Tamron Zoom Telephoto AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
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.
- Di Design
- Digitally Integrated is a designation Tamron puts on lenses featuring optical systems designed to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras. By employing "Internal Surface Coatings" and multiple-layer coating technology on ordinary elements, ghosting and flare due to reflections that occur when light enters through the front element and reflections caused by the imagers themselves are reduced to the absolute minimum.
- Macro Effect of 1:2 in Telephoto Zoom Range
- Flipping a macro switch in the focal length range of 180mm to 300mm allows entry into the macro range, for photography as close as 37.4" (95 cm) from the subject. In the macro range, one can take advantage of the telephoto effect and a maximum magnification ratio up to 1:2. In addition, since the focal length in the macro range spans from 180mm to 300mm, zooming can also be used to adjust composition.
- LD Glass
- LD glass elements reduce various aberrations while minimizing the fall-off of light at the corners.
Go To
| 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®
by PowerReviews(based on 56 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
86%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Easily interchangeable (29)
- Fast / accurate auto-focus (25)
- Lightweight (25)
- Consistent output (18)
- Strong construction (15)
Cons
- Slow focus (28)
- Poor in low light (8)
- Blurry focus (6)
- Heavy (5)
- Weak casing (5)
Best Uses
- Landscape/scenery (15)
- Wildlife (13)
- Sports/action (12)
- Wildlife photos (12)
- Macro photography (10)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Photo enthusiast (15), Enthusiast (11), Semi-pro photographer (6), Casual photographer (5), Semi-professional (4)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (16)
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.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
You get what you pay for
When I decided to upgrade to a digital SLR from an old Olympus 35mm SLR, I purchased the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. I received this lens as part of a package deal. I now...Read complete review
When I decided to upgrade to a digital SLR from an old Olympus 35mm SLR, I purchased the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. I received this lens as part of a package deal. I now wish I'd purchased a different lens.
I've used the product for macro, landscape, and wildlife photography, and it seems to be best at landscape. Even then, at max zoom, many photos appear muddled or slightly out-of-focus. Also, when used for macro photography or other situations of high contrast, chromatic aberration is a big problem for this lens--objects appear to have a purple halo. On average, I'm only able to keep 1 out of every 4 pictures due to the aberration and blurry focus.
At 70mm and focused on infinity, the lens has a surprisingly small profile. However, at 300mm it nearly doubles in length. Another drawback is that it has a front-focusing mechanism, which means the end of the lens (where filters attach) rotates when you focus or zoom. This makes it difficult to use polarizing filters. It has all-plastic construction including a plastic mount, so don't expect it to last long.
All in all, you get what you pay for. This is an inexpensive lens and it shows in the construction and your pictures.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 56 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Cost
- Macro
Cons
- Poor in Low Light
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Macro Photography
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
Cons
- Inconsistent focus
- Poor in Low Light
- Slow Focus
- Weak Casing
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Great buy!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
- Tough To Attach
Best Uses
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[...]
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Suitable price
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Macro Photography
- Night Photography
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Lightweight
Cons
- Poor in Low Light
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Macro Photography
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Good price value
Cons
- Poor in Low Light
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- None
Cons
- Blurry Focus
- Loud focus
- Narrow "sweet spot"
- Poor in Low Light
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- DOOR STOP
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Clarity
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Price
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- 70-300 only pro
- Rugged
Cons
- Blurry Focus
- Lens Creep
- Quality of photo is low
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- All around wildlife
- Macro Photography
- Wildlife Photos
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.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
Cons
- Poor in Low Light
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Macro Photography
- Video
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
Seems like a pretty good lens. Picture is clear from what I've seen. I use it mostly for film on my Canon T2i. Does get a little blurry at 300 zoom. But overall I am satisfied with the purchase.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Video
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I use my 7D mainly for video shooting, so I wanted a long lens for compressed crowd shots and shallow DOF. This lens does a great job - clean, lightweight. Very happy
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Lens hood looks silly
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Video
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I love using this lens on sunny afternoons. It's such a great lens for the price. The AF is fast and accurate and I can get action shots from really far away and the riders don't even know I was shooting. It's EXCELLENT for BMX photography.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Macro Photography
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I am a semi-professional photographer that takes portraits, landscape shots and action photos. I have been using this lens for a couple of weeks now and I am very happy with the performance that I have been getting out of the lens. I like the fact that it is a light weight lens that has great zoom ability. The macro feature works great as well. It can be a little on the slow side sometimes with the auto zoom, but not all the time. Overall, this is a great product.
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Macro Photography
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I use this lens for macro photography. This lens is great for full body close up images of small animals such as reptiles and frogs. The price is right, and the image quality is good.
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Sports/Action
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens for Canon EOS:
I already have a wide angle lense and portrait lenses so this
makes an inexpensive addition great for shooting action and wildlife scenes.
I dropped the one that was given to me as a gift and missed it so much I
replaced it with the exact same model. My friend tells me I got a great
deal thru BH Photo.
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Filters & Filter Kits
- Price: $21.82
- Price: $27.96
Hoods & Covers
- Price: $39.95
Cases & Wraps
- Price: $13.79
What's in the Box
- 62mm Snap-On Lens Cap
- Rear Lens Cap for Canon EOS
- Lens Hood
- 6-Year Warranty
Why Shop at B&H
Make your online shopping trip personal with our online Live Chat representatives. You can easily reach an in-house expert while browsing our site for your shopping needs. We have the most highly-trained staff in the industry who are pros in their fields, and their professional expertise will help you get the most from your purchase.
Place your domestic order with us for shipment via UPS, FedEx Economy, or FedEx Priority by 4 PM ET Monday through Thursday or 11 AM ET Friday and your order will be shipped that day. Visit our Shipping Delivery Times page for further details. Delivery times are subject to payment verification.
We appreciate your purchase from us, and we understand that sometimes the products you buy don’t turn out to be the right choice for you. We guarantee your peace of mind with our 30-day return policy. With no standard restocking fee and few restrictions, you’ll enjoy a return process as easy as shopping with us. Please visit our Return Policy page for further details.
We’ve made iPhone and Android mobile apps available for your service and shopping convenience. Use filtered search to find and purchase almost any item we sell and ship worldwide. Download product manuals and guides for many popular items. See high-resolution product images in close-up detail. Manage wishlists and view order history. Visit our Mobile Apps page to download.
See sample Newsletter
Help
Company Information
B&H Resources
