URGENT: Feedback from Tamron 70-200/f2.8 users NEEDED!

**kiwi_jono** · 02-26-2015, 11:55 AM

Hi, I own a Tamron 70-200 (only had it 2 months).

1. Live View does not work properly (like you described). I had already read that in a couple of reviews so I was not too surprised.
2. My PDAF is nearly perfect out of the box. I started fiddling with fine tuning but then reset it to zero again when I realised it was already as good as it gets. The only thing I will note (and I have seen at least one review saying the same thing), is that when AF is spot on from 100 - 200mm then 70mm is a slightly out (BF from memory). So try it at 100mm too. Not enough to worry me and has not got in the way in field that I have noticed.
3. Sharpness is incredible. It actually surpasses the primes I have in the range including my lovely FA100 f2.8 macro!

I think you need to return your copy. The LiveView I can understand but the PAF should not be that far out that you can't properly fine tune it.

redpit · 02-26-2015, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by kiwi_jono

I think you need to return your copy. The LiveView I can understand but the PAF should not be that far out that you can't properly fine tune it.

Thanks my friend! I also think so. I'm waiting to see if the service will repair the AF issues or I need a new copy of the lens

imtheguy · 02-26-2015, 12:21 PM - **1 Like**

Well now......I just learned something disturbing. Have used a tammy 70-200mm/f2.8 LD Di SP for 5 years as my SHARPEST zoom. But I just tried to mount it on the k-5iis and use Live View. Total fail, all pics very OOF. Still great in phase detect but something I cant explain makes the lens worthless for LV. Just adding another data point here.

stevebrot · 02-26-2015, 12:51 PM

Originally posted by imtheguy

Still great in phase detect but something I cant explain makes the lens worthless for LV. Just adding another data point here.

I am with you. It should not make any difference which system is giving the commands, but the evidence is too strong to ignore. I don't know how the control protocol works for screw-drive lenses, but it may be there is a difference between the PDAF and CDAF implementations on current cameras and Tamron got caught in the squeeze.*

Steve

imtheguy · 02-26-2015, 01:07 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

I am with you. It should not make any difference which system is giving the commands, but the evidence is too strong to ignore. I don't know how the control protocol works for screw-drive lenses, but it may be there is a difference between the PDAF and CDAF implementations on current cameras and Tamron got caught in the squeeze.*

Steve

You made me make sure its not related to the k-5iis.
Tried it on K-3 for fun. Same FAIL. To think how happy I was with the tammy until today.
Good thing there is no cliff to throw it off

stevebrot · 02-26-2015, 07:19 PM

Originally posted by imtheguy

Good thing there is no cliff to throw it off

Who uses LV with tele zooms anyway, right?*

Steve

* Answer: People with those viewfinder shade thingies

Adam · 02-26-2015, 07:23 PM

LV performance with telephoto zooms is iffy, especially on older bodies like the k5.

However, if the front/back focus cannot be corrected in camera, I'd get the lens exchanged or serviced as it shouldn't be that way.

Adam
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imtheguy · 02-26-2015, 07:58 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Who uses LV with tele zooms anyway, right?*

Steve

* Answer: People with those viewfinder shade thingies

Point taken. Thus I had not noticed the issue in 6 years till today lol!

JinDesu · 02-26-2015, 08:06 PM

To add to my post before, my 70-200 works fine in LV on my k-3, k-30, and my k-x.

Not to say all Tamron 70-200s should work in live view, but that mine did.

redpit · 02-26-2015, 11:50 PM

Thank you all for your replies! I'm glad I'm part of this forum as it is really alive and helpful!

Concerning what we talk about:

1. I see that indeed there is a problem with the 70-200 and the LV. I don't like that, even though I may not use LV for taking pictures with a zoom lens, as has been stated. Imagine that the new 150-450 had a similar problem but otherwise is a superb lens... There would always be a "black spot" in its reputation. Tamron is somehow a malfunctioning lens. I would like Tamron to make a clear statement that the LV may not work properly on some camera models (Pentax only?).

2. My copy has AF front/back-focus issues and I'm expecting them to be addressed by the service. I hope that they won't tell me that it is "normal" too, because when you start accepting that there are deductions you come to a point you can't really tell if something is functioning or not! Otherwise how can we call those who own a lens that has no AF problems and the LV is working perfectly? Lucky guys?

Its a pity that all this mess ruins your feeling about the lens and the company it constructs it. Optically and in my hands the lens feels great but everything else is a puzzle. It may work, it may not. It should have been working but this is not standard... Surely I'm not a lucky guy!

I will keep on reading your experiences and I will let you know what happened with my copy... The ideal scenario is to replace my lens and the new one to work properly out of the box!

But since our world is far from perfect I'm curious to see what happens and judge Tamron as a company (according to my experiences only).

adwb · 02-27-2015, 02:52 AM

As you have been told live view does not work on long lenses , ax far as the soft when wide open question, if you research reviews on this lens it was a complaint from the word go.
Most tele fast lenses are soft wide open unless you pay considerably more than you do for any tamron or sigma zoom.
That said I use a tammy 70-200 at 2.8 often at weddings and never had any complaints. It's only soft if you over crop or pixel peep.

**kiwi_jono** · 02-27-2015, 04:01 AM

Originally posted by JinDesu

Well since I know it front focuses at 200mm, I just aim for something slightly behind my target.

Supposedly there's quite a lot of zoom lenses that have varying focus behavior through their zoom ranges - and that's why Sigma introduced their lens dock system. Most lenses don't show such great variance to require it, but I know my 70-200 does. I set my focus adjustment in between the front and back focus limits and bias it towards the front focus at 200mm, because at 70mm the DOF is deeper than at 200mm.

Your Tammy might be different but on mine I found AF pretty consistent from 100 - 200mm. So if its fine tuned for say 150 (mine needed no adjustment - a first for me) then its pretty good and as you say DOF is wider at 70mm and does not matter as much.

I'm surprised to hear some Tammys actually do AF with LV. Makes you wonder what causes the problem. In any case I'm so happy with the sharpness (and PDAF) on my Tammy I can live without the CDAF in LV. Even f2.8 is sharp on mine (well not as sharp as f5.6 but certainly very usable).

**clackers** · 02-27-2015, 04:21 AM

I haven't tested my wonderful copy, but I should - at some stage I would want to use wifi remote capture with my K-S1.

JinDesu · 02-27-2015, 05:21 AM

Originally posted by kiwi_jono

Your Tammy might be different but on mine I found AF pretty consistent from 100 - 200mm. So if its fine tuned for say 150 (mine needed no adjustment - a first for me) then its pretty good and as you say DOF is wider at 70mm and does not matter as much.

I'm surprised to hear some Tammys actually do AF with LV. Makes you wonder what causes the problem. In any case I'm so happy with the sharpness (and PDAF) on my Tammy I can live without the CDAF in LV. Even f2.8 is sharp on mine (well not as sharp as f5.6 but certainly very usable).

Yeah I think the copy to copy variation is pretty huge lol... but in focus only. Sharpness seems to be universally fantastic.

**Wingincamera** · 02-28-2015, 03:47 PM - **1 Like**

I just checked my Tammy 70-200 and it too does not auto focus very well in live view. I guess I never noticed it before because I always use the view finder unless shooting in poor light and then I am using a tripod with manual focus. When on the tripod in manual I will use LV for focus. Manual focus works just fine.
For my shooting, this problem of poor focus in LV is not a problem because of the way I use the lens.

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02-26-2015, 11:55 AM	#16
kiwi_jono Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,437	Hi, I own a Tamron 70-200 (only had it 2 months). 1. Live View does not work properly (like you described). I had already read that in a couple of reviews so I was not too surprised. 2. My PDAF is nearly perfect out of the box. I started fiddling with fine tuning but then reset it to zero again when I realised it was already as good as it gets. The only thing I will note (and I have seen at least one review saying the same thing), is that when AF is spot on from 100 - 200mm then 70mm is a slightly out (BF from memory). So try it at 100mm too. Not enough to worry me and has not got in the way in field that I have noticed. 3. Sharpness is incredible. It actually surpasses the primes I have in the range including my lovely FA100 f2.8 macro! I think you need to return your copy. The LiveView I can understand but the PAF should not be that far out that you can't properly fine tune it.

02-26-2015, 12:09 PM	#17
redpit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Greece Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,857 Original Poster	Originally posted by kiwi_jono I think you need to return your copy. The LiveView I can understand but the PAF should not be that far out that you can't properly fine tune it. Thanks my friend! I also think so. I'm waiting to see if the service will repair the AF issues or I need a new copy of the lens

02-26-2015, 12:21 PM - 1 Like	#18
imtheguy Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,950	Well now......I just learned something disturbing. Have used a tammy 70-200mm/f2.8 LD Di SP for 5 years as my SHARPEST zoom. But I just tried to mount it on the k-5iis and use Live View. Total fail, all pics very OOF. Still great in phase detect but something I cant explain makes the lens worthless for LV. Just adding another data point here.

02-26-2015, 12:51 PM	#19
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by imtheguy Still great in phase detect but something I cant explain makes the lens worthless for LV. Just adding another data point here. I am with you. It should not make any difference which system is giving the commands, but the evidence is too strong to ignore. I don't know how the control protocol works for screw-drive lenses, but it may be there is a difference between the PDAF and CDAF implementations on current cameras and Tamron got caught in the squeeze.* Steve

02-26-2015, 01:07 PM	#20
imtheguy Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,950	Originally posted by stevebrot I am with you. It should not make any difference which system is giving the commands, but the evidence is too strong to ignore. I don't know how the control protocol works for screw-drive lenses, but it may be there is a difference between the PDAF and CDAF implementations on current cameras and Tamron got caught in the squeeze.* Steve You made me make sure its not related to the k-5iis. Tried it on K-3 for fun. Same FAIL. To think how happy I was with the tammy until today. Good thing there is no cliff to throw it off

02-26-2015, 07:19 PM	#21
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by imtheguy Good thing there is no cliff to throw it off Who uses LV with tele zooms anyway, right?* Steve * Answer: People with those viewfinder shade thingies

02-26-2015, 07:23 PM	#22
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,597	LV performance with telephoto zooms is iffy, especially on older bodies like the k5. However, if the front/back focus cannot be corrected in camera, I'd get the lens exchanged or serviced as it shouldn't be that way. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

02-26-2015, 07:58 PM	#23
imtheguy Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,950	Originally posted by stevebrot Who uses LV with tele zooms anyway, right?* Steve * Answer: People with those viewfinder shade thingies Point taken. Thus I had not noticed the issue in 6 years till today lol!

02-26-2015, 08:06 PM	#24
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	To add to my post before, my 70-200 works fine in LV on my k-3, k-30, and my k-x. Not to say all Tamron 70-200s should work in live view, but that mine did.

02-26-2015, 11:50 PM	#25
redpit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Greece Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,857 Original Poster	Thank you all for your replies! I'm glad I'm part of this forum as it is really alive and helpful! Concerning what we talk about: 1. I see that indeed there is a problem with the 70-200 and the LV. I don't like that, even though I may not use LV for taking pictures with a zoom lens, as has been stated. Imagine that the new 150-450 had a similar problem but otherwise is a superb lens... There would always be a "black spot" in its reputation. Tamron is somehow a malfunctioning lens. I would like Tamron to make a clear statement that the LV may not work properly on some camera models (Pentax only?). 2. My copy has AF front/back-focus issues and I'm expecting them to be addressed by the service. I hope that they won't tell me that it is "normal" too, because when you start accepting that there are deductions you come to a point you can't really tell if something is functioning or not! Otherwise how can we call those who own a lens that has no AF problems and the LV is working perfectly? Lucky guys? Its a pity that all this mess ruins your feeling about the lens and the company it constructs it. Optically and in my hands the lens feels great but everything else is a puzzle. It may work, it may not. It should have been working but this is not standard... Surely I'm not a lucky guy! I will keep on reading your experiences and I will let you know what happened with my copy... The ideal scenario is to replace my lens and the new one to work properly out of the box! But since our world is far from perfect I'm curious to see what happens and judge Tamron as a company (according to my experiences only).

02-27-2015, 02:52 AM	#26
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	As you have been told live view does not work on long lenses , ax far as the soft when wide open question, if you research reviews on this lens it was a complaint from the word go. Most tele fast lenses are soft wide open unless you pay considerably more than you do for any tamron or sigma zoom. That said I use a tammy 70-200 at 2.8 often at weddings and never had any complaints. It's only soft if you over crop or pixel peep.

02-27-2015, 04:01 AM	#27
kiwi_jono Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,437	Originally posted by JinDesu Well since I know it front focuses at 200mm, I just aim for something slightly behind my target. Supposedly there's quite a lot of zoom lenses that have varying focus behavior through their zoom ranges - and that's why Sigma introduced their lens dock system. Most lenses don't show such great variance to require it, but I know my 70-200 does. I set my focus adjustment in between the front and back focus limits and bias it towards the front focus at 200mm, because at 70mm the DOF is deeper than at 200mm. Your Tammy might be different but on mine I found AF pretty consistent from 100 - 200mm. So if its fine tuned for say 150 (mine needed no adjustment - a first for me) then its pretty good and as you say DOF is wider at 70mm and does not matter as much. I'm surprised to hear some Tammys actually do AF with LV. Makes you wonder what causes the problem. In any case I'm so happy with the sharpness (and PDAF) on my Tammy I can live without the CDAF in LV. Even f2.8 is sharp on mine (well not as sharp as f5.6 but certainly very usable).

02-27-2015, 04:21 AM	#28
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	I haven't tested my wonderful copy, but I should - at some stage I would want to use wifi remote capture with my K-S1.

02-27-2015, 05:21 AM	#29
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Originally posted by kiwi_jono Your Tammy might be different but on mine I found AF pretty consistent from 100 - 200mm. So if its fine tuned for say 150 (mine needed no adjustment - a first for me) then its pretty good and as you say DOF is wider at 70mm and does not matter as much. I'm surprised to hear some Tammys actually do AF with LV. Makes you wonder what causes the problem. In any case I'm so happy with the sharpness (and PDAF) on my Tammy I can live without the CDAF in LV. Even f2.8 is sharp on mine (well not as sharp as f5.6 but certainly very usable). Yeah I think the copy to copy variation is pretty huge lol... but in focus only. Sharpness seems to be universally fantastic.

02-28-2015, 03:47 PM - 1 Like	#30
Wingincamera Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pine Haven, Wyoming Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,182	I just checked my Tammy 70-200 and it too does not auto focus very well in live view. I guess I never noticed it before because I always use the view finder unless shooting in poor light and then I am using a tripod with manual focus. When on the tripod in manual I will use LV for focus. Manual focus works just fine. For my shooting, this problem of poor focus in LV is not a problem because of the way I use the lens.