| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,180 | | Review Date: November 26, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Awesome IQ, throughout the zoom range! | | Cons: | Difficult to get the lens into the Macro mode | |
This is an awesome lens--it is that simple. When you compare it to other manual focus options in this range it really stands out. It achieves zoom through push & pull, and is one of the few lenses of this design which actually stays in focus when zoomed in and out.
While reasearching it, I heard it referred to as the "zoom that doesn't know it is a zoom"--it lives up to its billing IMHO. Contrast & sharpness is not something you will need to tease out of images from this lens with software!
If you need an inexpensive tele-zoom, this fills the bill. My Tammy AF 70-300ld macro has not been used since I got this lens. It is so much better, that I do not mind manual focus. However, its metal build adds siginificant weight to its much younger AF sibling, though hand holding is not an issue.
I would give it my "Most Surprising Performance" award--it loves working on the K20d.
***My award of "10" is keeping this lens compared to similar equipment of and before its day i.e., apples to apples rating. Check out some images taken with it.
Finally. wide open PFing shows up in high contrast areas--not a problem for me, but still needs mentioning.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2008 Location: North Carolina , USA Posts: 2,271 | | Review Date: May 2, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great IQ for a super zoom | | Cons: | You don't hear me say this often but IT'S HEAVEY | |
This was another happy Tamron surprise for me . Great color , contrast and sharpness. I think some may become uncomfortable shooting this handheld over a prolonged time.
This has become the kids outdoor sports and wildlife lens for me!
Update- My first copy looked like it had been stored in the bottom drawer of a diesel mechanic's tool box bt took great pics. I bought a pretty / newer copy that was pristine but the IQ was not as good. Go figure?
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide Posts: 84 | | Review Date: May 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great IQ and excellent build quality. | | Cons: | A bit heavy, but it is metal! Hood is a bit flimsy. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 6
Value: 7
Camera Used: K-5
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I have admired this lens since the mid eighties when I bought my first film SLR. For various reasons I never bought one, and ended up with an inferior model. When I was looking for my first DSLR, I stumbled across an almost mint example and it largely influenced my decision to buy a Pentax/Samsung DSLR. The lens came an olympus mount. Unfortunately a KA mount cost me as much as the lens!
I have just upgraded from a Samsung GX-10 to a GX-20 and added a Samsung battery grip which feels a lot more balanced with the Tamron lens. Compared to the lens, the original hood is a bit flimsy so I carry a rubber version instead. The rubber hood is also slightly deeper, which helps as the lens is a little prone to flare.
I have to agree with the other comments. This lens's IQ is really good at most focal lengths. Perhaps just marginally soft at 300mm, but nothing a little sharpening can't fix.
If you don't mind focusing yourself and a bit of extra weight, it is definitely a much better buy than a cheap new 70-300mm.
Update May 2014. I recently updated my GX-20 to a K-5 and the Tamron definitely performs well on this camera too. A battery grip feels even more essential when using the 60-300mm on the K-5.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 34 | | Review Date: August 24, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good construction, useful macro | | Cons: | heavy, zoom creep, manual focus with DSLRs | |
This is a lens I always like to keep in my camera bag for its versatility. It is sharp throughout the focal range, particularly at the wide end. Telephoto shots are a little soft wide open, but sharp if stopped down a little. The macro function is extremely useful on my copy, with brilliant sharp shots at near life like magnification.
The zoom mechanism in mine is very loose, and it needs to be held at all but absolutely horizontal inclines, however as you need to hold the lens to focus it, this doesn't seem so much of a problem as with auto focus lenses.
Some of these lenses sell for high amounts, but if you see a cheap one it's definitely worth a try.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Posts: 3,381 | | Review Date: December 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $95.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp thru the zoom range, construction | | Cons: | Zoom creep at severe angles, some PF | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Agree with all the prior comments. This is an excellent performer and a great bargain. If you have a tight budget, want flexibility, excellent IQ, great build quality and enjoy or don't mind MF, buy one. You won't regret it. This one was a 'new old stock' copy complete with box and original papers with warranty card.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Northeast Philadelphia Posts: 1,137 | | Review Date: January 2, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | zoom range, sharpness, color, bokeh, near-macro | | Cons: | big & heavy, zoom not very smooth | |
I agree with the other positive reviews here. This lens is a very solid performer throughout its range. I bought it largely because of what I read in these reviews, and I'm glad that I did.
This lens has an AE setting at f/32, which means that you can use the lens in auto aperture mode if, and only if, you have a Tamron Adaptall-2 P-KA adapter. I do not, so it is a 100% manual lens. This is not a huge downside; the P-K Adaptall adapters are much more common and much less costly than the KA versions, which go for $70-110 on ebay.
The macro is very useful and is quite sharp in the center of the field, particularly in the middle of the aperture range, but gets soft around the edges. It can be very difficult to get the lens into Macro mode at first. Here's how I was able to do it, with guidance from other forum members:
- Take the lens off of the camera if it's on there.
- Bring the zoom/focus ring to its shortest position, 60mm, 1.9m. In this position, he word "MACRO" on the zoom/focus ring will be about a half-inch offset from the word "MACRO" on the barrel of the lens.
- You should feel a notch as you turn the ring to this position, where you can push the zoom ring a little bit closer to the aperture ring.
- Holding the aperture ring, NOT the Adaptall mount, in one hand, push the zoom/focus ring toward the aperture ring while turning it in the direction that would cause the two "MACRO" words to line up. This would be counterclockwise if you were looking at the front of the lens.
- It might feel like nothing is going to happen, but if you work on it, eventually it will turn and align and you will be in macro mode.
- At this point, the zoom/focus ring won't turn, but slides out - you can see the macro scale on the barrel.
As others have mentioned, the highest magnification macro setting brings the front of the lens almost in contact with the object, and the field of view is very narrow.
Here are a few photos. I know that I have not used this lens to the fullest of its ability. I've just been monkeying around with it.
300mm, f/8
macro mode, probably at 1:3 or 1:4
300mm, f/5.6 (I think)
macro mode
macro mode, f/3.8.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,275 | | Review Date: April 1, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very, very sharp, great colors, superb build quality, useful macro mode. | | Cons: | Prone to purple fringe | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This is a superb tele zoom. It's extremely sharp at all focal lengths, with very good color and detail resolution. The build quality is excellent. This lens is a solid hunk of metal and glass that feels great in the hand. The focusing ring, zoom, and aperture rings have the best action and feel of any zoom I've used. They operate very smoothly with no mechanical play or stickiness. The focusing ring is well damped and a pleasure to use, with a nice, long throw.
Some think it's a heavy lens, but to me it just feels solid. I think it's well balanced on the camera and it feels natural in my hands.
It is somewhat prone to PF wide open, (and VERY prone to it if you use a teleconverter) but that can be fixed in post. Stopping down helps.
I might also mention the macro mode on this lens is a lot more useful than many other zooms. A lot of zooms say macro, but it's a usually meaningless marketing gimmick. This lens is very useful for that purpose, though.
One comment about the other reviewer who had difficulty getting into macro mode: I think they have an issue with their particular copy. All you have to do to get to macro mode with this lens is slide the zoom all the way back toward the camera, focus it to minimum distance, then slide it back just a little more, and it pops right into macro. It's easy and smooth and there's no gut-wrenching force required.
I use mine with a P-K adapter, since the P-K "A" adapters for Pentax are stupidly high priced. Meh... I don't miss the "A" that much.
To sum it up, as long as you don't mind manual focus, this is an excellent medium-long tele zoom with prime-like sharpness, (even at 300mm) and superb build quality. I think it's a great addition to any medium to long tele shooter's kit.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: California Posts: 2,223 | | Review Date: April 10, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $170.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great range, great macro range, good IQ, heavy | | Cons: | Expensive PKA adapter (paid higher price for it than for the lens) | |
This is a great lens, it commands respect everywhere it goes. The quality of the macro is outstanding, I almost don't use my Tamron 90mm f2.8 anymore. I have been using this lens for everything, to the point that I almost do not use my Pentax FA 100-300mm f4.7 anymore. It is that good, or a bit better. I you see one, grab it. I bought another one before the price goes up. I would give this lens 9.5 (however, since there is no 9.5, I will err on the side of truth) only because I reserve the 10 for it little brother: Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 70-210mm f3.5. Keep in mind that you need to buy an adaptall converter to Pentax PKA (about $120 more). It is worth if you want nice pictures. Here are some pics.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188714/in/photostream/lightbox/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5622600497/in/photostream/lightbox/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188306/in/photostream/lightbox/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188436/in/photostream
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188482/in/photostream/lightbox/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188624/in/photostream
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5622600981/in/photostream
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5622600791/in/photostream
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/palenquero/5623188364/in/photostream/lightbox/
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| | | | | | | | Review Date: June 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp....excellent contrast.....better than my 19AH at 210mm | | Cons: | long fully extended making it a bit front end heavy. | |
Enough people have reviewed this lens so I see no need to state what has been clearly stated already other than to say I agree with the reviews.
I will add my findings as compared to my Vivitar Series 1 Komine and Adaptal 70-210 3.5 19AH.
I have tested all three side by side in typical shooting applications that fit my style. I say my style as it may not be your style.
In the 210mm range from f5.6 to f11 I was rather shocked at what I found. The 60-300 was clearly sharper and had better contrast than either of the other 2 lenses. This was not expected....so I tested them again...same shot...same daylight...no filters...same ISO, shutter speeds, aperature...etc. From about 150- 210 this lense was clearly better. This was more easily seen at 100% crop.
I was more concerned with results on the longer end as this is where I will use them mainly. Maybe at 70mm results may be slightly different however from the shots I have taken they look similar between the three.
Macro was rather usefull however I have the 90mm 2.5 with 2x for that application. However if I have the 60-300 on and not wish to swap lenses for a quick macro shot it would do quite well.
Again the rest has been covered rather well by previous reviewers sono need to babble on.
I use this currently with the PK adapter while I wait for a KA adapter to arrive. Works fine...stop down metering works fine and is not a big deal. Just be sure you get an ORIGINAL PK adapter and not one of the newer knockoffs as the newer ones cannot stop down the lens. These new adapters are worthless.
Added 7-03-2011
I did some more side by side testing between the three stated lenses. Especially looking at purple fringing as it is known to occur on all three lenses to some degree.
The worst of the group was the Vivitar Series 1 komine. Really took to around F8 to get rid of it around high contrast shots and even then a bit was still noted.
The 60-300 was well controlled around F4 and nothing was noted by F5.6
The 19A 70-210 was similar in respects to the 60-300 for controlling PF. Now my copy of the 19AH has some spider webbing in the inner glass ( hummm...darn ebay)...so this may affect this lens. With that said the 60-300 was still a bit sharper and had better contrast but again...this lens is clean with no spider webbing verses the 19AH....sadly.
Samples examined at 100%
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2011 Location: The 'Stoke, British Columbia Posts: 1,678 | | Review Date: September 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, nice color rendering, great macro mode | | Cons: | A bit heavy, cheap lens hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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The only way this lens could b e any better in my opinion, would be if it was weather sealed and went down as wide as 10mm.. but we can't have EVERYTHING in a lens or there would only be one model made! The Macro mode on this lens is fantastic, the colour rendering through the focal range and at all distances is nice and even compared to the 19AH. I would hate to see what an update of this lens would cost new on the market now days, most likely $1000+
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2009 Location: Singapore Posts: 36 | | Review Date: September 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, good color rendition, excellent Macro | | Cons: | no AF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I've owned this for a few, and liked it very much. I also used to own 19AH, but sold it after comparing it to this one. This lens is extremely sharp, excellent Macro, easy to use, no need to use tripod.
Due to its super excellent performance, I spent another $80 and bought a PKA adaptor, makes it easier to use, and a lot of fun.
Here is the link to some of Macro photo I tood with this lens, hope it is useful to you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48162204@N02/sets/72157628691072227/
I highly recommand this lens to any one who likes to shoot tele photo and Macro.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Posts: 18,076 | | Review Date: February 16, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Overall IQ, close focus, build | | Cons: | Obviously heavy, zoom creep | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Bonjour,
I was in the States over the X-mas holiday passing through Houston when I happened upon Houston Camera Exchange. It was the after X-mas sales period and in the "bargain" bin (-50%) I found this lens. Didn't hesitate a millisecond and snapped it up for less than $22.00 (including sales tax) ... no Adaptall-2 mount nor hood included ... and a small piece of inner debris with the usual dust. No biggie here ... What a steal!
All the previous reviews are pretty much spot on, and I have had similar results testing indoors mostly ... more to come when the weather warms up and brings out the flowers and insects. Good IQ, sharpness, handling, etc. ... using it both with the PK/A & PK/M Tamron adapters. I have no trouble shifting my copy into the "Macro" mode, just turn until it falls into position and no need to remove the lens. The close focus is quite good, but it's not really a true "macro" as in the sense like my D FA 100/2.8 WR ... but for the price you cannot beat it! Also, works relatively well with the SP 2x TC (01F) ... Really need better light (daylight) to explore further the close focus aspect ... and yes, the lens barrel will block the subject from the built-in flash if you're too close.
Overall, very happy ... I will agree with the consensus opinion and give this lens a "9" based performance and price range ... if you come across one that fits your budget, don't hesitate.
Here's the link to the Adaptall-2.org page: http://www.adaptall-2.org/lenses/23A.html
Bien cordialement, J Frog | | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 | | Review Date: September 18, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, versatile 5X zoom | | Cons: | Hard-to-enter macro mode, big and heavy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 8
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I recently got an SP 90mm and was so impressed with it that I sought-out another SP -- this one, for $50 including an Adaptall-2 mount adapter and shipping. Note that the Adaptall-2 adapters usually run around $20 by themselves, so the lens was arguably more like $30 shipped.
This lens has a very good reputation -- and it deserves it. Normally, 5X zooms sacrifice IQ to get such a range. For that matter, any zoom going to 300mm is usually soft when you get there. This one isn't. In fact, IQ is on a par with many primes in its focal range. It even has a relatively bright maximum aperture and nice bokeh. Here's a simple example shot around wide open (although it doesn't show much bokeh):
So, what's not so good?
Originally, I said there is definitely some glow wide open, but even that's fairly pleasant. After having used this lens quite a bit, I can say that under certain circumstances it has more glow than any other lens I've tried -- and I've dropped the aberrations score to 8 because of this. It also can have PF issues, although the PF I saw was more blue than purple. Not a big deal.
Build isn't great. It is very solid, heavy, and smooth, but it also has a zoom/focus ring that is too loose and a macro mode that is impossible to get into. At least I've not yet gotten mine into macro mode, and a little surfing the WWW shows I'm far from being alone in that, although I will keep trying. Macro mode is supposed to be a real macro mode and quite good, but is unfortunately only at 60mm.
The Tamron SP 2X converter is supposed to work relatively well with the 90mm and with this. No. It "works," but contrast and sharpness drop; basically, I think cropping would do better. Honestly, with a 5X zoom, a 2X converter doesn't even feel like that much more reach anyway.
Overall, it is at least competitive with modern 75-300mm lenses, especially in IQ. Various zooms that stop at 200mm or so can outperform this, but there's a big difference between 200mm and 300mm. So, if you need zoom to 300mm, like manual focus, and have good upper body strength, you'll like this lens. The only disclaimer needed is that brand new autofocus 75-300mm lenses start at around $150, so I think the price should not be much higher than $75 for this.
Update, Jan. 19, 2013: I got a message from marcusBMG suggesting that peeling-back the rubber grip and tweaking the focus coupling (which is coupled via a piece of tape) might allow the lens to enter macro mode... well, with a bit of playing, it does. Macro mode is truly awesome. However, I also found that tweaking things so that I can enter macro mode makes it miss infinity focus at the wide setting (only focus to about 25 feet), despite being able to focus past infinity at 300mm. There are a bunch of screws near the tape, and I'd bet that adjusting them can fix everything -- it's probably just some slip on these set screws -- but I'm leaving well enough alone for now....
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: So Cal Posts: 2,080 | | Review Date: September 20, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharper than expected at 300mm | | Cons: | heavy, bad zoom creep | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 5
Value: 7
Camera Used: k10d, 36mp Sony a7R full frame
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newer zooms are supposed to have better technology, but with many complaints about quality control, you might want to take a look at the old glass.
here is what this lens looks like at the 300mm full zoom focal length:
Tamron SP 60-300mm(23A) zoom, surfing photos at the Wedge
i would rate this lens as a pleasant surprise; focusing it was much easier with the sony a7r evf, over the old k10d prism viewfinder.
EDIT: added more photos, with links, cross posted to the adaptall-2 forum here.
36mp sony a7r and tamron sp adaptall-2 60-300mm... this was difficult to shoot, because the target area was maybe 75x100 yards or more... i couldn't quite get the focus peaking dialed in, so i reverted to the usual zone focusing attempts, using the evf magnification to set the zone area... i shot it waaay too loose, which threw away a bunch of resolution.
main point here is that this old glass delivers pretty well, if you can hit the focus point... even cropped at over 50% it's still clean... i linked the original out of camera jpeg, if anyone wants to see it.
 Turbocharged sand rail by DragRacingTV.com, on Flickr
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5u36sxm2aauxd94/DSC02956.JPG?dl=0
Offroad sand rails, quads, and motorcycles at the Glamis drags | Sand Duning TV | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: April 4, 2015 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, decent contrast, usable macro | | Cons: | Bulky, some fringing | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 6
Value: 9
Camera Used: K5
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Picked it up on "the" auction site.
Great Sharpness even without a hood. I love the Macro mode. It appears to be sharper than my Tokina Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm on the whole zoom range.
These photos were taken in macro mode, handheld. What you see is straight from the camera, no post processing. Dragonfly was very cooperative... 
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