Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

This is an inexpensive, yet an excellent lens with constant f2.8. I bought this lens to use mostly at f2.8 for available low light situations. Not that optical quality is bad at f2.8, but it shines at f4.0 and above. If you want an inexpensive, normal to telephoto zoom lens just get this lens. The 4 star rather than 5 star rating is for the slightly lower optical quality at f2.8.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I have owned this lens for 7 months and have used it mostly to shoot indoor events. I highly recommend this lens. AF is accurate and pictures are sharp. I find the focal length range very useful. Surprisingly, the wide end is wide enough for much of my close-quarters indoor shooting. Also, it helps me avoid taking photos of people which have that distorted look that can happen with wider angle lenses. The only flaw in this lens is that the zoom ring action is not consistent throughout its adjustment range. For that reason, and because a previous copy of this lens was soft, I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. This is a great lens!

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I looked for several months before I decided to purchase this lens. I wanted a fast lens that I could use for portraits as welll as general photography. This lens is sharp, right down to f2.8.The focus is fast and accurate in most situations.Colors are brilliant and depth of field is well defined. Tamron also offered a rebate, which was very easy to recieve.I am sure I will look into purchasing another tamron lens in the future.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I bought one from [...] and I was not happy with the product. At 70mm focusing was 6mm in front and at 28mm focusing was 10mm behind, so there is no way to adjust this. But the one from BH was almost perfect focusing like 6mm in front on 28&70mm. I have a Pentax K20D so it was easy to align the focusing just where I want. [...] I totally recommend this, but if you have problems with focusing(one behind and one in front), I suggest RMA.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I got this lens for my Pentax K200D, because I wanted a fast lens, and I wanted a little more reach than I get with the excellent Pentax kit lens. I'm not able to go as wide, but I'll use the kit lens when I need to go wider than 42mm (the 35mm equivalent of 28mm for my camera). I intend to use the Tamron as my main general-purpose lens.[...]it seems to be fine in every respect. I will write another review after I've done more shooting with it.It's too bad Tamron didn't (or couldn't) incorporate the quick-shift focus function that Pentax lenses have. It's not a big deal, as it's easy easy enough to hit the manual focus switch on the camera, but it would have been nice to have. Also, the focus ring adjustment range is somewhat short, which makes manual focusing a little harder. I gave the lens 4 stars instead of 5 because I have concerns about Tamron's quality control, and therefore quality in general, after getting a bad lens. The lens seems solid enough, though.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I really cannot fault this lens. I is a classic, period!

It focuses faster than the Pentax kit lenses and certainly does a trick in near darkness where focusing is supposed to fail!

It is capable of stunning color and sharply isolated portraits with a very neat bokeh. I have 2 K100d bodies, a K20, and a K-x, and unlike my other lenses, it does equally good on all four of them!
The bright f/2.8 ratio makes this a winner indoors and also outside for depth of field control.

There is some criticism here about its range. Nonsense!
It reaches from an equivalent 42mm, a wide normal, to an equivalent 112mm, slight tele.
Not everybody has a good eye for "wide" shots and I have always found that getting tighter is better.
Concentrate on a subject and forget the dressing and you get better images. There is a whole school of photgraphers that restrict themselves in the focal length to get discipline and they get better images - I have found it helps me too!
Which makes this an ideal walkaround lens for many photographers!
It takes a real knack for those wide landscape shots, and if you like those, then go ahead and get a wide prime.
I have found every zoom to be iffy on the wide end for focus - most cameras cannot focus a wide zoom properly to critical levels, so wide end on a zoom is no theme for discussion for me anyway!

This Tammy does pretty close to prime lens performance from about 32mm (=50mm normal full frame equivalent) on and stays that way (excellent) all the way out to 75mm.

Considering its weight and size being FAR less than an f/2.8 monster sized telezoom in the 70-200 range, and the fact that I get steady handheld shots due to its handling, it does better in many ways when cropped than said monster f/2.8 at four times the price and weight!
Not to mention the reduced shoulder cramps not having to lug the weight around :)

I would like to include my pbase samples in my lapratho gallery, but B&H is asking not to include html.
I have proof from some Norwescon SciFi/Fantasy conventions though, that this lens is very good in flare resistance (NO flares!) with counter light portrait shots from a dark hallway into a sunlit window without flash - adjusted my RAW's levels, and was happy happy happy!

As far as quality control is concerned, never mind, I have had junk gear from the most expensive manufacturers and real gems from the most questionable ones, so the mix is big with all of them.

This Tamron is worth an order and they better NOT quit making it ever! I have no clue how to improve on a zoom lens, short of mounting a revolver mount with primes - and that would be insanely bulky and heavy and ... never mind ...

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

super sharp versital

soft at the long end

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

The lens produces consistently sharp pictures and is good for general use. Compared to Tokina's 28-70 F2.8 (purchased back in 1997), it's slightly sharper in the centre and at the edges (same scene using a tripod).

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I use this lens semi-professional and I am extremely happy with this price/quality combination. Constant 2.8 output across the whole zoom range, outstanding resolution and warm color rendition make this lens one of the best choices for Pentax users. I choose this model over Tamron 17-50/2.8 because I believe that next camera's generation will be full frame and I do not want to waste my money on something that will go away in couple years. Resolution of this lens is far better than Pentax's 16-50 /2.8 for half the price!!!! The build quality is very nice however we can't expect Canon's L or top Nikon workhorses here. Auto Focus on My Pentax K20d is fast ( Not fast enough for sport photography) precise but on a loud side which I do not really care for .Great everyday "walk-around" Lens that comes with 6 YEARS warranty!!!!! Bravo Tamron!!!!!

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

Takes sharp pictures. Plastic housing feels cheap, but no problems so far. The soft plastic lens hood is hard to put on and take off, par for the price.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

This lens does very well as a portrait lens, it starts to struggle due to it's limited range outside of this. It's not quite wide enough and doesn't zoom far enough to be effective as an everyday lens but the wide open aperture and range it does have makes for some very creative and beautiful pictures. It gets a little blurry wide open but thats to be expected, and it has a slightly warm cast to it that has to be corrected at the camera or during post processing.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I initially bought this zoom because of all the other feedback that I had found on this site, nevertheless I must say that this is the worst zoom I have ever used in terms of brightness and sharpness.
I used it to shoot photos for a friend’s wedding and I was really angry afterwards because the sharpness in all the pictures was really bad, even when I shot at high speed, small ISO and working at f11 or f13.
I decided to return it inmediately, and get the Pentax FA 100mm macro, instead.
I would NEVER recommend this zoom to a friend.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

For the price, this lens is Terrific! I needed a budget-minded portrait/medium light lens for my K-20D and this one hit the spot. It is clean, crisp and fast... and I didn't break the bank buying it. I recommend it to anyone with a DSLR looking for that portrait-range lens with enough speed to work indoors and enough range to work the crowd outdoors. I'm considering another one for my K-10D.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

This lens has a cult following for the short zoom fans and with good reason...it is tack sharp, well built and provides great clarity in images. A great lens for the money.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I am an armature photographer so this for me this was a big step up from the kit lens my camera came with.
My only complaint was a speck of dust that was on one of the internal pieces of glass. It seemed to be under the coating. It wasn't visible in the photos but I decided to exchange it to prevent future trouble.
The B&H exchange process was as perfect as the ordering process. They were friendly on the phone and promptly emailed out prepaid return labels. I was notified during every step of the return process. I am 110% satisfied with this company.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

Sharp as a tack from corner to corner. Excellent bokeh. Super fast AF. Lightweight and small yet firm feel to the build. Couldn't ask for more!!!!!

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

This lens is attached to my K200D since I received it. After the initial disappointment due to the soft images taken at f2.8, I've learned to appreciate it's versatility. It is an excellent replacement for the kit lens. Relatively fast focus, even a bit slower that the 18-55 kit, but excellent picture quality above f4.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

I skipped over a 21mm f/3.2, a 40mm f/2.8, a 50mm f/1.4 and a 70mm f/2.4 to simply get this lens instead. If you've got the money and don't mind changing lenses often you could likely surpass the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 in image quality with four primes (not withstanding shots missed while changing lenses).

Personally, I DON'T have the money for four primes and I DO mind fumbling with lens changes due to both missed shots and dust exposure so a single zoom lens solution was the most practical for me. This lens lives up to it's reputation for sharpness and the DOF at f/2.8 is plenty shallow enough for me - I find that I don't need any less.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

This lens is a great walk around lens with some good low light capability for a zoom. It has a nice range and has a pretty fast focus ability. It produces lovely images that I am very happy with. The only drawback that I find is that it is a little heavy for me, yet it is lighter than other lenses of its type. I wouldn't let its weight discourage someone from buying it because in all other aspects it's a great lens.

Comments about Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF:

Good carry around lens and portraiture!