Tamron 70-200 sticky aperture

yusuf · 09-28-2010, 08:52 PM

I plan to buy a Tamron 70-200/f2.8 but did some search and found that many users faced with the sticky aperture problem. This problem is also reported by users who purchased it very recently (in 2010).

Can people owning this lens share their experiencet. Unfortunately, there are only two good tele-zoom lenses (50-135 and this one), both have their own issues.

deadwolfbones · 09-28-2010, 09:37 PM

Originally posted by yusuf

I plan to buy a Tamron 70-200/f2.8 but did some search and found that many users faced with the sticky aperture problem. This problem is also reported by users who purchased it very recently (in 2010).

Can people owning this lens share their experiencet. Unfortunately, there are only two good tele-zoom lenses (50-135 and this one), both have their own issues.

There's actually a third: the Sigma 50-150/2.8.

JSherman999 has done some very extensive reporting on it here in the forum.

Jewelltrail · 09-28-2010, 09:58 PM

Well, then there is at least a 4th--Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8. It gets some fantastic reviews in our database too. If you can get your hands on one.
.

yusuf · 09-29-2010, 12:34 AM

Originally posted by Jewelltrail

Well, then there is at least a 4th--Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8. It gets some fantastic reviews in our database too. If you can get your hands on one.
.

IMO, sigma 70-200 not in the same league as Tamron 70-200. It's soft wide-open and in one of the test, it's even worse than cheaper Tamron 70-300 LD

Last edited by yusuf; 09-29-2010 at 01:15 AM.

deadwolfbones · 09-29-2010, 06:44 AM

I owned both. The Tamron is better at >135mm wide open, but aside from that the two are very comparable.

yusuf · 09-29-2010, 07:45 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

I owned both. The Tamron is better at >135mm wide open, but aside from that the two are very comparable.

That's a huge range - it means tamron is better in 50% of the range, for the almost same price - isn't?

deadwolfbones · 09-29-2010, 08:22 AM

Originally posted by yusuf

That's a huge range - it means tamron is better in 50% of the range, for the almost same price - isn't?

Yep. That's why I sold the Sigma to get the Tamron, but the difference wasn't huge, and I got great results from the Sigma in that range by stopping it down just a little bit.

Ivor K Ecks · 09-29-2010, 08:33 AM

I bought the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 about 9 months ago. I have taken over 1200 photos with it and have not had any problems. Since Tamron give excellent warranty periods I am not that worried about the sticky aperture problem.
I think it is a great lens, the IQ is brilliant even wide open from both ends of the zoom.
If you want to see the quality of this lens check out my albums.

deadwolfbones · 09-29-2010, 08:38 AM

Originally posted by Ivor K Ecks

I bought the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 about 9 months ago. I have taken over 1200 photos with it and have not had any problems. Since Tamron give excellent warranty periods I am not that worried about the sticky aperture problem.
I think it is a great lens, the IQ is brilliant even wide open from both ends of the zoom.
If you want to see the quality of this lens check out my albums.

I imagine the OP is worried about having to get it serviced under warranty since he lives in India.

SpecialK · 09-29-2010, 08:40 AM

No problems here.

Venturi · 09-29-2010, 08:42 AM

I've had my Tamron for a year now, and around total 5000 exposures and have not experienced any sticky aperture problems.

I bought the Tammy to "replace" my DA*50-135 because AF was sluggish on the DA & it was mostly unusable on my film bodies. Both are great lenses and I wish I had room in my budget for both.

yusuf · 09-29-2010, 10:32 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

I imagine the OP is worried about having to get it serviced under warranty since he lives in India.

Thanks deadwolfbones. That's correct. It will be difficult to get it serviced if something goes wrong (unless it is Nikon or Canon).

**krs** · 09-29-2010, 03:27 PM

I bought a Tamron 70-200/2.8 used here on the forum. It appeared to be in excellent condition. I did not use it too much, but a few months later I noticed a problem with the aperture sticking. Given I was not the original owner, it cost me $275 (I think) to get it repaired by Tamron, and the warranty was then only 90 days.

The good news is it has worked great since (again, I don't use it tons).

My conclusion - buy it new to get the warranty!

Jewelltrail · 09-29-2010, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Yusuf: IMO, sigma 70-200 not in the same league as Tamron 70-200. It's soft wide-open and in one of the test, it's even worse than cheaper Tamron 70-300 LD.

I have not owned either lens, but find the ratings in our Lens Database interesting:

Tammy: 20 reviews with average score of 8.8 https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Tamron-70-200-F2.8-Di-LD-Macro-for-Pentax.html[/COLOR]]Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 Di LD Macro Lens Reviews - Pentax Third-Party Lens Review Database

Siggy: 20 reviews with average score of 9.42 https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Sigma-APO-EX-70-200mm-F2.8-for-Pentax.html]Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens Reviews - Pentax Third-Party Lens Review Database[/COLOR]

Ivor K Ecks · 09-30-2010, 12:12 AM

The average review score of the Tammy is not a fair score for this lens. Most of the reviews gave it a 9 or 10 rating. It's average score was appreciably lowered by one reviewer who bought one second hand, got the sticky aperture problem and only rated the lens as a 3.
I think the lens is rated about 9 - 9.5 in my opinion. If and when i write a review i would give it a 10 just to counteract that very poor and undeserved rating of 3.

09-28-2010, 08:52 PM	#1
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497	Tamron 70-200 sticky aperture I plan to buy a Tamron 70-200/f2.8 but did some search and found that many users faced with the sticky aperture problem. This problem is also reported by users who purchased it very recently (in 2010). Can people owning this lens share their experiencet. Unfortunately, there are only two good tele-zoom lenses (50-135 and this one), both have their own issues.

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09-28-2010, 09:37 PM	#2
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Originally posted by yusuf I plan to buy a Tamron 70-200/f2.8 but did some search and found that many users faced with the sticky aperture problem. This problem is also reported by users who purchased it very recently (in 2010). Can people owning this lens share their experiencet. Unfortunately, there are only two good tele-zoom lenses (50-135 and this one), both have their own issues. There's actually a third: the Sigma 50-150/2.8. JSherman999 has done some very extensive reporting on it here in the forum.

09-28-2010, 09:58 PM	#3
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Well, then there is at least a 4th--Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8. It gets some fantastic reviews in our database too. If you can get your hands on one. .

09-29-2010, 12:34 AM	#4
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497 Original Poster	Originally posted by Jewelltrail Well, then there is at least a 4th--Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8. It gets some fantastic reviews in our database too. If you can get your hands on one. . IMO, sigma 70-200 not in the same league as Tamron 70-200. It's soft wide-open and in one of the test, it's even worse than cheaper Tamron 70-300 LD Last edited by yusuf; 09-29-2010 at 01:15 AM.

09-29-2010, 06:44 AM	#5
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	I owned both. The Tamron is better at >135mm wide open, but aside from that the two are very comparable.

09-29-2010, 07:45 AM	#6
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497 Original Poster	Originally posted by deadwolfbones I owned both. The Tamron is better at >135mm wide open, but aside from that the two are very comparable. That's a huge range - it means tamron is better in 50% of the range, for the almost same price - isn't?

09-29-2010, 08:22 AM	#7
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Originally posted by yusuf That's a huge range - it means tamron is better in 50% of the range, for the almost same price - isn't? Yep. That's why I sold the Sigma to get the Tamron, but the difference wasn't huge, and I got great results from the Sigma in that range by stopping it down just a little bit.

09-29-2010, 08:33 AM	#8
Ivor K Ecks Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 294	I bought the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 about 9 months ago. I have taken over 1200 photos with it and have not had any problems. Since Tamron give excellent warranty periods I am not that worried about the sticky aperture problem. I think it is a great lens, the IQ is brilliant even wide open from both ends of the zoom. If you want to see the quality of this lens check out my albums.

09-29-2010, 08:38 AM	#9
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Originally posted by Ivor K Ecks I bought the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 about 9 months ago. I have taken over 1200 photos with it and have not had any problems. Since Tamron give excellent warranty periods I am not that worried about the sticky aperture problem. I think it is a great lens, the IQ is brilliant even wide open from both ends of the zoom. If you want to see the quality of this lens check out my albums. I imagine the OP is worried about having to get it serviced under warranty since he lives in India.

09-29-2010, 08:40 AM	#10
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	No problems here.

09-29-2010, 08:42 AM	#11
Venturi Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Tulsa, OK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,636	I've had my Tamron for a year now, and around total 5000 exposures and have not experienced any sticky aperture problems. I bought the Tammy to "replace" my DA*50-135 because AF was sluggish on the DA & it was mostly unusable on my film bodies. Both are great lenses and I wish I had room in my budget for both.

09-29-2010, 10:32 AM	#12
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497 Original Poster	Originally posted by deadwolfbones I imagine the OP is worried about having to get it serviced under warranty since he lives in India. Thanks deadwolfbones. That's correct. It will be difficult to get it serviced if something goes wrong (unless it is Nikon or Canon).

09-29-2010, 03:27 PM	#13
krs Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO Photos: Gallery Posts: 395	I bought a Tamron 70-200/2.8 used here on the forum. It appeared to be in excellent condition. I did not use it too much, but a few months later I noticed a problem with the aperture sticking. Given I was not the original owner, it cost me $275 (I think) to get it repaired by Tamron, and the warranty was then only 90 days. The good news is it has worked great since (again, I don't use it tons). My conclusion - buy it new to get the warranty!

09-29-2010, 08:31 PM	#14
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Quote: Yusuf: IMO, sigma 70-200 not in the same league as Tamron 70-200. It's soft wide-open and in one of the test, it's even worse than cheaper Tamron 70-300 LD. I have not owned either lens, but find the ratings in our Lens Database interesting: Tammy: 20 reviews with average score of 8.8 https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Tamron-70-200-F2.8-Di-LD-Macro-for-Pentax.html[/COLOR]]Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 Di LD Macro Lens Reviews - Pentax Third-Party Lens Review Database Siggy: 20 reviews with average score of 9.42 https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Sigma-APO-EX-70-200mm-F2.8-for-Pentax.html]Sigma APO EX 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens Reviews - Pentax Third-Party Lens Review Database[/COLOR]

09-30-2010, 12:12 AM	#15
Ivor K Ecks Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 294	The average review score of the Tammy is not a fair score for this lens. Most of the reviews gave it a 9 or 10 rating. It's average score was appreciably lowered by one reviewer who bought one second hand, got the sticky aperture problem and only rated the lens as a 3. I think the lens is rated about 9 - 9.5 in my opinion. If and when i write a review i would give it a 10 just to counteract that very poor and undeserved rating of 3.