The Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro lens is a quality compact ultra tele zoom lens which covers the 70mm to 300mm telephoto range, with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 at the tele end.
This lens delivers ultimate handling ease and portability in the field due to its lightweight size and mechanical operation. Best suited for shooting outdoors to make full use of the real telephoto of 300mm as well as providing diversity in portraiture using the medium focal length ranges of 70mm to 135mm.
Di (Digitally Integrated Design) is a designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras.
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length | 70 - 300 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/4 - 5.6 Minimum: f/32 |
| Camera Mount Type | Canon EF |
| Format Compatibility |
35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor Canon (APS-C) |
| Angle of View | 34° - 8° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 4.92' (1.5 m) |
| Magnification | 0.5x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:2 |
| Groups/Elements | 9/13 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 9 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 62 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 3.0 x 4.6" (7.62 x 11.68 cm) |
| Weight | 15.34 oz (435 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
Nice Lens
I started out with a canon rebel xti and the kit lens, but wanted to frame my pictures tighter than 55mm would allow. I shoot artwork, landscapes, and general flora and fauna. So...Read complete review
I started out with a canon rebel xti and the kit lens, but wanted to frame my pictures tighter than 55mm would allow. I shoot artwork, landscapes, and general flora and fauna. So I searched out various lenses that had a nice telephoto range as well as a macro function, and this lens was my final choice. I was looking for an inexpensive but quality lens, and so far I am not disappointed. The lens would be slightly more versatile, meaning that one could probably leave it on the camera all the time, if the wide angle end was less than 70mm. 70mm is pretty tight already, so if you plan on shooting in close quarters it might be too long. Tamron's next model up on the chain has a wider angle on that end. Macro function is nice, I have used it on flowers and artwork and it allows you to set up pretty far away while still zooming extremely close. You must use a tripod when zoomed out or in low light. The autofocus works a bit slow but very well. In my research I found that this lens was lighter than others in its class, and indeed it does not feel too heavy. It is large though, much bigger than the 18-55 kit lens, especially when zoomed all the way out - maybe eight or nine inches long.
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Most Liked Negative Review
Borderline useless
Bought this lens while traveling because my 28-135mm wasn't zooming in enough for what I was shooting. I literally ended up getting better results using the 135 and cropping than when I shot with...Read complete review
Bought this lens while traveling because my 28-135mm wasn't zooming in enough for what I was shooting. I literally ended up getting better results using the 135 and cropping than when I shot with this lens (not exaggerating here).
In no particular order:
- Shots any wider-open than f/8 are unusably distorted; the fact that you can open it up to f/5.6 is strictly academic. (In fact, it's inconvenient because you have to keep remembering not to.)
- Focus is slow, loud, and...backwards. Meaning, if it tries to focus and the direction it's going makes things worse, it doesn't cut its losses and go the other way - it actually goes the ENTIRE way down to the wrong end of the range before changing course. So some shots actually take *upwards of 5 seconds* to bring into focus.
- At full extension, the inner barrel flops around like a flag in the breeze. So unless you're shooting with a remote on a tripod on a dead-calm day, anything under about 1/1250s exposure will have motion blur. Whether the subject is moving or not. Every time.
- This one is more subjective, but the colors range on this lens is noticeably flat.
Overall, VERY poor choice for a lens. It's beyond me why any company would shame itself with such a product.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 62 customers
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Love this lens. I can really zoom in on wildlife for some fantastic shots!
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Long distance shots. Dog shows
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Love this product! Sure you need a tripod but that's not enough to take away. from the product although I've been able to use it without a tripod on portraits that came out great. I've used it for portraits and flora and fauna and so far it's not produced any negative results. It also hasn't had a slow autofocus like most people have said, which really if your investing this much in photography you should be comfortable using manual. I've really enjoyed the macro setting and produced some awesome photos.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
This lens is good under most circumstances with plenty of light. If light is low, image quality suffers. Its tremendous range makes it a handy lens to have when space or weight are limited. The action of the lens when zooming feels a bit sluggish or stiff so it helps to practice using the lens before you go after those once in a life-time shots. Switching between Macro and Normal is not intuitive so, again, it helps to practice with the lens before using it.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
This is a good lens that will work for many people who need an entry-level lens with this range of sizes. It worked reasonable well for me. The image quality is great when there is plenty of light. It is not so great with lower light conditions. The mechanisms for zoom and focusing have a bit of a a rigid/less fluid feel a compared to a Canon made lens. This lens takes some practice to use effectively under conditions when one needs to react quickly.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I used my Tamron 70-300 Lens with my Canon 400D and was reasonably happy with it until recently, now cannot take any pictures at all because of ERROR99 messages.
My opinion is that the lens has a fault because my camera works fine with other lenses.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Perfect begginer lens at a nice price.
Good for indoor family as well as outdoor nature photography.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
It's basically impossible to get a clear zoom shot without using a tripod, or something similar. That being said, you can get some great shots if you're willing to carry one around. Not crazy about the macro feature, all it does is limit your available focal range, doesn't quite get as close as I had hoped it would. All in all, for the price its a good lense as long as you have the time and patience to setup your shots.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I'm new to the photography field but my son who is a semi pro recommended this lens to me. I've been using it for a week or so and I find it a great lens for the money.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Bought it because my previous Tamron 70-300 broke. I saw this had a Macro setting, so I thought "added bonus" compared to the last one I owned. I think this lens focuses even slower than the other. It's an OK lens—gets the job done I would say, but its slow focus and, sometimes, non-focus is discouraging.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Great buy!
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
This is the lens I needed. It's a great lens[...]
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I'm new to the macro photography and I think this lens is very useful for a beginner, specially for its price. It is good for focusing from a distance (the closest for macro as you read in the specifications is 0.95 meters, around 3 ft.). It works as a normal telephoto and a macro lens.
As mentioned above, it is a good choice for a beginner, as a professional macro user might want "more" sharp images and this usually comes with a fixed focal length. So far so good, with a stable tripod, this lens does a good job and the image is clear enough and sharp enough.
The AF function is somehow slow, thus you should think twice if you want to pan, or use it in action. Although I'm not into such type of photography, yet I think it might be a concern.
The lens comes with a hood as well and can be fixed in both ways (for use and for storage) or can be just dispatched. I used the lens to do a simple trail photography for Jupiter on the roof (not in an isolated place), and with the hood and a 5 minutes exposure, did somehow turn a good result (a single line only though). I think this lens has a future for simple trail photography as well (and with ND filters I believe the capabilities can be expanded).
The size and weight is quite reasonable. No complaints.
With the lens, comes a leaflet or an instruction paper with certain specifications and a table of proper distances for macro focusing with respect to certain f-numbers. I think this is quite useful for future use and studying the operation of the lens.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
For the most part, it does everything it said it would. The barrel is a bit stiff, so it takes some effort in zooming. Low light/indoor shots are not as sharp, but outdoor seems to be fine.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I was wanting to expand my lens kit without wanting to break the bank. The lens is awesome for that. To get a high powered lens would be several hundred dollars more. This lens has a great zoom range, but lacks the low light performance. All in all its a good buy for its price point.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Bought this lens while traveling because my 28-135mm wasn't zooming in enough for what I was shooting. I literally ended up getting better results using the 135 and cropping than when I shot with this lens (not exaggerating here).
In no particular order:
- Shots any wider-open than f/8 are unusably distorted; the fact that you can open it up to f/5.6 is strictly academic. (In fact, it's inconvenient because you have to keep remembering not to.)
- Focus is slow, loud, and...backwards. Meaning, if it tries to focus and the direction it's going makes things worse, it doesn't cut its losses and go the other way - it actually goes the ENTIRE way down to the wrong end of the range before changing course. So some shots actually take *upwards of 5 seconds* to bring into focus.
- At full extension, the inner barrel flops around like a flag in the breeze. So unless you're shooting with a remote on a tripod on a dead-calm day, anything under about 1/1250s exposure will have motion blur. Whether the subject is moving or not. Every time.
- This one is more subjective, but the colors range on this lens is noticeably flat.
Overall, VERY poor choice for a lens. It's beyond me why any company would shame itself with such a product.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I bought the lens based on reviews I read, I 've been very happy with the performance of the lens, I'm still getting to learn to use it but it's been easy to learn to use it.
Pros
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I'm in China and photographing some objects that I cannot get physically close to. This lens is excellent for those distant objects - while I can only see a building with the naked eye - the photograph, using this lens, shows clear detail,includung writing or signage on the building. If they ever make one beyond 300mm I will buy it.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I would strongly recommend the zoom telephoto AF70-300 mm Macro Autofocus Lens. I used it on the deer and wild turkeys in my backyard. It was easy for a person with arthritis to use. Loved the autofocus. Not to heavy for a senior. Great
closeup shots of my three boston terriers at play.
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Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
If compared to 75-300mm by canon which is a little cheaper than this one I would go with the canon lens. I figured being a 70-300mm it would give me more room in shorter shots plus the Macro function seem to grab my attention but when you compare quality of the photos the canon low end comes up better. Plus the zooming function is tight and not smooth and the focus is slow. Still an OK lens but I would have been happier with the canon 75-300mm since I have used it and the photos look better and more focused and clear.