[johnw]

Hi,

I'm trying to guage opinion on the follwing lens:

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP Di USD

Review on Canon EOS 50D (15MP) here:

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP Di VC USD (EOS) - APS-C Format Review / Lab Test

Currently available in Canon, Nikon and Sony fit but not Pentax. I'd really like to have this lens in my current lens kit alongside the DA-17-70/4 as a lighweight travel kit.

The alternatives are the DA 55-300, screw drive AF, noisy and relatively slow and the DA-60-250 not too bad size wise 168x82mm, but with tripod mount and hood weighs in at 1230g's as opposed to the Tamron 151x82mm weight 765g an increase of 465g, over 50%, that's quite a bit extra to carry. You lose 50mm from the long end but gain constant f/4 aperture, better IQ and weather sealing. It's the weight penalty that gets me, that and the 300% price increase, diminishing returns.

I started a thread on Pentax User UK:

Tamron AF 70-300mm VC USD - Poll

but would like to see a more comprehensive opinion from users worldwide.

Q. If Tamron Produced the lens in Pentax fit, how many of you would be interested at £300-£350.

TIA,

John

[JeffJS]

Is this the same lens as the 70-300 LD Di 1:2 lens they currently offer(ed) but with a different type of focus? At £300-£350, no, I don't think I would be interested if they are the same lens. I can live with the screw drive if I had to have the lens (again).

[taiweitai]

I think tamron will have a screw drive AF too if that has to be on Pentax ........... the 55-300 is reli not that bad and its even lighter than the tammy 70-300

Tamron made other lens and its available for PK mount, the 70-200, 18-270, 18-200

[johnw]

Is this the same lens as the 70-300 LD Di 1:2 lens they currently offer(ed) but with a different type of focus? At £300-£350, no, I don't think I would be interested if they are the same lens. I can live with the screw drive if I had to have the lens (again).

No it's completely revised, Ultra Sonic focusing, new elements, no more purple fringing. Almost as good as the Canon L series, check the review, very positive.

John

[magkelly]

Not for that kind of cash, no. That would price it way out of my range.

[johnw]

I think tamron will have a screw drive AF too if that has to be on Pentax ...........

They could use the USD drive, similar to SDM, silent and very fast.

John

[johnw]

Quoted from the test:

"The resolution characteristic is impressively high on APS-C DSLRs. The center quality is already very good at 70mm @ f/4 followed by good borders. Stopping down pushes the center into excellent and the borders to very good levels. As expected there's a slight decrease in performance at 200mm and 300mm but the resolution remains very good across the image field even at the long end. It is also worth to mention that the contrast is comparatively punchy at 300mm - even at max. aperture. This is clearly a differentiator compared to the cheaper lenses in this class. The lens stays just slightly short of the mighty Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM L IS here".........

"The Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD performed fairly well in our full format test but it is a more desirable lens on an APS-C DSLR. The resolution figures are very high in the scope and that's, at least mostly, across the image frame. Lateral CAs are low and not objectionable from a field perspective. A nice aspect is the image contrast which is very high throughout the range including the critical 300mm setting. Based on what we've seen in the field the lens is also comparatively resistant against flare. The light falloff at max. aperture is just visible at 300mm @ f/5.6 but not really an issue otherwise."..........

"The build quality is very high for a lens in this price class although it stays somewhat short of truly professional grade lenses. A real progress is Tamron's new USD ("Ultrasonic Silent Drive") - compared to the previous AF micro-motor generations it is both fast and near-silent and it supports FTM (Full-time manual override)"..........

John

[JeffJS]

No it's completely revised, Ultra Sonic focusing, new elements, no more purple fringing. Almost as good as the Canon L series, check the review, very positive.

John

I'm still not interested in the lens but it would be interesting to see what it will do on a Pentax. Seems (from a while back now) that Tamron and/or Sigma were ramping down their support of the K mount on the more specialized lenses (Tamron 180mm f3.5 and 60mm f2 macro).

[taiweitai]

I'm still not interested in the lens but it would be interesting to see what it will do on a Pentax. Seems (from a while back now) that Tamron and/or Sigma were ramping down their support of the K mount on the more specialized lenses (Tamron 180mm f3.5 and 60mm f2 macro).

yeah, dont forget about the Sigma 120-300 2.8 , lol

[johnw]

I'm still not interested in the lens but it would be interesting to see what it will do on a Pentax. Seems (from a while back now) that Tamron and/or Sigma were ramping down their support of the K mount on the more specialized lenses (Tamron 180mm f3.5 and 60mm f2 macro).

It certainly seems that way and yet they produce lenses in Sony (Minolta) mount, it's a shame really, Pentax need to up their game.

John

[GaryH]

I never really looked at this lens until today. I was researching a new lens for a neighbor's daughter that has a Nikon 3100 and is interested in something more than the kit lens for a little wildlife work when I ran across the Tamron. I read the reviews and would be first in line to replace my noisy 55-300 with it if it were to become available in Pentax mount. After using my SDM lenses, the 55-300 sounds like it is falling apart when it goes through its full focus range when trying to get its bearings on difficult subjects. Its picture quality is good but its noisy demeanor keeps it in my case most of the time in favor of quieter lenses.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

This is an SP lens and was designed to celebrate Tamron's 60th anniversary. I've admired shots taken with it on flickr. Right now they have a rebate going for it on the other mounts where it ends up being $400. I would have definitely purchased this if it was available a year ago. Now I'm not so sure. I might rather go for the DA* 300 if I buy a telephoto again.

Here's a dxomark comparison with the DA 55-300 and the less expensive Tamron 70-300. The SP seems to have less CA at long end, the DA seems to be sharper. The SP is much sharper at short end. None of them is really stellar at 300mm, which is what I would be interested in primarily.

[johnw]

This is an SP lens and was designed to celebrate Tamron's 60th anniversary. I've admired shots taken with it on flickr. Right now they have a rebate going for it on the other mounts where it ends up being $400. I would have definitely purchased this if it was available a year ago. Now I'm not so sure. I might rather go for the DA* 300 if I buy a telephoto again.

Here's a dxomark comparison with the DA 55-300 and the less expensive Tamron 70-300. The SP seems to have less CA at long end, the DA seems to be sharper. The SP is much sharper at short end. None of them is really stellar at 300mm, which is what I would be interested in primarily.

Thanks for the comment and link.

I have the DA*300, a fine lens, not something I'd want to carry all day though. It's sharp at f/4 and reaches it's optimum by f/5.6, regularly used with Tamron 1.4x TC and Teleplus (Kenko) 1.5x, 1.7x SHQ TC's, the IQ is still very acceptable.

What I want is the 300mm reach, fast, silent AF (USM) and decent build/IQ in a lens I can carry with the DA-17-70, K20D + BG in a small camera bag (Lowepro Nova 3) the Tamron fills this role perfectly.

John

[johnw]

I never really looked at this lens until today. I was researching a new lens for a neighbor's daughter that has a Nikon 3100 and is interested in something more than the kit lens for a little wildlife work when I ran across the Tamron. I read the reviews and would be first in line to replace my noisy 55-300 with it if it were to become available in Pentax mount. After using my SDM lenses, the 55-300 sounds like it is falling apart when it goes through its full focus range when trying to get its bearings on difficult subjects. Its picture quality is good but its noisy demeanor keeps it in my case most of the time in favor of quieter lenses.

I'd agree completely here, it's a pity Pentax can't make an affordable SDM alternative to the Tamron, at £350 the Tamron's a bargain. It'll never replace my DA*200 & DA*300 but for a lens to carry all day with one other zoom, say the DA-17-70 it would make a fine combination.

John

[johnw]

Here's a dxomark comparison with the DA 55-300 and the less expensive Tamron 70-300. The SP seems to have less CA at long end, the DA seems to be sharper. The SP is much sharper at short end. None of them is really stellar at 300mm, which is what I would be interested in primarily.

The comparison is a little unbalanced don't you think? Nikon D90 12.3Mp against a Pentax K20D 14.6Mp.
Regards,

John