Tamron SP AF 70-200 F2.8 Di LD IF Macro reviews

sharpness: 3.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Shinebox review date: March-02-13
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:
positive:	Color image quality
negative:	Focus in low light
comment:	When images are in focus it's great when shooting in low light indoors look out. Still doing some more testing but I took pics at a roller derby and almost all of them were out of focus. yikes.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: MVKregg review date: January-11-13
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 70-300 non-G
price paid:	780 USD
positive:	Built well, good color, IQ, bokeh and contrast, especially for the price. Good close focus. Can double for a macro in a pinch. I like the manual focus lock-out
negative:	Slow and unreliable autofocus for anything that is moving beyond a crawl The huge and gaudy hood looks like you are trying to compensate for something. Tripod mount can get in the way when shooting hand-held (but comes off easily if you want to leave it home).
comment:	Great for outdoor portraits & indoor candid shots; terrible for sporting events. If you need fast and reliable autofocus to get the shot, this ain't your lens. Because I bought it for composed pictures and portraits, I've been relatively pleased, but every now and then . . .

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: robberly12 review date: December-07-12
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tamron 70-300 USD Sony 70-400G Sigma 18-250 HSM
price paid:	700 USD (new)
positive:	Great IQ Relatively light Fast/Quiet focusing (on A580) Build generally good Bargain price
negative:	Questionable AF accuracy Using AF/MF clutch is tricky
comment:	The Tamron SP AF 70-200 F2.8 is a high quality, affordable lens. It offers the image quality of the equivalent Sony & Sigma lenses at a fraction of their prices, and is also significantly lighter and easier to handle. The main drawback of the lens is its auto-focusing ability. While I don't find its AF at all noisy & slow (as some other reviewers have), its accuracy is somewhat of an issue. While generally accurate, it has just enough focus misses to reduce my confidence. Switching to MF, in those cases, is somewhat difficult because of Tamron's use of a focus clutch. On the Sony mount version of the lens, both the body MF switch and clutch must be disengaged to enable MF. This can slow down camera handling, and disengaging the clutch can throw off the just-determined AF setting. Build is very good, and is a great compromise between durability and weight. The only reason I downgraded it to a 4 was because of the use of the focus clutch. It works well with my Kenko Teleplus 1.4x DGX teleconverter. Autofocus works well, and the exif data is correctly reported. Because of the extra torque required by Tamron's internal focus screw-drive system, manual focus with the Kenko TC is a little stiff and mechanical feeling. Image quality, though, is excellent. Due to its constant F2.8 maximum aperture rating, the Tamron SP AF 70-200 is a great low-light lens with excellent sharpness across the zoom range. Even allowing for the AF issues mentioned above, it's a high quality lens at a bargain price!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: boyzone review date: December-21-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	70-400G Tamron 70-210/2.8 Beercane 70-200G
price paid:	580 USD (used)
positive:	-Cheap -MFD -F2.8 -Weight
negative:	Front glass easy to get dusting.
comment:	IQ for F2.8 is very soft. Need to step down to F4 for sharp image. Bokeh is good across the range with F4 aperture. push pull focusing mode is not applicable in Alpha SLR, but is very useful for me to turn the camera from horizontal to vertical when I hold on it (follow to turn):) Updated@14/8/2012 Manage to get another used copy at USD420. IQ for this copy is sharp at 2.8. Corner image is very sharp across the range with wide open into APS-C system. Is a very good lens for portrait. If u are not enough budget to bring 70-200G, this is the lens can fulfill u on the IQ. Update@8/2/2013 Side by side compared with 70-200G, Sharpness from Tamron lens is sharper than G with wide open. Now I totally rule out to bring in 70-200G to replace this 3rd party lens.

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: zozo review date: December-02-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:
price paid:	400
positive:	Sharp
negative:
comment:

sharpness: 3 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: sora3 review date: December-02-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 DI LD Macro
price paid:	1000 AUD (new)
positive:	Good weight compared to other 70-200 f2.8 lens Nice bokeh Decent IQ Doesn't have much distortion Nice fit for the a77
negative:	AF is average to pathetic in low light Easily confused in high contrast environments Need one stop to be sharp overall Odd MF switch
comment:	Well, this lens has been used on the a200, a33 and recently the a77. So far, this is what I can say about it. The IQ is quite nice. I haven't seen much ghosting or CA which is good as at this range, I would expect it. The bokeh is quite nice to use if you stop it one stop down. Iwouldn't say the f2.8 is bad, just not as sharp as you want. The reach helps a lot with the motorsports I shoot with. The weight is quite comforting given it is feels built like a tank. However, there are quite some downsides as I noted. You need to stop it one stop to be quite sharp. In high contrast locations where I shoot, the AF was quite pathetic. Shots that could have been sharp came out quite soft on the subject compared to the background. It might not be a problem in other locations or with the use of a flash but I highly suggest you test this before you part with your cash. In normal light, it's decent but don't try it in low light as it hunts and hunts and hunts a lot. Overall, should you buy this lens? Perhaps. But I do suggest you look at what you're shooting and decide yourself. If in doubt, I highly recommend saving more and buying the Sony G-version.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: tomiZG review date: November-30-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan T28-75 4 T90 2.8 Min135 2.8
price paid:	450 EUR used (mint)
positive:	- sharp - cheap - great build
negative:	- AF hunting in normally lit rooms.
comment:	As I use this lens mostly on FF this review is about using this lens on FF. Everything said, especially the part regarding sharpness, is less dramatic on aps-c, of course. Very nice sharpness all the way til ~180mm, very sharp from 3.2 already, 2.8 useful, at 200mm needs to be stopped down to 4.5 to get sharpness over a larger area. As I use it 90% for portraits it does bother me that wide open and shooting in vertical position the head(s) will be a bit blurry. It may be my copy, but stopped down this down effect vanishes. Autofocus is a BIG PAIN in * *. Used indoors (even in well lit rooms) it hunts dramatically. I loose a lot of good shots this way and often I refer to my beloved Min 135 2.8 then as the T70-200 seems useless often inside. This is the part where an SSM / HSM lens would deliver better AF performance and I am afraid I will need to upgrade. UPDATE (07/2012): I sold the lens in favor of the Sigma 70-200 HSMii. The Sigma (or was I lucky getting a great copy) is stellar compared to the Tamron in every aspect.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: danny001 review date: June-17-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 70-300g Sony 500mm Reflex Sony 50mm/F1.8 Sony 18-55mm
price paid:	430€
positive:	Bright viewfinder AF is pretty fast and not too loud Good IQ from F3.5 Build quality is fine CA is really low
negative:	lens in for repair under warranty, problem fixed IQ at F2.8/F3.2
comment:	Update 31/08/2011 This review is updated because the lens went in for repair for a decentering problem (under warranty). Previous I said F2.8 was really bad, well know sharpness is much better, probably there was also a focus poblem. But I found out there is still a decentering problem, it is a little better but still there, right side of image out of focus. I will go back to the store and see what will happen. I'll keep it updated. 27/09/2011 - In real life, everything looks fine. Made some really sharp pictures on a birdshow. I won't go back to the store for that little decentering problem, I just don't see it anymore in my pictures, everything looks (really)sharp. I would say I prefer this one over the 70-300g. I sold my 70-300g because I wanted something more than F5.6 on the longer end, so I bought the Tamron instead. And it delivers great images, from F3.5. IQ at F2.8 and F3.2 is not good enough, some purple halo's in high contrast scenes and soft. Just treat it as a F3.5 and you will take good pictures. Bokeh is really nice and I haven't found any CA yet. I made some pictures on a racetrack and it was a joy to use this lens. Af was fast (A550) and I got a lot of good shots. Also a big difference between this and the 70-300g was the viewfinder, it is much brighter, what i certainly like. It's a heavy lens so I use a monopod when shooting sports. Included is a great tripod mount and sunhood. Build quality is good for me. Take e look at my pictures : www.alex-digitalpics.be , Look under 'Racing' for pictures with this lens.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4	user: sdfreeland review date: May-30-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 70-200mm f2.8 G
positive:	-Very Sharp -Built well
negative:	-Slow AF -Hunts in low light -No limit switch
comment:	The biggest benefit of this lens is the cost vs the quality of pictures it can take. It is a little soft at f/2.8 compared to the high end competitors, but it's a great value for the price. Bokeh is very nice. Stopped down to about 5.6 a normal person wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this and the Sony or Sigma. The biggest drawback is that it hunts in low light and is slow to AF. I upgraded to the Sony only because I was missing bird and action shots because of the hunting.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: tulio review date: May-18-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	MAF 70-210 f/4 Tamron 55-200
price paid:	430 Euro (used)
positive:	- sharp even at 200mm /2.8, - excellent image quality, - colour rendition (akin to Minolta), - very nice bokeh
negative:
comment:

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5	user: leohendriks review date: May-13-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- mi 100-300 apo - mi 80-200 apo hs
price paid:	450 euro (used)
positive:	- sharpness. - weight. - hood.
negative:	- manual focus. - autofocus in low light.
comment:	I used the lens for 4 months. Sharpness is very good from 3.2 on. At 2.8 some veiling haze shows. Build is decent but not stellar. The hood is very effective. Colors are pretty good. Flare control seems okay (little experience though). I read some remarks on autofocus speed that were not consistent so I decided to see for myself. In good light there is no problem. Autofocus is fast (faster then my 100-300 apo). On occasion focus is lost and then the lens can hunt for some time. In low light things can get complicated when contrast is low. If focus is lost hunting can take "forever". Although image quality is very good (even @ 2.8) I decided to sell the lens as autofocus would not serve my needs.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: kurniAlpha review date: April-13-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	70-210/f4 birken 70-200/2.8 G SSM
price paid:	753 USD (new)
positive:	- sharp, sharp, sharp even at 200mm /2.8 - cheap compare to 70-200/2.8 G SSM - body build is great, even this lens body made from plastic - low CA
negative:	- slow Auto Focus, but not so bad in my opinnion, cause i'm not a journalis.. - heavy
comment:	this is my first fast tele lens.. i love it very much, its sharp, its black, its solid feels, its 2.8, its cool shape and its cheap compare to 70-200/2.8 altought they not at the same class...

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: F-man review date: April-07-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 70-210 F4
price paid:	700
positive:	Very Sharp even at wide open F2.8. Produce Good Image Quality
negative:	None at this moment
comment:	Never Regret buying this lens. It's the best budget F2.8 telephoto lens with good Image Quality.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: MxZAE11 review date: March-19-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:
price paid:	750 USD (new)
positive:	- Amazing value for the money! - Definitely usable at F2.8 - Crazy Sharp starting at F3.2 - Awesome Color - Little, if any, AF hunting on my cameras!!! - Focus not too loud for indoor occasions
negative:	- Heavy (Though lighter than the competition)
comment:	If shopping for a 70-200 F2.8, you need to look no further. Hunting issues with other camera brands aren't happening for me... probably because Sony is a major shareholder in Tamron!

sharpness: 4 color: 3 build: 3 distortion: 3 flare control: 3	user: mystique review date: March-19-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 70-200 2.8 II HSM
price paid:	785
positive:	cheap sharp if there's a light
negative:	SLOW on LOW LIGHT Hunts AF
comment:	I just test a SIGMA 70-200 II HSM and it is much and more better than my TAMRON. The TAMRON hunts in low light very much. I've done indoor shots and I'm having a hard time capturing important moments. I will ask if i can swap this with Sigma. For 3rd Party Lens in these range -Sigma 70-200 II HSM is highly recommended! kudos SIGMA!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Tricky01 review date: March-16-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 70-200 II HSM Sony 70-200 SSM
price paid:	410 GBP (SH: as new)
positive:	IQ Weight
negative:	Focus hunting Focus speed Manual focus 'clutch'
comment:	It's a great lens in the comforts of your own home when testing. You'll get it, have a play at home and be blown away. You'll go out in good middle-of-the-day light and again be very impressed. But then try and use it at a late afternoon / evening event and you will miss so many shots for the hunting AF. AF speed is actually not that bad on the A700 and again you'll be impressed at home when testing - when you have plenty of time to compose your shot and the subject isn't moving. The problem is in the real world uses you'll find it just hunts and you'll miss shots. I tested both this and the Sigma HSM II at the same time and decided on the Tamron. I then used the Tamron at my mother's 60th and was disappointed enough to sell this and swap back to the Sigma. It isn't as tack sharp as the tamron but the HSM is very good (as good if not slightly better than the Sony) and better to get an acceptably sharp shot than none at all. At £410 I did get a bargain (expect to pay £450 - £500 for as new second hand) but I would recommemd spending a little more and going for the sigma. If you can afford it, the Sony has the best of both worlds (focus and IQ), but it's at least twice as much and for me it was one to upgrade to from the tam/sig equivilent.

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: photoBear review date: February-28-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan CZ 16-80 tam 28-300 km kit 18-70
positive:	Price 2.8 apeture Build Sharpness right down to 2.8 bright in viewfinder Focus speed/accuracy on a700 is great. no perceptale flare or distortion and the colours are quite nice
negative:	As with most 70-200 2.8's its big and weighty, large filters, the same for all lenses of this type. Manual focus can take a bit of finesse
comment:	I had looked for a telephoto zoom for about a year and when I had the cash I decided on this one and I am glad I did. The lens exceeded my expectations based on testing and user reviews in all areas. I Find it very sharp right down to f2.9 across the zoom range. The focus speed, accuracy and noise are all much better than I expected and when compared in store to the sony 70-200g there is no perceptible difference in speed and accuracy. The focus was also very quiet for a screw type focus lens, quieter than it would need to be for most situations. The build quality is great, not far off the sony g and I think better than the sigmas. I am a fan of the push pull focus switching, it practice it works quite well because its not as fiddly as two switches would be. The focus ring is very direct manually focusing but it is quite delicate and requires some finesse, both the zoom & focus rings are smooth and rotate about just under 45' which is ideal and allows full movement using the fingers without having to change grip. There are no focus hold or limiter buttons but in practice I find that doesn’t really matter. I would have given this lens a 4.5 for colour and build, it also truly deserves 5 for sharpness, flare and distortion. This lens is well priced, well designed, well built and performs beautifully that is all you can really hope for in a lens, the image results speak for themselves. It offers a much more affordable option to the sony 70-200g that is less than half the price and the end results are just as good.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: bangjali review date: February-05-11
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	SAL 75-300 SAL 70-200 2.8 SAL 70-300mm SSM G
price paid:	710 (new)
positive:	Excellent image quality. Nice bokeh. Good flare resistance (don't need hood). Low distortion and CA. Non-rotating front. Price.
negative:	none, really
comment:	Ilike the sharpness, build quality, IQ and overall feel of the lens. The AF speed didn't seems slow when mounted onto my A700 (it's about the same as the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro). The tripod foot is removable and is well designed and extends from the body to double-up as a carrying handle. For me it delivered an excellent results. Bokeh is buttery smooth, colours are excellent (Minoltaesque) and images sharp. It's worth for me and I'm very satisfied with this lens.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5	user: Pirate review date: December-23-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	SAL 70-300mm SSM G Sigma AF 100-300mm F4 EX DG (IF) APO Minolta AF 300mm F4 APO HS G Minolta AF 300mm f/2.8 APO Minolta 70-210mm F4 Beercan Minolta AF 80-200mm f/2.8 APO HS G
price paid:	£440.00 (used)
positive:	Weight Build quality Bokeh Removable tripod foot Colour rendition (akin to Minolta)
negative:	Slowish AF Hunts in less than decent lighting conditions
comment:	I like the weight, build quality, IQ and overall feel of the lens. It's a shame the AF speed seems slow when mounted onto my A700 (it's about the same as the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro). The tripod foot is removable and is well designed and extends from the body to double-up as a carrying handle. When it's dialled-in, it can give excellent results. Bokeh is buttery smooth, colours are excellent (Minoltaesque) and images sharp. Definitely worth consideration unless you need faster AF then look at the Sigma version, though each has their pro's and con's, or if you can afford it, a Minolta AF 80-200mm f/2.8 APO HS G, though for 200mm, working at it's maximum range, a 200mm f/2.8 or 300mm f/2.8 prime may be a better solution unless the zoom is a pre-requisite.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: dca1213 review date: November-19-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan Old Tamron 70-210 f2.8 Sony 55-200 SAM
price paid:	$730 USD New
positive:	Sharp Fast Well Built Removable tripod mount ring
negative:	Heavy, but what 2.8 zoom in this range isn't
comment:	I like this lens a lot, it's fast sharp and nicely built. It can hunt in low light situations but no more or less than the beercan. Optically, at shared apertures, it is superior to the Sony and the old Tamron. The Beercan may be a tad bit sharper and color and contrast are a bit better on the Beercan, however, the differences are not enough to out weigh the benefits of the Tamron. It's a winner.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: fute77 review date: November-17-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta beercan 70-210/4 Tokina 828 AT-X Pro 80-200/2.8
positive:	build quality IQ even WO short mini focus distance
negative:	very long heavy lack of in lens motor
comment:	I used it for a concert on both my A700 and my friend A900 It worth its price. If i should buy a new 2.8 zoom that would surely be this one

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 3 flare control: 5	user: chrisdb review date: November-16-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	CZ24-70 CZ135 1.8 Tamron 70-300
price paid:	600 USD used
positive:	good value sharp-good color rendition overall good IQ-sharp, good color rendition, nice bokeh a good value for a 2.8 fixed aperture zoom.
negative:	noticeable barrel distortion @ 70 and pincushion @ 200. lens defocuses when switching from AF to manual..
comment:	first off, I don't normally shoot long lenses much so I was looking for the best IQ for the buck. I think I got that part right... This lens is sharp, with nice color and good bokeh. It is light(er) than the CZ lenses and balances well on MY A850 body. The build quality is mostly polycarbonate or some such, but doesn't feel cheap . HOWEVER... it does have some warts also. The autofocus is speedy when making small adjustments, but hunts noisily when making big adjustments. A switch from manual to AF or AF to manual will completely defocus the lens, so if you are getting frustrated with the camera hunting for focus, prepare to be enraged when you switch to manual (a two handed affair since both the switch on the body and clutch on the lens must be thrown over) and your viewfinder becomes an amorphous blur. I wouldn't try shooting fast moving action with this lens. And did i mention the geometric distortion? no pixel peeping needed here- plainly visible in the viewfinder is barrel distortion at 70 and pincushion at 200. I use DXO to post process so that is not a deal breaker for me, but disappointing nonetheless. so there you have it- a bright fixed 2.8 zoom with very good to excellent IQ- a bit clumsy to use with obvious but manageable geometric distortion

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: gustav7117 review date: November-12-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	CZ 24-70 Sony 70-300 Sony 70-400
positive:
negative:
comment:

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Thelone review date: October-18-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- Minolta AF 75-300 F4.5-5.6 II - Tamron AF 55-200 F4-5.6 Di II
price paid:	649€ (new)
positive:	- Sharp - Build quality - Cheap for a 70-200/2.8 lens
negative:	- Not suited for some applications (see below)
comment:	This is a superb lens for the price. The sharpness is already great wide open, and it gets even better stopped down a bit. The thing is, I bought this lens for sports photography and this is where the Tammy shows its limitations : - For soccer, the AF speed is fine, but the accuracy isn't the greatest. You have almost no space to manoeuvre from 10m to infinity (switching to MF doesn't help either) and I missed quite a few shots because the AF wasn't spot on (using the AF-C setting of course). Although this can be a problem from time to time, the lens can deliver excellent soccer pictures. - For ice hockey, this is worse. The accuracy problem is still there, and the AF speed isn't quick enough to track fast action.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Kitschi review date: September-22-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 28-135 Tamron 90 Macro
price paid:	610 €
positive:	Sharp from f3.2 magnification 1:3.1 weight
negative:
comment:	I bought the lens for shooting dragonflies because it is more flexibel than the 180mm macro and i didn't regret it.

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: paginavanpeter review date: September-20-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:
price paid:	619 euro (new)
positive:	Sharpness, F/2.8
negative:	On APS 1,5x70mm
comment:	They told me to buy this lens instade of the Sony AF 70-200 F2.8 G SSM SAL-70200G, because of the amazing sharpness and it's good price. They didn't lie: it really is a fantastic lens!

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4	user: maxfarphoto review date: September-19-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 80-200 f2,8 APO G HS
price paid:	450 € (2nd hand)
positive:	Weight Sharpness Build quality Value for money
negative:
comment:	This lens is a best buy: it is light, well built, sharp at all focals and performs fast AF It costs half of average price of the Minolta 80-200 APO G HS and it performs exactly the same. Just a bit soft at wide aperture (2,8) but I like it for my purposes (portraits), closed of one stop it is razor sharp

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Bahudda review date: July-21-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 70-200mm f2.8 SSM G Tamron 70-210mm f2.8 Tokina 100-300mm f4.0 (I) Zeiss 135mm f1.8 Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8
price paid:	750 USD
positive:	Very sharp and clear, with excellent contrast and respectable AF speed
negative:	Tamron color vs Minolta color (but fixable in post - mostly)
comment:	Mostly I prefer primes. However, I do have a practical side and when flexibility rules I comply. This lens has surpassed my expectations in terms of focus accuracy, micro contrast, color depth and sharpness wide open. It give impressive bokeh that is on par with that from the 135mm f1.8 ZA! It does tend toward the magenta color cast though. This is easy to fix in post or with manuallly setting white balance. The images from this lens can be breathe taking! It is one of my favorite portrait lenses and only second to the 135 ZA and maybe tied with the 100f2.0. I have this lens' older sibling (70-210 f2.8) which I felt was the twin to the Minolta 70-200G in color, sharpness and contrast. I like the new Tamron much better (though the color of the older Tamron is much closer to Minolta color). For the money this lens is hard to beat. If you are having trouble making a choice I recommend this lens highly!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Amaceira review date: June-28-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- Sony 75-300mm (Kit lens)
price paid:	729 USD (new)
positive:	- Incredible IQ across all focal lengths and apertures. - Extremely sharp - Light! (when compared to others 70-200mm f/2.8) - No Chromatic Aberration from f/3.2 and on... - Constant physical length - Good macro/close focus - Pretty good MF ability. - Nice hood! - You have to love it's tripod collar!
negative:	- Doesn't have focus delimiter - Focus, sometimes, hunt in extreme low light conditions (nothing too serious)
comment:	Since I got this lens... it became my favorite! I was in doubt between this lens and the Sigma (with HSM). After reading about Tamron's better sharpness and overall IQ, I decided to go for the Tamron, even though a bit scared about the AF performance I read about... And now that I've done some tests with the "Tamy", I have to say that I have absolutely no regrets or "double-thoughts" on choosing it! I would highly recommend this lens to anyone!!!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: LyleG review date: June-17-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	beercan 70-300G minolta 200G HS APO
price paid:	799 Canadian
positive:	from f4-10 tack sharp nice balance light for a 70-200/2.8 nice tripod collar design tamron lens caps kick butt
negative:	slightly soft and a bit of ghosting at 2.8-3.5 misses focus without sufficient contrast to lock on no limiter
comment:	For the money its very hard to find much to complain about. My copy is a tad soft at f2.8 to about f3.5, it also suffers from a bit of ghosting and possibly a centering issue at the apertures as well. At f4 however it is truly amazing. Sharper than my CZ16-80 and the 70-300G by a noticeable amount. It puts the beercan to shame, at f8 the BC isnt as sharp as the tammy at f4. I use mine with blue ring showing on the AF/MF guide. It is very quite and the AF is good for the most part. It does tend to miss focus if the subject lacks contrast. The better the light the less this is a problem. Overall it is accurate however. I find it is a very easy lens to handhold, even though it is a bit heavy. On the a500 it balances perfectly. For what I paid I cant complain. The IQ from f4 on is truly outstanding. Sharpness, color and contrast are the best I have seen. Better than the 3 lenses I have listed as "compared to", the 200G is very close however in IQ. As always Tamron has supplied a wealth of goodies with this lens. A nice pouch, a nice effective hood, a great tripod collar and what is easily the best lens cap in the biz. Highly recommended

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: Pikshures review date: June-10-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony AF 75-300 F4.5-5.6
price paid:	900 USD (new)
positive:	Sharp fast lens
negative:	It's a little heavy. But worth it.
comment:	This is a sharp, fast lens that exceeded my expectations. It seems to meter well, even when stopped down. It lives on my A350. I would love to have the reach of the Sony AF 75-300 F4.5-5.6 with the clarity of this lens.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: realgeek review date: May-27-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 12-24 Sony 18-250 Sony 28-75 Sony 50mm 1.4 Sony 70-300G Sony 100mm macro Tamron 200-500
price paid:	730 USD (new)
positive:	fast: f/2.8 very sharp, even wide open excellent bokeh incredible value
negative:	none, really
comment:	I didn't expect to like this lens as much as I do, but it is now my favorite and has rarely left my A850 since I got it (a few weeks ago)! The image quality is amazing! Everyone talks about the sharpness and the color, but I'm also very impressed with the bokeh. I'm amazed that this lens costs as little as it does! I have nothing negative to say about it! At its worst, it's still fine to good. For example: * Size/weight: it's kind of big and heavy, but what do you expect for 200mm at f/2.8? It's lighter than it should be. * Build quality is not amazing. But it's perfectly fine. Not at all cheap, IMO. * Autofocus is not USM/HSM/SSM. When I was looking into this lens, I was afraid to go forward with it because I read about how bad the AF is. But clearly the reviewers were not using the A-mount version. Other versions come with an AF motor that perhaps is inferior. But the Sony version does not come with a motor; it uses the camera's motor instead. Thus, it's not bad at all. On my A550 and A850, it's perfectly fine. If this concern is holding you back, don't worry about it!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 2 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Sapricot review date: May-19-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma - 50 F1.4 EX DG HSM Tamron - SP AF 17-35 F2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical IF Sony - AF DT 16-105mm F3.5-5.6
price paid:	73000 JPY (new)
positive:	Excellent image quality. Nice bokeh. Relatively fast AF. Good flare resistance (don't need hood). Low distortion and CA. Relatively light-weight. Non-rotating front. Price.
negative:	Not exactly a tank (more below). Sometimes hunts (slowly).
comment:	Optically, this is a great lens. I admittedly have not owned that many lenses in my rather short time being an (amateur) photographer, but it compares well to my old Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and easily bests my other Tamron, the 17-35mm (which is a pretty nice piece of glass in my mind). For the few months that I've owned it, it has given me quite a lot of good shots and has been with me on a surprising number of occasions for being such a big lens. Now, that has come to an early end. For a cheaper, lighter lens, I wouldn't have anything to say like the following. It's just that after reading about Karl Groble's Canon 70-200 taking a plunge from the back of an elephant and still working just fine, I hold this category of lenses to a slightly higher standard. First, my camera fell from my hip as I exited a bus, because the cheap-o lock on my shoulder harness broke. This left the lens shaken and scratched but still fully working, except a slight stiffening of the focusing ring. But then, a week ago, my daughter knocked over my (collapsed) tripod with the camera on it. That 2 ft fall first of all cracked two filters, which left glass dust in the lens, but deformed the barrel so much that at least some of the elements were moved a tiny bit and degraded the image quality as well as the ability to focus. Instead of paying $400 to have this fixed (with the risk of having it happen again), I have just bought a Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6, which is fine for me because I noticed that I wasn't using the brightness of the other one for much more than having a bright viewfinder anyway, and the Tokina has twice the reach but only 75% of the weight. And it cost me a grand total of $324. I don't have a habit of dropping lenses, but if and when I buy another lens of this "caliber", I will opt for one with more tank-like construction, even if it costs me a few more ounces. For people much more careful than me, who are looking for a bright medium tele zoom and are on a budget, I do think this Tamron is a wonderful choice. But if you bang on your equipment as much as I do (whether that's because of kids or because you're exploring the Andes is irrelevant), I suggest looking at other choices instead.

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: greek_alpha review date: April-11-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tamron - AF 18-200XR Di II Tokina - AF 28-70 F2.8 Tamron - AF 70-300 Di Macro
price paid:	700 euro
positive:	very sharp usefull range f2.8 (quite) cheap good quality plasticks internal focus and zooming
negative:	slow af on a200 no focus limiter focus on film bodies?
comment:	I bought after a lot of research. it's sharp wide open and very sharp fron even f4 (no original lab testing of course). af is quite slow on a200, focuses normaly to fast on a550 and its quite fast on a850. also about focusing, my film cameras cant focus this lens! my 7000i only focuses after 150mm but confirms focus in mf mode and my 500si wont focus at all.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: gdkalyanapu review date: April-10-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beer Can Minolta 100- 300
price paid:	700
positive:	Image Quality Colors Build Zoom Range
negative:	Not a HSM, some times hunts a bit No Zoom Lock
comment:	This lens is one of my favorite lenses from Tamron. Through, many people say that this lens has the slowest auto focus, I dont agree. Buy this lens. It's a tough competition to Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 HSM II. For the price and the image quality of Sony 70-200 f/2.8, you won't be disappointed

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: alphafreak review date: March-29-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan
positive:	Nice colors Fast (2.8) Well Built
negative:	Heavy Sometimes miss focuses
comment:	Very Sharp .Nice Color rendition ....tends to miss focus in certain situations ....

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: ilipin review date: January-15-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 70-210 f4 Minolta 100 f2 CZ 24-70 F2.8
price paid:	800 USD (new)
positive:	Good sharpness & contrast WO, great sharpness from F3.5 Nice bokah
negative:	Biggest size for 2.8 zoom, especially with blend Some frontfocus on A700, on A850 - OK
comment:	Very good lens in my new A850 - all, that I needed for indoor, reportage shooting. Nice range and quality for studio too. Creamy bokeh. AF is OK for my (not trying for sport still) Sharping and contrast good at wide open, excellent from F3.5-4. Biggest problem for me - too large, especially with blend. Camera with connected lens did not come in to my favorite walkaround bag (Domke J-5XC), had to use bigger one or backpack. Overall: great lens, low price for excellent quality. Why I need pay more then twice for Sony? Result the same.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: pantoja review date: January-11-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 4.5-5.6/75-300
positive:	good colors, very good sharpnes
negative:	AF sometimes hunt
comment:	This is a great lens. This is the lens i use most. AF speed is ok, but can hunt especialy when using it with TC 1.4. Can also be used for Macro and it gives a nice bokeh. I can only recomend this lens.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: emasal1 review date: January-11-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 70-210 f4
positive:
negative:	no focus limiter
comment:	To get a long zoom with a wide constant aperture, weight is to be expected. And you'll grumble about that weight only until you see the results. This is a stellar lens! The sharpness is truly impressive as is the overall performance of the lens. Color and contrast are excellent, excellent bokeh. I find that it's useful in so many different situations from sports to portraits, as well as a lot of landscape applications.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: drumsavant review date: January-05-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:
price paid:	729 usd
positive:	Beautiful colors Great sharpness & contrast Light weight for 2.8 Tamron customer service
negative:	Build quality... Focus speed
comment:	Love this lens - a 70-200 should be in everybodys camera bag or on your wish list, probably the most versatile lens because it can be used for so many different occasions.. portrait, sports, candid, walk around, bokeh shots, semi macro, low light.... Altought the lighter weight is a bonous for hand holding.... the plastic build is just not strong enough to house the heavy inner 2.8 glass groups! I happened to drop mine, and it was not a very big fall, but the whole insides of the lens just fell apart. I didn't think it would be repairable but Tamron came through and did an exellent job and made it like new again.. good costomer service! GREAT LENS!!!! RECOMMENDED!

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Bob Socko review date: January-05-10
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Minolta 70-210mm f/4 Minolta 100-200mm f/4.5
price paid:	729 USD (new)
positive:	Sharp wide open at all focal lengths. Through not Sony/Minolta colors, colors are good. Excellent build.
negative:	Very large and heavy - I doubt everyone can use this hand-held. AF can hunt for awhile if you miss your focus.
comment:	This lens is a joy to shoot with. This is the only zoom I own where I can shoot wide open without worry about soft, fuzzy images. Color reproduction is fantastic - not Sony/Minolta colors, but different and accurate. The wide aperture really helps with fast subjects. If you miss your focus on a subject, the AF can hunt for a few seconds while trying to regain its lock. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Be forewarned - this is a lot of glass. I'm a pretty big guy and I have trouble using this lens hand-held. It's certainly possible and Sony's in-body stabilization helps, but don't be surprised if this lens wears you out quickly.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Basil review date: December-04-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	beercan Minolta 70-210 3.5-4.5 various 70-300 zooms
price paid:	689 USD (new)
positive:	very sharp, even wide open supurb bokah (beats my beercan) great color with no disortion hand-holdable, but best on a monopod or tripod my favorite lens, hands down
negative:	no focus limiter
comment:	This is my favorite lens. The colors are superb. It's the sharpest lens I own. The focus is not as slow as reviews have made it out to be (even on my A100). The lack of a focus limiter means that it will run through it's entire range if it loses focus, but once locked on the subject it usually stays there. On my A700, it's simply an amazing piece of glass. As a bonus, it pairs up very well with a recently acquired Tamron SP 1.4x teleconverter, giving me an inexpensive 100-300 f4 (I can end my quest for the Tokina 100-300 f4 now). It can be a bit cumbersome to carry around your neck on a hike for long distances, but a Black Rapid sling strap really helps make it easier.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: kozmo review date: November-27-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	KM 100-200 4.5 Sony 55-200 kit
price paid:	$649 (new)
positive:	Sharp Nice Bokeh Good value Build
negative:	AF hunts some heavy (to be expected)
comment:	This is the most expensive lens I have bought yet. I am quite happy with it so far. It is sharp and has nice bokeh for portraits. It has worked nice for me with sports when in good daylight. Only real concern is that the AF does go hunting sometimes and has trouble locking on once in a while. I have yet to use it for indoor sports. It is a good value but if you need a quicker AF you may need the Sigma or $ony version. Build seems pretty solid. I dropped lens about 2-3 feet on to concrete while inside included pouch and lens seems fine. (whew)

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: 9000AF review date: November-16-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 70-210 f3.5-4.5 Minolta 70-210 f4 Minolta 100-300 APO D
positive:	+ center sharp WO, excellent at f/4 + creamy bokeh + colors + wide and grippy zoom and focus rings + good MFD, macro capabilities + manageable size / weight + value for money + CA control
negative:	- AF slow when hunting - no focus limiter - corners not great at f/2.8 - f/4 / 200mm
comment:	This lens is a great deal. Yes, you have to compromise a bit if you don't want to spend the $$$ for the Sony SSM. IMO the AF / lack of limiter is the only drawback that I have encountered so far. It would have been nice to have the option to limit AF at 1.5m / 5ft. Other than that this lens quickly retired my beercan after a trip to the zoo, it is just so much better. I'll keep the 100-300APO for light travel. The lens is very manageable handheld after removing the tripod ring, doesn't feel much bigger than the beercan, looks much bigger with the hood. At least it isn't white or silver.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: DML review date: November-14-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 50 1.7
price paid:	680 USD
positive:	Beautiful images in low light, even better in decent light. Built very well, feels great in the hand. Huge rubber focusing rings
negative:	It does hunt in low light, but good technique can alleviate much of the problem. Education and knowledge trumps speed every time.
comment:	Wow, what a lens. I actually shot this on my Nikon D70 when it was first released and was blown away by its performance in the daylight then. Focus was fast and the images were spectacular. I was overjoyed when the lens arrived and it was just as remembered on my new A700. I almost bought the 70-200 Sony and if you make thousands of dollars and need to depend on a lens for your livelihood then of course buy the Sony. I am a working man who does a shoot or two a month as a hobby among friends and family. For the same price as a used Sony 70-200 I picked up this lens and an immaculate used copy of an A700. The images that this lens produces are fantastic, and yes the auto-focus is a little slow, not the instantaneous focus that the Sony produces, but I don't need that much speed yet (I may never need THAT much speed), I need to build my lens collection slowly. Conclusion: Buy the Tamron it is absolutely wonderful for all the shooters that I know and I am certain 98% of the people reading this review. The other 2% that make tens of thousands of dollars a year for their pictures then splurge on the "G" lens, you need them. This lens will keep me happy for a VERY long time. Oh and of course Tamron's 6 year warranty is great for us that need lenses to last and last... EDIT for 07MAR10. Still love the lens, after a thousand pics taken in all conditions this winter (low-light, backlit, contrasty, etc) I can say this is the bomb. You just can't beat the quality of the lens for the price.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Old Pirate review date: November-06-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 75-300 4.5-5.6 Sony CZ 16-80 CZ 85 1.4 Minolta 50 1.7
price paid:	750 USD (New)
positive:	sharp a lot less CA than Beercan
negative:	heavy
comment:	I finally cleaned out my camera bag and sold/traded all the lenses I never use and bought this lens to replace my Beercan. In a world where money was no object I may have gone white, but I live in a real world. I sought suggestions from a camera repair firm and dealer of over 50 years. They sell Canon, Nikon, and Leica and Tamron and Sigma lenses. Obviously I was down to the Tamron or Sigma when I got there. They showed me their own tests of this lens against the best of Nikon and Canon in stabilized form. The Tamron beat the Canon across the board even though the Canon goes for $600 more and if you blow up the Tamron and Nikon images to 3:1 then you'll see that the Nikon slightly beats the Tamron. They said the Sigma version of this lens was not even in the same class as far as IQ. And that's what I'm after. Image quality! I was impressed and for what I do the AF is plenty fast. Very sharp and colors are good. Sharper than my Tamron 200-500 under f8. So far I'm more than pleased. I'll let you know after the next afternoon shooting my grandchildren at play. Add on after 90 days of use: Use it with a monopod. It's heavy but the results are worth it.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: mgerasimov71 review date: November-06-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tamron 90 f2.8 Sony 50 f1.4 Tamron 18-250
price paid:	649
positive:	Optics that rival prime lenses
negative:	None
comment:	This is one of the only zooms that let me get away from prime lenses and still capture uncompromised image quality. Every aspect of the lens is top of the line. It does give up a little wide open, but just a stop down from there and were at a level of sharpness, contrast and flare control typically reserved for prime lenses. No regrets so far. Wonderful lens, highly recommended.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: mattholluk review date: November-05-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 75-300 Sony 16-105 Sony 70-200
price paid:	GBP400
positive:	Great value for money Great optics (Outstandingly sharp) Weight Macro function actually useable
negative:	Can be slow to focus in low light Lens hood feels a little bit delicate to me
comment:	I was looking at the Sony 70-200 directly against this lens in B&H and for the price difference I couldn't justify the extra outlay. This really is a lens that performs above its price point. In terms of image quality I have not had any issues with flare or CA. The colours are that good that I've sold my Sony's and am now pursuing the medium and wide angle lenses from Tamron too! For the money I don't see these as real negatives but more things to be aware of: AF does hunt in lower light conditions. To begin with this is disturbing but it soon becomes second nature to open it up a bit and choose your subject carefully. Plus its got me working on my manual focus more and more. It is usably sharp at 2.8 over the whole range but does benefit from being stopped down to 4 or 5.6 The lens isn't sealed so you need to be careful with it in hazardous environments but it is still a step up from the cheaper Sony lenses in terms of build quality. The sliding collar that engages the manual focus in particular needs to be protected. It feels a little cheap and prone to damage. To sum up: This is a great lens for the money

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: RogerK review date: November-03-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	My old Minolta 75-300, SAL18250 (which it replaces), Sigma 70-200 EX DG HSM and SAL70300G
price paid:	669 EUR
positive:	Great colours and very good indoors with low light. Good bokeh. Sharp!
negative:	Less well built than the lenses I considered buying as well, being the Sigma 70-200 and the SAL70300G. Quite heavy.
comment:	I decided to exchange my SAL18250 as I never used it because of buying the SAL1680CZ. I then decided to buy a good zoom lens, and preferably usable in low light, maybe even indoors. I read all the tests of the Tamron, the Sigma 70-200 EX DG HSM and the SAL70300G, and then went to the store and tried them all, comparing AF-speed, colours and use indoors. The Sony lost immediately, as the colours differed from the colours of the 1680CZ and the SAL5014 and it hunted a lot in low light. The Sigma came second, as it's colours where washed out. It was better built than the Tamron though and it's AF-speed is comaparable to the Tamron. The Tamron won on the colours and the AF speed (hardly any hunting indoors!).

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: nvc789 review date: October-22-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	minolta 28-135mm minolta 70-210 beetcan Sony 70-300mm G
price paid:	750 USD
positive:	Sharp, Sharp, Sharp price weight size and close focussing
negative:	still too big to walk around with build quality could be better
comment:	This is a very well priced lens with excellent optics, sharp even at f2.8 The bokeh on this lens is buttery smooth, it's different from the beercan(which is more busy) but somewhat similar to the sony 70-300mm G. I could not find any CA even shooting wide open, the beercan is horrible at f4. Focus is dead on for my copy, shooting at f2.8 really isolates your subject. I don't have anything to complain about image wise, build quality could be better not comparable to the Sony, Canon or Nikon equivalents, but then again the mentioned lenses cost more than twice as much. I wouldn't mind paying a couple of hundred dollars more for better build. Even though this lens is smaller and lighter than the sony, canon, nikon equivalent, it is still a big and heavy lens, also attracts a lot of stares from the public.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: 5thElefant review date: October-17-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 28-135
price paid:	L599
positive:	IQ Lack of CA
negative:	None yet
comment:	I have not done a back to back test against other lenses so purely subjectively I've got to say this is an impressive bit of kit. Even wide open at F2.8 it gives pretty sharp images (certainly at least as sharp as the beercan is at F4). AF on moving targets seems at least as good as the beercan but I really need to play some more to decide if it's significantly better. Remarkably, results are good even with a 2x Kenko TC. I did a simple comparison without the TC, with the TC and using a Reflex 500AF - all shooting at F8 using a tripod. The images were scaled to the same field of view and compared at 100%. The 2x was significantly better than the resized [without TC] shot and [the remarkable bit] slightly better than the 500AF. I only looked at centre sharpness and this was with a static target. The AF does seem OK with the TC but I don't think it's as accurate as the 500AF.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: danichtfuer review date: October-06-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- Minolta AF 85 - Minolta AF 100 Macro - Minolta AF 135 - Minolta AF 28-135 - Minolta AF 100-200
price paid:	€ 580
positive:	- great price - build is very good considering the price - very sharp at the wide and long end - manual focus is very good; big focus ring with smooth transmission - good lens shade - AF is very accurate
negative:	- wide-open performance could be better - a bit soft in the middle (around 100-135) - AF could be faster - no focus limiter - bokeh unpleasing at the wide end - heavy (BUT lighter than most other 70-200 f2.8s)
comment:	Considering the price, this lens is an awesome performer. Much like the Tamron 17-50mm and 28-75mm, this Tamron delivers quality pictures for a low price. Wide-open, softness and lack of contrast is visible. Stopped down to f4, it becomes very sharp with great contrast and colour. Performs good on full-frame, too.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: di2708 review date: October-04-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	SONY 75-300
price paid:	650
positive:	Crisp, sharp images
negative:	None
comment:	I've always wanted this lens, and bought it last month. Terrific quality! Great wide open, and even better after stopping down. I wish I had bought this earlier!

sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 3	user: Petronix review date: September-21-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 70-210 litlle bit faster AF and of course the 2.8 difference.. ;-) Minolta 100-400mm same conclusion..faster AF ....
price paid:	650 €
positive:	Price/quality top in this range IF, and switchable AF-MF Nice bokeh for zoom
negative:	litlle hunting on difficult backgrounds
comment:	Complete lens set with everything included for a sharp price. Good sunhood.... Good build, nice finishing (for me ;-) NIce results on the 7d and the A700 To recommend!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: grade40 review date: August-21-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 70-300
price paid:	500
positive:	solid build, SHARP!, fast AF, not sigma color, price!
negative:	None
comment:

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: steunix review date: July-20-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 70-200 f2.8 HSM
price paid:	700€ (new)
positive:
negative:
comment:	Interested in a fast tele, with Sony/Minolta out of budget, the alternative was the Sigma HSM. The rating and considerations here don't take in account those Sony/Min lens. I've been using the Sigma HSM Nikon version for a while for weddings, and I have to admit that, though the HSM is fast, the accuracy of the AF was not perfect, and the "hunting" chances, especially indoor in the church, were quite high. The lens owner also reported that the Sigma at 200mm was not great at all. So I decided to go for the Tamron, even though a bit scared about the AF performance I read about. Well let me say first that I'm really happy for the choice I've made. I've used this lens in the last wedding (with a700), shooting about 6/700 pictures, and the hunting occurred really a few times in all the day, and always outdoor. The AF is always accurate and spot on... I really can't understand where all those critics about the AF system came from: sure it's slower than HSM/SSM (unfair comparison), and if it hunts, it takes 2/3 seconds to focus. But it rarely hunts, so I can't see the point. Sharpness is really really remarkable in the entire range, even wide open. From this point of view, the lens is exceptional to me and I have nothing to report (5). The build could be better, Sigma EX feels "stronger", but the lens doesn't feel plastic at all. Not too heavy for the class. Lighter than Sigma, and after a full day, this matter (hence the 5). Colors are similar to other Sigma, a bit desaturated when compared with Minolta/Sony, but nothing that cannot be easily adjusted in PP (hence the 4). No sign of flare (even if not deeply tested), and distortion is not applicable to this zoom (5) The pouch it comes with is a bit useless since it cannot be attached to the waistband. In my opinion, highly recommended. And more, it makes me reconsider Tamron brand.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: MinoltaMad review date: July-15-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 85 f1.4 G D CZ 24-70 f2.8 SSM KM 28-75 f2.8 D Minolta 80-200 f2.8 G HS Apo Minolta 75-300 Minolta 35-70 f3.5-4.5 Sony 18-70 DT kit Minolta 28-70 f2.8 G
price paid:	$1100 AUD (new)
positive:	price image quality (regardless of price - it is truly excellent) close focussing distance weight (compared to others in this range) almost matches the "genuine" for optical quality and colour at all ranges
negative:	focussing speed and hunting focussing accuracy manual focus switching (dual action) no focus hold button some dust sucking (mild)
comment:	This is actually a really great lens and in most cases it really shines. Works very well on both the a700 and a900 (the a900 helps a bit more with its focussing) with excellent IQ to match the genuine lenses. Overall the images are slightly colder in colour rendition but still very sharp. The 80-200 f2.8 would be about 10-20% better overall as a package but that still makes this a fantastic lens. It is in our kit as a back-up and also for the closer min focus range. Very difficult to shoot action shots (focus issues) but great for portraits (however the focus is definitely worse in low light). You need to take much more care with focussing to get a sharp image and if the focus point is small it can really struggle....however good technique and patience can overcome this. The best of the non genuine zooms in this range. Some slight dust issues (it gets the odd bit inside the front element) but this is not a problem for the typical portrait type shots this lens would be used for with wider apertures. Definitely sharper at 70mm f2.8 than the Minolta 28-70 f2.8 G at 70mm to give an idea and hard to see a difference between sharpness with the Minolta 80-200 f2.8 G.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: cliffro review date: July-05-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan Min 100-300
price paid:	A$1100
positive:	Super sharp at all focal lengths Great bokeh Fantastic having 2.8 through the whole range
negative:	Slightly soft at 2.8 but sharpens up very nicely at f4 Focus can sometimes hunt and not the fastest focusing lens in my collection
comment:	This is my new favourite lens. Whilst its big and attracts a few stares and the occasional comment, the quality of the shots from this lens are well worth it. It has made me realise how 'soft' my other lenses are at these focal lengths and its fantastic being able to take great shots indoors. Its a super portrait lens. The focus can be slow and it sometimes hunts before locking on but with a bit of practice this can be managed. It is rather large and heavy compared to my other lenses but I have no problem at all handholding it and carrying it around whilst out for the day. I would highly recommend this lens to anyone looking for a lens in this focal range but doesn't want to spend twice as much on sony glass.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Mike H review date: June-21-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 135-400 APO
price paid:	L450 new
positive:	Comparatively cheep for fast zoom in this range
negative:	Big! But that's to be expected
comment:	This lens is VERY sharp, visibly sharper at 2.8 than Sigma 135-400 at f8. Focus is quick and accurate. Zoom is smooth and light one finger operation I gave the build 4 because there's a lot of plastic in the body which may affect it's lifespan. It presents no probs at the mo and obviosly reduces weight considerably! I got mine at L450 though prices have risen and you'd be lucky to get one below L600

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: leonblij review date: June-20-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	cz 24-70, cz 16-80, cz af85 f1.4, 70-300G, minolta 28-105rs, tamron af 180 macro.
price paid:	€659 new
positive:	Sharpnes, collors, weight. Bokeh.
negative:	A bit of plastic feeling. Slow af.
comment:	I love this lens, i tried the sigma 70-200 but it has serious problems with dust inside. Brought the sigma back and tried the tamron. The sharpness from both are good, and the collor also. But the tamron is not so heavy and a bit shorter. The Bokeh of this lens is perfect! The af isnt fast but this is the fastest mf lens in the world!! I droped my bag and the lens broke in to 2 pieces!

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: freakystyley review date: June-15-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 50mm f1.4, Sigma 10-20mm EX, Sigma 17-70 macro, Sony 18-70mm (kit lens), Sony 75-300mm
price paid:	$945 AUD (new)
positive:	Excellent image quality even at f2.8. Nice build quality. Value for money
negative:	Not much. Auto focus is slow on A200. Heavy (but comparable to other lenses in this category)
comment:	Have only had this for a few days but here are my initial thoughts after around 100 shots. Very impressive image quality even at f2.8. Very sharp, nice colours and contrast (although sometimes a little neutral - just a matter of taste really and easily altered PP). Used it yesterday at a christening and it performed almost as well as my 50mm f1.4 prime. As I get more used to its characteristics I only expect it to get better. I find the build quality to be very good and the manual focus is a dream to use. Although this is somewhat necessary due to the very slow AF - my only real gripe about this lens. It is a heavy lens as are all in this range so it may not be the best choice as a hiking or travel companion. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Lofty review date: June-09-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony 16-105 Beer Can Sigma 28-300 Minolta 75-300 Sigma 170-500
price paid:	$1000 Aust
positive:	Sharpness & Contrasty IQ Ease of use with very wide zoom and focus rings. Removable tripod collar.
negative:	AF just a tad slow for sports
comment:	One of the few lenses I have purchased new and It spends more time on A700 than any of the other glass I have. Auto focus can be slow on the faster moving smaller objects, on larger targets it performs quite satisfactory. The width of the zoom and focus rings (nearly 2") makes it a joy to use in manual mode, which is the mode I use this lens in the most. All in all a joy to use.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: RolfGuenter review date: May-21-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Canon 70-200 f4 USM Beercan
price paid:	600 EURO
positive:	sharp accurate AF IQ coating
negative:	No SSM weight (:->)
comment:	I owned a Canon 70-200 to to do sports photography but this lens is even better. The AF is not as fast as the AF from the Canon lens, but it is accurate fast enough and 2.8 instead of 4.0. I think I do not need the Sony 70-200 ssm anymore, apart from ssm it cannot be a better lens. I do not think it is bad buildt, 4 for the build rating is to less. My copy - I feel - is build like a tank so I gave a 5 for the build rating. Compared to the beercan it has better coating, no CA's and as a tack sharper. It is my best buy since I bought the Minolta 100 macro (D).

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: photoimpact review date: May-19-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 70-210 f3.5 Tamron 18-250 Sony 70-300G
price paid:	699 USD new
positive:	Very sharp f2.8 Tripod foot
negative:	Heavy Quality control Hunts in low light Rather noisy focusing Expensive 77mm filters
comment:	The first thing you will probably notice is the size of this lens. While about average for a lens in this range, it is still heavy. The first copy I got had focusing problems. Would chatter back and forth endlessly when zoomed in. Had to zoom out to make it stop. Exchanged it for another copy which doesn't have that problem. This lens could use a focus limiter. I found that it would often hunt, even in bright sunlight. For moving subjects, you need to keep it focused in the general area of the subject. Sharpness is a mixed bag. Sometimes great, sometimes spotty. Got some great shots of surfers and seals one day and then couldn't get a decent shot of birds on pond the next day. I became disenchanted because I couldn't count on getting the shot. My good copy was soft at f2.8, getting really sharp by f5.6. In the end, I sold it and got a Sony 70-300G that I love. Smaller, lighter weight, just as sharp, longer focal length. I was willing to sacrifice the f-stops to get a lens that I would ultimately use more often. I shoot outside using f8 most of the time, anyway. I have a much more useful 28-75 f2.8 for indoor work.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4	user: I Inspiron review date: March-03-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 80-200/2.8 APO HS
price paid:	650 €
positive:	sharp from 3.5 onwards Minimum focus distance price
negative:	some kind of ghosting at 2.8 no focus limiter no focus hold button AF accuracy
comment:	I tested this lens for 1,5 weeks, but sent it back because of severe focus-errors. At about half of the shots taken the lens couldn't focus correctly (I also tested this with a tripod, so user error/vibration can't be the sole reason for this behaviour) When the lens focussed correctly however, the result was very pleasing. Very sharp from 3.5 onwards and nice colours. At f2.8 I noticed some kind of ghosting which led to unsharp and low-contrast pictures. Compared to the Minolta 80-200/2.8 HS the only advantage of the Tamron is the shorter minimum focus distance. AF speed and accuracy is much better with the Minolta. At 3.5 these lenses have about the same sharpness, but with the difference that the Minolta is also sharp at 2.8 without these strange ghostings. Colour rendition and bokeh are also better with the Minolta, but that's more a personal taste

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: pubetter review date: March-02-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Only the 55-200 from Tamron, but thats unfair:-)
price paid:	5500 DKK
positive:	Sharp from 2,8 Easy to zoom with pretty good manual focus ring Easy to handle Focus is very accurate on A700 Focus is fast on A700 It's a steal
negative:	The rings could be smoother, but matters only little. No limiter.
comment:	I'm new to this kind of lenses and haven't tryed others. I'm impressed with the sports capabilities, During a 60 minute handball match it only hunts twice or so - if you get to know it off course. I bet it's even better with an SSM lens, but I like that this (compared to the Sigma) goes to 200mm when shooting across the "field". I miss the limiter; the reason for the build character, as the lens itself is very well build. Best in my collection. Colors are very good I think, but the 100mm Sony is a little better. examples from a match: http://www.pufoto.dk/skjern_thy

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: ferretracer review date: February-11-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tamron 17-50, 50mm 1.7...I haven't owned any lens in this range before
price paid:	619 USD (new)
positive:	Good color and sharpness nothing moves- IF and the zoom range is all inside AF/MF function on the lens
negative:	AF hunted inside at times
comment:	I really like this lens. I love the overall build. The AF/MF function makes it so that nothing rotates on the outside for focusing. Nothing extends when zooming, it's all inside! The picture inside with CF lighting was very good in color and sharpness. At times it would hunt when taking pictures (inside, compact flourescent lights no natural light coming through windows) of darker objects. I have no other lenses in this range to compare it to as this is the first I've had in this range. It has a nice solid feel (it's 225g lighter than my Tamron 200-500). I like the removable tripod colar as well as the soft padded case it came with (though I probably won't ever use the case). I also like the petal hood. Overall, I am very happy with this lens!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: kefkafloyd review date: January-05-09
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	* Minolta 70-210 f/4 (Beercan) * Sigma 50-500 * Tamron 17-50
price paid:	$699 USD (new)
positive:	* Excellent value. * Incredible IQ across all focal lengths and apertures. * Big, deep lens hood. * Pretty good MF ability. * Tripod collar is removable while lens is attached to the camera body.
negative:	* Body isn't made entirely out of metal. * No SSM focusing. * AF/MF switchover, while better than some, is not as good as Minolta's clutch system. * Focus ring spins if you AF with the body and the lens is set to manual mode.
comment:	The budget-oriented competitor to the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 has arrived. * BUILD QUALITY AND FEEL* The adage of "you get what you pay for" rings true, at least in the case of this lens. The body is, unfortunately not made entirely of metal. Only the lens mount to the area before the zoom ring is metal. The rest of the body is polycarbonate, most likely the same stuff used in the 17-50 and other SP series lenses. It feels fine enough in the hand, but a partial plastic body is probably one of the sacrifices made in the name of cost. The lens hood is large and reverses for easy storage. Made from the same plastic as the 17-50's hood, with the same ribbing on the inside to avoid reflections. It is kind of tough to unlock it when mounted, but this is something that will probably go away in time. The tripod collar is removable when the lens is attached to the body, a very useful feature. Unfortunately it lacks a lens strap post. The lens turns smoothly from portrait to landscape when the collar is loosened thanks to its teflon coating. As always Tamron's lens caps (at least, the front ones) are excellent and are probably the equal of the Sony/Minolta center pinch caps. The rear cap is the same generic Tamron cap and does not open up the iris when attached. The lens uses 77mm filter threads, standard for this type of lens. Interestingly enough, the a-mount version has a square baffle on the lens mount. The Pentax version has it too. But not the Canon/Nikon ones. I wonder if it affects anything. The lens includes a soft case, as most lenses in this price range do. * FOCUS AND ZOOM FEEL* Zooming feels all right. Not as smooth as the beercan, unfortunately. It does have a little resistance to it, which I'm not sure is due to the lens being new or inherent to the design. Overall, zooming is OK and feels fine, really. Not too different from the 17-50. Focusing is a different story. Before performance, I'll talk handling. In AF mode, the focus ring on the lens will not move. This is much like the Bigma, in that it uses some kind of clutch mechanism that activates manual focus by pulling the ring towards the camera body. However, it differs from the Bigma's implementation in actual use. You can have the lens set to MF mode when the body is set to AF (unlike the bigma) - the focus ring will then turn during AF, much like old Minolta lenses or the 17-50. The Bigma would not let you AF when the lens was set to MF - the camera motor would simply spin and not focus the lens. Tamron's implementation of MF in this lens is OK, but it's not as good as Minolta's D-series clutch method, where the focus ring simply won't move unless you move it, no matter what mode you are in. This at least lets you use DMF or the af/mf button. Manual focus action feels good, but not great. This lens could really use a supersonic motor design. Autofocus performance is good. It takes 8.5 turns on the AF screw to go from minimum to infinity. In a dimly lit concert hall, it focused surely on the a700. It's not a speed demon of a lens, but certainly faster than any other telephoto lens of mine. The sound is similar to the 17-50. They probably use similar focus train parts in each. Again, a "get what you pay for" situation, but when all other 70-200 options on the market except yours have SSM focusing... Tamron needs to get their act in gear. None of their lenses have SSM motors and this needs to change. I have not noticed any backfocus/front focus issues on my a700. Your mileage may vary. If you have issues of that nature, either 1. buy an a900 or a future body with lens correction or 2. send it to Tamron for Service. The focus action is internal, meaning no rotating front element. Polarizer use is good, except a window on the hood like the Sony 70-200 to adjust the polarizer would have been very useful instead of having to stick my finger in there to adjust it. * IMAGE QUALITY * This lens has exceeded all of my expectations as far as IQ goes. I knew it would be good, but it's definitely a top notch optic. It's been sharp all the way through. There seems to be some minor chromatic aberrations at the corners at f/2.8 near the long end, but these go away quickly as you stop down and can be corrected for fairly easily in Lightroom. They're nothing like the beercan's. Flare doesn't seem to be much of an issue in my usage. The giant lens shade helps, of course. I've seen flare failures online and I believe these are more edge cases designed to make the lens fail. In either case it performs much better than the beercan. VIgnetting doesn't seem to be much of an issue on APS-C. There might be a slight amount wide open. The lens does report focus distance info to the body and seems to work well with ADI flash. The minimum focus distance (.95m) and magnification factor (.32) both beat out the Sony in spec terms, but I have not really tried macro-ish shots with it. Of course, the Sony used to be the class leader in these stats until recently, I'm sure a redesigned G will beat it. Background blur performance... it's good. However, objects in front of the focus plane will demonstrate some longitudinal chromatic aberration. This is par for the course for these telezoom lenses, though, and it doesn't look objectionable unless you're specifically looking for it in certain conditions (e.g. white pieces of paper with stuff written on them). Unfortunately, those scenarios do happen more than we would think they do. The aperture appears to be circular when examining it through the lens. * VERDICT * Overall, a solid value of a lens. It gets the job done and delivers where it counts - image quality. This is a great lens for a well-heeled amateur or freelancer who wants the performance of a higher end f/2.8 but can't afford the other options on the market.

sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: lattiboy review date: December-09-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tokina AT-X Pro 80-200mm f/2.8 Minolta 28-135mm Beercan Sigma 50mm f/2.8 macro MinO 100-300mm APO
price paid:	625
positive:	SHARP all the way through the range (and at all apertures) No CA @ f/3.2 Build quality is astounding Price Focus speed
negative:	WEIGHT/SIZE Hood is overkill Not AS sharp at 200mm f/2.8
comment:	An astounding piece of kit. Rivals my old Tokina AT-X pro for build quality. As sharp as you can imagine @ f/4 on A900 (as sharp as my 50mm macro). Focus isn't super-duper fast, but is very responsive and most of all ACCURATE. I cannot emphasize the sheer weight and size of this thing. Blows away the big beercan and Minolta 100-400mm APO. An astounding value when you consider it is terrific on FF and only costs around $625 (street price). It compares well with the 28-135mm Minolta, which is SAYING something. Per pound, it is the best lens value available.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: tthomsen review date: November-29-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 Minolta AF 100-300 F4.5-5.6 APO
price paid:	699 USD (new)
positive:	Very high center and corner resolution even at wide apertures Very good color reproduction and contrast Relative low price for the given optical performance
negative:	Slow focusing speed
comment:	My copy has on the Sony DSLR-A300 a center resolution of 2000 to 2300 LPH and corner resolution is typically between 1900 to 2200 LPH, measured for apertures from f2.8 up to f8. One exception from this is the 200mm focal length, where corner resolution is between 1800 to 1900 LPH. Those values are quite impressive, particularly the very high corner resolution. Such little fall-off of corner resolution as compared to the very high center resultion shows the optical excellence of this lens. I use the lens from its lowest aperture of f2.8 up to f11 at all focal lengths. Slight chromatic aberration is noticeable in the corners at the two focal length extremes of 70mm and 200mm, but is almost unnoticeable at other focal lengths and disappears towards the center. I did not notice any distortion, vignetting or flare that is worth mentioning. Color and contrast are natural and quite attractive. Out-of-focus blur is, for my taste, very nice. Build-quality is acceptable for amateur-use. Focusing can be very slow, if the lens has to travel a long distance to find the focus, but has typically been very accurate. If you do sports photography, you need to pre-focus the lens to be ready in time. To increase the maximum focal length to 280mm, I use the Kenko 1.4x Teleplus Pro 300 teleconverter. Center resolution drops by about 200 to 300 LPH in the center and 300 to 400 LPH at the corners. Given the already high resolution of the lens without teleconverter, you still get photos of quite acceptable quality when using this teleconverter. Chromatic aberration appears to me very slightly increased in the corners, when directly comparing images. I do not notice deterioration of color, contrast, distortion or vignetting. Please note, that the actual aperture values are reduced by 1.4x, but the camera does not show this reduction on the display. For instance, if the camera shows an aperture of f2.8, you actually have an aperture of f4.0 when using the teleconverter. Exposure times are increased correspondingly. Overall the lens is absolutelly usable through its entire focal length, even at its highest aperture. The optical performance is just outstanding. Combined with the Kenko 1.4x Teleplus Pro 300 teleconverter, you can see a slight drop in image quality, which is expected, but the images are still very good and clearly outperform such lenses than the Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 or the Minolta AF 100-300 F4.5-5.6 APO, who cover this range without teleconverter.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: jumoyolin review date: November-27-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- minolta 70-210 f4 beercan - minolta 100-300 APO
price paid:	900 CDN
positive:	- Good IQ - Accurate focusing - Feels solid
negative:	- Focus sometimes hunt in low light - a little heavy - attracts attention due to size
comment:	images are a little soft at f2.8 but is still very usable. bokeh is quite nice. stopped down to f4 its very sharp, but then if you have a really good copy of beercan, it could be similar. much less CA on the tamron for sure. if you don't need the fast f2.8, just get a beercan! as it will be much lighter and compact compared to this. plus with this lens, you will be getting some attention, which might not be good sometimes...

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Yemble review date: November-22-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 70-210mm f4 Tamron 17-50mm f2.8
price paid:	L509 (new)
positive:	IQ Build Focussing accuracy Low CA
negative:	Weight and bulk Slow AF when it hunts
comment:	I bought this lens as a Beercan replacement because the CA on my Beercan was just too much to ignore. The Tamron is a truly great performer and very much in keeping with the terrific 17-50mm f2.8 At the extreme, 200mm f2.8, there is perceivable softness and a small amount of CA (but nowhere near the levels of the Beercan), however, at all other apertures this lens is razor sharp and exhibits negligible or no CA. Focussing accuracy is spot on (no BF or FF) and seems to be reliable, contrary to some reviews. Focussing speed is reasonably fast except, as others have pointed out, on the occassions when it hunts - still slightly faster than the Beercan in this respect though. I have no issue with the build quality which seems to be of a high standard. The base section is all metal and the middle and upper sections are high grade plastic. Both rings seem tight and operate smoothly. I'm not that keen on the manual clutch mechanism, but this seems to be a Tamron "feature". The only dowside of this lens, compared to the Beercan, is its sheer weight and bulk. Other lenses may have to be sacrificed when hicking, since it takes up a good deal of rucksack real estate.

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Jörgensen review date: November-11-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sigma 134-400 f4.5-5.6 Minolta 70-300 f4.5-5.6 Minolta 135 f2.8
price paid:	499L
positive:	Fast and accurate AF Sharp in all A-range
negative:	Feels cheap - But still solid A bit noisy AF
comment:

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4	user: gustavjensen review date: November-04-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Many lenses, although haven't compared to f/2.8 tele zoom
price paid:	639 EUR
positive:	Image Quality Sharpness Bokeh, Color Build Front does not rotate on focus Length does not extend
negative:	AF not the best (Missing SSM) Missing focus delimiter
comment:	Image quality is superb ! Very usable from f/2.8, and gets razor sharp when stopping down a bit The build is very good, it does not feel cheap. The only negative is that it can be a bit slow in low light, if it misses focus it does take some time to find it again. I have however used it for sports e.g. handball without problems. It is very similar to Tamrons 17-50mm/2.8 in terms of image quality. When the light is there, it is actually pretty fast. At shorter distances it also is a bit slow Tendency to hunt. I use it mainly for landscape, portrait & street photography and it is great

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: Rainer review date: November-03-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Minolta 200mm F2.8 HS Minolta 135mm F2.8 Minolta 100mm F2.0
price paid:	€ 660
positive:	Nice color and right level of contrast Great bokeh Sharp Nice build Worth every cent
negative:	AF needs time to lock
comment:	I already ordered the Sony 70-200mm F2.8, but then delivery got delayed more and more. This made me think whether I wanted to take such an expensive lens on travel and mountain hiking. So I switched to the Tammy. And I'm happy after two mountain trips. The lens is perfectly usable from F2.8 on, whereby my copy is weakest at the low end, not by sharpness but contrast (can be compensated by PP). At 135mm..200mm it can compete with my Minolta 200mm F2.8 HS. AF is precise on both the A700 and KM 7D (what a relief). The lens is very versatile and can be used for portraits ("right contrast"), flowers, macros (beautiful color and bokeh), and landscape. Flare becomes visible when the (evening) sun is part of the composition. If benefits much from the central AF sensor on the Sony A700, but also works at the KM 7D. Once AF has locked the A700 / lens combo tracks nicely even children. But when you loose the subject then it takes quite some hunting. Concerning weight, well I prepare my muscles for FF.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: luciferbergen review date: October-11-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Sony DT 18-70 kit lens Tamron SP AF 90 F2,8 macro Tamron AF 28-300 F3,5 -6,3 XR DI
price paid:	1000 USD (in Norway)
positive:	Sharp Good macro Nice bokeh Build quality F 2,8
negative:	weight AF sometimes hunting
comment:	Lovely lens, a little heavy, and Af sometimes hunting

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: lingoting review date: October-02-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan sigma 70-210mm f/2.8
price paid:	699USD
positive:	Image Quality Build speed price
negative:	none
comment:	It's definitely worth the buck. It makes me think that the Sony 70-200 is very much overpriced. It is very heavy and well built. Image quality is excellent and it has macro capability! Thanks Tamron for this awesome product, it's worth the 9 month wait!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: titiguards review date: September-29-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	minolta 100-300 apo Minolta 70-210 f.4 "Beercan"
price paid:	700 € (new)
positive:	Sharp, sharp and so sharp !!! Excellent build quality, optical performance, absolutely beautiful and silky bokeh.
negative:	low focusing in low light
comment:	This lens is really the sharpest I ever had, even at f2.8, as sharp as the Zeiss 16-80 !!! Creamy bokeh. AF is really accurate, no BF or FF, it focuses perfectly. It produces very cool and nice colors. Focus seems to be reasonably fast, a little more fast than the Beercan. AF-C is not for sport, but the optical quality is here !!!

sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: chych review date: September-15-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	- Minolta 70-210/4 - Tokina 80-400/4.5-5.6 - Sigma 24-70/2.8
price paid:	699 new
positive:	- Extremely sharp - Relatively light - f2.8 - Constant physical length - Good macro/close focus - Good hood, little flare
negative:	- AF hunts sometimes - Rings are loose
comment:	This is the first 70-200/2.8 lens I've used, but so far I've been thrilled with its output. The lens is sharp wide open throughout the zoom range, though there's a tiny bit of CA at 200mm/2.8. At f4 the lens is razor sharp everywhere with insignificant CA. Colors, bokeh, contrast are all excellent; this lens delivers great image quality and is far better than other telephoto lenses I've used. I'm somewhat uncertain on the autofocus speed on this lens, I have to do more tests. Thus far, tracking squirrels and objects in bright light is entirely possible, and the AF is responsive. Even tracking bees on flowers for macro shots works reliably, which I was surprised at (continuous mode on an a700). The lens takes a while to focus from close to infinity (though is a bit faster infinity to close), thus when the lens hunts (which happens sometimes even in bright light), it takes a while to lock on, but once it locks on, focusing is snappy. For comparison to other lenses, It focuses significantly faster than a beercan does, but not as fast as shorter lenses like the Sigma 24-70 I use. Also it's focusing is quieter than my other lenses, though not silent like a piezo ring-motor is. Another complaint is that the zoom and focus rings are a bit loose, they're not well-damped and turn a bit too easily, in my opinion. Also the lens isn't parfocal, and I'd wish for something better than the MF clutch mechanism. But for the price point, you certainly get your money's worth, especially in the image quality department and low light shooting.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: ghigo68 review date: September-15-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan
positive:	Sharp Price AF speed / accuracy Build quality Package
negative:	Weight
comment:	I'm not a PRO so I've choosed this lens because I think it has a good price/quality.

sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5	user: madtownkeith review date: September-12-08
	tested on film camera: tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP: tested on full frame:24MP
compared to:	Beercan 100-300 apo SAL 18-250
price paid:	699 USD
positive:	Sharp (useable at 2.8, quite sharp at f4) Cost Accurate Focusing
negative:	Size (but comes with the territory for 2.8 tele zoom) AF speed only so-so
comment:	Really an excellent lens, and an even greater value (it ships with a nice padded case, and the hood, and of course comes with a 6 year warranty). The technical tests on dpreview show that it holds up quite well to it's more expensive competition from an optical standpoint. I was not disappointed at all with the image quality of this lens. I found AF speed to be adequate for youth sports, although it's not blazingly fast. I did also own the Minolta 80-200 HS G in the past - no doubt that lens is faster to AF, but the Tamron was not bad either. It will hunt a bit in low light, especially when going from close to far focus, but AF accuracy was very good. Ultimately, I returned it though as I'm more comfortable with a smaller, more compact lens, and rarely need f2.8 in this range. But if you need a 2.8 tele zoom, this one is an excellent value, and will not disappoint optically. General Samples here: http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/gallery/5875960_4RRf2#365066554_rfFNF Sports Samples here (1st 30 or so pictures in gallery): http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/gallery/5900648_SLyzE#366924067_Xbfhg

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Summary ratings

sharpness: 4.78

color: 4.73

build: 4.32

distortion: 4.84

flare control: 4.83

overall: 4.70

total reviews: 81

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SP AF 70-200 F2.8 Di LD IF Macro lens details

Related lenses

Tamron - SP 70-200mm F2.8 Di USD