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06/14/2012 11:50:18 AM · #1			 | 
		
		So, i've just picked up an old Tamron AF 20-40 F2.7-3.5 SP. From the mid '90's i guess. I wanted a zoom covering that focal length on full frame and this one was old new stock and very cheap so i figured it would be worth a try particularly considering some of the rave reviews about it to be found online (always taken with a pinch of salt of course). When i first put it on the d700 it turned out the focus was a bit of a mess. Extremely soft and mushy at pretty much all lengths and stopping down didn't help a huge amount. Anyway, i figured it was front or back focussing so did a few tests and adjusted the AF fine-tune on the camera and pretty much got it spot on. At AF +20 it is great at all lengths wide open. I'm very happy with it.
 
 Trying the same on my d300, though, hasn't really helped. It's the wide-mid  end which is a mess. No amount of AF fine tuning seems to help. At 35mm it is fine and sharp and, interestingly, if i zoom out to 20mm and shoot without re-focusing that is excellent as well. As soon as i refocus it jumps all out and turns to mush. Bit annoying. Any thoughts? |  
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06/14/2012 01:59:41 PM · #2			 | 
		
		It seems as though the lens is certainly capable of performing adequately, since it did well on the D700. But +20 seems like a lot of adjustment. Given the problems on the D300 plus the large adjustment required on the D700, I'd say the lens needs a tune-up.
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06/14/2012 02:47:18 PM · #3			 | 
		
		| Thanks Friz. Yea, +20 is a lot-right at the top of the scale. I guess you're right about a tune up although i don't think i'll bother really. I got it for the d700 and it's fine on that for the moment so, considering the cheap price, i figure i'll just keep it away from the d300. |  
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