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Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Tamron SP AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di VC USD reviews.
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For Tamron SP AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di VC USD, 296 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.6.

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30.7.2011

This Anniversary SP (Superior Performance) Tamron zoom finally gets into my gadget bag. It's optically more consistently good than the Nikkor 70-300 VR that it is obviously pitched against. I personally much prefer the handling of the Tamron to that of the Nikon.However, whilst the AF is often as quick as the Nikon's SWM, the VC does make a fair bit more noise, with a gentle clunk and almost inaudible whirr during. That said, it is a whole lot quieter in this respect than their (Tamron) 28-300mm model, which presumably is an older and more primitive design.It is a smart looking zoom, with small embellishments in gold livery. It's slightly smaller than the Nikon and usefully accepts smaller 62mm filters,compared to 67mm. My main bugbear, handling wise with the Nikon was the almost non-existent manual focus ring, so unnaturally close to the camera body, I'd have to actually take my eye away from the viewfinder and physically look for it. Tamron's, while still being in the now normal 'G' series position, like the Nikon, is much wider and once found, is easy to familiarise with again after.Zooming is fairly stiff but smooth, with a reassuring rubberised grip. I've used it both on my usual semi-pro full-frame (FX) Nikon D700 and a newly acquired used second body D200, which is the more usual DX format and the focal length on that equates to about 105-400mm, a very useful range for everyday telephoto shooting. The overall handling was excellent with both and some pro portraits I took at maximum aperture in an overcast garden provided me with clear, clean images with a natural and satisfying bokeh.The VC, as we've come to expect these days, visibly locks the subject in the viewfinder, which can appear a little odd if you hold it there. You feel yourself move, or feel you should be! 1/60 sec is easily achievable at 300mm in non-windy situations. I used a Sigma 1.4x teleconverter (the EX DG apo) with the lens, on the D200, a focal length around 560mm and a shutter speed of 1/125 and the results were very impressive (& proves that this converter is compatible with the Tamron, though Sigma would argue that and there are some AF issues close up. See my review of that on Amazon for an update on the quality I found using it with this lens.Image quality seems to be as detailed as the Nikkor, but maybe without the aggressive contrast that gave extra bite to the Nikon, up to about 240mm. From thereon, however, as many noticed, including myself, the Nikon's 300mm image didn't quite pass the test; good contrast but detail that just wasn't as good as its predecessor, their venerable and extremely popular 'D' series that the VR 'G' replaces. Many would use such lenses at 300mm and the Tamron is better. The sharpness won't take your eye out but has decent, fine detail, whereas the Nikon didn't. I've read magazine reports since that suggest that the Nikkor is better optically, for sports and wildlife, where the centre is of paramount importance - and may be cropped further. And that the Tamron is better all round and for travel, scenery and landscapes. I still know which I prefer, though.The pincushion distortion (lines at the edge of the frame bend inwards, the opposite of barrel distortion) of the new Nikon is dreadful, quite noticeable even in the viewfinder and if you're after long reach architectural shots, you may even be put off from using it at all (I was). Those that tell you that you can indeed correct this in Photoshop, that is true. But only in the advanced and expensive CS version of that software. And that once corrected, image space has been 'stolen' after cropping. Unless one started out with a RAW or TIFF file, you end up with huge PSD (Photoshop files). Even the Tamron 28-300mm that I briefly used fares better in that respect at the long end.Tamron's distortion figures are much more in line with the old D series Nikon. You won't notice it in real life and I can happily use it for architectural shots. Some test reports liken it to be on a par with prime (fixed focal) lenses in this respect.Is this Tamron a better buy than the Nikon?Well it is generally a little cheaper but still serious money. Whereas the Nikon is now their bog standard enthusiast lens and feels reasonably well made, it does seem made to a not particularly generous budget. In theory, an independent lens of similar spec and price should be better as their profit margin per unit is less and a brand name has to be kept advertised to keep up the marque's reputation.The Tamron feels just that bit nicer; the grip, the handling and the finish all lead to a pleasing product. It might not immediately get you taking better photos, but a confident and relaxed snapper is far more likely to be able to react to the unexpected - and capture it. I picked mine up and used it happily in moments and am confident enough to use it at the aperture and zoom setting that my photograph at the time calls for. Neither of which I could honestly say about the Nikon.I could also say that I wish I'd bought this before the Nikon. I know many are very happy with their Nikon equivalent; I wasn't and now almost forgotten having used it. I also know that the Tamron is one of my three main lenses, whereas that Nikon would always give me a reason of doubt. A sense of doubt in the product will invariably lead to doubt in one's abilities as a photographer - and that can never be a good thing.If you're after a decent case for it, then Tamrac's MX5380 is what I use and is a perfect fit.
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13.4.2012

I'd been trying to get some decent results out of a Canon 70-300 non-L IS for the last 2 years but it really isn't that nice a lens at 300mm, and the colours have a nasty yellow tinge that's hard to remove in post processing as well. Maybe using L lenses has spoiled me for that one and I expected too much?Anyway, I read good things about the Tamron, was doing some kit upgrading and decided to give this a go. I've now tried it on a 7D, 50D and 20D and it has worked impeccably, with no adjustment required, on all three bodies. Colours and contrast are very good indeed. Not just for the price, but for a 70-300 zoom in general!The good: AF is fast and quiet - very similar in performance to a USM L lens,and streets ahead of Canon's 70-300 IS (non L). Full time manual focusing is implemented too - you can turn the AF ring at any time without having to disengage the AF mechanism. Focusing is also internal - nothing rotates on the lens body. There's a distance scale too, which the Canon doesn't have. Image resolution is impressive at all focal lengths. 300mm is perhaps slightly less sharp than 250mm down is but it's not like most other "consumer" 70-300 models - this time the 300mm images are actually very good, even at f5.6. In fact stopping down, whilst it does improve sharpness, doesn't make a huge difference. Chromatic Aberrations are very well controlled. I've seen minor fringing on some highlight edges but it's very thin indeed. The "bokeh" (i hate that term but it's the one people know) is very nice indeed and so natural looking you take it for granted. By comparison, backgrounds from the Canon model are "jittery" and messy. VC works well and also doesn't need switching to mode 2 for panning like the Canon does. I managed to get a usable shot at 1/8s in testing. This wouldn't be 100% repeatable but 1/30 is easily achievable for the steady of hand. It's well balanced - it's VERY easy to hand hold this lens on any of my bodies. It just seems to sit "right". Finally, the price: brilliant and I'm still not sure how they've done it! (not complaining, mind)The "bad": The AF ring is close to the camera body. This CAN result in out of focus shots if you accidentally catch it. However it's actually nicer to hold further down the barrel so hasn't been an issue for me yet. VC can jerk a bit on engage and disengage, and can sometimes sway a little if you hold it too steady! It's something that happens occasionally rather than all the time though. AF can be a bit uncertain at the "lock on" stage. Initially I thought it was the VC jumping a bit but it's actually the AF shunting slightly. Again, doesn't always happen and is more likely in low light - just be aware of it really.On a few of my lenses i've had to use the Microadjust of the 7D and 50D to get AF to be spot on. I was worried that the Tamron may be problematic given it's price and might cause issues on the 20D (which my son uses - this lens is mainly for him). It has needed 0 adjustment on either of the bodies that can do it and has proved on many test shots now taken to be dead on with the 20D. I've also tried it with a Kenko 1.4x converter and results were much better than I was expecting. More testing to do with that combo yet though....If you buy one of these and results aren't what you expected (ie soft images) there are a few things that might be wrong. 1: Your technique MAY be off - 300mm requires careful handling. 2: AF may be out of adjustment - try MA if the camera supports it or send it back for a replacement / fix. It really should be good at 300! 3: There may be a build error (ie misalignment)in your lens. Again, send it back for replacement or adjustment. It looks like I got a good one at first try, thankfully, but lenses do suffer build variations - check it out thoroughly on receiving it!For the record, the Canon 70-300 isn't horrible, in fact it's quite sharp under 200mm and the 300mm end is OK if the subject is fairly close. But it really doesn't get close to the Tamron on any level, in my experience, and I have no hesitation in recommending anyone considering a lens of this type to either stump up for the Canon 70-300 "L" (over £1000) or get this for a third of the price but with performance that is almost in the same league as the "L".
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16.3.2015

I do wish people would remember that it is the PRODUCT that you are reviewing, and NOT the supplier, the service, the warranty deflection due to grey imports, and the like. I imagine, at least I hope, that everyone would give this lens at least 4 stars if not the full 5, based on only the lens, and not the side issues caused, in part, from shopping around for a keen price.I bought one two weeks ago, via Amazon, and it came from Italy. It had the EU warranty in the box, as a genuine German market model should have had, and I registered it in five mins on the Tamron site. I got an email 20 mins later confirming the 5 year warranty was now in force.Bear in mind that I am shooting on an APS-C (cropped sensor)camera, and this lens will fit both cropped sensor and full frame sensor cameras such as the D750 etc. By using it on a cropped sensor, you are using a more central part of the lens, rather than the full width, and so vignetting (darkening of the corners) does not occur, or at least, if it does it is completely invisible to me!Just to be clear, the lens is an absolute cracker. I hope you will discount any negative reviews you find, as, this is a lens capable of stunning results for two reasons. Firstly, it is the Tamron anniversary (special) lens and they wanted to make a splash, and did so by adding low dispersion glass elements into the design, I think two of the 17 elements if I recall correctly. This DOES produce a very very low level of Chromatic Abberation (called CA in most reviews) which is a very good thing. If you are new to this, CA is when edges of objects, such as thin tree branches against a white or bright sky, have a slight red edge to one side, and or a slight blue edge to the other. It is to do with the way that glass passes light through. It is very hard to get all three primary colours to focus on the same plane, red yellow and blue, so you get the yellow in perfect focus, the red slightly ahead of the focus point, the blue slightly behind, which is what causes the problems.This lens produces almost no CA at all, you have to use it wide open in poor shooting conditions, against the light, to find any at all.The lens is as sharp as a razor at 70mm and stays like that through to 230mm, beyond that, it remains very sharp. If you are buying because you NEED 300mm then have no fears.The second reason you'll get great results is because the image stabilisation in the lens is pretty staggering. I owned the Nikkor equivalent lens, the 70-300mm VRII and the Tamron beats it for sharpness, CA, and Image Stabilisation. In fact, the Image stabilisation is so good, you can hand-hold this lens, at the full 300mm (450mm equivalent on APS-C) at ridiculously low shutter speeds!(note - IS is NOT fitted to the Sony version of the lens because Sony built their own stabilisation into the camera body instead)I shoot this lens handheld at the full 300mm and can get sharp images as low as 1/60th sec. Those who know photography well will agree that on an APS-C sensor camera such as my D5200, 300mm is actually 450mm, and that focal length should require a shutter speed of 1/500th sec. This means I can shoot and get very acceptable results at just 10% of the shutter speed I 'should' be using. Put another way, 1/500th....1/250th......1/125th......1/60th is a whacking great big four stops slower. It effectively gives you the equal of an f/2.8 lens at a fraction of the cost.Do not be worried about the warranty issue, I know on Amazon you can't communicate with sellers before you buy, so all you need to do is include a message to them, either when you pay, or, Immediately afterwards, insisting that you will only accept the item if it includes EU warranty, and trust me, you want one of these lenses, wherever you end up buying one!Truly, there are no words to describe it, if you know how to handle a lens like this, just buy it!
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25.1.2011

First, the lens is certainly not unobtrusive - people will look at you if it's attached to a camera round your neck. You may get used to the loss of anonymity/embarrassment, but I haven't yet. You may even get a twitcher speak to you, as happened to me, though I feel he just wanted to make me feel inadequate with his huge 150-500 zoom.The lens is also heavy, but not quite as heavy as it looks.It can be used on full-frame (FX) cameras, but I've only tried it on APS-C (DX) cameras.In the couple of weeks since I've had it I've swapped between a D80 and a D7000, so I'll review the optical performance against each camera. And yes, the performance is different. I'll only review it at the long (300mm)end, as this is what the majority of people are most interested in. As you'd expect, the lens seems a little better at the short end.On the D80: for subjects at long distances, I was amazed at how sharp it was fully open (F5.6), and it was even a little sharper at F11. However, closer in was much less impressive. Between 5m-20m, a critical distance for pictures of small birds, it was soft at F5.6 and still fairly soft at F11. Very disappointing.On the D7000: I did some test shots, and found it was back-focusing. I dialed this out using the D7000 lens micro adjust feature (-7, but this is a compromise as it doesn't behave completely consistently at all distances), and the lens is performing much better. Its distance performance is again excellent at all apertures. Its near performance still doesn't match its performance towards infinity, but it is now very good. However, I still don't trust it to consistently focus with complete accuracy on closer shots at F5.6. It's best to keep it at F11, where it's excellent.VC (the Tamron version of VR) really is fantastic. When it locks on, the image is pretty much frozen in your viewfinder. Much better than my Nikon 55-200.The lens focuses pretty quickly. I'm getting a much better hit rate for birds in flight than I got using the Nikon 55-200 VR. If you're thinking of upgrading from the Nikon 55-200 (like me) the focusing speed alone means you should.Images are very snappy - colourful and contrasty.I'm finding it hard to rate this sample of the lens. On the D80, for bird pictures I'd give it 3*, but 5* if you wanted to take pictures of aircraft. It's undoubtedly 5* on the D7000 after adjustment. It's imperfect, but I think it's still very good for the price.5 year guarantee: If you live in the UK check that the lens is from an official UK stockist. I queried the Tamron website before purchasing, who forwarded the query to Intro 2020. I quote 'Tamron lenses purchased from official UK Tamron stockists are eligible for a 5 year warranty, which is supplied by Intro 2020'.UPDATEI've had the lens for a little over 3 months now, and I'm very pleased with it - I've taken lots of sharp shots at 300mm at distances of 2-20m (on the D7000). The in-camera micro adjustment has resolved the back-focusing on this sample. It's my favourite home turf walk-about lens.The lens comes with a very large lens hood, which can be attached to the lens in reverse for storage. But you can't operate the zoom with the hood reversed because it's so massive. I just leave the hood at home now, as I've not had any flair issues. Well, except when I was pointing at the sun at sunset, and the hood wouldn't have fixed that.The VC on this lens is much more impressive in tests than actual use, and I hardly use it now. It takes a second or so to settle, and then clonks in with a shudder. Unless the subject is motionless, it's far more likely to ruin an image than to help. I also think that this technology is being made redundant by improved high ISO performance.
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3.10.2020

Before I opine, let me explain why I got one. I needed this focal length range for train-in-landscape photography. Wanting to keep cost down, I'd tried the inexpensive, non-VC version, and was bitterly disappointed. I then tried the cheap, Sigma, DG 70-300 F4.5 Macro. Much better performance, but not good enough. Starting off tack-sharp at the 70mm end, then down hill all the way, with noticeably poor performance at 300mm, but just about good enough for a half-decent, A2-size poster print, up to about 200mm. Not exactly happy, I continued using this lens for two years, whilst seriously considering prime lenses as an alternative. Before making the switch, I thought I'd try out the Tamron VC 70-300 F4,but fully expected it to be little better, and exhibiting similar characteristics to the cheaper, Sigma DG Macro.Now, let me make it clear that I'm mostly concerned by IQ relevant to my conditions of use; namely landscapes, with the lens almost set to infinity. Distortion isn't likely to prove noticeable, and even vignetting isn't likely to be a problem. Lateral chromatic aberration might be a problem, if severe, and levels of detail and micro contrast are of crucial importance. Flare or comma is irrelevant to me; I don't do nocturnal photography, and seldom shoot into the light! I often use a tripod, to aid composition and maximise image quality. These conditions of use may well be very different to yours. If they are, my experiences should be ignored, and I'd advise reading someone else's review, more relevant.My Tamron VC lens was purchased secondhand. I tried it on both DX and FX Nikons (D3200 and D610). The results were incredible - far better than expected (see photos). At 300mm, on the FX Nikon D610 : tack sharp right across, giving definition more associated with a decent prime lens, even though the target was a landscape scene over three miles distant, as the crow flies. Also, I'd used VC, rather than a tripod, and it'd obviously done an excellent job.Used on the DX Nikon D3200, I was expecting results to be nowhere near as good, due to the extra demands placed on resolving power, through the 1.5x magnification factor. The pictures I took were at 260mm focal length (FX equivalent is 390mm), and hand held. Again, results were incredible; the lens being able to resolve the detail needed for first-class results, and the VC had once again done an excellent job.In summary, for what I wanted from a 70-300mm zoom, I just couldn't do better. There are, however, a few points I should comment on. Like most lenses these days, one gets the impression that it's not built to last and needs to be treated with respect. With plastic gear trains and the use of sticky paper internally, it isn't suitable for the hamfisted who sees lenses as just tools of the trade and couldn't care less about dents, scratches, and scuff marks, and doesn't worry about the odd lens falling onto concrete now and again! The lens comes with an excellent lens hood and lens caps, but my version was supplied without case. I'd thoroughly advise buying a decent, hard, lens case, if not supplied, and also a proper Hoya HMC UV filter, to protect the front element but without impairing optical performance.Please note, autofocus is not something I rely on heavily, so I can't comment much on its performance. It did, however, seem reasonably quick and quiet. Good enough for train-in-landscapes!I'll close by saying nicely styled, fantastic IQ, and thoroughly recommended.
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31.12.2011

I recently bought this lens from Amazon.co.uk to go with my Canon 500D, EF-S 18-55 IS kit lens and EF 50mm 1.8 II. I bought it for shooting at race tracks and at zoos/wildlife parks.What a cracker this lens is - despite reading many reviews on forums, industry experts and magazines, I knew this lens would be great but it has actually exceeded my expectations.+ Autofocus is super-super-fast, this is my first lens with an ultrasonic focusing motor and I wish all of my lenses had it! Great for focusing on animals, kids, cars - all of which can be moving extremely fast.+ Image quality - sharpness, contrast and colours are all very nice and my photos now need little or no adjustment with photo editing software compared with my other lenses.+ It's well built,fFeels solid, has a metal mount and feels very nice to use (zooming and focusing).I was deciding between the Tamron, the Canon EF 70-300 IS USM and the wonderful Canon 70-200 f/4 L USM (non-IS). Against the Canon 70-300 IS USM, from the research aforementioned, it was clear that the Tamron SP is slightly sharper, has better contrast, an extra stop of optical stabilisation (4 vs. 3) and faster autofocus. Using the lens in practice has confirmed this for me. For the price I couldn't justify spending almost twice as much on the Canon 70-200 f/4 L USM where I would get 100mm less in focal length and no IS. For a long time I was fixed on getting the 70-200 but after trying out this lens the IS works wonders - it is fantastic. I have just taken a shot indoors at 300mm at 1/40 sec and it is still sharp. This may be due to my steady hand but if you hold the lens whilst shooting it will be far more stable, thus aiding the IS. With the 70-200 f/4 L you would need a shutter speed of at least 1/200 if shooting fully extended at 200mm. For my uses at least, the 70-200 just wasn't suitable.I always thought I would only stick to Canon for lenses, however, looking to buy this lens in particular didn't cause me to hesitate at all. I would probably feel the same if I was to upgrade my kit lens to the Tamron 17-50 2.8 which is also a superb lens.Not only is it a great performer but it comes with a 5 year guarantee by Tamron UK if you register the lens within 2 months of purchase. Tamron UK customer service is also very good.I will be adding some images to the gallery soon to reinforce the points I have made in this review.Overall, if you're looking to upgrade from an old 70-300(ish) lens, or want to extend your focal length past 55mm (like I did), and require fast focusing and optical stabilisation - this is the lens to get in terms of the upper-end of midrange lenses. The image quality is just fantastic - of course, it won't be as good as the 'L' range lenses, but it comes close and the extra cash could be spent on other accessories to compliment your gear.
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10.3.2015

Absolutely excellent lens. I bought this to go with my Nikon d3200. The lens has full frame capability so if I upgrade camera then it can still be used, thus saving money in the long run. Also it comes with a 5 year guarantee (make sure you get a UK lens for this - Amazon supplied me with a UK lens but I have read reviews that people received grey imports so register the lens online straight away to find out so you can send it back and get it changed if there's any problems).The vibration control is excellent, almost 'locking' onto the subject.It's quite heavy and feels very robust. One downside is that it doesn't have a tripod mount on the lens,so one has to be careful when positioning the camera on a tripod so that it doesn't topple over - however it is possible to position the tripod so it is sturdy. I've also used it with a monopod and again it's quite sturdy providing the weight is counter balanced.It focuses well through the whole range - 300 is a little soft around the edges but I think that's to be expected from most lens' at their maximum, and in fairness I've only used it since Christmas so haven't had brilliantly light days - it may perform much better in full summer sun. I have taken some wonderful moon shots (on a tripod and using an IR remote) around 280/290mm and they're fabulously clear and detailed.Autofocus is quick and it's useful to have the fine focus ring to sharpen up the image.Manual focus is good too.I've used the lens mostly for wildlife and it's been brilliant and not too obtrusive in the field.The lens is fixed, meaning it doesn't rotate when focusing, which is great for using filters on the end as they don't need constant adjustment.The lens comes with a petal hood; which makes it look super impressive when extended full length :-) The petal hood is sturdy and effective, shading enough but still allowing light in. However, the lens it is not supplied with a pouch - I have a tuff luv backpack for camera, etc, so this isn't an issue.The lens works in low light, there's a little noise but pictures are still possible. I was quite surprised how low the light can be because some reviews stated that it could only be used in full sun, which is not the case.I bought this lens in the amazon boxing day sales; reduced from 270 odd to 220 so it was a fantastic deal. Therefore if you're not in a hurry to get the lens then maybe keep an eye on Amazon's lightning deals, black Friday week, or boxing day week.I fully recommend this lens, it's much cheaper than the Nikon Nikkor alternative and excellent quality.
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23.2.2012

I bought this lens as a replacement for the Tamron 70-300mm LD Macro lens that I have had now for about two years. I bought an Alpha 850 a few months ago (full frame) and wanted better glass to make the most of it's potential without being able to afford one of the Sony G series lenses. After reading reviews on this site and others I decided to purchase this lens.The first thing you notice when you open the box is the size and weight of the thing. It is solid and well made. The zoom and focus rings have good grips on them and there is no play on either ring. They are also impressively smooth in operation.On the side of the lens there is an AF/MF switch which functions fine and you will seefrom the picture I have added that there is no vibration control logo or switch on this version as it doesn't need it. The USD motor this lens is fitted with is very quiet and fast. My old Tamron relied on the body's motor and was quite slow and noisy in operation. The AF metering is fast and accurate and works in all but the poorest of light conditions.One thing to be aware of on the subject of focus is that the manual focus ring is still movable even when the auto focus is in use and if you touch it it will move your focus off. It is not locked off when the AF switch is used so it is something to be aware of when taking a shot. I don't find it a problem though myself.The hood provided with this lens is deep and does a good job of blocking out stray light. As it is an internal focusing lens it is of the petal variety as it doesn't rotate of course. The one problem with the hood is that it is difficult to replace the lens cap on after you have taken a shot. Also, if you wanted to put a filter on or rotate a polariser that would also require you to take it off first.I have found the image quality to be good on my full frame camera with only a small amount of vignetting at the the wide open end of the scale. Stopping down soon clears it away and the images are crisp and colourful as you would hope. I also find that CA is well controlled even in pretty harsh conditions.I feel this is an excellent zoom lens for the money although I can't work out why the Sony version is about £20 more on average (from multiple suppliers) than the Canon and Nikon versions which both have the VC IS system on. Surely it is cheaper to produce the lens without the VC function? Anyway, it is a small thing which you will forget when you start using this lens as it is so good.Worth every penny.
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12.12.2013

And the 2 main reasons I like this lens are 1) its price and 2) its size and weight.I own a Nikon D90, and I like the feel of this lens on the end of it.I also own 2 other relevant lenses - the Sigma 120-400mm and an old Sigma 70-300mm that doesn't have vibration control.I rarely take the 120-400mm out because it's just so big and heavy. I do use it for 'set piece' events (like visting Minsmere recently - where it took a prefectly respectible handheld picture of a pheasant on a gate at 200mm efl (so 300mm effective) at 1/10th second shutter speed).On the other hand, I happily carry my D90 around all day in a bag with 2 Nikkors (the 10-24mm and the tiny 50mm f1.8d) and the Tamron 70-300mm.They cover pretty much all eventualities from landscapes to birds and aircraft, depending on what I come across.Given that I spend most of my time with my camera when out walking with a troublesome dog, I need a camera-lens combination that's reasonably light and flexible with decent image quality.Clearly this lens won't do what the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 can do, but then its a small fraction of the price and much lighter.That said, I get no better pictures with this than I do with my non-VC Sigma, which cost less than half as much. But it does have the VC, which is good for non-moving subjects and, I think, worth the extra money. It's also, I think, a good build quality for the price. I do just like how it feels.I find 70-300mm a really useful zoom on a DX camera, and it's one of the reasons why I'll eventually replace my D90 (when it breaks or wears out) with a D7100 and not a D610 - DX is a much better cost and weight proposition than FX - I'd never take a D610 out for a stroll with the Sigma 120-400mm.So it does come down to what you want it to do. This delivers on value and size/weight, with acceptable image quality if you use it right (I pretty much leave it on f8 and variable ISO with a minimum 1/125th second).
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24.1.2010

but not for me....For what these things cost(£80 new in the box,£130 rrp) I was pleased. Handling the lens, it felt well built and beyond it's price point. A Good start. On camera it's quite light the zoom is a little stiff but a trait I suspect you would just get used to. This isn't a fast lens in any respect and you will need good light to get the best out of it. Even then focusing isn't very fast and it can hunt at times. Although was a little slow I was never frustrated using it.The 'macro' feature is more of a close up feature in reality but it is a welcome addition to the lens, it works well and is fun to use.Image quality, well this for me is where is all goes a bit pear shaped.Most of my glass is canon L. I bought this lens on a whim to satisfy my desire for some extra reach. I certainly didn't expect L quality just something I could work with. The IQ isn't bad, for a lens like this it's quite good. A little soft wide open, better at f8. Beyond 200mm things go down hill a bit and detail really starts to suffer at 300. Colour and contrast are OK but benefit from some attention in post processing.If you don't mind that time in post processing I have no doubt you will get some pretty good and printable shots out of this lens but only after you learn what it can and really can't do.Conclusion, well it's a question of standards. It's cheap and cheerful. Perfect if you are starting out and for capturing family memories. Personally I sold it after 3 days. Even though this is quite a good lens when I am out shooting it just won't be the one I reach for. For me the IQ isn't there, if that is important to you too, give this one a miss and start saving up.Read full review...
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2.8.2011

When it comes to lenses, I am very picky, and only use Canon 'L' glass. The downside of that is weight, and for a forthcoming trip to Italy, I wanted to travel light, and this lens weighs only 765gm compared to my usual Canon 70-200L IS at 1.77kg - considerable saving.Before purchase, I'd done lots of research, read many reports, and was swayed by the marginally better performance at the 300mm lens that the Canon equivalent in that price band.And so far, I am not disappointed. I use a 5D Mk 2 and a 7D and fine-tuned the focus micro adjustment to get the best from this lens out of the box - an exercise well worth the time and effort.On both cameras, the lens handles well, focuses quickly and silently.Looking at the results I was impressed - good tonal range, no discernable colour shift, accurate focusing and when stopped down a good depth of field. In short, the quality difference from L series is hard to tell, and images are good enough for publication. I once owned a Sigma 70-300APO lens but its results were variable, whereas there is more consistency from the Tamron.I've one grumble in that the focusing ring is close to where the left hand holds the lens, so as it's got full time manual focusing, care is needed not to knock a subject off-focus.I had looked at buying Canon's recently launched 70-300L lens but while it is also a cracking lens, the Tamron is a third of the price, and my own view is that the quality difference does not justify the average £[] price tag for the Canon lens.It's a belting lens for the price and has the benefit of image stabilisation too. Question is, do I sell the 70-200L ???????
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23.1.2020

I bought this lens to replace a Nikon 70-200 that i destroyed the other day out and about.I checked all the usual reviews and I’m not going to go into all of that, you can find plenty of vids on You Tube.What i am going to tell you is that this is worth every penny of the cost. It’s well built, the focus ring is smooth and the zoom feels just right to use.It’s quite a heavy lens but not anything that will cause problems.The thing that has surprised me the most is also the thing that made me think it was broke when I first used it.When it’s locked focus you get a strange, almost like a grinding noise. At first i though oh god this thing sounds broke. What it is, is the best image stabilisation if used on any lens.It locks on to the image for around 3 seconds and is actually quite hard to shake it off. It states it’s around 5 stops and i must admit its got to be close. The image I’ve posted on here of the boat under the light was at 1/6 of a second at iso400 F4 and was taken at almost total darkness HANDHELD!I took a shot of the castle from across the water at about 2 miles away. Again it was in total darkness at a 15 second exposure.Auto focus is quick, it rarely has to hunt even in -4 to -5 evLike i said the VC is a bit of a surprise with the noise but its not anything that gets in your way and not something that others would notice. I’ve not noticed any lens creep yet and i was carrying it round hand held for about 3 hours today.Honestly if you’re in the market for a telephoto lens then you could do a LOT worse than this and for the money i don’t think you will find anything better.
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27.7.2015

After only using the lens for around a couple of hours it's very easy to tell why this lens is so highly rated..The build quality is fantastic especially compared to my old Canon 75-300mm, granted it is heavier but the plastics and glass are way ahead of the Canon lens. The lens comes with a very nice hood which is great in size and also has nice rubber inside to stop reflections from the sun or bright lights; also the hood can be attached backwards on the lens itself which is a nice design feature.Straight away you can't help but notice the very nice and sharp image quality, at f/4 it is very nice but stop the lens down a couple or at f/8 for optimal results in sharpness whilst retaining very nice contrast in the image.I haven't been able to use the lens enough at varied focal lengths and in varying light conditions however in low light and at shorter lengths (70-135) it excels.The lens features VC (Vibration Compensation) or IS which is a very nice feature for a telephoto lens especially as the aperture isn't particularly fast even at 70mm, however the VC is great for helping to shoot in low light conditions as I have been able to get super sharp images even at 1/5 of a second!I have only found one slight niggle, for two of my images the focus wasn't completely perfect even after a couple of shots with different shutter speeds etc.Overall this is a great telephoto lens in every aspect, for the price you really can't go wrong. If you are looking to upgrade from the original Canon 75-300mm then this is a no brainer!
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1.5.2015

Its a bit of a beast this lens, not professional level beast but weighty and solid.I'm comparing it with the non-VC cheaper build 70-300mm from Tamron and I've included pictures with the VC lens on my Nikon D7000 with the old non-VC lens alongside at 70mm and 300mm zoom. Compared to my older lens this one feels to be double the weight. Probably some of the difference is in the VC and focus motor gubbins, but I think the optics are also improved quite a bit too. The build quality seems solid enough. The manual focus (full time) and the zoom operate smoothly and the zoom in particular has a decent resistance to it. The lens is unlikely to extend itself while hanging from the strap.The VC is a bit weird,but in a good way. I'm used to seeing a fair bit of movement through the viewfinder as I frame pictures at 300mm - which may well be bad technique on my part. I still see the same thing on the new lens until I press the shutter release half way and the VC kicks in. At this point it gets spooky because the image is rock solid in the viewfinder while the VC is active. Yes, I know that's what VC does, but it's one thing reading about it and another seeing it working. Bearing in mind the weight - again not the weight of a fast professional lens but chunky nonetheless - it is good that the VC works so well otherwise I'd be using a tripod on resting the lens on something.So far I love it to bits, but I've given it 4 stars for now. I'll up it to 5 when I've given the lens a really good work out on some more challenging subjects.
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6.1.2016

I ordered this lens as a spare to go alongside my 70-200 Nikkor which i use on wedding shoots, paying over £1000 for a spare was out of the question and i have heard good things about this Tamron lens so i gave it a go.At a quarter of the price i was intending it to be simply a spare in case my main lens went US but after only a few hours of playing i am already considering using this alongside or even instead of the Nikkor 70-200, that is a fab piece of glass but rather heavily and the VR to be honest doesn't seem as sharp as this Tamron lens, the VC Tamron use is superb and locks onto your subject like nothing i have used before,a little noisy ion your ear but nothing that would distract a gathering of people at a wedding ,and if you turn the VC off then the USD ( Ultrasonic silent drive) is almost totally silent,as it should be but with the 4 stop advantage of using the VC i doubt it would be turned off as the results are fab.The only bonus the Nikkor 70-200 has is the f2.8 aperture which will give a great focal blur to the background but at such a high price i sturggle to see why such a differenc in cost, the Tamron 70-300 has a longer range which at 300mm is a little soft but how often will you be so far away ??I love this lens, great price which can be bettered elsewhere but the Amazon prime service makes the extra £5 worth paying, dont hesitate and DONT waste money on an over priced 70-200 , thats the opinion of a pro photographer of over 10 years.
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