Tamron SP AF 70-200 mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO
11. Summary
Pros:
- fabulous frame centre and frame corner picture quality,
- chromatic aberration sensibly corrected,
- low distortion,
- low coma,
- average astigmatism,
- low vignetting,
- generous selection of accessories (a tripod adapter, a case, a lens hood),
- the lightest in its class,
- good quality/price ratio.
Cons:
- autofocus noisy and not very accurate,
- the workmanship quality sometimes could have been better.
If you expected that for the price of slightly above 2000 zl you can produce a better quality lens than its twice or even three times more expensive rivals, you can be sorely disappointed. Blame only yourself, because there are no miracles. There is, however, some harmony in the nature and we may say the harmony was also achieved in the case of this lens.
In the 70-200 mm f/2.8 class you pay your money and you take your choice. If you don’t want to compromise and you can afford it, you should consider buying an L lens or a Nikkor 70-200 mm VR. If you can’t pay that much, you also can chose something for yourself. If the optics quality is more important to you than the mechanics quality, the Tamron will be the optimal option. If you decide otherwise, you should buy the Sigma. We could end this test with this judgement of Solomon.
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There’s one thing, though, worth stressing. The Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 test proved once again how the optics and the antirelection coatings technology has moved forward recently. The constructions, launched nowadays on the market, can compete effectively and show the place in the row to older and more expensive competitors. The Tamron test is just one of the examples. If you want to find more, check out our Canon 70-200 mm f/4L IS, Nikkor 14-24 mm, Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 or Zeiss 24-70 mm f/2.8 tests as well. I am far from stating that we should not buy a lens which was launched before, let’s say, 2003 because, after all, we have to take pictures with something. Before we decide to spend a lot of money on a lens, though, it’s worth checking when it was produced and whether or not there are some rumours about its successor on the Internet.
Sample shots:
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| Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 70 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 200 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/320 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 98 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.2 MB |
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Camera:
Canon 20D Parameters: 139 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/4000 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.3 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 200 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.3 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 128 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.8 MB |
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Camera:Canon 20D Parameters: 200 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/1000 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 4.2 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 128 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.8 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D + TC 1.4x Parameters: 280 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1000 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB |
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Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 70 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.0 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 128 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB |
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 200 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.0 MB |
