Jason W Sadler

The Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 is really a fantastic lens. It isn't the Canon 70-200 (which costs almost twice as much), but it gets the job done. You might be asking "what is The Job?" The job is low-light capabilities and fast exposures. At f/2.8 I can bump down the ISO rating while still retaining fast exposures even in low light situations. If I bump the ISO up I can capture amazing still-life pictures in supurb detail thanks to Tamron's optics, which is noticibly superior when compared to Sigma's version especially on 35mm or full frame bodies. In the middle of it's aperture range the images are absolutely supurb! Colors are vivid, details are sharp, and chromatic abberations are minimal making this lens perfect for portraits, just make sure you work out a bit because that glass is heavy.

The downside to this lens (again, you get what you pay for) is the autofocus. The autofocus is loud and a tad slow due to the internal focusing mechanisms rather than Canon's Ultrasonic motor. Also, in some instances the image may be out of focus so it takes a tricky shutter finger and a good eye to capture the image properly in it's highest aperture value with AF. I've found that stepping the focal distance forward slightly in the camera's firmware will help.

At $730 it is a bargain compared to Canon's $1,300 version.

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