Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Super fine Macro lens. It gives you good working distance.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

little heavy - otherwise nice.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I got this lens because I needed a large working distance to accommodate a lighting system that I am developing for photographing coins. Because I wanted to do computer simulations of the lighting and imaging, I needed to make some measurements on the lens. I found that, at a magnification of 2/3 (1:1.5), the principal planes are both near the front element and the actual focal length is 130 mm. Also, I found that the entrance pupil is located 400 mm downstream of the image plane. Since the distance from the object to the entrance pupil is much larger than the object size, we should get nearly perspective-free imaging from this lens (is this good or bad?). The pupillary magnification of this lens has a very low value of 0.16. At an aperture setting of f/8, the effective aperture is f/14. I am still trying to understand the meaning of all this but it is clear that internal-focusing macro lenses have unusual properties. The focal length at 1:1 magnification is 96 mm but I have no other measurements for this magnification. (Of course, my numbers are not guaranteed and subject to revision.)

For flat objects, auto focus works well but I normally use manual focusing. The focusing ring turns smoothly but is somewhat sensitive at large magnifications. I like to fix the magnification and focus by moving the camera up and down on the copy stand. I have a 1-mm-pitch lead screw (not rack and pinion) focusing slide that does not drift downward from the camera weight. Using live view (on camera or tethered), manual focusing works well, although a slightly larger pitch on the lead screw would be preferable.

Image quality is very good. It is much superior to the 135 mm enlarging lenses and the 135 mm Topcor bellows lens that I had been using. The image quality is similar to that of the Canon 100 mm macro lens that I rented recently (I liked that lens but it did not have enough working distance). I really like the high-contrast look of the Tamron 180 (and Canon 100) images. The best aperture is about f/8. At apertures smaller than f/11, image quality begins to suffer and is very bad at f/32 (I know the depth of field is larger but it is hard to believe that this aperture could ever be useful).

I am very pleased with this lens since it provides good working distance with good image quality. I just wish lens manufacturers provided detailed information on the optics so I don't have to measure it for myself (especially since this is hard to do without having the lens in hand).

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Great Macro Lens. AF is slow and Loud. No Focus Limited Makes for potential focus hunting. All conjecture about the Auto-focus is a moot point if you focus manually. Can be hand held with lots of light (ie ambient sunlight, flash or both). All in all completely comfortable with having purchased Tamron over the other 180mm options.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I've only had my new lens for about a week, and I'm already having a great time with it. It's great for beautiful, up-close, textured macro photos and also brings sunrises to a new perspective. I've been waiting to get this lens for a looonnnggg time - it was worth the wait!

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

After researching the net for several weeks. it made sense what people were saying in different forums about this lens. It does 1:1 with ease. because of the focal range you don't have to get to close to squeamish critter. Some complaints were that AF was not working fast enough. I found if you set your distance close enough it works perfectly .

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I did my research before buying this lens. I was about to spend a $1000 more for a Canon 180mm macro, when I came across a professional site focused on macro photography. Side by side comparison of photos taken with a Canon, and Tamron lens was extremely close. Normally, I would only by Canon lens to go with my Canon camera, but with the image quality of Tamron being in par, and at times better than the Canon lens, I just had to go for quality. And in the process, I saved close to $1000 which went toward a telephoto lens from Canon :) (sorry Tamron, Canon still makes the best telephoto lenses).
I was even able to take some nice photos of some pet birds using this lens. I was really surprised by the very good focus, color, and amount of detail. Initially, I thought all I will use this lens for would be flowers and some insects, but was I in for a surprise...This lens is great for almost anything in the 180mm range.

The only negative drawback is the noisy auto focus feature. It is VERY LOUD, it can scare anything away that is not a flower. But since most macro users use manual focus anyways, this problem can be overlooked.

Another annoying thing about the lens is changing between manual and auto focus. It is a bid hard to change (also loud).

But if you are planning on staying in manual mode...it is the perfect Macro lens.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

The Tamron 180mm macro lens is a solidly built, extremely sharp telephoto macro. Picture quality is probably the highest I've seen outside of Canon L or Zeiss ZE glass. Razor sharp center sharpness on a full frame sensor extends to the corners, particularly in the sweet spot of f/8 to f/16. Bokeh is smooth and nicely defocused, with some CA along high contrast edges. AF is slow and tends to hunt with distant subjects — I use MF and stick to macro, where this lens shines. For half the price of the Canon 180mm L, this lens offers extraordinary optical quality and value.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Very sharp images and ease of use!
The lens is extremely good because of its focal length, when you can not approach the object too much as it may fly or run away

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Very sharp lens with good lens mount. If you use AF more will get disappointed.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

New to macro photography but this lens is great for it. Awesome clarity and great color contrast. If you have a tripod and/or a good light source, you should get great shots. Good working distance for arthropods. Haven't used it much for portraits yet.

AF loud and slow, but I think MF would work better for macro anyways. A little heavy but hasn't been a problem for me.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Great macro lens. You can see lots of images I use this lens on at [@] The only thing I don't like about it is that it is slow to focus on AF. Other than that it a wonderful lens. I like using it over my Canon EF "L" lenses. Great price as well.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this on both my 5D2 and 40D. I get very accurate AF but it is fairly slow. Because there is no focus limiter, it can take a whiile to rack back and forth. In bright light, I found it tracked well in AI servo.

I primarily use this as a Macro lens, however, where I usually manually focus. I have been very, very happy with the image quality of this lens and use it much more than my Canon 100 macro.

I'm very happy with this lens.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

For a straight up macro lens I don't think I have used a sharper lens ever. But ran into problems when used as a portrait or telephoto lens due to AF problems. Sent the lens into Tamron service to have repaired. After much time they stated they have an issue which is yet to be resolved with some of the canon bodies. They happily offered to give full refund. I hope they get this issue resolved in the future as for a manual focus macro lens it has no equals.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I got this lense just a couple days ago and it is my first truly high-quality lense. I have already taken some great photos, my favorites so far being non-macro photos of a tangled ball of leaves and branches stuck in a barbed wire fence. I took 8 shots from different angles and distances using AF and every one came out with contrast and sharpness an order of magnitude greater than I have seen with any of my <$250 lenses.

One other thing of note. I did a 1:1 macro test on a ruler and the resulting width was about 2.13mm (+/-0.02). My camera has a 2.22mm sensor, so it looks like the macro on this lense is actually a tad better than 1:1.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Should have been a 5 star lens, if not for the fact that the AF broke in a week with very light use! I only tested the AF a few times before it stopped working all of a sudden. The lens itself produces great macro shots. I am not a weight lifter so I use it on a tripod. MF works fantastically well. But still, AF broke in a week is a very bad sign. I sent it to Tamron and it stayed there for 2.5 months now and they are still working on it. Tamron won't send any notifications to me but asked me to call in from time to time to check on status - ridiculous! Just hope Tamron will fix my lens for good and I'll never bother with them again. Tamron has a 6 year warranty on this lens. I hope it doesn't mean my lens is gonna stay in their shop for that long before gotten fixed! Maybe the AF failure on my lens is an exception to the rule. But the horrible warranty service from Tamron is beyond excuse. My Tamron 90mm macro doesn't have any problem, AF or MF, great lens at a great price. Comparing to the Canon 180L, this Tamron is definitely worth the pennies. But against the Sigma, I am not sure. Sigma seems to be a hit and miss with its optics. I have 3 tamrons all with good optics. But mechanically, I've never had any issue with my 10+ Sigma lenses. With Tamron it's 1 in 3... Buy at your own risk, or go for the 1.3k Canon L.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Used this lens for just about everything. Mostly for macro work from a distance ( including with a 2X teleconverter). Really sharp, and not heavy compared to similar length prime lenses. Only down fall to it, is the AF is a bit slow, but for basically half the price of the Canon, I can't complain too much!

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I haven't used other comparable lenses, but this lens was perfect in quality and usability. I really think the working distance, about 2 feet, is perfect for insects or other creatures that would get scared and move away if you got any closer. Here are some shots I took with this lens: [@]

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

The lens is easy to use, even for a beginner in photography and the price is a lot more affordable than other lenses like this one.

Comments about Tamron Telephoto SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I just got this lens and I'm loving it. Went to try it at the botanical garden and got some good results for a first timer. I was between the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 and this lens and after trying both side to side at the shop, the Tamron felt better for me. Also the extra 30mm allow you to work from further away meaning more ambient light and less shadows. Great working distance as well, perfect for shy subjects.
Just a beginner in macro photography but definitively loving this lens. Warning: light is a limiting factor as small apertures are needed for DOF, I'm going to buy a flash.