TAMRON 70-300 Vs Pentax 50-200 lens.

nandigama · 12-17-2007, 03:59 PM

Gurus,

Which lens should I buy among Pentax DA 50-200mm and Tamron 70-300 for my K10D. Please recommend only based on quality and speed.

My apologies if this is a repost and the answer is already available on the forum.

Regards
Nandigama

Not Registered · 12-17-2007, 04:18 PM

Originally posted by nandigama

Gurus,

Which lens should I buy among Pentax DA 50-200mm and Tamron 70-300 for my K10D. Please recommend only based on quality and speed.

My apologies if this is a repost and the answer is already available on the forum.

Regards
Nandigama

It has been discussed widely in the forum but I will add my 2 cents if you give an advice about where to live (rent) in the bay (I am moving on fall)

. I didnt owned the 50-200 but I had the tamron and liked a lot. The tamron has some nice macro capabilities in the long end but you can find some CA more frequently than you would like. The lens is sharp, some people complain about the lens being soft in the long end, but my copy was reasonably sharp even at 300mm.

BTW I am no guru, so you might want other people opinions

simonkit · 12-17-2007, 04:28 PM

As mentioned it has been discussed many times. I own the 50-200 & find it an "o.k" lens, nothing special. I have seen several suggestions that it is slightly sharper then the Tamron/Sigma alternatives & suffers less CA - I can't comment not having experienced the sigma/Tamron.

Unfortunately this is the weakest area of the pentax lens range, decent quality/reasonable price "tele" lenses are lacking

simon

nandigama · 12-17-2007, 04:32 PM

Hey Gruoso ...Don't plan to stay in Oakland and East Palo Alto. Sunnyvale and Santa Clara have rent controls and so you don't end up paying a lot year to year at contract renewal. Depends on your job, as to where you want to live but for Freelancers and WFH people, San Francisco and South San Francisco including San Mateo county and Mountain view are very nice places if you are an outdoorsy type.

What is CA in your answer ?

Chako · 12-17-2007, 04:33 PM

I have both lenses, and here are my opinions on both.

The Tamron has several strengths compared to the Pentax. It is 100mm longer but not as wide in the short end. It also has a nice 1:2 macro feature that is excellent for larger bugs. It also has nice IQ. Its major weakness is purple fringing. Depending on what you take photos of, this may or may not be an issue with you. I take a lot of bird photos, and that purple fringe is horrendous. It is easy to remove in PP, but would you like to do this for each and every shot? I call the Tamron 70-300 the "Purple Monster".

The Pentax is a gem. I just like the photos that this little wonder can do. the colours are beautiful, warm, and crisp compared to the Tamron.

I much prefer the Pentax to the Tamron. I just can't get over how bad the CA is with this lens. I figured that many of my shots just highlight the deficiencies of this lens all too often for my liking. I know it is a popular lens, and you will get many praising it. It isn't without its good points, just don't shoot images with high contrast and I am sure you will like the Tamron. The Pentax well...I just think that lens is a little special for the price.

Not Registered · 12-17-2007, 04:39 PM

CA= cromatic aberrations. Thank you for the advice, I am leaning toward San mateo county (will be equidistant from Emeryville-my job- and Palo-Alto-my girlfriends job)but I dont want to hijack your thread. Good luck with your research.

12-17-2007, 03:59 PM	#1
nandigama Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 3	TAMRON 70-300 Vs Pentax 50-200 lens. Gurus, Which lens should I buy among Pentax DA 50-200mm and Tamron 70-300 for my K10D. Please recommend only based on quality and speed. My apologies if this is a repost and the answer is already available on the forum. Regards Nandigama

12-17-2007, 04:18 PM	#2
Not Registered Guest	Originally posted by nandigama Gurus, Which lens should I buy among Pentax DA 50-200mm and Tamron 70-300 for my K10D. Please recommend only based on quality and speed. My apologies if this is a repost and the answer is already available on the forum. Regards Nandigama It has been discussed widely in the forum but I will add my 2 cents if you give an advice about where to live (rent) in the bay (I am moving on fall). I didnt owned the 50-200 but I had the tamron and liked a lot. The tamron has some nice macro capabilities in the long end but you can find some CA more frequently than you would like. The lens is sharp, some people complain about the lens being soft in the long end, but my copy was reasonably sharp even at 300mm. BTW I am no guru, so you might want other people opinions

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12-17-2007, 04:28 PM	#3
simonkit Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Wales, UK Posts: 645	As mentioned it has been discussed many times. I own the 50-200 & find it an "o.k" lens, nothing special. I have seen several suggestions that it is slightly sharper then the Tamron/Sigma alternatives & suffers less CA - I can't comment not having experienced the sigma/Tamron. Unfortunately this is the weakest area of the pentax lens range, decent quality/reasonable price "tele" lenses are lacking simon

12-17-2007, 04:32 PM	#4
nandigama Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 3 Original Poster	Hey Gruoso ...Don't plan to stay in Oakland and East Palo Alto. Sunnyvale and Santa Clara have rent controls and so you don't end up paying a lot year to year at contract renewal. Depends on your job, as to where you want to live but for Freelancers and WFH people, San Francisco and South San Francisco including San Mateo county and Mountain view are very nice places if you are an outdoorsy type. What is CA in your answer ?

12-17-2007, 04:33 PM	#5
Chako Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sault Ste Marie, Ont, Canada. Posts: 563	I have both lenses, and here are my opinions on both. The Tamron has several strengths compared to the Pentax. It is 100mm longer but not as wide in the short end. It also has a nice 1:2 macro feature that is excellent for larger bugs. It also has nice IQ. Its major weakness is purple fringing. Depending on what you take photos of, this may or may not be an issue with you. I take a lot of bird photos, and that purple fringe is horrendous. It is easy to remove in PP, but would you like to do this for each and every shot? I call the Tamron 70-300 the "Purple Monster". The Pentax is a gem. I just like the photos that this little wonder can do. the colours are beautiful, warm, and crisp compared to the Tamron. I much prefer the Pentax to the Tamron. I just can't get over how bad the CA is with this lens. I figured that many of my shots just highlight the deficiencies of this lens all too often for my liking. I know it is a popular lens, and you will get many praising it. It isn't without its good points, just don't shoot images with high contrast and I am sure you will like the Tamron. The Pentax well...I just think that lens is a little special for the price.

12-17-2007, 04:39 PM	#6
Not Registered Guest	CA= cromatic aberrations. Thank you for the advice, I am leaning toward San mateo county (will be equidistant from Emeryville-my job- and Palo-Alto-my girlfriends job)but I dont want to hijack your thread. Good luck with your research.