31, 2022 Recommended | Price: $120.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: A high quality zoom lens, reasonable sharpness
Cons: HEAVY, push-pull zoom
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 7    Value: 9    Camera Used: KS-1   

It is the end of August 2022. I am getting ready to go on a trip and was reviewing the different zoom lens reviews in an effort to just bring 2 lenses, a 35mm prime and a zoom. Based on the stellar reviews here I purchased the Tamron Adaptall 80-200mm f2.8 in a like new condition with the original case and box at a very good price. I did some testing of this lens between F8 and F22 to compare sharpness and aberration to the lenses I had in the 200mm range. The test subject was a distant brick building on a bright sunny day. All test pictures were taken using a tripod and 2 second delay. This lens was slightly softer compared to my Takumar 200mm f3.5, Nikon 180mm F2.8, and comparable sharpness to the Pentax-m 135mm zoomed in to where the image was the same size on the screen.

So, if you need an affordable zoom, don't mind that it is about 5 pounds, and don't mind the push-pull this lens probably will be okay. Also, when reading user reviews bear in mind that their review may be looking through rose colored filters. The current plan is to sell this lens and take the Takumar 200mm F3.5 on vacation.

Message me if you are interested in purchasing this lens and I will try to work something out.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2012
Posts: 17
Review Date: June 18, 2018 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Very bright viewfinder, helps manual focus
Cons: Weight, purple fringing, minimum focus distance
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 7    Camera Used: Samsung GX10, GX20, Pentax K-x   

Adaptall lenses aren't getting any younger, and I sense that ratings on this site reflect this; more recent reviews tend to be more critical. I wouldn't have bought this lens were I not on a mission to collect Adaptalls, and were I not concerned to plug the collection gap, I wouldn't have touched it in the condition it is in.
Mechanically, it feels loose, and the zoom creeps.
Optically, there are a couple of dead insects floating around inside, and masses of fungus. I got the fungus off the first 3 elements, at the cost of putting a nick in the edge of the front element as I struggled to unscrew its retaining ring, but there is plenty more fungus to deal with. I wasn't keen to inflict further damage, so I contacted the UK Tamron Agent about servicing it, but received this response.
"Unfortunately for that model of lens we do not supply spare parts anymore and (it) would be unfair for you to send it in for us to examine. Apologies as I know this isn’t the answer you were looking for."
Nevertheless, the images stand comparison with those from my Tamron Adaptall SP 19AH. Wide open the 30A exhibits a glow-iness (spherical aberration), there is purple fringing at high contrast image boundaries and the fungus contributes veiling flare, but there seems to be just as much detail as with the 19AH, and at f8 the 30A exhibits fractionally more detail than the 19AH.
I like the 30A's metal hood as well; the 19AH's plastic hood feels flimsy in comparison.
I love the brightness of the viewfinder using the 30A.
But mostly, I prefer the pictures taken with my (pristine) 19AH; the combination of colour and contrast out of the camera just seems aesthetically more pleasing.


The Tamron 1.4x Teleconverter 014F works with the 30A, it doesn't with the 19AH, and the Pentax AFA 1.7x also works well. But contrast is even more lacking with my copy of the 30A.
The lens is heavy, but that is to be expected of an f2.8 80-200mm zoom; I don't find it unmanageable.

So on the plus side, the bokeh is lovely and smooth, the lens is f2.8, the images in the viewfinder snap in to focus, even with the mechanical limitations of my copy, and the wide open images are usable, though unless I'm using a tripod the wafer thin depth of field can lead to swaying backwards or forwards causing focus to be missed.
But with my copies, unless I really need f2.8, I'm going to be using the 19AH, which although a bit slower, focuses closer, and is much easier to handle.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 982
Review Date: January 19, 2018 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Critically sharp, even wide open at 200mm, great bokeh, nice tripod mount
Cons: It's heavy, but it's worth it.

The Tamron 30A SP 80-200mm f/2.8 LD is without a doubt the best zoom lens I own. And I own some very nice zooms.



This is a serious, pro-quality optic. Tamron didn't bother trying to please a wider market by adding a macro mode. They kept the design deceptively simple, and instead chose optical excellence above all other considerations.

I made a discovery about this lens and I feel it deserves to be passed along. If you've ever used Nikon lenses, then perhaps you've had the opportunity to shoot with one of Nikon's best -- the Nikkor AIs 180mm f/2.8 ED telephoto. It is an amazing optic. I owned one for a while but ended up having to sell it during times of not enough money and too much gear. I still miss that lens. A few years ago, I decided I was gonna do something about it finally and buy another AIs 180/2.8 ED. So I started checking the listings on eBay, and checking to see what places like Adoraman and KEH etc might have to order. I also checked in at adaptall-2.com because they have Modern Photography magazine tests for both the Tamron 180mm f/2.5 LDIF and the Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED displayed there, as a way of emphasizing the superior performance of the Tamron 180. Well, I was taking all that data in and also while I was there, it occurred to me that I might should check to see if there was a Modern test shown for the Tamron 80-200/2.8 LD. Well, there just happened to be one. So I studied its resolution and contrast numbers too. But something was bugging me about it and I didn't know what it was. So I was going back and forth, looking at the test results from the Tamron and Nikon 180s and then the test results for the Tamron 80-200, at 200mm. And then finally, it hit me. The resolution and contrast numbers for the AIs Nikon 180/2.8 ED were almost identical to the resolution and contrast numbers for the Tamron SP 80-200/2.8 LD. It was uncanny just how closely those two lenses matched each other. Still is. And please, don't take my word for it, go to adaptall-2.com and see for yourself.

So, once I realized the Tamron zoom at 200mm was the basic equivalent to the Nikon 180 ED, I widened my search for a possible candidate. And I found it at KEH. They had one listed in BGN condition for $250, which was about $100 cheaper than anyone else -- when you could even find one. Reason for it being listed in "Bargain" condition? The zoom collar slipped slightly. Really? Geez, big deal. So, I bought it and I've been very happy with it ever since.

Male grackle, Canon XS DSLR,Tamron 30A SP 80-200mm f/2.8 @f/2.8 and 200mm.


A 100% crop of the above image:


A "blue mascara" dove, same gear as above. This is close to a 100% crop.


How sharp is it, really? Well, here's a pic of a rose I took with my wimpy Canon XS DSLR:


And here's a 100% crop of the flower:


Did I mention it is a heavy lens? Fortunately, it comes with a very stout tripod mount. Or at least, it should come with one. The mount is removeable, so if you're thinking about one of these lenses, make sure it comes with the tripod mount. The front of the lens has a bayonet for a hood. Mine didn't come with one and I haven't yet tried to find the correct hood for it.

My copy's single collar zooms and rotates very smoothly. Shooting with this lens offhand can be something of a chore, but it doesn't bother me too much because I find that -- up to a point -- a heavy lens can actually improve an image's sharpness and clarity because the weight tends to dampen any sort of jitters that might otherwise occur when using lighter optics.

I've found that CA is very well controlled with this lens and what little it exhibits can easily be dealt with in post.
   
New Member

Registered: September, 2012
Location: Belo Horizonte
Posts: 17
Review Date: March 17, 2016 Recommended | Price: $175.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very Sharp at 2.8
Cons: No
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: canon 6d   

An incredibly perfect lens .
I test against two nikkor 80-200 2.8 ED .
and tamron win the race
   
Site Supporter

Registered: December, 2011
Location: Alaska
Posts: 522
Review Date: May 27, 2015 Recommended | Price: $175.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Tack sharp, built like a tank, easy manual focusing
Cons: Tank-like weight
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: K5   

I got lucky and found this lens at a bargain price. Certainly not minty new, but the glass was in great shape and the focus and zoom are smooth in operation. I'm really liking the output from this lens. It's very easy to manually focus on my K5 with a split-prism focusing screen.

Ultimately, an affordable fast zoom that produces beautiful results on my K5.

Will have to update with a few more sample photos once I upload them -
   
Site Supporter

Registered: August, 2011
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 45
Review Date: October 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $126.00 | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: constant aperture, nice and heavy, distinctly deparate focus vs zoom motions
Cons: separation, malfunctioning aperture lever, broken zoom cam

my copy was an 'ugly' from KEH - I bought it as a BGN but it had separation inside the lens so they refunded part of my payment. In addition, my lens had a malfunctioning aperture lever (would not stop down past about f/8), and after a few days shooting with it one of the zoom cams came off inside the camera so it was locked in the 110-135mm range until I fixed it. I opted to keep it with a partial refund rather than send it back for a full refund, but for others not experienced with lens repair, it would have been a no-go.

The separation is not severe and is outside of the light path past f/5.6.

Despite the setbacks I've had with this lens, I enjoy using it. the contsant fast aperture is nice, very beneficial for manual exposure/metering. Contrary to others, i really like the heavy weight. I put 3000 pictures through this lens one day at a Indy car race without a tripod, and I'm not a big guy.

Spend the money and make sure you get a good copy.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2010
Location: California
Posts: 2,223
Review Date: April 23, 2011 Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp, great IQ, good price, heavy as it should be
Cons: None so far. It is so easy to focus that AF is not missed

The price is complete with the hood, UV MC filter and tripod collar I had to purchased separately. This lens is the perfect lens. With the hood and MC, no signs of flare at all. I have the 19AH too and the image quality is better, that should tell you everything. It is as heavy as any of the other lenses in this range and aperture. More later when I have pics to show and time to upload them.
---------------






















   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2007
Location: Toronto
Posts: 1,774
Review Date: March 3, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Heavy, Solid Build, Pretty sharp at f2.8, Well corrected
Cons: Hard to keep focus if you aren't calm, zoom creep, rotating barrel, 1.5m MFD

This is a great lens and a precursor of the new Tamron SP 70-200/2.8.

The optics are really good for its time and still measures up to today's f2.8 telephotos. The lens is pretty good right from the get go at f2.8 but could be better although I'm not sure if this is more of a problem with my focusing technique. Stop down, it gets really sharp.

The downside is the one touch were it makes sense for manual focus users but if you've had one coffee or more, trying to hold the lens steady without moving the focus is rather difficult because of the rotating barrel. Normally this is fine but the majority of the lens exterior rotates and so you don't have much room to hold the lens without distrubing/potentially disturbing the focus.

Other quibbles include zoom creep and the 1.5m minimum focusing distance.


Overall a competent f2.8 lens that requires a bit of patience and getting used to.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2009
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 509
Review Date: September 2, 2010 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: built like a tank, very high IMQ even at f2.8,
Cons: heavy, flare

Wow! What a lens. Just amazing.

Very well built and representing a special era in the Tamron history. At 200mm, the resolution rivals that of my K200 f2.5. It has less CA than my K200 at f2.5. That good! LD elements do make a difference. Focusing is very smooth.

While people may complain about Tamron's color rending and flare resistance, this is a fantastic lens.

Five minor problems. 1. very heavy. 2. not so good for close focusing. 3. PF is quite significant at f2.8 under certain circumstances. 4. Color rendition is not Pentax. 5. tendency to overexpose. My first 10 for a zoom. Might change my mind after more uses.

No zoom creep if you put it on 200mm. Otherwise, the zoom ring creeps. It works very well with my Pentax F1.7 converter, although it reduce resolution a bit.

Am I going to keep it? Perhaps not. Too heavy.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: January, 2008
Location: Paris, TN
Posts: 3,349

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 29, 2010 Recommended | Price: $310.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Excellent value, utility and build
Cons: There's no AF issues to complain about. :-( Heavy.

Would you rather have the Tamron AF 70-200 f/2.8 Di LD for $700-800 or this Adaptall-2 SP 80-200/2.8 at 1/3 the cost used?* But you'll just have to live with the fact that there'll be no AF issues and this lens is 1/4 pound lighter than its newer AF sibling and it can be used on most any SLR body you happen to have.

With a little planning this lens will produce images that match the SP 90/2.5 and the SP 180/2.5 and exceed the SP 70-210/3.5 (19AH) in practical application. The down side? Like any long, fast zoom it's big and heavy - 2.6 lbs - and benefits greatly from a steady support.

The real comparison comes with the SP 70-210/3.5 (19AH) which is 1/3 lighter and uses 62mm filters rather than the 77mm required by the 30A at a lose of only 1/2 an f-stop. Results with both lenses are comparable but the 19AH close-focuses to 34" versus 59" for the 30A.

IME, the 30A does tend to somewhat over saturate and blossom in very high contrast conditions below f 4. Given that this is a manual focus lens, the fast f 2.8 aperture serves well with a split-image VF.

I'm still getting the feel of the 19AH lens; first impressions are very good but I'm not tempted to favor either the 19AH or the 30A over the other for image quality. There's a definite sense of deliberate purpose and solidity in the feel of the 30A lens - sort of like the SP300/2.8 - you know it's there and it ain't goin' anywhere.

If shooting only in the 80-100mm or 160-200mm ranges in the field I'd certainly prefer to carry the smaller and lighter SP 90 or SP 180, but in a dynamic situation such as a race track or athletic event I'd prefer this lens to the 19AH if I planned to be stationary.

Used with a 'gutted', 25mm AE-type TC or either of the Adaptall tele-extenders the useful range extends from less than 3 feet covering an area about the size of a deck of cards to an AFS-C equivalent 600mm/5.6 lens. Any degradation in quality with the 140F converter is really only noticeable with side-by-side comparison although focusing can become critical when DoF is important.

With a little thought and practice, a split-image VF, and catch-in-focus I don't miss AF at all - and I've better things to spend $600 on than AF!

If you don't have a Tamron tripod mount, the aftermarket mount sold for the Canon L7E EF 80-200mm 300 400 mm F2.8 works great ($10, barrel diameter is 66mm) and it can be used as a FL stop ring as well - I limit the zoom range to 180mm when used with the 140F TC.

H2

Adding a palm-rest type support that extends somewhat forward significantly facilitates hand held shooting. The weight is both better balanced and it frees the fingers to focus and zoom without using the lens rings for support.


Edit: Just acquired an SP AF 70-200/2.8 and compared the two lenses. The 30A and the A001 are almost indistinguishable in practical results IMO. The 30A seems to be about a 1/3 stop brighter, very slightly less 'vivid', and 'busy' backgrounds can be slightly harsher. But sharpness, color and lack of fringing are identical to the point I have to refer to EXIF to identify the lens for sure. The family heritage of these two lenses is very apparent and totally satisfying. If your eyes and manual focusing technique are up to par, you'll find little or no difference between them -- except for size, weight and price. The 30A is impressive enough that I chose to keep it for its additional versatility and sell the excellent SP 180/2.5 (63B). I can now sell the 30A and let older eyes enjoy the AF assist for a while.

Comparison with A001 at 200mm/f8


H2

This is a very versatile 'garden and flower' lens. Useable at F2.8-3.5 to take advantage of available light and it's sharp throughout the FL range offering a variety of options for subject perspective, standoff distance and composition. Equally effective and much more versatile than the 52B macro in the garden.

Or the DA 70-200 at $1700+ 02/2016?

   
Forum Member

Registered: June, 2007
Location: Belgium
Posts: 96
Review Date: September 4, 2008 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: sharp wide open and even sharper stopped down, fast, good build quality, interchangeable mount
Cons: very heavy, rotating front glass

I use this one for portraits and concerts, and I'm very pleased with it.

The image quality is fantastic. It's acceptably sharp at 2.8, but stop it down even to 3.5 and it becomes razor sharp!

The range is perfect for close-up photography, I use it together with my Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 at concerts.

This thing is built like a tank. No plastic here!
Downside is that this is a very heavy piece of glass. For a strong arm, no problem, but I can see how this could be a problem for some.
Then again, try to find a 80-200mm f2.8 that's light as a feather...

I would definitly recommend it, a good alternative to the much more expensive Tamron or Sigma equivalents.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2007
Location: Toronto/Victoria
Posts: 460
Review Date: May 4, 2008 Recommended | Price: $400.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, relatively compact
Cons: Rotating front element

This is perhaps one of the lesser known F/2.8 telephoto zooms. I got mine with a KA adapter.

As long as focus is good, it is very sharp with a bit of purple fringing at 200/2.8. That disappears stopping down a bit.

It also works really well with the SP Adaptall-2 2x teleconverter. Much better than with the Pentax T6-2x.

It is apparently better than the equivalent Tokina version too.

The only "issue" is the rotating front element. Not a big deal since I don't use polarizers much.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2007
Location: in a house in Armidale, Australia
Posts: 472
Review Date: May 2, 2008 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: sharp
Cons: heavy!

used on 6mp ds found it to be a very sharp lens, but it is really heavy!. It is also a push pull zoom which some people dont like. tendency for blooming and higher ca than would be expected for this focal length. overall very nice
Add Review of Tamron Adaptall-2 SP LD BBAR MC (30A) 80-200mm F2.8



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