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12-14-2010, 04:33 PM   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Not the best example. DA L 55-300 @ f/5.8 ISO 1250

Can't pass this opportunity of showing other hare shots @300mm:

Tamron SP 60-300@300mm f/5.6 1/125 ISO 800:


Tamron 70-300@300mm f/5.6 1/125 ISO 800


Not that easy to pick among them based on such shots, is it?


Last edited by Laurentiu Cristofor; 12-14-2010 at 04:35 PM. Reason: included image in quote to have all shots on the same page
12-14-2010, 04:41 PM   #32
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Hard to tell(because of size), but how would you rate the 55-300 vs the SP 60-300?
12-14-2010, 05:12 PM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by JohnBee Quote
Hard to tell(because of size), but how would you rate the 55-300 vs the SP 60-300?
I only used the 55-300 for a couple of hours. I got this shot with it:

@f/6.3:


I never did any formal comparison tests but these are my impressions from practical use. Note that I'm talking about the performance of these lenses when used wide open - by f/8 they all achieve good sharpness and it's harder to differentiate them.

The SP 60-300 might be the sharpest wide open. I'm surprised how sharp it is given that it's a zoom. But it is vulnerable to PF, so it's not all good.

Next, I'd say you have the DA 55-300 and the FA 100-300 - hard to tell which one is sharper - both can provide great results if used well. PF is not an issue for either of them. I focus manually, and the FA has a longer throw, so it works better for me. The DA probably has the shortest throw of all these lenses.

I also used the Tamron SP 300/5.6. It's as sharp as any of the above but is even more vulnerable to PF than the SP 60-300 zoom.

The Tamron 70-300 may be the least sharp of the bunch @300mm wide open, but not by much. It has a decent focus throw for manual focusing and the closeup capability is its selling point for me. It also suffers from PF, but it's different than the older adaptall lenses.

I also reviewed these lenses (other than the DA) here on PF. And you can follow the links in my signature for more sample shots from each of these lenses.
12-14-2010, 05:35 PM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by sjwaldron Quote
The question is, are these other zoom lenses really much better though? I don't want to see you buy a lens that doesn't actually help your issue.
I agree. Perhaps if you saw some pics with the Tamron at 300mm it might help. Here's the sharpest one I could find from my library. I added generous doses of vibrance, clarity, sharpness and contrast in post:



This is a handheld shot at 200 ISO, f11, 1/250sec. Here's a ~100% crop of same paic:



The key to this shot is f11: the lens sharpens up as you stop down. I also nailed the focus and kept the camera remarkable steady (this can be tricky). I doubt this lens is capable of sharper results than this (and it still required a lot of sharpening in post). Most of the pics I took with this lens are not as sharp as this one. It takes a bit of skill and luck to draw out and maximize what sharpness is there.

12-14-2010, 05:58 PM   #35
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The photo below was shot with the Sigma 70-300mm @300mm handheld. Are the other lenses sharper than this photo?



I think it's the weight that is a problem for me. The longer I hold it the heavier it gets and makes it almost impossible to shoot with.
12-14-2010, 08:16 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by photolady Quote
The photo below was shot with the Sigma 70-300mm @300mm handheld. Are the other lenses sharper than this photo?
Yes...that's pretty fuzzy. The Tamron definitely is at 280mm...and probably 300mm because it has a good macro mode. The 55-300 will definitely be sharper than that at 300mm as well. Consumer zooms are generally just ok, but to do better requires a prime/nonzoom (300/4) or heavier lens (Sigma 100-300).

I think the answer for you might be a tripod from how you describe the weight...look at the acratech GV2 ballhead which has a gimbal mode.
12-14-2010, 08:42 PM   #37
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This photo is in my PPG. And the fuzzy could be from being uploaded from photobucket. Unfortunately, a lot of my photos look this way but are sharp in my editor.

I have a tripod and head. I just chose not to use it because I do a lot of panning and manual shooting.

12-14-2010, 08:56 PM   #38
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This also was taken at 300mm, the only thing I don't like here is the I missed the focus on his eyes.

12-14-2010, 10:01 PM   #39
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Here are a couple of shots with the Tamron 70-300, I did have a macro shot somewhere too - definitely better than the butterfly shot above. It's very sharp in macro mode (up to 1:2).

ISO 400, F5.6, 1/160, 300mm. Focus missed on the eye as you can see it's slightly forward, on the body.



This was at dusk so probably some motion blur, 1/80, ISO 800, F5.6, 300mm

12-14-2010, 10:30 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by photolady Quote
This also was taken at 300mm, the only thing I don't like here is the I missed the focus on his eyes.
And missing focus makes it hard to appreciate the sharpness. You need to judge the lens on a shot that is correctly focused, otherwise you're just appreciating the difficulty to focus

BTW, how do you focus exactly? Do you use AF and if yes, how exactly?

None of these lenses provide the sharpness that you usually get from a macro lens. But if used well, they can produce quite impressive images, which can be hard to differentiate especially at web sizes.

For example, from the following three shots, can you guess which shot was taken by the Tamron 70-300@300mm and which was taken by a Sigma 105 macro?

Sample 1:


Sample 2:


Sample 3:
12-14-2010, 10:36 PM   #41
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I shoot manual everything. I don't like AF because sometimes it takes too long to find the focus, and shooting butterflies, bees, dragon flies, etc, they're long gone by the time the camera gets the focus right.

I missed the focus on the dogs eyes because I was focusing on his nose, not his face.

And of course the f stop wasn't right and the shutter speed didn't need to be 1/1000s either. But just seconds before that shot, I was shooting bees, little ones and bumble type.
12-14-2010, 10:48 PM   #42
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Photolady : the Tamron 70-300 is definitely the right lense for you ATM because of the subject matter you seem to enjoy shooting. You will be delighted with it's 1:2 macro mode - it is very sharp for a lense in this price range - and will be very good for butterflies, dragonflies, bees etc.
12-14-2010, 11:07 PM   #43
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Frogfish, is this the one you're talking about:

70-300 F4-5.6 TAMRON LD DI TELE-MACRO BLACK (62) (A17) 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS ZOOM TELEPHOTO LENS
12-14-2010, 11:09 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor Quote
And missing focus makes it hard to appreciate the sharpness. You need to judge the lens on a shot that is correctly focused, otherwise you're just appreciating the difficulty to focus

BTW, how do you focus exactly? Do you use AF and if yes, how exactly?

None of these lenses provide the sharpness that you usually get from a macro lens. But if used well, they can produce quite impressive images, which can be hard to differentiate especially at web sizes.

For example, from the following three shots, can you guess which shot was taken by the Tamron 70-300@300mm and which was taken by a Sigma 105 macro?

Sample 1:


Sample 2:


Sample 3:
sample 2 = tammy.
12-14-2010, 11:34 PM   #45
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You want cheap, light, and sharp at 300mm. That's a tough one. How about a Tamron sp 300mm f5.6?
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