I posted earlier about buying the Tamron 70-300 VC to test against the Nikon 70-300 VR. I finally had a chance to test them today. In my unscientific tests I shot each lens at 70mm and at 300mm at f/4, f/8, and f/16.
As far as colors and contrast I really did not see a huge difference between these 2 lenses. For my purposes I was mostly interested in how they compared at 300mm. ISO was set at 200 VR and VC was turned off and outside of cropping, the images haven't been touched. The camera was on a tripod and a cable release was used.
At 300mm f/5.6(wide open) I really did not see a difference in the 2 lenses. At f/8 and f/16 is where I think the Tamron beat the Nikon. The Tamron definitely was sharper. Also, at 70mm I did not see much difference and I have posted pics below at 70mm. In testing AF I could not find much difference. They both seemed to hunt just a tiny bit in low light but locked on quickly in good light. I really did not where one was faster than the other.
The images below are as follows:
1. Nikon @300mm f/8
2. Tamron @300mm f/8
3. Nikon @300mm f/16
4. Tamron @300mm f/16
I have other images if anyone wants to see something in particular.
Steve
In my experience, the Tamron's VC is better than Nikon's VR, and Tamron's performance as you zoom out towards 300mm was better. For some reason, the Tamron's shots tended to lack a lot of color saturation, and I never had that problem with the Nikon. I ended up selling the Tamron and keeping the Nikon, since I don't shoot longer than 200mm hardly ever. Since they are pretty competitive pricewise (assuming you buy the Nikon used or refurbished), I think you'll just have to see which "look" you prefer. There will be buyers for both out there.
On a separate note: once Nikon makes a 70-200 f/4, I will be watching the lens testers with much enthusiasm!
There is also possibility of compatibility issues with Tamron: some people report underexposure issues, but it seems Tamron now is able to fix them and I assume newer batches will include the fix.
Still, since Nikon's camera-lens protocol is not documented, these lenses may fail on future Nikon cameras as reverse engineered protocols are often not forward compatible. See also here: http://jtra.cz/stuff/essays/worst-of-nikon/index.html
Btw, Canon's new pricey 70-300L lens is much sharper than both Nikon 70-300vr or Tamron 70-300vc (in a comparison on the-digital-picture.com) so this may motivate Nikon to release updated 70-300 lens and it also shows that better lens is possible.
Tamron's VC according to what I read can give sharper pictures than VR, but at cost of more completely bad pictures. So it is better for landscape use where you can get several pictures and be happy with one of great sharpness, while Nikon's VR will give you less sharp but less completely bad ones. Also, Ken Rockwell recently commented that VC (on 17-50/2.8) takes longer time to engage thus it is not suitable for fast moments like sports (but half-press of shutter for a second probably makes this ok).
Before drastic conclusions are drawn, consider this; I have the Nikkor 70-300 and I had to fine-tune the autofocus with my D700 significantly. Once done, it lived up to expectation. You might consider that before sending the Nikkor back.
Justin Huffman wrote:
i see a large difference in the product shot comaparison... the tamron is clearly sharper.
this...
it looks like some of the images from the Nikon are a bit on the soft side... and since you used a tripiod with cable release that would lead me to believe the lens may need calibration
"...or you can actually shoot REAL pictures and throw all the testing out the freakin' window
The Nikon 70-300VR is the best sub $400 (used) zoom on the planet. "
Will,
I have this lens as well, and have to agree with you about its performance. That said, your technique puts me to shame. I am always amazed when I see how sharp your posted pictures are.
If I lived closer, I'd be camped out on your front porch begging for lessons!
trenchmonkey wrote:
...or you can actually shoot REAL pictures and throw all the testing out the freakin' window
The Nikon 70-300VR is the best sub $400 (used) zoom on the planet.
really....it's the lens! Ok, a little technique but
