Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 G2 Di VC USD G2 Zoom Lens for Nikon Mount

Summary: solid, well constructed, bright, quick to focus, spectacular vibration compensation, and fairly compact compared to some competitors, BUT out-of-the-box autofocus is a serious problem requiring calibration. For that reason Im rating the lens as follows: Before Calibration: 2/5 stars (poor image quality out of the box) After Calibration: 4+/5 stars (excellent image quality and a great value) Overall Rating: 3/5 stars (for requiring user calibration) Tamrons lens dock (The Tap-In-Console) allows for high level control over the lenss autofocus settings. Using a high quality focus target, it took about an hour to estimate the autofocus fine-tuning corrections needed for the lenss autofocus. The measurements had to be conducted at 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, & 70mm for a target that is 1.25ft, 3ft, and 30+ft -- a dozen corrections with 10-20 test shots required per correction (a total of 100-200 test shots with camera adjustments for each test). The whole measurement process took me a little over an hour. The measured AF-FT corrections ranged from -12 to +14 and depended on the focal length and distance -- dont expect to enter a single value into your camera to fix the AF issues. Using the Tap-In-Console (not included with the lens I bought, but bundled by some sellers) and software (downloaded), you can quickly enter the dozen corrections and save them to the lens (you can also update the lens firmware and modify some of the other lens parameters). Once the measurements were completed, the process of entering the new settings took just a couple minutes, measuring the corrections was the time consuming part. Not difficult. Just time consuming. While Im still testing, now that the lens is calibrated, my early impression is that Im pretty happy with the image quality and would tentatively rate it 4+/5 stars after the calibration. So, if you dont mind having to calibrate the autofocus for the lens, read this as a 4+/5 review and a *very* good value for an f/2.8 24-70mm once calibrated. If youre counting on the lens to have tack-sharp autofocus out of the box, read this as a 2/5 review -- seriously, just expect youll have to calibrate it. Overall, because of the necessity to calibrate, the out of the box experience (including ordering and waiting for the arrival of a Tap-In-Console) warrants an overall rating of 3/5 stars.

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Oh. My. God. This lens is amazing. If I had to compare it to something, Id compare it to hot butter on crab legs. It is sharp, fast, and the colors are spectacular. I owned the Nikon 24-70 f2.8E ED (The New 2015 Model). I sold it and purchased this while putting a little bit of coin back in my pocket. I dont regret it at all. Not even a little bit.

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I’ve always used Tamron and these new G2s are unbelievable. Incredibly sharp. The VC is insane, best I’ve seen on any lense. Feels great in the hand. Autofocus is fast, silent, and buttery smooth.

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I had a Nikon 24-70 2.8 (non-vr) that Id had for years take a tumble, and decided to go with a new lens instead of spending (potentially per the quote given) nearly as much as this lens... Wow. Great, really sharp. I got the tap-in console, which helped greatly (it wasnt bad out of the box, but it wasnt spectacular, either...). The ability to modify the focus with the tap-in console at different distances is fantastic and works great, and I can highly recommend getting it and taking the few hours to get things correct. Build quality is very nice. Its a bit shorter than my old Nikon... And, it fits my D810 very well (even aesthetically). I will try to update this in two or three months after I have really run it through the paces... But, so far, so GREAT.

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This is a great lens. I drove myself literally crazy by reading all the reviews. Here is the bottom line all zooms are going to be a little soft in the corners wide open. All wide angle lenses will have some vignetting. There is always a chance of getting a bad copy with any brand. I tested both the Nikkor 24-70 and the Sigma and the Tamron. Since I am writing a review yep you guessed it I went with the Tamron. I am super pleased with the auto focus speed and accuracy and with the vibration control I am comfortable shooting f/2/.8 at 1/10 or 1/8" hand held. I also have the Tamron 70-200 and the same applies. I also have Nikon glass mostly primes but virtually all of my past zooms suffered in the corners a little and some vignetting and focus breathing and flare. This 24-70 G2 has very minimal flare due to the lens coating they use. I also have not noticed any focus breathing or any Chromatic Aberration that was not correctable in post. The lens lock is a great feature as well. The finish is great, it is very appealing to the eye and feels so good in the hands. If there is one knock the button placements for auto focus and v/c are a little clumsy for my big hands but I have not really lost a shot as a result. If you are wrestling with this there is no such thing as a perfect lens all have issues somewhere. But the value of the Tamron 24-70 is really worth it in my opinion.

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This is amazing glass. I have been shooting about 43 years now. Recently upgraded to FX Nikons for my bag and wanted a new 24-70mm to become my main lens. I had a 28-70mm Nikon that was showing its age. I bought this lens Hoping the hype was true. I’m here to report that not only is the hype about this lens true but it is everything I expected it to be and more. It’s easily as good as the Nikon version for literally $800 less. This is a perfect lens for every day use in your pro bag. I use mine for weddings, groups and portraits.

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I bought this lens and used it for a while on a Nikon D700, and the picture quality there is fantastic, Id give it 5 stars. I just switched to a Z 7 body and unfortunately had to find out that out of all my lenses (from Nikon/Sigma/Tamron), this one is the only one that does not work with Nikons FTZ adapter. Beware if you intend to use this with one of Nikons newer cameras and that adapter.

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I received my lens last Friday and I headed off to the local Arboretum on Saturday to test it out as I have a big Fall Color photography trip coming up in 2 weeks that I needed a lens for. This lens exceeded my expectations during my use. My old lens was a Nikon 24-120 f/4 and I often had issues with chromatic aberration (fixable in LR) and I often struggled to with camera movement while hand-holding. My photos from yesterday - no chromatic aberration that I could see and almost every photo had perfect VC control. If any downfall, not sure I completely like the look of the out-of-focus background - just doesnt seem as soft/smooth as my old Nikon tended to get. My advice - if you have the Nikon 24-120 and have been thinking about upgrading to a 24-70, this Tamron is well worth looking into, not only because its half the cost of the Nikon version.

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I am relatively new to photography, basically just getting serious about it. I have a Nikon D7000 from release several years ago. I upgraded to the Nikon D850 and this is one of the first lenses I purchased for it. I have no issues what so ever with this lens. I will add some pictures later. The ONLY issue I will warn folks about is who you are purchasing this lens from. I purchased this lens from "Amazon Services" which is not an authorized Tamron dealer. As such I lost out on the 6 year warranty for the lens. I am Denmark now and can not return the lens. I doubt I will have any issues but thats something to be conscious about if you purchase the lens through Amazon. That being said this is a VERY good lens. Sharp pictures, fast auto focus, no focus hunting, feels solid, and the build quality is superb. Another plus is it is NOT as long as the Nikon 24-70. I do not have buyers remorse except maybe the warranty issue. Otherwise I would buy it again if I had too.

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This is my first ever Tamron, and my first ever stabilized lens. looooove it. I come from using Nikon Primes and older Nikon Zooms. This rivals my primes for sharpness, and far outperforms my Nikon D lenses even at f2.8. I also overjoyed with the VC feature. Its apparent in the viewfinder, but its strength is even more apparent in the shots. I cooked up a few very contrived cases to test it and the harshest was f2.8 @ 70mm, at 1/4 sec shutter speed. I could see no apparent motion blur. Thats impressive, thats 4 stops of additional light in a pinch. Very happy. Looking forward to this being a workhorse for my business.

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