| Latest Review Posted | Tamron AF Di LD Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
I firmly believe that I am limited more by skill than equipment :D Therefore while I blew my budget on awesome wide angle and kit lenses, I wanted a long one for the rare shots I see but can't get done with 18-135mm. Sure I love landscapes, but what if I see a bear the next time I'm hiking in Sequoia NP? This fits the bill!!
First the downside - autofocus is pretty noisy and hunts a bit. As others note, it starts to soften around 250mm depending on how picky you are.
Upside - for used/new lens in the $90-160 range, this is pretty damn good. Very light too, if you go on long hikes with this, you'll be thankful.
I've spent most of my time in photography with manual film lenses so I honestly didn't have trouble switching to manual focus when trying to frame fast moving birds (you will probably miss some good shots if you wait for AF in this scenario, or piss off a bear with the noise). A plane landing or isolating landscape, perfect.
I also had to shoot wide open in the evening by the beach trying to spot birds, but that's a worst case scenario and I was still surprised by what it could do for the price of a few bar tabs. On a sunny day or with a tripod to allow better stopping down, pretty competitive.
Basically, if birds and wildlife are all you want to take pictures of, this is obviously not the lens you should be buying. But for long shots on occasion or screwing around in a garden with flowers, perfect. If you understand photography and know the limitations ... |
