I was reading some reviews of this lens, and a couple people were throwing around the term tack sharp. I have the G2 Version of Tamrons 150-600, and its definitely not as sharp as my Canon 100-400 II, so I didnt necessarily place much faith in the claims of the reviews. I was curious, though, so I figured I could return it if I wasnt satisfied. Well, I have to give Tamron credit for this lens. Its very sharp, approaching the sharpness of my Pentax K-70 and new 55-300 combo (the K-70 has no low-pass filter, and those two make for the sharpest setup Ive ever used). The depth of field is a blessing and a curse, being razor thin at these focal lengths, so I need to practice that some more, but thats no fault of the lens. Its pretty heavy, close to that of the 100-400, so that will take some acclimation. Autofocus is very fast and virtually silent, although perhaps not *quite* as fast as the Canon lens. The manual override is a very nice feature, and the focus ring is buttery smooth. The zoom ring is not quite as nice, but still works fine. I have a 7D Mark II, and I figured that because of its low-pass filter, and other factors, I just resigned myself to its less than staggeringly sharp output. But with this lens, Ive been proven wrong, and I know now that the 7D is capable of some very sharp images, indeed. I havent tried either version of Canons 70-200, and I only tried Sigmas version briefly (it seemed pretty sharp, though), but if youre looking for a 70-200, and your budget wont quite allow for L glass, the Tamron is a killer alternative.
JB123
5
Comment
Meets or exceeds the Canon equivalent in every way. Crisp images with nice background separation at f2.8. AF is fast and quiet. VC (stabilization) works as advertised providing easy hand holding at 200mm down to 1/30s or slower if you have steady hands. Personally, I boost ISO and increase shutter speed before trying to shoot that slow since at that point Im more concerned with subject movement than camera shake. The build quality of this latest generation of Tamron lenses is superb. This is a real pleasure to hold and work with for hours. Focus and zoom rings are smooth and well damped. The barrel finish is beautiful. One thing I have noted is that the AF and VC control switches seem to be more easily knocked out of position than the similar function switches on my Canons. I think this is partly due to the Tamron switches having slightly less resistance and possibly being slightly more exposed compared to the Canon switches. This has caused my to unexpectedly find myself shooting in manual focus mode after I had apparently moved the AF/MF switch while either carrying or unbagging the Tamron. An integrated Arca mount plate is awesome. Thank you Tamron.
Joe Engineer
5
Comment
Excellent lens as far as image quality and Ill start by saying I love this lens, but two things to watch out for. First, my version of the lens needed A LOT of micro adjustment to focus on the right spot, which I read was common with this lens. If you arent familiar with the process, read up on microadjustment and do it with this lens to get the most out of it. The lens was focusing almost 2" in front of where it was supposed to consistanly before the adjustment. I second-shot a whole wedding like this and was initially disappointed with the lens. I did the adjustment and it has been amazing ever since, made a huge difference. This lens by far needed more adjustment than any of my other lenses. Second issue is that the MF/AF and VC buttons are in a horrible location and not recessed enough if you use a sling strap, so I promise that you will repeatedly accidentally switch it to MF or turn VC off when you dont want to, and will miss an occasional shot because it isnt autofocusing when you expect it to. Again, I read this was a problem and can confirm that it is. All things considered, this is a wonderful lens, focuses fast, very sharp after the micro adjustment, and is my new workhorse lens. As annoying as the button issue is, it is still well worth the savings from the Canon version of this lens, highly recommend this lens.
Ashlee
5
Comment
When I first got this lens I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle the weight of it plus my camera. A lot of my photos came out blurry and seemed to be front focusing. I decided it probably needed calibrated so I had that done and ever since it’s been great. I don’t use it on a tripod so I just try to use techniques to hold stead before the shot and that works fine. After keeping it on my body for a couple weeks I realized I really loved this lens. I’d buy it again.
David Henson
5
Comment
It arrived tonight, and after much research its my first EF mount lens other than the obligatory 50mm 1.8 Ive purchased in a slow transition to full frame. The body its currently being used on is a 77D. My previous telephoto was the Canon 50-250, which was very clear... in very good light. I just ran into too many issues with higher iso noise and longer shutters when light faded. This Tamron... wow. Ill know for sure tomorrow when I dump all of my test shots into Lightroom, but checking clarity on the screen on the camera, its just amazing the sharpness Im getting. I purposefully shot indoors, low light, iso 400, to push the image stabilization. Hand-held I was getting crisp shots on 1/5 second exposures at 200mm (300mm with the crop).
Brad Morris
5
Comment
This is my favorite lens. There are plenty of reviews online, including videos on YouTube, but I thought it was worth mentioning that Im very happy with it personally. If youre looking for a high end 70-200mm f2.8 with image stabilization, you wont be disappointed with this lens.
Deetro
5
Comment
I love this lens. I researched the big 3 (canon, Sigma, this) for quite some time before buying it. My reasons: price, image stabilization, no chromatic aberration, and beautiful image quality. There are times you dont pull focus as quickly as some other top tier lenses but its nothing Ive felt was prohibiting. I do astrophotography as well as videography so its perfect for those applications too. Getting some great low light shots at my local theater with my 80D. Imagine stabilization is the best of all three I believe.
Heather Gates
4
Comment
I read a lot of reviews and watched a lot of reviews on YouTube before I took the plunge on buying the Tamron sp 70-200mm F/2.8 Di Vc. Im very happy with my decision. The build quality is good. Easy to use and tack sharp. No its not a Canon L lens but for the money it is an excellent lens.
Melvin B.
5
Comment
So far so good! I have only had it for a few days now but like other users have said, this thing is SHARP. The image stabilization is amazing. The build is fantastic and this lens has a great solid weight to it. Very happy so far. I have uploaded an image I took the day I got it.
Kindle Customer
5
Comment
I LOVE this lens. It is my "go to" lens for rodeo photography. It is well built, and a huge upgrade from the one that I had that was at least 10 years old. My images are amazing.
Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. VC performance is 5 stops (VC mode 3) and offers three modes optimized for different shooting situations MOD reduced to 37.4". Optical Construction : 23 elements in 17 groups Lightweight and easy-to-hold tripod mount is compatible with an Arca-Swiss style quick release plate Compatible with TAMRON TAP-in Console, an optional accessory product. Tele converters (optional) compatible with this new Tamron lens Moisture proof and dust resistant construction. Fluorine Coating for protection and safe cleaning. Aperture blades is 9 circular diaphragm. Maximum magnification ratio is 1:6.1
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