Tamron AF 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di II PZD  reviews

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: eldonito   review date: December-12-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Minolta AF 70-210/4
Sony AF DT 18-70/3.5-5.6

price paid:

500 USD (new)

positive:

Range
Silent focusing
Low weight
Non-rotating front element

negative:

Soft-ish
Noticeable barrel distorion
Vignetting!
A couple of build issues
Bad bokeh

comment:

Great single lens to take out hiking in the daylight, when weight is a constraint and switching lenses can be impractical. The zoom range is astounding. The focus speed is slow, but not an issue for me.

Optical issues: Pixel-peeping (at 24 MP) reveals its soft side, especially at the long end. The barrel distortion at the wide end is disappointing, and the visible vignetting has spoiled some photos for me. Ugly bokeh with busy backgrounds.

Build issues: Zoom creep: the lens will creep downwards unless locked at 18mm with the provided switch. The manual warns of the focus motor's physical sensitivity. Momentarily broke once when the focus ring was rotated out of the focusing motor's range.

Overall, I find it acceptable enough. One can make great use of this lens, provided they're aware of its limitations.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: KlikArt   review date: September-01-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

€ 499,=

positive:

Lens is nice small and not heavy, so a very handy for traveling. Quality is quite good for this type of lenses.

negative:

For good sharpness is good weather needed.

comment:

For travel, and times when I do not want to drag a lot of weights, this is an excellent lens on my A77.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 3 

user: usemygoodeye   review date: May-04-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony kit lenses: 18-55 and 75-300

price paid:

500 (new)

positive:

Little to no CA. Yay !
Better IQ than the kit lenses.
Solid build, even though it's plastic.
Super quiet piezo drive !!

negative:

Zoom creep. Acceptable.
Not quite as far a reach as the 75-300 telephoto it replaced.

comment:

First off, I got the $100 rebate. Also, the shop where I bought my SLT-55 from bought back the Sony telephoto for a great deal more than I thought.

I'm new to dslr photography, so I don't have a lot of experience. I noticed a vast improvement in IQ over the kit lenses. That was to be expected.
I've only used it for a few days, but the pics I have are much better than with the previous kit lenses.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: balacau   review date: July-24-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm DT
Sony SAL75300 75-300mm

price paid:

£500

positive:

Focal length (of course)
Build
Light-weight
Pretty effective lens hood
No distortion that I can see

negative:

Need to use slim filters, these are more expensive than standard ones, some vignetting may occur at full 270mm reach & in harsh sunlit conditions.

comment:

You could say its an ideal replacement for both my 18-70mm DT kit zoom and the 75-300mm as well. So far I have noticed no distortion or vignetting. The lens is a little tight at the moment during zooming action but hopefully that will be a "new lens" thing.

I really haven't noticed anything I don't like about this lens. The filter issue really isn't that unexpected and I consider it worth that extra cash to obtain better images without having the vignetting issues.

If anything does crop up after writing this review, I'll edit for updates.

*****UPDATE*****

After using the lens quite considerably since its purchase, on a bright sunny day (rare in the UK I know) and at full 270mm zoom focusing on a church spire vignetting finally revealed itself despite the use of a thin filter. It wasn't as bad as what I've seen before and could be cropped out quite easily really. On anything other than a bright cloud-less day, I don't think its really that noticeable but I'll keep my eyes open for such issues. The ;ens has proven itself to be a very capable workhorse though and is a great all-rounder when carried with my Sigma 10-20mm UWA/10mm fisheye.

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: phutyle   review date: June-30-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 18-250 f3.5-6.3

price paid:

609 Euro

positive:

Great range.
Near silent autofocus.
Small, neat and light.
AF/MF switch on lens.

negative:

Zoom Creep (but there is a lock button).
Auto focus isn't very fast. Can hunt a bit in low light.
A Mount version doesn't have the VC image stabilisationthat other mounts have.
Not the sharpest lens in the world, but fine for a superzoom.

comment:

The main improvement of this lens over the Tamron 18-250 f3.5-6.3 is the PZD motor. It's almost silent, making the older lens sound like it's driven my a steam engine. For still photography, this is a big plus in many situations, but it will be a great benefit for use with video (which I haven't tried yet

The extra 20mm reach at the long end is welcome, but in the real world, doesn't make much difference.

Autofocus performance seems to be about the same as the Tamron 18-250. Maybe a little quicker, but nothing startling.

The AF/MF switch on the lens makes it easier to reach than the one on the body (A550), but to be honest, this isn't the kind of lens you're going to be using in MF mode very much. It should be noted that Tamrom haven't made any Macro claim for this lens (they did for the 18-250, not that it was a true 1:1 macro).

Of course, all superzooms are about compromise. Reach and convenience vs IQ. But the 18-270 is an acceptable compromise as a travel/walkabout/kit replacement lens. Sure, it's not the sharpest, but it's there to do pretty much everything from quite wide to quite long in one neat, light package. If I can only take one lens with me, it's the one that comes every time.

Obviously, there are plenty of times when I reach for something else for a particular scenario, but this lens stays as default on my camera most of the time.