Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 
Log in or register to remove ads.

Third-Party Pentax Lenses - Reviews and Database » Tamron Lenses » Zoom Lenses
Tamron AF Aspherical XR(Di)IF Macro A03,A03s,A031 28-200mm F3.8-5.6 Review RSS Feed

Tamron AF Aspherical XR(Di)IF Macro A03,A03s,A031 28-200mm F3.8-5.6

Sharpness 
 8.0
Aberrations 
 7.7
Bokeh 
 7.5
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 9.3
Reviews Views Date of last review
4 12,189 Mon February 20, 2023
spacer
Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $63.00 8.25
Tamron AF Aspherical XR(Di)IF Macro A03,A03s,A031 28-200mm F3.8-5.6
supersize


Description:
Almost 10 years after presenting the first 28-200 super-zoom lens Tamron revealed a completely revised, much more compact design in 2001. The lens was mainly made of glass with high refractive index and was available in black (A03) and silver (A03s). The design of the rubber was modernized in both versions sometime during the production run, presumably in 2004.
In 2006 the lens was marginally revised and relabelled to Tamron AF Aspherical XR Di IF 28-200mm 1:3.8-5.6 Macro [Model A031}.

The Promaster Spectrum 7 XR AF Aspherical [IF] 28-200mm 1:3.8-5.6 Macro seems to be a technically identical rebadged version.

Aperture: f/3.8-5.6
Minimum Aperture: 22
Construction: 15 elements in 14 groups
Minimum Focus: 0.49 m
Macro Ratio: 1:4
Filter Size: 62 mm
Hood: AD03
Dimensions: 71 mm (diam.) X 75.2 mm (length)
Weight: 354 g
Released: 2001 (A03, A03s), 2006 (A031)
Discontinued: 2006 (A03), before 2011 (A031)
Price History:



Add Review of Tamron AF Aspherical XR(Di)IF Macro A03,A03s,A031 28-200mm F3.8-5.6
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-4 of 4
Site Supporter

Registered: April, 2010
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 813

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 20, 2011 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Light, good range, close MFD / macro capabilities
Cons: not a fast lens, needs good light
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9   

I picked this up for next to nothing. Mine is the plain XR version (model A03)
I find IQ at 200mm is better than the Pentax 50-200 kit zoom lens.
IQ at 28-35mm leaves a little to be desired (it is kit lens quality in these FL's).
AF is fast and quite accurate.
Exposure often needs +0.5EV
Contrast and colour is quite good throughout the range.
It makes a good lens for day shooting if you need to travel light.

Here is a sample image taken in medium light, at 200mm FL.

   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2010
Location: New York
Posts: 1,008

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 9, 2011 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: compact, lightweight, relative sharp for a superzoom, good range, macro
Cons: PF, a bit soft at wide and long end

My is the plain XR version, no Di. Model is A03P. This is the 62mm filter size one which significantly reduce body size and weight from previous model. Just want clarify it. People might confuse it with old model since the old model does not appear in the database here.

Feel impressed for its sharpness. It is a superzoom. I did not expect even the sharpness from kit lens. But it is relatively sharp cross entire range. however, at 28-35mm, it is soft wide open, but get sharp stop down to f4.5. In its mid range, it is very good wide open, stop down to f8 seems does not boost sharpness though. At 200mm, it is still acceptable wide open, stop down to f8, improve a bit. Overall, good sharpness for a 7x zoom.

The macro is nice. You can focus as close as 49mm even at 200mm. This is great for very close-up shot.

The biggest issue is the pronounced PF appear cross entire range. I was hope PF could be reduced stop down, but no, still present.

Build is decent for its plastic. Very compact for its class. and it weigh only 354 grams for a 7x zoom lens, pretty impressive. Zoom ring is not very smooth, feel too tight.

Auto focus is soso. In low light+tele condition, it decline a lot.

For its price, this one can not be beat. It is a much better lens than my previous pentax f 35-135. If you do not miss 18-27mm. I think you should consider this over the 18-200. besides, 18-200 is more expensive.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2006
Location: North Face of Mount Shasta
Posts: 120

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 26, 2018 Recommended | Price: $65.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Affordable, reasonably sharp, good contrast, fast autofocus, lightweight, durable
Cons: For the cost, nothing
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K20d, K3   

I had originally purchased this lens for my son's first dslr and over time has proved to be one heck of a gem.
This lens isn't capable of competing with my main line glass on any level, but for what I use it for, it's a definite winner.
This is my lens of choice whenever I'm with the family in crowds or other dangerous surroundings. The beauty of this lens is its ability to consistently produce very acceptable results while holding up to some solid bumps and bruises in the process.
My copy has paid for itself several times over and has earned its way into my primary bag. Mine belongs to the 3rd generation of this lens, the 571d, with the 62mm filter size, light weight and reasonably quick internal focus, especially on my K3. If you ever run across one in decent shape, I would strongly suggest picking it up ... it could earn its way into your bag just like mine did.

Its close focus ability;
   
Junior Member

Registered: February, 2023
Posts: 38
Review Date: February 20, 2023 Recommended | Price: $37.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Economical, Compact, Good Optical Quality (for an All-in-One Zoom), 0.45m Close-Focus across 28-200mm
Cons: No Complaint for its Price
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Handling: 7    Value: 9    Camera Used: Nikon D40, F-801   

Mine is an A03 in Nikon F mount. I bought this lens used from a graphic studio for merely $50CAD as a carry-around zoom for my Nikon F-801. Later, I found that it can also be used as a 42-300mm for my Nikon D40 though without AF (Nikon has "inferior" mount/lens backward compatibility than Pentax). For me, this lens combined with the little D40 also serves as a great compact "digital" companion for road-trips and vacations that I intend to shoot mainly medium format films.

Back to the lens itself, it is very very compact and light given its large zoom range. Even when it is fully extended at 200mm, it is still considered small. As far as I know, this particular version of the Tamron 28-200mm is the smallest of its kind in the world! This lens also has a nice custom flower-shaped bayonet hood and a switch to lock the zoom at 28mm for transport. Another nice feature of this lens is it can focus to 0.45m not just at 200mm but for the whole 28-200mm range.



Anyway, if you are using this lens for film or an old DSLR (e.g. the 6 mega-pixels ist D siblings and the K100D), there shouldn't be much to complain as long as you keep it at f/8 and f/11 whenever possible. However, for today's resolution hungry bodies, this lens would probably has a hard time to keep up. Below are some sample images and their respective 100% crops. All were shot with a 6 mega-pixel Nikon D40.

@200mm f/11





@105mm f/8





@28mm f/8





Film Shot with Delta 400 push +3

Add Review of Tamron AF Aspherical XR(Di)IF Macro A03,A03s,A031 28-200mm F3.8-5.6



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:13 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top