Anyone here used a Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 lens on a Nikon? I am looking for some feedback on it. I'm sure it doesn't compare to the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, but it is a lot less in price. I got a chance to use the Nikon 70-200 the other night. I definitely need to change lenses. I didn't know if the Tamron was a good option or not. Any feedback is appreciated.
I have one and I like it well enough. Pretty good in the sharpness department, just slow to focus and it can hunt quite a bit. I've used it at weddings where ISO 5000-8000 and 1/200th were needed at f2.8 and it did pretty well all things considered. For the price it is hard to beat, IMO.
Hunting seems to be an issue on some of the Tamron. I did have the 28-300, it wasn't too bad. Considering I do action shots, slow focus and hunting wouldn't work for me.
The Sigma is supposed to be much quicker, but at the time I was purchasing, the choice for me was between the Tamron and the Siggy without OOS. According to the reviews i read the Tammy was the sharper lens, and AF speed wasn't my main priority, plus it was a couple hundred cheaper so I went that route.
You might look at the Nikkor 80-200's as well. Priced right and the AF should be pretty quick.
DTOB wrote:
You might look at the Nikkor 80-200's as well. Priced right and the AF should be pretty quick.
I have the 80-200mm f/2.8 that DTOB is speaking of. The focus speed is decent. After having mine for a few months, I took the Nikon 70-200 VRII for a spin and it's focus is quite a bit faster than the 80-200. However, couldn't justify the price difference for my needs. If you are doing sports and are NOT using a TC, you might be able to get away with it. I do a lot of child portraits and it can struggle to keep up with the more active ones. It is a very good piece of glass for the price though.
MRM4 wrote:
Hunting seems to be an issue on some of the Tamron. I did have the 28-300, it wasn't too bad. Considering I do action shots, slow focus and hunting wouldn't work for me.
I have many Tamron lens and they all hunt! Sharp, but they hunt!
ecidi wrote:
I have many Tamron lens and they all hunt! Sharp, but they hunt!
That was my experience with the Tamron 70-200 on a D700. Very nice IQ. Good build quality. Decent AF speed but nowhere near an AF-S lens in speed to lock or consistency.
The Sigma is supposed to be much quicker, but at the time I was purchasing, the choice for me was between the Tamron and the Siggy without OOS. According to the reviews i read the Tammy was the sharper lens, and AF speed wasn't my main priority, plus it was a couple hundred cheaper so I went that route.
You might look at the Nikkor 80-200's as well. Priced right and the AF should be pretty quick.
I would give the Sigma a try, but they turn the opposite to get them to zoom in and out than most the Nikon lenses. I had one of those a few years ago on my D200 and I never could get used to it.
You get what you pay for with the 70-200's. A hobbyist can save some $$ with a 3rd party 70-200's
However, If you need consistently fast AND accurate AF speed in any light...there's VR and there's VR II.
A hobbyist can save some $$ with a 3rd party 70-200's