 From a skeptical user! |
| Review Date: November 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Varad Arasanipaalai, MD |
Ok. I recently got a D90 and had bought the 55-200 Nikon lens with it. But I wanted to get a good walk around lens for an upcoming trip through CA & NV. So I finalized the Nikon 18-200 (5 yr warranty) & Tamron 18-270 (6 yr warranty). I had to eliminate the Sigma (1yr warranty) due to significant number of users having their lens go bad in 2-12 months.
I bought it from Amazon last week hoping to keep it or return it for the 18-200 Nikon if there were significant problems. I find that after 400 photos, I see excellent photos and great Vibration Compensation (VR or VRII on Nikon). On low light (maybe 1 candle light equivalent) it takes a tad longer (extra 2-3 seconds) to focus, but I can't comment about it unless I can compare against the Nikon 18-200.
However I compared the Tamron against the 55-200 Nikon that I already have and whenever the Tamron struggled to autofocus, so did the Nikon under the same parameters. At improved lighting, the Tamron was better than 55-200. The Tamron did better than the Nikon 18-55mm too in similar lighting. I know I cannot extrapolate these results to the Nikon 18-200, but I have to wait until I can borrow it from my friend to compare.
Compared to the Nikon being another three-hundred&fifty more, I don't know if it is that much better.
I'm very impressed with the build quality of the Tamron lens. Seems well made. I like the autofocus locking speed and pic quality is crisp in most lighting conditions,zoom, shutter & aperture settings. The motor is slightly more noisier than nikon lens, but it does not even bother me. I think is is something that will bother someone who really wants to find fault with this lens. I do feel that people with D90 & D300 have great experiences with this lens while d80 and d200 and older bodies, people complain. So maybe that might be a factor in less stars? I have another 28 days more to evaluate this lens or exchange for the Nikon. I will come back and edit this review if I find anything to the contrary. But so far it is a great buy and looks like a keeper. I reviewed thousands of pictures in pbase & flickr before I felt this lens even merited a try and so far hasn't failed to impress me.
2009-Nov-14: Its been almost 2 weeks with the Tamron. I also purchased a Nikon 18-200 from Amazon hoping to keep one of them. There is lens creep in both the Nikon and the Tamron. I took a few pictures in low light of the same subject, hand held, VR/VC ON @ 200mm, 0.63 secs exposure, ISO 1600. f5.6 on Nikon & f6.3 on Tamron. I did a side by side compare in Paintshop at 60% zoom of the 4288x2848 image and I see the Tamron has better details, sharpness. The setting was indoors with two 3 w bulbs about 10 feet away at night. I have to try the same on a tripod though. I'm thinking why not spend the money saved when buying a Tamron (almost three-thirty as of today) towards a high speed lens for specialized night shooting if/when needed and/or a Nikon SB-600 flash. So far I like the Tamron. I'm an amateur, but comparing pics side by side with the two lenses is slowly convincing me to keep the Tamron. Will update again if I find anything more to add.
Of course be sure to read the reviews at DPReview for both lenses where they rate the Nikon slightly better. Also look at pics taken at pbase & flickr for the lenses.
Dec 31, 2009: I finally went with the Nikon 18-200 in Nov before my vacation just because I wasn't sure about the Tamron's performance in low lighting and if it will bite me if I end up taking some low light pics. Looking back though, I feel like I should have stayed with my Tamron and netted the difference in money and enjoyed! :-( I looked at some older pics taken by Tamron when I first bought it and one thing I really liked was the bokeh in closeup pics. It is very smooth compared to the Nikon 18-200. I for one usually hunt for value in any product and in this I might have not done so by not sticking with the Tamron. I highly recommend this lens. |
Tamron AF 18-270mm VC - a great lens
|
| Review Date: May 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul Masquelier, San Jose, CA USA |
I hesitated about ordering on-line after reading about the zoom-creep and the slow focusing under poor light conditions. I bought the lens locally where I could easily return it if there were problems. I have never been happier with a lens. The photos have been very sharp throughout the range of focal lengths. I am using it with a Nikon D60 which I bought to use as a lightweight SLR/Lens combo. I have not found zoom creep too be a significant problem.
Having used other (Nikor) VR telephoto lens, I knew that auto-focus could be slow under poor light conditions. This can be frustrating if you are trying to capture an action with quick shots.
The solution has been simple and has helped me to get better photos than if I was using auto-focus. Turn the VR switch to the on position, and turn the AF switch to the off position. Simply, focus the old fashioned way. I zoom in on the subject and adjust the focus so the subject is in sharp focus. Then I zoom back to compose the photo. When I hit the shutter release, I get an instant exposure, under the poorest light conditions.
By using manual focus, I have regained control over my photos to a degree that was never the same when using an auto-focus lens. No longer is the lens focusing on some far away object when my subject was off center in the composition. All of us would be better photographers if we quit depending upon auto-focus to do all the thinking for us. It never knows exactly what we are trying to do. |
Solid for all-around use
|
| Review Date: February 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: John Brock, Wisconsin |
| I, like many struggled between a couple of lense choices for my new Nikon D90. The Nikon 18-200 seemed a safe choice but I really was facinated by the technology incorporated in the Vibration Compensation and the 15X magnification. A local pro had just got the lense and couldn't speak more highly of it for me (who wanted a all-in-one-lense). I decided to take what seemed to me, was a big risk and ordered the Tamron with my D90. While waiting for the order to arrive, I second guessed myself many times. Finially Christmas arrived and the lense exceeded my expectations in every demension. The Pro warned me that there is a stiff spot in the zoom by design. I felt the spot but it was less than the test unit I tried locally. The somewhat slow zoom in very low light is there, but then again I was forewarned that any zoom of this aperature range will have the same hesitation. I found it to be slight. I have used this lense now for two full months and have learned to use it well in all lighting conditions. It is truly a marvel of engineering. Not all of my "risks" have turned our well but this decision has been one I have never regretted. If you buy this lense and are knlowledgable about these minor limitations you will be happy. You will not be able to afford a lense that does all this lense does that eliminates all its imperfections. Truly fine Build and image quality. |
Tamron AF 18-270 15 X lens for Nikon
|
| Review Date: October 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Brown, Bonners Ferry, Idaho USA |
I'd been wanting to get this lens since I first read a review on it, but also wanted to wait a bit to see how fast the price would drop (being an early adopter gets expensive all the time!!) Then an upcoming trip to Germany in November of 2009 made it a necessity for me by then! A family wedding in September clinched it so I bought it for myself for my birthday to use and get used to it on that trip. Although I brought all the lenses I have for my D-60, I only used the new Tamron the entire trip. I LOVE IT!!! My wife and I were able to spend a day and a half at Yellowstone during the trip. We also spent over a day a the Grand Tetons as well as an afternoon at Glacier Park and on the Going to the Sun road the weekend it closed in 2009.
The good- Really great photos! 18 to 270 with the 35mm equivalent of 28 to 420 zoom is a great range. Very similar to my Panasonic FZ-50 but I think the my Nikon is a better camera in most respects. NOT knocking Panasonic!! It worked great for the entire zoom range as well as some macro shots I tried. I REALLY enjoyed not having to stop and change lenses which is the biggest plus of the positive reviews I've read and I'll agree. A great all around lens as far as I'm concerned. I thought the manual focus worked really well also. I tried to use all aspects of lens to get to know it.
Also from August 15th to December 31st, 2009 is a mail-in $[...] rebate from Tamron if you buy a new one, another consideration. Brought my final price to $[...] for a lens that started out at $[...] when it came out! I'm happy!
The not so good- not a lot here but there are a few things with it I'd say be aware of if you do get one (and you should!!!). First I'd say is get into the habit of using the 'lens zoom lock' on the barrel. Just a little switch to flick on and off on the top right of the lens, its easy to get used to 'flicking' on and off with the index finger. It really needs to be locked when you're not using it because the lens will slide open to the full 270 if the camera's tilted down like if on your neck. Had that happen a couple of times before I got used to using the zoom lock.
All opened at max zoom it is a bit long. Wasn't a problem for me but could be a consideration for you. With A/F on as well as V/C, there is some noise to it. Again I didn't have a problem with the sounds but they are there and I'd read a few reviews that complained about it. When you halfway press the shutter for focus the lens 'freezes' the image just before you take the shot. Actually interesting to see, but could be an annoyance to some people. Finally the weight, my daughter also has a D-60 and tried it but she thought it would be too heavy for her to use on her camera all the time. Not a problem for me at all and I know the little extra weight really helped with some waterfall shots with only a mono-pod, but again, something some of you readers might be concerned about! Also with the lens are all kinds of warnings of flash obscuration if you only use the in camera flash due to the size of the Tamron lens. I didn't try any flash photos this trip but have experienced it with other cameras so the recommendation is use a hot shoe external flash. Only a consideration if you only have the one lens with you and think you might be taking any indoor flash photos.
The only real lens problem I had was early on the trip and apparently in using the zoom so much and with a new lens it would twist and slightly shift and not make good contact with the camera body, so I'd be all ready to take a shot and push the shutter and the auto focus wouldn't work or nothing at all would happen! It would show blanks or question marks in the view finder for shutter and aperture settings and a couple of times said 'lens not connected'. It was very frustrating until I figured out what the problem was. Since then it hasn't happened, I guess I 'broke it in' with all the twisting for zoom for all the photos I took.
Other accessories I recently bought for my camera for this trip and upcoming ones, four 4GB SDHC cards, and from Amazon, this lens, two extra batteries, a 72MM three lens filter kit, and a way more comfortable neck strap. Let's take a trip and take some photos!
|
D90 user and having fun!
|
| Review Date: September 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Scholz, Pasadena, CA |
I purchased this Tamron lens based on a prior 18-200mm Tamron lens for my D70. As predicted, it works wonderfully. So far, any "issues" have been with me and my jitteriness!
For the price, it was a normal deal. What really drove me to by it from Amazon was the fact that it was Tamron USA and the warranty (7 years!) was part of the deal. Ebay sellers might have it for less, but they charge shipping and they could be grey market lenses.
For the price (as compared to the 18-200mm Nikon VRII) it was a better deal all the way around. The VC mechanism does let me shoot about 2 stops slower, which helps offset the speed of the lens in lower light conditions. I can't personally get 4 stops because I shake too much and the lens does has a bit of a hard time compensating for me.
The lens creep from 70-150mm is actually mixed blessing. My old 18-200mm Tamron would just extend out with just a 45 degree attitude. This lens does have that "stopping" action, which helps a lot to keep creep reduced, but it can impede me zooming in without some effort. If you can overcome that issue, you are gold!
Overall, this is a fantastic lens! 5 stars! Cost, quality, ease of use all make this a lens that a non/semi- pro user can do the job with and not spend around $900 for a Nikon brand lens. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
Responses to “Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens with Built in Motor for Nikon DSLR Cameras”
Leave a Reply