[heliphoto]

Just a note to say my 70-200 developed a sticky aperture (sticks wide open) and I've sent it to Tamron. I hope they fix it rather than send me a new one - it's such a good copy in all other ways.

I don't need letters of condolence of anything (flowers would be nice ) - just wanted to note it here so we can see if a trend develops.

[AlexanderMayorov]

Im sorry for your Tammy. I just ordered one from B+H. Soon I'll be able to check it and take some great photos.


Sorry once again for you lil. tammy :ugh:

[jsherman999]

I know the feeling - when I dropped mine into a lake, it still performed so well that I was hesitant to
replace it - who knows if the replacement would be as sharp?

Good luck!

PS - here are some random Tammy shots to tide you over!

[Jewelltrail]

Thanks Heliphoto, it is good to keep track of these things. Hopefully, that awesome glass comes back to your hands better than ever.

[HansenTsang]

Here, I am sending you a flower. Taken with a Tammy of course.

[mel]

This is a lens I'm considering for my theatre shooting. I'm sorry yours is in for repairs, but generally you, and everyone else that has one, are happy with it? I've been agonizing between this and the Pentax 50-135 and, as much as I want to support Pentax, the zoom range of the Tamron better suits my style and my needs.

So, good lens?

[ivoire]

This is a lens I'm considering for my theatre shooting. I'm sorry yours is in for repairs, but generally you, and everyone else that has one, are happy with it? I've been agonizing between this and the Pentax 50-135 and, as much as I want to support Pentax, the zoom range of the Tamron better suits my style and my needs.

So, good lens?

I have the Tamron and like it a lot, mostly for outdoor wildlife. It is big and the screw drive is a bit noisy... people do notice it. If i was shooting in a theater I'd go for the 50-135 as its less intimidating size-wise and much quieter. Check this post: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/52159-da-50-13...hootout-2.html

If you can live with the size, have the need for the xtra 50mm and do a lot of theater shooting, go with the sigma as it is whisper quiet and still has very good IQ

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Last edited by ivoire; 03-25-2009 at 06:26 AM.

[mel]

I have the Tamron and like it a lot, mostly for outdoor wildlife. It is big and the screw drive is a bit noisy... people do notice it. If i was shooting in a theater I'd go for the 50-135 as its less intimidating size-wise and much quieter. Check this post: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/52159-da-50-13...hootout-2.html

If you can live with the size, have the need for the xtra 50mm and do a lot of theater shooting, go with the sigma as it is whisper quiet and still has very good IQ

Yeah I really think I need the extra 50mm. I just went through my last shoot and significant number of the shots were beyond the 135 point. Getting close is usually a problem as I'm often shooting live performances and the pesky audience and all (kidding).

So the Sigma 70-200/2.8 is good? I hadn't considered it as I've heard/read several bad things about the consistency of Sigma's IQ in general. I'm driving up to NYC tomorrow so hopefully I'll get a chance to check out these lenses for real and test them against each other.

[Venturi]

My 17-50's filter ring popped loose a few weeks ago. I called Tamron, sent it in on 3/13 and it's coming home on the Brown Truck today. Granted this was a very simple repair, but 12 days round trip ain't bad at all.
Okay, back to talking about 70-200 sticky blades.

[heliphoto]

Thanks everyone.

This is a lens I'm considering for my theatre shooting. I'm sorry yours is in for repairs, but generally you, and everyone else that has one, are happy with it? I've been agonizing between this and the Pentax 50-135 and, as much as I want to support Pentax, the zoom range of the Tamron better suits my style and my needs.

So, good lens?

Other than this problem I've found it to be a great lens - much more versatile than the Pentax, with the longer reach and the greater magnification for close focus it suits my shooting style much better. Plus I love the photos I get from it. I've heard good things about the Sigma too but I haven't tried it (I know Jimbo has one - you could ask him his opinion).

Depending on the size of the theater and your proximity to the stage you might find 70mm a bit too long - I've used the Tammy in an elementary school gym (say - standard size basketball court plus 10 or 15 feet between the boundary line and the wall) and found I couldn't get a photo of a whole class singing at a christmas event while standing straight across the short axis from them, about 70 feet away I'd say... I've also used the 50-135 in a gym, and when the action gets close, even 50mm can be a bit long.

Like ivoire said, the sigma 70-200 might appeal for the silent focus and the quick-shift style focusing available (which the Tamron lacks). Jsherman999 recently compared his Sigma 50-150 for Nikon with his Pentax 50-135, and except at close focus, they seemed similar (at close focus, the Sig. 50-150 didn't focus accurately), so that's another to consider .

I do like the Tamron though and it sounds like you do need that longer focal length, so it might come down to the Tamron vs. the Sigma.

My 17-50's filter ring popped loose a few weeks ago. I called Tamron, sent it in on 3/13 and it's coming home on the Brown Truck today. Granted this was a very simple repair, but 12 days round trip ain't bad at all.
Okay, back to talking about 70-200 sticky blades.

Thanks Venturi - that's a pretty quick turn around.

[Andi Lo]

I've been wondering about the Tamron lens build quality in general. For some reason my impression on the net is that their lenses are fragile and have to be babied (one canonite reported that his broke while sitting on the shelf!). Anyone out there owned a Tammy that lasts long enough to prove that these reports of fragility are isolated cases only? =x I'm still somewhat hesitant to turn to my 28-75 into my walkaround workhorse because of this.

[Venturi]

If you're prone to knocking into doorways or dropping your gear you probably need to seriously consider all-metal lenses.
But considering Tamron has a 6 year warranty that is essentially no-questions-asked I think you'll be okay with the 28-75 as a walkaround. If the the lenses couldn't stand up to daily use they wouldn't be offering a 6 year warranty.

[ivoire]

I've been wondering about the Tamron lens build quality in general. For some reason my impression on the net is that their lenses are fragile and have to be babied (one canonite reported that his broke while sitting on the shelf!). Anyone out there owned a Tammy that lasts long enough to prove that these reports of fragility are isolated cases only? =x I'm still somewhat hesitant to turn to my 28-75 into my walkaround workhorse because of this.

I hate to admit it, but i've banged my tamron 70-200mm against trees and stuff on several wanderings in the florida wilds. It has suffered no damage at all. Build quality is excellent and so is the image quality.

[edl]

I've been wondering about the Tamron lens build quality in general. For some reason my impression on the net is that their lenses are fragile and have to be babied (one canonite reported that his broke while sitting on the shelf!). Anyone out there owned a Tammy that lasts long enough to prove that these reports of fragility are isolated cases only? =x I'm still somewhat hesitant to turn to my 28-75 into my walkaround workhorse because of this.

When traveling I transport my equipment in a Kata bag, but for daytrips I usually carry my K20D and Tamron 28-75 in a small $15 army surplus sidepack with no padding. Recently, it survived a week of traveling (bumping) through Tokyo's subway/rail system without any issues.

I'm pretty confident it won't break on the shelf

It has a six year warranty and a metal mount. It won't last as long as a Takumar, but it should last a long time.

[pk20d]

Hi

Just had the same problem, sent it into our dealer for Tamron, was sent away and repaired, sent back. Was a priority service which only took a week, fantastic service and now works fine.


Cheers
Ron
Sydney Aust