Tamron SP AF 180mm F3.5 Di LD IF A-mount lens review by terrylloydsmith

terrylloydsmith#5209 date: Apr-10-2009
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	Minolta 50mm/2.8 macro Minolta 100mm/2.8 macro Tamron 90mm/2.8 macro
price paid:	$569 USD after rebate
positive:	Light weight for a long-range macro. Very sharp Nice colors Nice bokeh
negative:	None for me
comment:	I finally purchased this long macro after thinking about it for a few months. My conclusion is this: It's a beautifully performing lens and I think easily matches my 50 and 100mm Minolta macros. The price was right...the next day prices went up $70. Still a bargain. If you cannot find or afford the Minolta 200 f4 macro (I couldn't) then I think this is the way to go. The build quality is excellent IMHO. No complaints here either. However the lack of a focus-limiter bothers some people but I find I don't miss it too much. I prefer to manually focus macro pictures, and macro photography is why I purchased this lens. Highly recommended.