( 7 reviews )
-
Posted: Dec 4 2008
Pro: - great color, IQ, contrast. - light weight - accurate AF when needed - great MF - well made Neutral: - AF is slow but ok for a true macro lens. (My Tamron 180mm's AF stopped working in the first week even though I only tested a couple for times and never really used its AF for real at all. Being a tripod macro lens, MF (plus live view zoom in, which is far better than my 1.5/2.5 vertical finder) is a must for me. I hope AF on this one last longer because AF is indeed useful for hand-held quick shots) - price (not cheap for a 3rd party). But with $90 rebate, it's not bad at all. Minor incovenience: - Once the lens is extended, the only way to get it back is to pull back the focus ring and switch to MF and turn the focus to infinite. A quick release mecahnism would be nice. This is a common problem not unique to this Tamron though. - There's only one position the hood and back cap can be attached to the lens, a Tamron design. This design makes the attachment much stronger but much more hassle to attach in the first place. I much prefer Canon or Sigma's in this regard. I've never had accident with Canon or Sigma lenses when the hood or back cap accidentally fell off. - switching AF/MF produces a loud click sound. The switch can only happen at certain positions. My Sigma 20mm/f1.8 got a better design - I can switch any time, the switch is much more smoother. Bottom line: I have the Tamron 180mm macro, great when mounted on a solid platform, not great hand held - too big and heavy. This one fills the gap. The small size and light weight is perfect to be carried around with other lenses on routine outings. Like other Tamrons, this one is plastic all the way (hence the light weight), but well made, MF ring is well damped with plenty rotation for fine tuning. I was a bit unsure about the closest focus distance on this one, turns out it's plenty for real wold use. The protruding front element is not a problem in real world use at all (as oppose to Internal Focus of the Canon 100mm Macro, or the Tamron 180mm ). In short, this is a perfect hand-held macro/portrait lens.
-
( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 4 2008
Pro: - great color, IQ, contrast. - light weight - accurate AF when needed - great MF - well made Neutral: - AF is slow but ok for a true macro lens. (My Tamron 180mm's AF stopped working in the first week even though I only tested a couple for times and never really used its AF for real at all. Being a tripod macro lens, MF (plus live view zoom in, which is far better than my 1.5/2.5 vertical finder) is a must for me. I hope AF on this one last longer because AF is indeed useful for hand-held quick shots) - price (not cheap for a 3rd party). But with $90 rebate, it's not bad at all. Minor incovenience: - Once the lens is extended, the only way to get it back is to pull back the focus ring and switch to MF and turn the focus to infinite. A quick release mecahnism would be nice. This is a common problem not unique to this Tamron though. - There's only one position the hood and back cap can be attached to the lens, a Tamron design. This design makes the attachment much stronger but much more hassle to attach in the first place. I much prefer Canon or Sigma's in this regard. I've never had accident with Canon or Sigma lenses when the hood or back cap accidentally fell off. - switching AF/MF produces a loud click sound. The switch can only happen at certain positions. My Sigma 20mm/f1.8 got a better design - I can switch any time, the switch is much more smoother. Bottom line: I have the Tamron 180mm macro, great when mounted on a solid platform, not great hand held - too big and heavy. This one fills the gap. The small size and light weight is perfect to be carried around with other lenses on routine outings. Like other Tamrons, this one is plastic all the way (hence the light weight), but well made, MF ring is well damped with plenty rotation for fine tuning. I was a bit unsure about the closest focus distance on this one, turns out it's plenty for real wold use. The protruding front element is not a problem in real world use at all (as oppose to Internal Focus of the Canon 100mm Macro, or the Tamron 180mm ). In short, this is a perfect hand-held macro/portrait lens. Update: this is fantastic tele as well if you are in no hurry. The IQ is just breathtaking. Tried Canon 100mm macro in store the other day, the Canon AF and build quality are better. But if you only use this sort of lens once in a while, you might want to save your buck here because this lens is for real.
-
( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 4 2008
Pro: - great color, IQ, contrast. - light weight - accurate AF when needed - great MF - well made Neutral: - AF is slow but ok for a true macro lens. (My Tamron 180mm's AF stopped working in the first week even though I only tested a couple for times and never really used its AF for real at all. Being a tripod macro lens, MF (plus live view zoom in, which is far better than my 1.5/2.5 vertical finder) is a must for me. I hope AF on this one last longer because AF is indeed useful for hand-held quick shots) - price (not cheap for a 3rd party). But with $90 rebate, it's not bad at all. Minor incovenience: - Once the lens is extended, the only way to get it back is to pull back the focus ring and switch to MF and turn the focus to infinite. A quick release mecahnism would be nice. This is a common problem not unique to this Tamron though. - There's only one position the hood and back cap can be attached to the lens, a Tamron design. This design makes the attachment much stronger but much more hassle to attach in the first place. I much prefer Canon or Sigma's in this regard. I've never had accident with Canon or Sigma lenses when the hood or back cap accidentally fell off. (Correction - just had the precious hood on the Sigma 12-24 "bulb" off without noticing it in the bag, with the bulb completely exposed, which scared the day light out of me! But again that is the front cap not the rear one. To be care, I think Tamron does do a better job at designing their caps. Now I am so much more used to the Tamron way of doing things - just aim the special area (feel it with your finger) of the Tamron rear cap at the red dot on the lens, that is where the cap hooks up with the lens.) - switching AF/MF produces a loud click sound. The switch can only happen at certain positions. My Sigma 20mm/f1.8 got a better design - I can switch any time, the switch is much more smoother. Tokina 11-16 is also smoother. Don't have the Tokina 100mm macro to compare with, though. Bottom line: I have the Tamron 180mm macro, great when mounted on a solid platform, not great hand held - too big and heavy. This one fills the gap. The small size and light weight is perfect to be carried around with other lenses on routine outings. Like other Tamrons, this one is plastic all the way (hence the light weight), but well made, MF ring is well damped with plenty rotation for fine tuning. I was a bit unsure about the closest focus distance on this one, turns out it's plenty for real wold use. The protruding front element is not a problem in real world use at all (as oppose to Internal Focus of the Canon 100mm Macro, or the Tamron 180mm ). In short, this is a perfect hand-held macro/portrait lens. Update: this is fantastic tele as well if you are in no hurry. The IQ is just breathtaking. Tried Canon 100mm macro in store the other day, the Canon AF and build quality are better. But if you only use this sort of lens once in a while, you might want to save your buck here because this lens is for real.
