| Brand: | Tamron | ||
| Average Rating |
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With the advent of the latest 15X zoom lens from Tamron, the pioneer of high power zoom lenses, the high power zoom lens has steadily evolved from a 7.1X to a 10.7X to a 13.9X and now to the worlds largest zoom ratio of 15X by combining advanced high power zoom design technologies accumulated by Tamron since 1992. The lens covers an angle of view equivalent to that of a 28mm wideangle to a 419mm ultra telephoto with just one lens, letting the user capture once-in-the-lifetime images of panoramic landscape images or close-up pictures of children smiling, without having to get too close to the subject and without having to change lenses. more info
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Great lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Takes great pictures and was a good bargain from Amazon. It is heavier than the standard lens so you have to make sure you use the lock when you are carrying the camera by it’s strap or the lens will fully extend. Very pleased with performance and value.
thrilled with this walk-around lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a Canon 40D DSLR. I used to use a Canon 17-85 lens and a Canon 55-250 lens. I have had this Tamron 18-270 for four weeks. I have sold my Canon lenses and now have only the Tamron 18-270. So, this lens has become my “walk-around” lens. I love being able to go from wide angle to high telephoto.
Some reviewers have complained about the difficulty in zooming because of the high force needed. If you zoom the range you want, everything is fine. If you stop part way to the range you want, then try to resume the zooming, the lens is difficult to move. This is a design feature, to help prevent lens creep.
Focusing is slightly slower than with my prior Canon lenses, but I can live with that, because of the wonderful feature that I now need only one lens. I now carry my flash unit in the space where I used to carry another lens in the camera bag.
This evening I took a photo of the moon sliver and clouds at dusk. The moon was soft, but still showed craters. The camera was hand-held and I used auto-focus, so the softness may have been caused by not using a tripod and manual focus.
I am very satisfied with all-in-one lens. I am very grateful and pleased with the performance of the image stabilization (Tamron calls it VC, vibration control).
Good value, but look elsewhere for low light or super sharp pictures
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I sold the Canon 55-250mm IS to buy this lens as I often found myself needing the 18-55mm range and changing lens on the field wasn’t much of an option (handling kids at the same time and need to quickly take shots). There are lots of reviews out there that summarize the features and performance of this lens to be a great all-rounder lens, so I’ll stick to comparing this lens with the Canon 55-250mm IS on a Rebel XT (which is probably pretty forgiving compared to the 50D or T1i).
* 55-250 is definitely sharper than this lens. But the 55-250 always gave me a washed out look (easily affected by flare/wrong exposure), which this lens does not.
* Focusing speed is on par or better than the 55-250 (both are very slow for objects that move towards or away from the lens which require large focus shifts). Its half the speed of my sigma 30mm f/1.4 & canon 85mm f/1.8 and tamron 18-50 f/2.8. I wish it had a full time manual focus, it would speed up the focus so much.
* VC noise is very quiet and barely detectable, and is a true marvel. 55-250 IS in action could be easily heard 8 feet away, but worked just as good.
* This lens autofocus noise is quieter than the 55-250 and far quieter than my Tamron 18-50 f/2.8 (“the kitty grinder”).
* Zoom creep is pretty bad. You cannot let go of the lens and take pictures with one hand (unless you manage to keep it perfectly level). The very useful mid-range 70-100mm is initially tight (and slowly becoming loose as I use it), but not as tight as some suggest. The trick is to point the lens up when you rotate to go wide angle, and point the lens down when you rotate to zoom. The weight of the lens helps you easily move through the tight spot
– but yes, the tight mid-range is an additional annoyance along with the zoom creep.
* You get decent results only between f/8-f/11. Because of this, the lens is essentially useless in cloudy outdoor settings (or even a shade on a very bright day), and normal indoor settings even with VC. Taking pictures of kids indoor or any moving object generally is a huge challenge. If you mainly take static objects, then VC allows you take shots at pretty low shutter speeds (I got decent shots as low as 1/6 handheld if you lean against a wall). You may be able to eak out some decent shots if you use ISO 1600 or higher (the highest my rebel xt will go), and use a noise removal program to clean up the images. I am not sure there is an alternate lens that can do the job better for the price, zoom range, or feature.
* Its bulky for rebel XT, but not too heavy (20-50D series might find it perfectly weight balanced). Its heavier and bigger than my Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8.
* If you don’t need the full range of zoom, I would use/try the Canon 55-250mm IS, Tamron 27-75mm f/2.8, Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8, or Canon 70-200mm f/4 instead in this price range.
* I was able to get surprisingly decent results using this lens, with the Canon 250D macro lens and a 72->58mm step down ring. To avoid vignetting, only 60-270mm is workable and this combination gives you 1:1 or slightly higher at 270mm. I am still working on imporving my skills with this combination. Note: Canon does not recommend using the 250D > 135mm to avoid CA issues.
* Build? I always go with the assumption that if you drop a lens you pretty much must say goodbye to it. Having said that, the Tamron build is more solid than the 55-250. Of particular concern on the 55-250 was the filter mount which is plastic. More than once I thought I had damaged the threads permanently. After a few first close calls, I always kept a metal UV filter mounted on it, and other macros, polarizers, and hoods went on top of it.
In short, my recommendation for this lens is for users who needs this felexible zoom range, take pictures in bright light and don’t plan on printing anything larger than 8.5″ x 11″. This lens only went a little bit further than my ex 55-250 in my goal of having a single walk-around lens to take pictures of kids and zoo animals. Maybe future technology will come up with a 18-270mm f/2.8-4 VC in the same package one day.
Great for what it is..
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this lens for 3 months and have shot over 10,000 pictures. I am using the lens with a Canon 40D. I bought the lens to replace a Canon 28-135 USM IS lens. Now understand the 28-135 is an excellent lens. My only want was for more range on a family vacation to Italy.
I considered the Canon 18-200is and the canon combo (18-55is AND 55-250is)
For travel the 2 lens option would have been a real pain. Now if you don’t mind changing lens, the combo (18-55,55-250) cost less and according to various web sites has slightly better overall image quality (IQ). When comparing the Canon 18-200is to the Tamron 18-270, things it get a bit more interesting. Both lens have their supporters. For me, the deciding factors were focal length (never enough when traveling) and when you compare the range of 18-200 of the Tamron to the 18-200 of the canon they are very similar. In this range they have the same maximum fstop (5.6) same IQ (reviews are mixed but they are comparable) and it COST LESS. Oh and did I mention the extra focal length!!!
Now as a travel lens I found it to be just about perfect. Very happy I went with the extra range of this lens for my trip. With the VC on I was able to hand hold down to 1/15 of a second and get very clear and sharp indoor photos of the Vatican. IQ for my vacation photos was EXCELLENT.
The build quality for this price range is very good. The lens is solid in feel has the right amount of heft when used with a 40D. Even at full zoom the lens has very good balance overall.
Focus speed… well much has been made of the focus speed of this lens so here is my two cents. It is not as fast as my canon 28-135. But keep in mind the 28-135 is a USM lens and very fast to focus. Now in use I hardly notice the difference. I only notice if I have to go from one extreme focus to another i.e. 10ft to 100ft. Even then it is acceptable. I have shot several daytime high school football games at this point and in this light the focus has not been an issue. No it is not perfect, the USM would be better but at this range I can shoot sideline photos and still switch over for zoomed in action shots. The Canon 40D has an auto focus servo mode that refocuses throughout a burst mode of 6.5 fps and this lens works very well even in this mode. BTW turn off vibration control for sports shots. The focus is great when shooting parallel to the action. It struggles a bit with end zone shots where the action is coming directly at you. Not horrible mind you just a few more misses.
Lens creep… For the first 1000 or so shots…No lens creep at all. In fact, very solid. So solid that the zoom resistance was very high. Workable but very annoying. Around the 1000 shot mark things changed dramatically. Lens creep is just as bad as any other long zoom. I must hold the lens zoom ring anytime I take an other then eye level picture. Now for me this is not an issue I have always held the camera “old school” left hand under the camera at all times, fingers on focus/zoom ring etc. But for those who like to use both hands too each side the lens creep will be annoying at best (I highly recommend you adopt the old school method of camera handling). On the plus side most of the zoom resistance is gone. There is still a point of mild stiffness in the middle of the zoom range slightly annoying but acceptable.
Summary: Great lens for a walk around. Good for outdoor sports. Decent macro for the occasional flower shot, Good all around lens. In fact, I have not removed it from my camera since the day I received it. If your subject is relatively still then it is a good lens for indoor well lit rooms otherwise it is too slow for average lighting indoor picture of the kids and dog at play – gonna have to use the flash for that. Good purchase!
Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for Canon
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent!
This is the first $$$ lens purchase since I was using an AE-1. Pricey but excellent quality.
The first 15X D-SLR lens, Good For Casuals…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Altough Its know that super or mega zoom lens has some problems in colors and perspective distorsions, it is a good choise for not carrying too many lens (and weight) and not chainging lenses.
If you are a real professional, you will know that you should prefer an other Lens for each of your different study but this one is a casual lens that you can use wide angle and tele.
The only problem is its a bit slow than original couples (like nikon camera+ nikon Lens) but its price is very affortable then having a nikon or canon lens. It will also be cheaper then having 2 or more lenses to have 18-270 mm.(like 18-55+55-200+70-300…)
Note: its VC (vibration reduction, image stabilization is very good)
Comarping to Old 18-250? Great VC, more CA and a lot more expensive.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Would be a 5 star if not for the increased CA, and price. Removing CA with DPP results in detail loss, very annoying. The old 18-250 produced less CA under the same condition.
But the real kicker for the upgrade of course is the VC on the 270mm end. It does work and it helps a great deal for folks like myself with shaky hands. Comparing before and after shots at 270mm, you have to love the VC! The pictures from my old 18-250 at 250mm were just not as sharp and in focus, period. Other than that I can’t really tell much difference between the old and the new – both got great AF under normal light to moderate low light, both got sticky zoom (especially when pointing the lens upward, will losen up over time… hence zoom creep), both got very good IQ and color, reasonable distortion and all, both are too slow for indoor/lowlight use. But with the VC also comes the slight increase in weight, size, quite a bit of CA, and not so slight increase in price. At $600 a pot, this is not exactly a bargain for most. But it really helps if you have kids playing outside running in all directions all the time. I’d say this is a fantastic lens for family outing/vacation, as long as you shoot outdoor most of the time. The increase in weight and size are moderate and it makes the lens feel more solid and substantial (for your money’s worth I guess
). It handles pretty much the same like the old 18-250.
I use it on 40D all the time and 350D once, both come back with rather consistent results. AF is not as spot on as primes, as expected from a super zoom. VC like Canon IS takes a bit of time to kick in. So better not using high speed continuous shooting mode with VC on. Rapid single shuts seem to work better for me.
To me this is THE best play ground lens, period. The old 18-250 is a great play ground lens, but with the VC this is perfect! If however, your targets are more predictable and you do have the time to switch lenses/bodies, you probably are better off with several lenses with narrower zoom range or even primes. To me, a shot with less than perfect IQ is regretable. But to miss a shot completely is a crime
… Only if Tamron did the AF like Canon ring type USM on its L lenses…
incredible versatility, high quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nothing to add but second the many positive reviews. I use this with a 40D and it replaced a 17-85 and 70-300 (both Canons). Nothing has been lost on quality. Well, maybe the sharpness isn’t quite where the 17-85 is but still… Lens is solid but not overwhelming to carry and around. The “stickiness” described by so many with respect to the zoom goes away after using the lens for a while. Of course, you do get the inevitable creep if you’re allowing the camera to swing around. But there is a lock on the barrel which i find very useful and, for me, it ends the whole lens creep discussion. I find the compactness of the lens given the focal range to be very impressive.
Image quality is excellent. I haven’t experienced teh color aberrations some have described nor have the focusing issues emerged. I suspect some users could just be feeling their way through the many settings available and have yet to match them to the circumstances under which they are shooting. It stands to reason that with a lens going from wide to tele, you might want to adapt your set up — focusing, metering, etc. — even though you’re not changing lenses. That is a new “problem” but a good one.
This is a great lens for trips, walking around, etc. which gives incredible versatility while avoiding lens changes in difficult circumstances and keeps the weight burden down. Can’t go wrong here.
not bad for outdoor use
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Its a good all around lens for outdoor use, otherwise a flash will be necessary for better results for indoor use. I also have the tamron 18-50 2.8 and I guess my expectation was to high comparing it to the 2.8..
Tamron lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was very pleased when I received the new lens!!!! Quality of photos is exceptional and the range replaced two previous lenses…
I have one problem I am not sure how to correct… The lens slide to max zoom when the camera is allowed to hang loose or when pointed downward, not necessarily straight down…
Overall I love the lens…
Two in one lense.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This combined two of my zoom lenses into one. I was getting tired of changing lenses while I was out in the field. Seemed like I usually saw a shot and had the wrong lense on for the situation and missed capturing what I wanted because of that. This lense prevents that.
Some say there is a tight spot in the range of zooming. An area that has more resistance that other areas. This it not noticeable after using the lense for a while.
Of course it is heavier, but it is a great all around lense.
Great All Around Lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens a couple of weeks ago and have shots several hunderd shots. It is a great all around camera with a few negatives.
Pros:
Great Range 18-270mm
VC – can take pics with the long range and the pics are not blurry.
Don’t need to change lenses – great for travel
Good results (compared to kit lens+55-250 IS)
Relativly light
Cons:
Slow Lens F6.3 over 200mm
the quality is good but not outstanding
camera does not work well in dark light
I like this product that much that I have decided to sell my kit +55-250 IS and stick with this one. For really good quality I might get a prime or a Canon L series in the future. For general purpose this is a great lens. I am going on a honymoon to Hawaii and will be able to use it for all different types of scenes.
A pro will probably want a shrper lens but for everyonr esle thi lens is just fine. I think it will stay on my Rebel XSI for a while.
I would recommend playing around with this lens so that you will be able to maximize its ability. Using it manueal mode produced far better pics than on Automatic. I can’t say the same on my Canon lenses
Great Lens for the Price, Excellent VC System
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Initially I was hesitant to purchase this lens as I have had a so-so experience with a previous super-zoom lens, the Sigma 28-300. The Sigma was a decent lens, but without an image-stabilization system at 300mm, images were often blurry in less than ideal light. After reading a few reviews about the excellent VC system and good image quality, I decided to take a plunge. Out of the box I was initially disappointed in the weight and stiff zoom, but mind you I mainly shoot canon L series or 2.8 or faster lens. However a few weeks of usage and a vacation to New Hampshire, the lens came into it’s own.
For all those who are worried about image quality, this is not an L series or pro series glass, but the tamron performs well given it’s price of about $600. The VC system is just incredible on this lens. I dare say the VC system is better than the IS system on my 70-200 2.8L IS.
Here is my list of pros and cons for this lens.
PROS:
-An incredible range of 18mm-270mm
-Excellent 3-way vibration control system
-Stealth factor (for those who has shot with canon’s 70-200 2.8L IS or higher lens, you know what I mean..basically a huge white lens)
-Good image quality and flare resistance.
-Lightweight (especially for traveling)
CONS:
-Lightweight, if you’re used to L series or 2.8 or faster lens.
-Stiff zoom in any direction but straight. Over time this loosened up for me.
-Zoom creep, but this affects practically all super zooms.
-Limited applications indoors, f5.6 and 6.3 is too dark for anything indoors.
excelent lens for beginners.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best purchase I’ve made as an amatuer photographer.
For me this is a great lens because a lot of time I had have some blurred picture in the past, becuase of my unstable hands, this is now over with the image stabilization stuff, great zoom and on it’s best at 200mm but very acceptable at full range. Be sure to have extra batteries if going to make a lot of pics, becuase it suck the power out of the battery faster then normal specially if you have the VC and AF On, and about the AF I will like it better on off when zooming becuase it can take a while before you have it focus on target.
I am very very pleased with this lens and recommend it highly, so I feel like a prof with this toy.
Works fantastic!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best lenses I have ever used for my Canon Cameras. Excellent product!