| Latest Review Posted | Tamron Di LD Macro 70-200mm F2.8
This lens has a great and quite predictable margin of absolute sharpness, at least for the 24mpix pixel-to-pixel resolution (from f/2.8 at 70-120 and from f/3.5 at 120-200).
The bokeh is simple and not disturbing, yet rather bright.
The focusing ring throw is quite short - circa 75 degrees, that favors fast AF, but it's still no problem for precise manual focusing due to the enormous focising ring diameter. The AF is quite snappy, it's the first out of 8 lenses I used on Pentax that can give reliable results with tracking AF.
The double-move AF switching can be an unpleasant feature, but I got used to it before, with Tamron 90 macro lens. And even with active clutch, the K3 focuses at exactly the same speed, though a little bit noisier.
I was quite surprized with the quietness of the aperture drive as other Tamron lens I use (17-50/2.8 and 90/2.8 macro) have a very loud aperture drive, much louder than the K3 shutter sound.
The tripod collar is centered at the exact equilibrium spot with K3 (no battery grip) on, so the tripod ball-heads are really pleasant to use in this combunation. Though, the lens itself is not well balanced (compared to a couple of Canons 70-200 and Sigma 70-200 I've used for a while) - it's front-heavy and long handheld shooting leads a significant left arm fatigue.
The only mechanical flaw I've found is a "nervous" zoom ring - it needs very little effot to move (that's good for me as I prefer to zoom using only little and ring fi... |
