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Tamron AF XR Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Review RSS Feed

Tamron AF XR Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro 18-200mm F3.5-6.3

Sharpness 
 7.3
Aberrations 
 7.3
Bokeh 
 6.8
Handling 
 8.5
Value 
 9.2
Reviews Views Date of last review
32 134,475 Sat July 7, 2018
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
91% of reviewers $183.65 7.66
Tamron AF XR Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro 18-200mm F3.5-6.3
supersize


Description:
Aperture: f/3.5-6.3
Minimum Aperture: 22
Construction: 15 Elements-13 Groups
Angle of View: 75-8 degrees.
Minimum Focus: 0.45 m
Filter Size: 62 mm
Length: 83.7 mm
Weight: 398 grams
Macro Ratio: 1:3.7
Coating: Multi-coated
Focus System: Automatic
Price History:



Add Review of Tamron AF XR Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro 18-200mm F3.5-6.3
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Ascending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 32
Site Supporter

Registered: July, 2009
Location: Charlotte, NC United States
Posts: 146
Review Date: September 6, 2009 Recommended | Price: $349.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Range
Cons: f2.8 would be nice

This has pretty much been my primary lens for the past three years for traveling and general purpose. My new K20D is the third Pentax DSLR camera that it has been used on and it has performed flawlessly. Most of my photographs are either of family or places that we have traveled to and the slight soft nature of the lens really does no harm. If I can only take one lens, then this is the one that goes with me.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,602

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 17, 2010 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Focal range, good IQ, build quality
Cons: Not great IQ, AF is terrible, a little soft at 200mm

I cannot compare this lens to any 18-250mm, which are suppose to be much better. Since I have not used the 18-250 versions, this lens stands alone as a 9 (would have given it a 8.5). The lens is a little soft at 200mm, but that is to be expected with a superzoom and the only other negative is the AF is terrible, although this could be due a little to the Pentax system also. The AF hunts a lot, especially when focusing long distances at 18mm.

Other than that the lens is surprisingly sharp, good IQ, contrast, feels like a very solid build, great lens for a travel with 1 lens, lens.
   
Senior Member

Registered: July, 2009
Location: High Desert, California
Posts: 231
Review Date: January 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $199.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Price, build, wide focal range
Cons: Soft at the extremes

Recently, this lens has showed up a lot on e-bay and at a rather reduced price so I took a chance. The expected and previously discussed pros and cons still apply. It is soft at the edges at the wide end, and soft at 200mm. But at the middle ranges about 30mm-135mm it performs very well especially if stopped down to about f8. So it needs lots of light or a camera that handles high ISO well for best results. But even shots at the extreme ends are OK for smaller prints and can be tightened up some in post processing and be acceptable for casual use. I found it to be a good "tourist" lens when you don't want to carry a stockpile of primes. It comes with all the expected compromises typical of a superzoom but performs better than most and at the price I paid is a good value.

UPDATE: I was recently at my usual weekend haunt and was going to try this lens out on my K5. I ended up using it almost exclusively the whole time and took over 800 pictures. In sum I was very happy with the results most of which will go on the skydive elsinore website for 16 Apr (should be posted by Sat the 23rd) While I can't honestly give the lens a 9 it is certainly much better than an 8. I found it weakest at the edges at the wide end but the center was surprizingly sharp all the way out. And it was very nice not having to change lenses for all the different angles and field of views. AF on the K5 was mostly dead accurate and quite fast. This is not an end-all, be-all lens but has a definite place in the arsenal, and at half the price of the DA 18-135, if you don't need the WR, I say go for it.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2008
Location: Ljungsbro
Posts: 28
Review Date: July 30, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: It just happened, that when a new store opened in Kalmar, Sweden, two years ago, the new K200D was sold with this lens at a price that I almost got the lens for free!
Cons: It´s working OK

Until now I have only taken some 700 pictures with my K200D and the Tamron lens and I have used it at it's limits without any problems.
I have been working with Pentax cameras since 1962 and I have not had any problems with my three analog Pentaxes and their lenses. I have been able to use old Pentax lenses with my K200D, but they are slow to use.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2011
Location: Delaware
Posts: 344
Review Date: September 12, 2011 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Price, focal range
Cons: Build quality, loud focus, sort of soft
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 6    Handling: 8    Value: 8   

As has been pointed out a couple times, the build quality on this lens isn't quite what it should be. It's also a little soft, especially at the top end. Autofocus is LOUD. Bokeh is average, nothing special. I'd recommend the lens as a starter lens or for someone on a budget, but that's about it.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2010
Posts: 7
Review Date: December 5, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: good focal length range
Cons: bad zoom creep

I bought this lens over a year ago (UK £180.00).
The main work for it is reportage photography and for this it is good and always brings home the bacon.
It is not as good as the Pentax lenses which came with the K7 but using the Tamron does eliminate having to change lenses on job.
Zoom creep is an annoying feature but one I soon got used to. The zoom lock is easily used but it does only lock in the 'parked' position. A break type lock would be nice if the problem cannot be corrected.
Image edges can be a bit soft but are soon allowed for : it just takes practice.
Certainly, I have had many good photos lots of which have been published but that's what the lens is for.
One caveat. Take care using a polarising filter. Lesser quality filters can result in soft images at the long end.
   
Senior Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Berlin
Posts: 197
Review Date: February 17, 2012 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: wide range of focal length, macro function
Cons: not sharp, slow, AF
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9   

This is my first lens. It is cheap with a large range of focal length; it's also very lightweight, so I can carry it everywhere. It's very good for travelling and snapshot /documentary purposes. But you can't expect much from this lens: Slow, not very sharp (The kit SMC Pentax-DAL 18-55mm is sharper than this one!). Sometimes, the picture has too much yellow esp. in night scence (I am not sure if this is lens's problem; I am using the lens with my Pentax K-r). The autofocus doesn't work very well and it is very noisy.

The macro function (max magnification 1/3.7 at 20mm) is very useful but you need much patience to take good and sharp one.

Technically, the dust can get into the lens quite easily. So you need to use the lens carefully. Someone says you shouldn't change its focal length by tuning the zoom ring when the lens is detached from the body and/or the rear cap is removed.

If you're looking for a lens for your documentary purpose, this is a good one to pick up.

Below two sample pictures, the ones that I love much though they don't reflect the best aspects of the lens.

   
Senior Member

Registered: March, 2010
Location: NE Florida
Posts: 130

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 21, 2012 Recommended | Price: $165.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Great range, relatively lightweight & small, price
Cons: Not much (unless you overexpect)
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

I bought this used (like-new condition) here on the forum. I'm just an avid amateur photographer, and for the most part I am really happy with my Pentax 55-300mm and my Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 for when I'm really focusing on photography. However, there are definitely times where I just want happy snaps, and I find myself longing for my old Panasonic Lumix FZ50 "bridge" superzoom camera. The Tamron 18-200mm basically turns my Pentax KX into a better FZ50. It's perfect for use as a walk-about/site seeing lens. I am pleasantly surprised at the overall good images I can get from this lens. I haven't had any focusing issues at all -- the kit lenses hunt more than this lens.

If you just want to walk around with a single lens, this a great solution that won't lighten your wallet too much.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Near Sydney, NSW
Posts: 331

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 11, 2012 Recommended | Price: $470.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Huge range, starts at landscape 18mm, sharp, works as a portrait...
Cons: Yes it's not Ltd or 'star' quality but duh...
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

I just can't bring myself to say something bad about this lens. YES - of course I have used "better" lenses, but at 1/4th of the zoom range and twice the price... they BETTER be good. This Tamron is just good despite: the range, the price, the size. It is the best of the 'superzooms' I've used including the 28-300 and the Sigma equivalent.
Get one if you can.
   
Senior Member

Registered: March, 2012
Posts: 165
Review Date: April 17, 2012 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: 45cm min focus, 18-200mm, size, weight, color, contrast, f11
Cons: little soft under f11
Sharpness: 4    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 6    Handling: 9    Value: 9   

Very handy lens if have much light or using flash especially in f11. 150€ new lens like this is my best buy ever. Do not except good IQ under f11...
   
Forum Member

Registered: August, 2012
Location: Greece
Posts: 51
Review Date: August 2, 2012 Not Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Good coverage, good build quality, good colors, fairly sharp
Cons: Slow focus in daylight impossible to focus in low light, bad glass quality(high noise)
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 6    Value: 7   

This is a good lens for starters, its really sharp at 11f, but open wide its extremly soft,
the worse con is the focus...a big problem...if this lens was able to focus i could easily bypass the rest of its flaws...The good thing is that its a good lens to take a walk in the nature...it has good and accurate colors, low distortion, and 45cm focus so you can make even a "macro" photo with a small help from crop tool in the program you use......I used it a lot to capture skies and even i used it to one job! i can't say that im unhappy but as i said i can't bypass the almost impossible to focus fact personally i enjoyed this lens even though i don't recommend it to a new buyer...
   
Veteran Member

Registered: November, 2009
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2,275

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 15, 2012 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Decent IQ, nice build quality, zoom lock, compact size
Cons: Soft wide open, focus ring isn't the smoothest
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 8   

(Review is of the Promaster branded version, which is identical to the the Tamron, and is made by Tamron.)

Slightly interesting story on this one. My wife had the Promaster branded version of this 28-210 lens which was covered by a lifetime warranty. One day I noticed that it wouldn't focus to infinity, so I contacted Promaster. They were unable to repair it, since I didn't have the receipt, but they offered to send me this Promaster (Tamron) 18-200mm as a free replacement. Of course, I took them up on it.

A couple of things I like about this lens over the previous one:

1) Better build quality
2) Zoom lock
3) Wider "wide angle" setting of 18mm
4) Faster, more accurate AF
5) Not silver

Otherwise, it seems to be pretty close to the older 28-210 in terms of performance.

As a walkaround lens it's pretty decent, though it is softer wide open than when stopped down to f8 or f11. After doing some informal tests, I've determined the sharpness at different focal lengths to be as follows:

200mm - decent wide open (6.3), optimum at f8 or higher
150mm - slightly soft wide open (6.3), optimum at f11 or higher
100mm - slightly soft wide open (5.6), optimum at f11 or higher
70mm - soft but useable wide open (5.6), optimum at f11 or higher
55mm - soft but useable wide open (4.5), good at f6.7 or higher
18mm - very soft wide open (3.5), useable at f5.6, optimum at f8 or higher

Bottom line: If you're going to use it at the wide end of the range, you'll want to stop it down to f8 for good results. Otherwise you can squeak by wide open from 55mm to 200mm, but as is usually the case with superzooms, it's always better to stop down. Photos taken wide open that are a little soft, sharpen up nicely in post.

The way I tested this was to shoot the same subject (tree bark) from the same spot for each focal length at varying apertures. Photos were viewed at 100% size at the focus point to judge sharpness.

Also, there's only minor purple fringing only in certain conditions, and colors are very good. AF locks on fairly quickly in decent light.

Basically what it boils down to is this... while it's not in the same league as a prime or a really good zoom of shorter focal range, (like a 35-70, 55-300, etc.) for an all-in-one "superzoom" it's quite decent, and makes a good walkaround lens for travel, family photos, etc. It also feels very nice to use, though the focus ring could be a little smoother. (Which you'll probably rarely use anyway with a lens like this.) I'm happy enough with it. I'm basically keeping my copy pretty much permanently on an *ist DS that I use for my casual DSLR. It's a nice little combo.

I'd also like to add that Promaster's above & beyond customer service is a lot more than I expected, and MUCH better than juggernaut Canon's downright lousy customer service. Because of this, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Promaster product in the future. They may not be high-end, but they care about their customers and that goes a long way with me.

UPDATE: After a few months living with this lens, I've shot a lot of good photos with it. It lives on my *ist DS body I use as my "grab & go" camera.

Here are a couple of examples I shot with this combo:

Pic 1
Pic 2

I also have a Tamron 185D 28-300 superzoom, and this little 18-200 is my favorite of the two. Both are equally decent superzooms, but the 18-200 is smaller, lighter, goes wider, and feels much nicer to use. I think it's a keeper. :-)
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2008
Location: Flyover America
Posts: 4,469

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 6, 2013 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: The price is right
Cons: Build quality is just good enough
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 7    Value: 8   

Use as intended - informal family and street shots.
It's strength is its flexibility not if you want to play Ansel Adams with it.
Colors seem nice and neutral and natural on my screen anyway.
A bit of PP on its files help a lot.
Snap it on and fire away.

Manual focus a bit rough but I can live with it

   
New Member

Registered: December, 2012
Location: Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, Fl
Posts: 16
Review Date: January 10, 2013 Not Recommended | Price: $249.00 | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: Good walk-around-lens. Good price.
Cons: Would not focus between 18-35 with my K5. Tried two brand new copies from B&H. Liked it but NG with my K5. Ended up getting the Pentax 18-135. Works fine but would have liked the extra 65mm. reach.
Sharpness: 5    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

My K5 and it did not get along.
   
Forum Member

Registered: February, 2011
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 58

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 2, 2013 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Reliable autofocus
Cons: None
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9   

For the money, this lens is a great value. I have found the autofocus to be quite reliable on my K-7 even in less than ideal lighting. So far there has been no zoom creep issues with my copy. The build quality isn't bad at all for a non-pro zoom and it is very light weight so it's a great travel lens.
Add Review of Tamron AF XR Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro 18-200mm F3.5-6.3



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