Originally posted by filoxophy normhead sings the praises of his 60-250. Maybe shoot him a PM asking him to weigh in.
Naw, don't ask me, after 3 years with the 60-250, I'm still not sure I made the right choice.
What it would take to get me into a Tammy...
Re-released with a fast focusing ring motor. Those small birds don't like noises
a High quality 2x TC, I could use with it.
A couple of my Canon shooting buddies use 70-200 with a 2x TC giving them 400mm and ƒ 5.6 as well as much better magnification a the birding locations at around 10-20 feet. . I have 350mm@ ƒ5.6 and my A-400 ƒ5.6.
But I've revisited this so many times it makes my head spin.
For the use described by the OP I think I'd go with the Tamron, in doors, ƒ2.8 improves your speed of AF even if you're shooting at ƒ4 or 5.6, the noise of the screw drive at sporting events isn't likely to be an issue, and the speed of AF also becomes a factor, the 60-250 is acceptable, but, there are times when you want the best, not what is acceptable.
If you do go for the Taamron, test it right away, I'm guessing of the lenses listed on the forum it has the worst DOA record of any lens.3 of the approx 35 reviewers received copies with problems, right out of the box. Once they have a working one though, everyone loves it.