Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
The Tamron 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di ultra telephoto zoom lens lets you bring your far away subjects up close while compressing the distance between the main subject and the background for professional-looking results. Even though it covers a range up to 500mm, its design is relatively lightweight and compact. When mounted on an APS-C size digital SLR camera, it provides a focal length equivalent of 760mm for super ultra telephoto imaging.
The optical design of this lens enables you to get as close 8.2' (2.5 m) from your main subject at any focal length, and provides a maximum magnification ratio 1:5 at the 500mm end, allowing for dynamic and impressive pictures of small objects.
This lens sports the detachable Filter Effect Control ring. This allows a filter to be rotated to the desired position with the hood still attached, enabling you to simultaneously perform minute adjustments to a polarizer filter. You can confirm the Polarizing effect through the viewfinder, all while using the hood to prevent harmful light from entering the lens.
Di (Digitally Integrated Design) is a designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras.
- LD Glass
- Two LD glass elements reduce various aberrations while minimizing the fall-off of light at the corners
- Internal Focus
- The lens neither extends nor contracts physically when focusing; all moving elements are contained within the lens barrel
- Di Design
- Digitally Integrated design lenses are designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras
- Tripod Collar
- The tripod mount, detachable in one touch, is made of magnesium alloy that reconcile light-weight and high rigidity, resulting in enhanced balance and ease of use in hand-held shooting
Go To
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length | 200 - 500 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/5 - 6.3 Minimum: f/32 |
| Camera Mount Type | Canon EF |
| Format Compatibility |
35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor Canon (APS-C) |
| Angle of View | 12° - 5° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 8.20' (2.5 m) |
| Magnification | 0.2x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:5 |
| Groups/Elements | 10/13 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 9 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 86 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 3.68 x 8.9" (9.35 x 22.61 cm) |
| Weight | 2.72 lb (1237 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 36 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
90%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Durable (21)
- Fast / accurate auto-focus (19)
- Consistent output (18)
- Strong construction (16)
- Easily interchangeable (14)
Cons
- Heavy (9)
- Lens creep (6)
- Slow focus (6)
- Blurry focus (3)
Best Uses
- Wildlife photos (16)
- Wildlife (12)
- Sports/action (11)
- Landscape/scenery (6)
- General purpose (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Photo enthusiast (9), Semi-pro photographer (7), Enthusiast (6), Semi-professional (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (12)
Most Liked Positive Review
Rugged and light weight lens on a budget
Over 4 years ago I started switching my wildlife/everyday backpack over to all Tamron lenses. I went from a pack weighing 36lbs+ down to under 26lbs. I changed over to the Tamron 200...Read complete review
Over 4 years ago I started switching my wildlife/everyday backpack over to all Tamron lenses. I went from a pack weighing 36lbs+ down to under 26lbs. I changed over to the Tamron 200-500mm saving 1.3lbs from my previous long range lens. It functions very well with both 1.4X and 2X Tamron pro teleconverters even when stacked. With its lightweight I normally shoot this lens free handed with no problems. I do focus manually most of the time because the auto focus leaves a little to be desired when tracking wildlife, especially birds against the sky. It gets carried almost daily and tends to get thrown around a bit in my truck. Finally this past fall after 10,000+ images the aperture failed. It was fully covered under Tamrons 6 year warranty and is now back up and running smooth as ever. Being an f6.3 lens @ 500mm and non IS it does have a hard time in low light situations and the picture quality suffers. In the daylight however when using 400 ISO I can shoot at 1/500 sec @ f16 or so and the picture quality is very good to excellent. It is light weight and rugged and worth every penny. I have no regrets buying this lens and will be using it for years to come as my primary wildlife lens.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Lens Life
Good lens for the money. A little slow and sometimes bounces in/out of focus. Good, sharp images at 500mm in sunlight. Big problem is the autofocus motor failed 3 years after purchase....Read complete review
Good lens for the money. A little slow and sometimes bounces in/out of focus. Good, sharp images at 500mm in sunlight. Big problem is the autofocus motor failed 3 years after purchase. Will be testing out the warranty shortly.
Reviewed by 36 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Blurry Focus
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use my new lens to take photos of wildlife that is usually impossible to approach. It is really great when a bird is perched in the open and I have something to lean the lens on. I have had no problems with the light requirement and find the lens practical overall. It is a bit unwieldy for hiking and focusing is more of a challenge.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I plan on going to Hawaii in Feburary and watch the whales. I wanted a lens the I could use to capture them from a distance.
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use the lense mostly for photographing wildlife. Gives great clear pictures, even handheld. Does take awhile to locate and focus, so I have not mastered birds in flight with it yet. Great price, compared to a comperable Canon lens.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use my lens out in the field literally, I photograph wildlife. So far I have had great results getting close up shots of a variety of critters. I am not happy with the weight of this lens but I guess that is because of all the bells and whistles. OverallI see it as a good investment.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Lens Creep
- Poor in Low Light
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
Too often we say for the price the lens was good...not here for at any price this lens is outstanding.I own several canon lens in the L classification and this Tammron lens compares very favorably.
I use mostly for landscape and wildlife with my Canon 7D and the lens focus is fast and unbelievely sharp. Naturally you have to set the camera speed at least to 400 and f/8 is the ideal situation for sharp and clear photo's. At 200mm-300mm photos are very clear and sharp and at 500mm with a polarizer filter attached you will get excellent quality.
Due to the light weight of the lens handheld shots are very possible but for really presentation type photo's tripod and automatic shutter release has to be apply.
You will enjoy this product.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
This lens is used for wildlife photography. The lens is well
constructed and produces very nice images. I would recommend
this lens to outdoor photographers.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Durable
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
If you can't afford, or don't want to carry around, a Canon 500mm prime lens, and you don't use IS (image stabilization) very much, then this lens is for you. This lens also has two LD (low dispersion) elements which gives it the edge in contrast and sharpness versus the Sigma lenses. I use this lens with a tripod and cable release and get very good results. It is also mostly made of plastic which keeps the weight down. Recommended.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
Wildlife and scenery photography, Whale watching from cliffs.
Provides a good stable platform with a lightweight tripod and exibits fine light quality. Sharp images comparable to Canon lens at 300mm. Auto focus works well.
Lack of IS function does not seem to be a problem.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Lens Creep
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Spotting Scope
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use this lens for specific detail in landscapes and also for shooting birds that are perched in trees or other wildlife.
BUT the best use I have found for this lens is when I travel. We travel to Maui every year during whale season and this scope is fantastic as a spotting scope especially when used with a tripod. I have a 20 D - 40 D and 5D Mark II and it works well with all three without a converter. With patience and some skill the lens performs well. Blurry pics are because of the photographer not the lens.
When traveling, especially on tours or cruises, you can't always get to where you want to take the picture from - this lens is light enough not to be a burden and get a great shot for you.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I purchased this lens to replace my 200 - 500mm Sigma Zoom Telephoto lens and use this for mostly wildlife photography. The Tamron lens has a much more superior glass lens which is comparable to both Canon and Nikon's lenses but at a more affordable cost. The Tamron Telephoto is sleek, quick and accurate. With this lens, I am more confident that my shots will turn out great everytime without failure. This lens will focus more on your subject matter than on unwanted objects.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Durable
Cons
- Blurry Focus
- Heavy
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use this lens for birds in flight and most of the time even with a tripod the image is soft. I sent the lens in for repair and it is somewhat better but still not trilled with results.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
The use that I have for a telephoto lens is very different than most people would have for such a lens. I design and also install radar systems around the world. Before an installation is done a site survey must be performed. This means going out in the field to find a suitable location to install our equipment. Often where I want to locate our equipment is a fair distance from where I am and requires the use of a good telephoto lens such as the Tamron lens. Examples are the top of a 200 foot cell tower or a distant hill or mountain. The price of the Tamron lens is right for my application and it is not that heavy to carry around. In the fututre I also plan on using it to photograph animals since some of the places that I travel in for the site surveys have an abundance of wild animals. I do not have any negative comments on the lens and I would highly recommend it.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Macro Photography
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use this lens primarily for nature shots. The auto focus is fast for a large lens and the lack of vibration reduction is not an issue for me shooting hand held because the lens is fast enough to produce 1/500 shutter speeds at 500mm, f8, ISO 100 (in bright sunlight) on my Canon 7D. I also use this lens on my 5DMKII.
Image quality is very good. I took a lot of test shots to examine image contrast, the results were great.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Autofocus touchy when max
- Heavy
- Lens Creep
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
Needed a stronger lens for a trip to the Canadian Rockies for landscape , wildlife shots. It has great reach ! But it has to be steady !!! Tripod is a big help when your max'in out this lens. If your in heavy foliage zoomed in for birds or animals center your sensor or your autofocus will "jump around abit" (takes alittle getting use to) Otherwise I love it! For the Price you can't beat it !
Pros
- Durable
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Blurry Focus
- Heavy
- Lens Creep
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I have had this lens for about 7 months. Maybe it is just me but out of a thousand shots or so. This lens is very blurry at 500mm. I got about 6 or 7 good photos with it at 500mm. Between 200-400mm is awesome hand-held. But what is the point in having all of that distance if you can't use it. If you know what you are doing, it might be a good lens for you. It does get up on your subject.You will need a tripod or monopod. Very heavy!!! I wouldn't buy it again. I will just have to get the Canon 100-400
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Lightweight
- Sharp Focus
Cons
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I use this super-telephoto zoom lens primarily for birds and other wildlife.
The GREAT - Get close to wildlife without breaking the bank! Sharp pictures throughout range, good build quality, easy to operate, comes with good carry case & lens cover.
The NOT SO GREAT - Nothing substantial. Just practice & use a monopod or tripod where possible.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
Good lens for the money. A little slow and sometimes bounces in/out of focus. Good, sharp images at 500mm in sunlight. Big problem is the autofocus motor failed 3 years after purchase. Will be testing out the warranty shortly.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Quick Focus
- Rugged
- Sharp Focus
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- General Use
- Landscape Photography
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
Awesome lens not sure it hasn't gotton more pub, and I haven't run into anyone with one. I have owned this lens I have to say 3+ years and I use it on my Canon 10D. I have shot thousands of birds and race cars. Great long range lens when you really have to getto the subject.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
This is a great len. Make sure you use a good tripod unless the light is great. As it is a long len it is very fussy about being held tight.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Lightweight
- Quick Focus
- Rugged
- Sharp Focus
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Reach target in distance
- Wildlife
Comments about Tamron Zoom Telephoto SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:
I am an almost 60 year old female. Everyone says you need a tripod with this camera. Maybe in low light but in the sun, I have no problem taking pictures handheld and the the results are great. This lens is just fun to use. It's the first lens I have purchased that is not Cannon and I specifically bought it because it weighs less than any other at this magnification.
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Filters & Filter Kits
- Price: $71.50
- Price: $109.95
Hoods & Covers
- Price: $39.95
Cases & Wraps
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- Original: $11.99
- Save: $1.20
- Price: $10.79
Protection/Camouflage
- Price: $89.99
- Price: $99.99
What's in the Box
- Front & Rear Lens Caps
- Lens Hood
- Detachable Filter Effect Control
- Soft Lens Case (with Strap)
- 6-Year Warranty
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