Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Lens

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

12/02/2010 09:45:25 AM · #1

Hi All,

I'm considering purchasing the Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Macro lens to use with my K20D. The reports I've read about this lens suggest that it has great optics (almost up there with Canon L 70-200), but that it's autofocus is terrible. Anyone got any experience with this lens (on any body)? I've never used any long lenses that are much better than 'kit-quality', so is the Tamron AF going to be any worse than what I'm accustomed to?

Cheers,
Qiki

hojop25

Sony DSLR-A200

12/02/2010 09:47:11 AM · #2

i have a sony tamron 70-300mm and it was the best lens i could of bought for the price, im presuming this one is relitivly similar :-D

Message edited by author 2010-12-02 09:47:21.

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

12/02/2010 09:58:37 AM · #3

Originally posted by hojop25:

i have a sony tamron 70-300mm and it was the best lens i could of bought for the price, im presuming this one is relitivly similar :-D

Thanks for the feedback, however I think Tamron would probably argue that the 70-200 F2.8 is a big step up from their 70-300 F4-5.6. It would want to be too as it's nearly 4 times the price!

bohemka

Nikon D700

12/02/2010 10:39:34 AM · #4

You could take a peek at the lens page here on DPC and PM some of the members that have been using it. That's what I've done, and I've gotten invaluable advice as a result.

bohemka

Nikon D700

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

12/02/2010 10:39:34 AM · #5

Whoops. Sticky mouse. Dupe post.

Message edited by author 2010-12-02 10:39:57.

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

12/02/2010 05:42:09 PM · #6

Originally posted by bohemka:

You could take a peek at the lens page here on DPC and PM some of the members that have been using it. That's what I've done, and I've gotten invaluable advice as a result.

Tried that, but no responses yet. Anybody else have anything else to add? If not this lens, then does anybody have any advice about another F2.8 70-200 (or 300) lens to suit Pentax? The Tamron sells for around 1,100 AUD (1,100 USD at current exchange rates), so I don't really want to spend any more than this.

Q.

hojop25

Sony DSLR-A200

12/02/2010 05:56:28 PM · #7

ohhh i didnt see the f/2.8! niceee that must be realllllly good then haha

wiesener

Canon EOS-7D

Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM

12/02/2010 09:03:58 PM · #8

I don't know if you have been there already, but The Digital Picture has some really thorough lens reviews, and lucky for you they have tested this lens :)

Lens review
ISO 12233 crops
Sample pictures

The conclusion seems to be more or less what you said, good optics (minus some vignetting and minor problems with the sharpness plane at 135mm) but the autofocus being really weak. The combination of these means the tester typically ended up using the lens at f/5.6, which sort of defeats the purpose of getting a 2.8 lens to begin with.

As a Canon user I'd probably get the Canon 70-200 f/4 L instead, which is actually cheaper than the Tamron, or even throw in a little more and get the Image Stabilization (IS) version. Dunno if there are any similar alternatives for Pentax though.

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

12/02/2010 09:58:51 PM · #9

It's shorter, but have you considered the Pentax SMC-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 Edif SDM? KEH has one for $749 in like new condition so it'd be about the same cost as that Tamron. There's also the Sigma 70-200 which has tested decently, but it's a good deal pricier @ $1700 US new. This would be for the new version, not the old one, and because it's new, there might be a bit of a dearth of used copies, especially for Pentax. Not too sure of performance for the old version, personally.