Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

This is an incredible compromise to the Canon equivalent. At a price that you dont have to sell your car for.
The autofocus is a little jumpy but the one touch system is super fast and efficient.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I setup a Canon 5DmkII with a Canon 70-200 F/2.8L mkII on a tripod took a few shots, replaced the lens with the Tamron and took a few more. Then I cut out some 100% crops and posted them side by side, and... Everyone picked the images from the Tamron. It was noticeably sharper, but this is probably due to a microfocus adjustment.
OK, so it doesn't have IS. Not really a problem as most of the time I'm doing portraits. I have used the Canon many times, and I almost always turn off the IS.
Some people complain that it's a bit slower to focus then the Canon. It's SLIGHTLY slower, just at the point of being noticeable. BUT, I put the lens on a 5DmkIII and it was MUCH faster. No noticeable difference from the Canon 70-200.
In conclusion, it's almost 1/4 the price of the Canon and has 6x the warranty. Great price/performance.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

For the price this is an amazing lens. Built strong love the crisp sharp photo's!

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

nice lens in good price

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I bought this lens to use for my daughters softball games, some of which are later in the evening. I still am in the learning curve, but still capturing great shots. i do not like the weight but trying to use my monopod most of the time. Colors are crisp and pictures are sharp. LOVE it! Wish I had spent the money sooner.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

First of the lens is well worth the [$] price tag. The Images I'm able to produce with this lens is amazing. It has quickly become my favorite lens. Low Light Sport photography, its an excellent performer. I don't have an issue with the noisy motor, sounds like the kit lenses to me. It does take a while to focus, but once you learn the lens its easy to overcome. Only downside is my front lens has a small chip on the inside, but hasn't effected the image quality so I haven't worried about it.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I'd wanted a 70-200 f2.8 for the longest time. They're popular for good reason. The zoom range is very useful - sort of a sweet spot for portraits, event coverage, and (some) sports. The constant f2.8 aperture makes life much simpler, and opens up many photographic possibilities that just aren't possible with variable aperture zooms.

My experience with the Tamron has been excellent so far. The optics seem to be as good as their reputation. I'm getting tack-sharp images under ideal conditions, and acceptably sharp ones under more trying conditions (low light, zoomed out and handheld). The color rendition is gorgeous.

The common complaints about this lens have some merit. The autofocus is loud, and sometimes hunts around in low light. At times I could really use the help of an IS/VR/VC system, but that would add to the weight and of course the price.

For me, these flaws can be overlooked for 2 reasons: First, I shoot video for a living, not stills. For video purposes, autofocus and image stabilization are irrelevant. If you have them, you turn them off to shoot video. Stills are of secondary concern for my work -- my living doesn't generally depend on me getting "the shot". If it did, I'd invest in the Canon L-series 70-200 f2.8 IS II.

Second, the value really is incredible. The optical performance is on par with Canon L glass, for about 1/4 the price.

I'm very pleased with the Tamron. Along with my Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, it forms a pretty effective duo for most shoots.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I use this lens for indoor photo for motocross. Wish it was a little faster than the more expensive brands, but for the money I have been pleased.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I'm happy with the results. The only thing that bothers me is that the zoom in/zoom out is completely opposite from Canon lenses.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

Family guy photographer but like to dabble in some advanced photo techniques. Use for sports can candid close-up work

This camera with the 2.8 is extremely good indoors for a telephoto lens. A rare find at this excellent price.

It is a little heavier than lenses 2-3 times expensive but not a big deal. Get a monopod

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I purchased this lens for sports photography, it performed better than our 18-270 Tamron under the lights at a football game, have yet to try it indoors.
Pros,
The 2.8 is great.
Cons,
Yes it is heavy but as I said the 2.8 is great and with that much glass you will have that.
I.S. would be nice

But over all a great lens.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

Perfect lens for Friday night football shoots. The price is great, the quality is great. I don't really notice the so-called noise and slow focus. It worked perfectly for me. I would recommend this lens to friends. Got this one for my wife, I may get another for me.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I am the mother of 4 children. My husband and I bought this lens to take pics of the kids playing sports. The clarity of my pics is amazing! It takes great action shots with no blur. The auto focus makes it very easy to use. I think this lens is an exceptional value.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I purchased this lens 5 years ago and love it. I used it specifically to take sport pictures inside gym. It has been awesome. I have taken unforgetable pictures of athletes hovering inches above the gym floor fully extended. Outstanding!!! I would recommend this lens to any person.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I had been looking around comparing lenses between the Sigma, Canon and Tamron 70-200's. This lens is great, it shoots amazing images and has a solid build. Throughout my research one thing kept coming up, and that was the slow focus, and is also the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5. I mainly shoot video with my 7D so I wasn't really worried about having a fast focus, since I have to do it manually anyway. The photos I took of scenery were amazing but in acting it was just a little to slow. So in the end if you are shooting mostly still objects go with this lens you won't be disappointed, if your shooting action you might want to stray towards the Sigma.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

This is a pro lens with stunning optical performance for a fraction of the price of Canon analogues. I'd read many reviews and tests stating that this lens outperforms Canon and Nikon 70-200's - now I can see it for myself.
If you're ok with no optical stab and "ultrasonic motor", think no more. Highly recommended.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

very good lens the zoom is perfect combined with fast apeture for sports photgorphy which is what I usally do. However i did for the first time get an error message that said the connection with my camera body and lense was faulty. so I had to send it in for repair. but they fixed it for free and my problem should be resolved. but other than that it is a great buy for a semi pro or even just an avid photographer.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I purchased the Tamron lens specifically for shooting video indoor projects/commercials etc where we did not have a lot of access to light greater than 200W tungsten lights. Really enjoy this lens greatly. I have rented Canon L series in the past and recommend the Tamron lens to those that enjoy the L series lens with the same range. The focus on images that are even closer to the actual lens is better, which I was surprised. Granted the Tamron does not have the stabilizer function, but with a great tripod etc., it's a fantastic lens for its price.

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

If you are like me, you are interested in creating great photographs but you do not make a living by selling them. If that is the case, this is a great lens for you and you will be very happy with it. Before buying this lens I looked at all the options and read all the reviews. I fought back the urge to pay twice as much for L glass, and I weighed the pros and cons of image stabilization vs a faster lens. The bottom line is I am extremely happy with this lens and I would make the same decision again. Below is a summary of why I chose this lens over the various canon 70-200mm L lenses:

Canon f/2.8L IS II
This is the ultimate lens in this category and if I was making a living from my photographs, it is the lens I would buy. That is not my life, however, so it was not worth the $2,500.

Canon f/2.8L IS
Mostly the same as above with an older IS system. Still costs $2,000 so it was still out of the question for me.

Canon f/2.8L
This was a little tougher because it is the L lens equivalent of this Tamron lens. The reality for me was that this lens still costs about twice as much ($1,400) for very minor improvements in sharpness and a quieter USM motor (the AF motor on the Tamron is not loud, it is just louder than a USM motor). It also has weather proofing, but since I do not allow my lenses to get wet that does not matter to me. I have owned L glass in the past and they are great lenses, but they are not twice as great by any means. My experience is that you pay about twice as much for about a 5% improvement in image quality.

Canon f/4L IS
At $1,300, the trade-off with this lens is losing 1 stop of light to gain image stabilization. It was not a trade I decided to make because when you have to choose between them, available light is still more important than image stabilization. A faster shutter speed will stop camera shake, but IS will not stop a moving subject in low light (it will compensate for you moving the camera, but it will not compensate for your subject moving - only shutter speed will do that). An f/2.8 lens will give you a shutter speed that is twice as fast as an f/4 lens. There is an overlap in the benefits of shutter speed and image stabilization, but for me faster shutter speed is a benefit a greater percentage of the time. The f2.8 IS II lens listed above is the best because it has everything: f/2.8 aperture, image stabilization, and L glass; but that's also why it costs so much.

Canon f/4L
The lure of this lens is owning an L lens for about the same price as the Tamron lens. The obvious downside is the f/4 lens is half as fast as the f/2.8 Tamron (the shutter moves half as fast for every 1 stop of light you lose in the lens). I told myself years ago that I would not by slower lenses because I invariably ended up in low-light situations when slower lenses would not get the job done. Additionally, if you ever use a 1.4x teleconverter to make the 70-200mm lens a 98-280mm lens, you lose 1 stop of light which gives you an f/5.6 lens that is very slow. The same holds true for the f/4L IS lens above.

The Tamron lens is a great lens and I have no regrets in buying it. The images are sharp and the color reproduction is great. If you have money to burn and can't fight off the urge to buy an L lens, then knock yourself out. If you don't have money to burn, you can have this great lens for way less money and still be very proud of your results.

Happy shooting!

Comments about Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras:

I bought this lens as an emergency replacement after I dropped my Canon 70-200 2.8L on a hard concrete floor and damaged it during a shoot. Out of town at 7pm with a 7am call time the next day, I had very limited options but was able to find a camera store that carried this lens. At first I balked at using a Tamron, but they didn't have the Canon, so I went with it. Build quality is definitely not as robust, but it's not bad. I don't mind not having a white lens on my camera, either... AF is noisy and sounds cheap. I thought this was a deal breaker, but when I saw the images I shot with it, the decision on wether to keep the Tamron got a lot harder. The images from this lens are extremely sharp - sharper than my 35 1.2L and definitely sharper than it's Canon equivalent. It's right there with my Zeiss 85. The bokeh at 2.8 was also very, very nice and it handled highlight transitions really well, giving my photos a kind of creamy look. My assistant and I decided to tape over the Tamron logos with gaffer tape and refer to the lens as the "x-5" If Tamron keeps this up and upgrades their AF and build quality a bit, I'd happily pay more for this glass and peel off the tape.