Tamron 70-300 for Rebel DSLR?

[phyliss_crowe]

<p>Am still looking for a good starter zoom in this range for my college friend. The two Sigmas I had asked about in another recent thread got away from me - the older one no loss there; the other I probably shoulda bid a bit more on. Oh, well.</p>

<p>So, for a student on a very tight budget experimenting to find her photographic niche, etc., how about the <strong>Tamron AF 70-300 f4-5.6 LD macro</strong>? She knows she wants to do still life. But she doesn't want to limit herself to just that. No sports, etc., but who knows what else she might find enjoyable?</p>

<p>She also has a film Rebel she uses for B&W.</p>

<p>Thoughts, please?</p>

<p>What should a clean used copy go for on the street?<br>

<br>

Thanks in advance!</p>

[barnaby_harding1]

<p>Hi Phyllis!<br>

I got myself a Rebel XTi a few months ago and have 3 lenses, one of which is the Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 LD Macro (god, what a mouthful!). I absolutely love this lens, but found it took a little while to get into it.<br>

At first, I found it tricky because I don't have a tripod. I was trying to take shots at a music festival at full zoom, and of long-distance wildlife in lowish light, and I got lots of blurred photos as a result. However, now I have practised more I get more out of it.<br>

My first comment is that for the money this lens gives really nice sharp results in good light - as long you aren't shaking/moving it at the time! The sharpness drops slightly as you move between 200 and 300mm, but it is still acceptable at full zoom, I think.<br>

The Macro is GREAT fun and you can get really good results with it. I have only just started exploring macro, and my only gripe is that you have to be quite a long way from the subject to focus, and the lens is a bit noisy while it exteeeeeeeeeeeends its way into focus. I think if you got more serious with this style of photography then you would probably want to upgrade to a 1:1 lens relatively quickly.<br>

All in all though, I love my Tamron and am still getting to know it from all sorts of angles. I am trying sports photography for the first time with it next week at a motorcycle event, so that should be fun.<br>

Enjoy - take the time to get to know the lens, as it is versatile, fun and great value for what it can deliver.</p>

 

[jim_j2]

<blockquote>

<p>"She knows she wants to do still life. But she doesn't want to limit herself to just that. No sports, etc., but who knows what else she might find enjoyable?"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>What current lens does she have?</p>

<p>I would tend to think that 70-300mm would be a long focal length for Still Life/Studio work. The Rebel being a 1.6X crop factor sensor, that 70-300 will be 112mm to 480mm in focal length. It would be a suitable lens as a starter for Wildlife, Birds and Nature.<br />Also the f/4-5.6 in the aperture range will require considerable lighting. Although it indicates Macro, what is the closest focusing distance?</p>

<p>You've probably already been made aware that the EF 50mm f/1.8 is the "best bang for the buck" and can be purchased new for around $100.00.<br />In my opinion, the best and most reasonably priced zoom would be the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. I see them on the used market for around $300.00.</p>

<p>The EF 50mm f/1.8 will work fine on the film Rebel, The Tamron 17-50mm probably will not, and I am not certain about the Tamron 70-300. Someone will probably chime in for an answer on that one, but basically Canon makes lenses with either an EF or EFS mount. All EF mounts will work on the film Rebel, but the EFS mounts may not. The camera's mirror can hit the rear of the lens.</p>

<p>Your college friend maybe better off with the lens(es) she currently has and putting the money towards an external flash or some of the Studio type lighting for her Still Life work.</p>

[phyliss_crowe]

<p>Thanks, Barnaby and James! </p>

<p>My friend has the 18-55 kit lens and was recently required to purchase a 50mm for a class project so she opted for the Canon 50mm 1.8 James referenced - right at $100- , and that's all she has for lenses thus far. No long focal lengths at all for either camera. No word yet on how she likes the 50mm, but no complaints registered either!</p>

<p>She has a very clean copy of a Nikon SB-15 flash (looking to upgrade that), a tripod, a couple umbrellas, and a reflector or two so she's somewhat fixed for that at least as a student. She just wants to try a long zoom to see if she'd like "expanding" her photography horizons, so to speak.</p>

<p>So, James, is it my understanding from your post that this Tamron may not function on her DSLR Rebel? The lens does have the contacts, but it's not the "di" model.</p>

<p>What's a fair price for a gently used copy with original caps and hood, all in good working order?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

[ed_v.]

<p>Phyllis, if you do a search on eBay for "<strong>Tamron AF 70-300 f4-5.6 LD macro" </strong>you'll turn up a good condition used one for US$90 with caps and hood. -Ed</p>

[jim_j2]

<p>Phyliss,<br>

I am afraid that I am not familiar enough with Tamron's letter designations (Di, LD,) to give you a definate answer as to whether or not it would work on the film Rebel!<br>

When I look in the Equipment section on Lenses, it refers to the Di LD with a Sony mount. From reading the write up it sounds as if it will mount and work on a film camera, but do not take my word for it!<br>

Was hoping someone more familiar with that lens would chime in, . . . but not yet!</p>

<p>You may want to go to Tamron's website and do a little research, but in any case, it appears that it would be fine for the digital Rebel and as Ed V. indicated, the $90.00 does'nt sound bad!</p>

[wmervine]

<p>That lens should work fine. I used 1 on my Nikon. Good for the price, but note the following:<br>

Is quite sharp from 70 to 200 at f/8, but gets softer at greater distances. Gave me some really nice portraits.<br>

The autofocus is a little slow and can hunt a bit.<br>

Reasonably well made.</p>

[arie_vandervelden1]

<p>Keh.com has one for $56 in excellent condition.</p>

<p>They also have listings for Tamron 75-300/4-5.6 but this one says film camera only. I suspect you're good to go with the 70-300. Keh is a good shop, I recommend them.</p>

[phyliss_crowe]

<p>"di" means "digitally integrated", and according to a 2003 Shutterbug article, those work equally well on film cameras. They were designed to try to correct some of the problems inherent in digital cameras of the time. LD means low dispersion glass. The Tamron I originally asked about is not "DI" but is "LD".</p>

<p>Thanks everybody for your help! I do want to throw in one more for comparison since it seems to fall in the same $100-or-less price range:</p>

<p>Canon Ultrasonic EF 75-300 f:4-5.6 (metal mount)</p>

<p>Between this Canon, the Tamron, and a Sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super (I believe all three are late 1990s to early 2000s?), which is the best bang for the buck?<br /></p>

[luke_darma]

<p>Before deciding to buy the 70-300mm, did you know that Tamron released the 70-300mm VC?<br>

You can see my <a href="http://www.tamronlensreview.com/tamron70300vcreview">Tamron 70-300mm VC review</a> for more info.<br>

I have to say it's the best 70-300mm lens that I've used up to date. However, if budget is an issue for your friend then you might consider otherwise.<br>

Luke</p>

[phyliss_crowe]

<p>Thanks, Luke. My friend read your review, and the VC is definitely one she has put on her list for future serious consideration once she finishes school, which will be in about 18 months. So it's a very viable contender. She'll be upgrading to a more advanced Canon camera at that time, too, so the combination should be great.<br>

<br /><br />In the meantime, I did find something that will work for her experimentation phase. A Quantaray (I heard that.) 70-300 Tele-Macro AF LD, 62mm filter size. Which means it's a rebadged Tamron from what I've been able to gather. <br>

<br /><br />Quantaray - well, if "rebadged" means what everything says it does - Ritz simply slapped their house brand name on a Tamron lens, then I had to ask myself, "What's the beef? If it's the same lens, well, a rose by any other name, right?"<br>

<br /><br />Anyway, this one was originally purchased new from Ritz in 2007 and rarely used by a college student in his photo classes on both a film and a digital Canon; has all the original paperwork, box, and inserts in new condition, PLUS a UV haze filter and a circular polarizer, both still boxed and like new. For $51, I couldn't walk away from it. And if she doesn't like it, the seller will give us a full refund. Can't argue with that!<br>

<br /><br />I have that same lens in Pentax mount, which is going up for sale because I replaced it with a newer model APO Sigma, and when using the Q in "Macro Mode" on my K100D last evening, it actually did rather well, for what I'm capable of doing anyway. Shot a very busy Swallowtail in a breeze, but I got him reasonably sharp (haven't spent much time with the lens so haven't quite figured out its sweet spots) and no purple fringing anywhere. (UV filter employed). I did have to adjust the brightness and contrast a bit, though, because it was overcast here.<br>

<br /><br />So I think it will work fine for her present needs. <br>

<br /><br />Appreciate all the input, guys!</p><div></div>

[phyliss_crowe]

<p>And one more from last night</p>

<p>Sorry. Didn't use macro for Jesse. Just the butterfly.</p><div></div>

[joel_peskoff]

<p>I'm actually selling one on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170539366313&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT</p>