Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR

5 Comments

1. A. Waggott says:

   March 14, 2009 at 10:24 pm

   Review by A. Waggott for Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
   Rating:
   I have upgraded to this lens from the previous Tamron 18mm-200mm zoom lens which was very good. This lens does go the extra mile especially with IS (image stability), it does give me a bit extra zoom which is always useful. I do use this as my only lens because I am not a professional photographer but just like to be ready for most situations when they appear. I like taking techincally good pictures and this lens goes a long way to helping me do just that.
   
   I have recently read an article in the magazine PhotoPlus (Canon Edition), they have reviewed this type of zoom lens, and this came out top.
   
   The only down side to this lens it does seem a little heavy but just think about what you get in the lens to make it do what it does (weight taken from the Tamron web site – 550g (19.5oz)).
2. R. P. Whitworth says:

   March 14, 2009 at 11:13 pm

   Review by R. P. Whitworth for Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
   Rating:
   I bought a Canon 500D with the intention of using my Sigma 24-300 zoom lens with it. As the 500D is a 15mp camera, I thought the Sigma would be an ideal lens for it. How wrong! With the larger image size came more noticeable blurring, as the Sigma is not image stabilised. So I purchased a Tamron 18-270 DI, which is stabilised.
   
   The first few shots taken with the camera/lens were no better that with the Sigma lens, still blurry, until I realised that there is a technique to using this lens. When you focus the camera the image through the viewfinder shakes, then freezes, and and soon as it freezes, you follow through with the shutter release. Result: perfectly focussed picture. If you leave the release too long after the composed frame has stabilised, you may find a slightly unfocussed image results, particularly on longer focal lengths. Then again, it could just be me!!
   
   However, for me this is almost the perfect lens. I visited Italy recently, and could not take a bad picture there. From point-and-shoot snapshots to composed pictures, it was spot on.
   
   It is worth noting that this lens is made for APS-C sized sensors, and will not fit full-frame type digital or film type cameras.
3. Mr. G. Hastings says:

   March 15, 2009 at 12:02 am

   Review by Mr. G. Hastings for Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
   Rating:
   I originally bought the Sigma 18-200 OS lens but was so dissapointed with the results after taking a few hundred shots in all situations that i took the lens back and exchanged it for the tamron. Straight away the quality of shot had improved immensely, pin sharp images and a really nice ‘bokeh’ compared to the sigma. Had to pay a little extra for this lens over the sigma but i think it was well worth it.
4. Ofsted says:

   March 15, 2009 at 12:30 am

   Review by Ofsted for Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
   Rating:
   I bought this lens in preparation for a visit to Kew Gardens to capture a variety of plant forms on camera. It did not disappoint. Yes – it is quite heavy and does tend to creep when carried without the lock engaged – but its versatility outweighs such matters. From wide angle to close up this is my lens of choice. The image stabilisation is good enough to capture the detail in a buzzard’s wing when hand held at maximum zoom.

   In manual focus however the ring is very “slack” and not as easy to use – but with practice I am sure I will master it. Also I find the LOCK button which stops the lens creeping under its own weight when not in use rather fiddly to engage.

   Looking for a general purpose lens for the CAnon EOS 450D – look no further than this lens – but shop around to get the best price!
5. Mr. Laurence Williams says:

   March 15, 2009 at 1:19 am

   Review by Mr. Laurence Williams for Tamron – AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
   Rating:
   —-
   
   *** Note Amazon have this lens listed several times ! Search on ‘Tamron 18-270′ in the ‘Electronics’ department to see them all. It’s worth checking each listing as availability and prices differ….!
   
   —

   [I've added 5 photos to the item page showing the lens fitted to my EOS400D, to highlight the notable features and show the included lens hood/retail box.]

   Firstly, be careful that this lens will work with your Canon EOS as I believe it is not compatible with the entire range (something to do with the imaging sensor)…

   I bought it for use with my EOS 400D and it works fine; I previously had both a 28-200 and a 18-35 lens, so this lens not only replaces BOTH lenses but gives me even MORE range at the top-end !

   [I recently went on a long overseas holiday and the constant lens swapping (I often needed the 18-28 capability) got to be a real pain, as well as me having to either carry both lenses or 'miss' certain shots if I had only the one with me on an excursion. When my 28-200 suddenly failed catastrophically, the 'justification' for buying this lens was made - although I may well have been tempted at some point anyway...]

   The lens is ‘stubby’, relatively light and is well-made. It rests in the hand very well when fitted to the camera body and is quiet in operation.

   Image quality seems to be excellent (I compared it to my existing lenses by swapping/snapping the same view and assessing the resulting images).

   The stabilisation feature definitely offers an advantage and you can even see an improvement in performance when looking through the viewfinder and preparing for a shot; I think this is a ‘killer’ feature.

   The lens comes with a detachable hood, end caps, has a 72mm filter thread (which doesn’t rotate with the focus, so your polarising filter setting doesn’t get mucked about with !) and a manual focussing ring which rotates smoothly.

   When zooming, there is a noticeable increase in ‘resistance’ (but only a bit) at each end of the range which I presume is intentional as the lens doesn’t ‘collapse’ or ‘extend’ (from the maximum/minimum zoom respectively) when it is vertically downwards or upwards – excellent.

   [I have seen others say their lens DOES either collapse or extend, so I am either lucky or they have a duff lens !]

   Regarding this matter, now for my one gripe :

   Despite there also being a ‘zoom lock’ facility, there is nothing to stop the lens collapsing/extending in the middle-part of the zoom range; that’s because the ‘lock’ button can ONLY be activated with the lens fully ‘collapsed’ ie as my lens doesn’t collapse/extend anyway, due to the aforementioned built-in resistance, that ‘zoom lock’ feature is actually rather pointless and it would be MUCH better if it could be set at ANY zoom setting….

   Irrespective of that gripe, if you can afford it this lens is an excellent choice and has a very useful stabilisation feature; the ‘economics’ of purchasing it may well be justified anyway, as most people really shouldn’t need to buy any other lenses and it offers most people the likelihood of not having to carry extra lenses/perform lens swaps whilst ‘out and about’…