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Archive 2021 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:

  
 
jon.pictures
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p.2 #1 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


Wonder if the A7 IV will have a difference in FPS between these two lenses like the A1 / A9.


Oct 17, 2021 at 02:10 PM
tschopp
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p.2 #2 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


The 1.4TC is similar to doubling sensor pixels. So when used on an A1 it would give you an idea how the lens would work on 100 MP sensor.

You could think of the A1 and a7riv as having a built in tc due to the high resolution.

j4nu wrote:
Ok, maybe TCs are useless on A1. I was thinking of buying 1.4x one day and trying it on 100-400GM but in this case I might give it a rest...



Edited on Oct 18, 2021 at 12:24 PM · View previous versions



Oct 17, 2021 at 02:17 PM
davidttus
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p.2 #3 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


Not a real comparable duo here. I have had Tamron 70180 compared with my Sony 70200GM Gen1 side by side. When shooting moving subject, tamron’s hit rate is very low. Even in focus, image quality comes out is really bad. Not worth the money even it’s half the price.




Oct 17, 2021 at 02:20 PM
onthebeam
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p.2 #4 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


davidttus wrote:
Not a real comparable duo here. I have had Tamron 70180 compared with my Sony 70200GM Gen1 side by side. When shooting moving subject, tamron’s hit rate is very low. Even in focus, image quality comes out is really bad. Not worth the money even it’s half the price.



In my experience, and born out in many professional reviews including those from this past week, what you write is absolutely untrue. Tamron 70-180 is sharp as a tack even when shooting a 61MP file. Stunning and akin to shooting a traditional medium format camera. Sharper than the original Sony 70-200 and I’ve auditioned side by side. The new Sony seems to be sharper yet.



Oct 17, 2021 at 03:40 PM
Daran
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p.2 #5 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


jon.pictures wrote:
Wonder if the A7 IV will have a difference in FPS between these two lenses like the A1 / A9.

Probably not as the A7 IV is not expected to have a stacked sensor and therefore likely not fast enough to be affected by the 15fps limit.



Oct 17, 2021 at 04:59 PM
1bwana1
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p.2 #6 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


jon.pictures wrote:
Wonder if the A7 IV will have a difference in FPS between these two lenses like the A1 / A9.



No, the Tamron is allowed to shoot at 15 fps. That is equal to or above the anticipated speed of the a7IV I believe, as it will not have a stacked sensor. The body will be the fps limiter not the lens.

My guess is that the Tamron will not have as high a hit rate as the Sony 70-200 version II lens however.



Oct 17, 2021 at 05:23 PM
onthebeam
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p.2 #7 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


1bwana1 wrote:
My guess is that the Tamron will not have as high a hit rate as the Sony 70-200 version II lens however.


Early comparisons do bear this out. Not as high a hit rate with fast moving subjects, at least those coming at you.



Oct 17, 2021 at 05:26 PM
1bwana1
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p.2 #8 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


davidttus wrote:
Not a real comparable duo here. I have had Tamron 70180 compared with my Sony 70200GM Gen1 side by side. When shooting moving subject, tamron’s hit rate is very low. Even in focus, image quality comes out is really bad. Not worth the money even it’s half the price.



This is not my experience, nor that of any of the reviews I have read, nor any of the other people I personally know who have the Tamron.

I am not sure whether you had a bad copy, or need to adjust your technique, but something not intrinsic to the lens is likely the cause of your poor experience with the Tamron.




Oct 17, 2021 at 05:28 PM
davidttus
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p.2 #9 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


1bwana1 wrote:
This is not my experience, nor that of any of the reviews I have read, nor any of the other people I personally know who have the Tamron.

I am not sure whether you had a bad copy, or need to adjust your technique, but something not intrinsic to the lens is likely the cause of your poor experience with the Tamron.



I think my copy was fine. Price does reflect quality, especially in the lens category. it sells for less just because it is only worth that much, you can check its value on the used market. A telephoto lens with no stabilization, can't be any good seriously, and we are talking about sony's body, with a 5-axis IBIS which is just better than nothing compare to Canon.

If you believe Tamron is good enough then I agree it is good for you and other people you personally know, or you have never tried a better one in person.

I shoot A9/A7RIV/A1 when I was shooting Sony, now I shoot Canon and all RF L lenses when I need autofocus or I just shoot Leica Ms, "cheap" lenses are never a good buy either in shooting nor resale.

Cheers.



Oct 17, 2021 at 07:52 PM
Immortal
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p.2 #10 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


davidttus wrote:
I think my copy was fine. Price does reflect quality, especially in the lens category. it sells for less just because it is only worth that much, you can check its value on the used market. A telephoto lens with no stabilization, can't be any good seriously, and we are talking about sony's body, with a 5-axis IBIS which is just better than nothing compare to Canon.

If you believe Tamron is good enough then I agree it is good for you and other people you personally know, or you have never tried a better one in person.

I shoot
...Show more

It seems more like T70-180 for some reason wasn't good enough for you. It was more than good enough for pretty much anybody (before GM II release) who tested it against first GM 70-200/F2.8. Like i didn't see ANY test here or on YT or anywhere where the first GM would be sharper or better in any way outside build quality and OSS. Tamron 70-180 always was and still is a much sharper lens than GM 70-200, it's also much lighter, smaller and much cheaper. There is a reason Sony made a GM II of that lens.

Also price doesn't always reflect quality of the lenses. Old GM lenses were and are overpriced, on top of that - not that great to begin with. 3rd party lenses (Tamron, Sigma, even Samyang) are sometimes just straight up better (sharper, lighter, cheaper).



Oct 17, 2021 at 08:59 PM
1bwana1
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p.2 #11 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


Immortal wrote:
It seems more like T70-180 for some reason wasn't good enough for you. It was more than good enough for pretty much anybody (before GM II release) who tested it against first GM 70-200/F2.8. Like i didn't see ANY test here or on YT or anywhere where the first GM would be sharper or better in any way outside build quality and OSS. Tamron 70-180 always was and still is a much sharper lens than GM 70-200, it's also much lighter, smaller and much cheaper. There is a reason Sony made a GM II of that lens.

Also price doesn't
...Show more


Agree, but I think you are dealing with a different agenda here. He was a Sony shooter, and now has moved on to Canon and Leica (the King has no clothes).

I used to see this attitude a lot when it came to cars. Those that associate price with quality because they don't have any other basis for evaluation of quality. These people would buy the most expensive cars, with the most performance orientated badges, but had no clue about how to drive them. Cars like BMW M5s and such ( very nice street cars, not a dig at BMW). They had no internal knowledge or skills in that area. Drivers used to get a big kick out of them. But they helped pay the bills.

Like in driving, I find the answers usually lie in disciplined testing. Today, as I had done previously, I went out and tested my Tamron 70-180 on moving subjects just get a more solid feel on its AF performance, and confirm my opinions. Previously I had tested on my a9, and now wanted to see if my a1 made any significant differences. I shot moving cars coming and going, joggers, and fast moving dogs playing at the dog park. I used Human eye AF on the people, Animal eye AF on the dogs, and regular tracking on the cars, focusing on license plates to make it easier to judge focus. My results were very much in line with my previous testing but slightly better. Frame rates just as I remembered remained below 15 fps, mostly in the 12 -13 range. My hit rates varied a bit. Interestingly the lens seemed to do better when I set the camera frame rate to 15 fps rather than 20 or 30. Possibly, falling behind the camera causes problems for the lens. Maybe its better to keep them in sync. Much more testing in this regard is required to form any concrete conclusions. The Tamron seems to have the most trouble with fast moving subjects coming directly at the camera, or going away. In these circumstances most of the time getting a hit rate in the 70%-80% range. The lens did better with subjects that had a significant lateral component to the movement. Hit rates in the 90% area, with a good number of bursts getting 100% of frames in focus. Because the IBIS is not as effective with no OSS, I do tend to keep my SS up higher than on my lenses with OSS. If you don't manage this properly you will get images that are a bit softer and may look slightly out of focus. But, in reality it is motion blur from camera shake I believe. This also happens with the Sony lenses with OSS if you are not setting it to the right OSS mode for the movement involved.

In my experience the Tamron is not the best lens in this FL for fast action, or very low light. I have better. In most instances it does a good job however. In all cases the IQ is excellent. I bought mine for travel, landscapes, and portraits. In such uses it does very well.

If I were shooting indoor, low light action, like volleyball or basketball I would choose the Sony 70-200 Version II and put up with the added weight. Cost is not a primary consideration in my decision process. Photography equipment is an inexpensive component as far as hobbies go. For outdoor fast action I shoot my 100-400 GM and my 200-600 G. Both excellent performers.

The Tamron has earned it's place in my bag for the purposes I use it.




Oct 17, 2021 at 09:37 PM
pulper11
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p.2 #12 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


I just shot my first sporting event with the 70-180. Really enjoyed it. On the A9. Can't comment on any comparisons to the 70-200 Sony, but I can say that the quality of the images were better than I had experienced before and the AF was really good. There certainly were some misses (and a number of those could be due to my inexperience with the camera still) but it locks on really well and also can find focus fast when i switch from shooting one thing to something else quickly.

Garrett Greene about to get hit by Adrian Frye (WVU vs. TT) by pulper, on Flickr

Jarret Doege barely releases ball over Colin Schooler (WVU vs TT) by pulper, on Flickr

Winston Wright Jr. sprinting while returning a kickoff (WVU vs. TT) by pulper, on Flickr

Henry Colombi passing with Lance Dixon in his face (WVU vs TT) by pulper, on Flickr

Winston Wright Jr. tries to avoid tackle (WVU vs TT) by pulper, on Flickr



Oct 28, 2021 at 07:06 PM
pulper11
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p.2 #13 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


I've done a few more games with the 70-180 and really like it. Here is a link to other sport shots taken with this lens. The hockey ones are not as sharp and clear b/c they are taken behind the glass (the holes in the glass for lenses were all assigned prior to me getting there). Still the focus is pretty darn good.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzwGzu



Dec 29, 2021 at 11:58 AM
liggy
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p.2 #14 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


I think the 70-180 is pretty good at af. I’m sure the 70-200 2.8 MkII will be better but I found the Tamron to be ridiculously good for the money.

I’ve got many hours of seat time but had never tried to shoot a track day until recently. The A9II/Tamron combo worked great.

Locked on and held focus without any problems. I’ve got the Sony incoming but will probably keep the Tamron for travel.
Already have the 1.4 TC so that’s my justification for skipping the 100-400.

Re: the lack of OIS - for things that move does it really matter?







Dec 29, 2021 at 12:36 PM
SoundHound
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p.2 #15 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


No a fair comparison. Maybe compare a good used 70-200 MK I GM?

Although for myself I always find I’m zoomed out to 200mm.



Dec 29, 2021 at 02:19 PM
eyal
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p.2 #16 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


@pulper11 and @onthebeam
Curious if you stayed with the Tamron 70-180 or moved to the Sony 70-200
I have the Tamron and love it

But my daughter just made varsity cheer and son will be playing JV football and I will shoot that and nighttime varsity football

I'm wondering if the extra 20mm of reach in full frame and 32mm in crop as well as faster frame rate and likely faster AF will make enough difference to go through the hassle of selling the current and buying the Sony.



Jun 09, 2022 at 06:31 PM
pulper11
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p.2 #17 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


eyal wrote:
@pulper11@ and @onthebeam@
Curious if you stayed with the Tamron 70-180 or moved to the Sony 70-200
I have the Tamron and love it

But my daughter just made varsity cheer and son will be playing JV football and I will shoot that and nighttime varsity football

I'm wondering if the extra 20mm of reach in full frame and 32mm in crop as well as faster frame rate and likely faster AF will make enough difference to go through the hassle of selling the current and buying the Sony.


I just sold my Tamron and purchased the version 2 of the Sony.
It had nothing to do with the extra 20mm of length. At the long end of a lens approaching 200mm or more, an extra 20mm doesn't matter too much to me.
The faster frame rate is a nice bonus but I think 20 vs 15 isn't a lot. I could be wrong and I'll know more once I shoot more with it at football and hockey. 15 is still a REALLY great fps. I used to shoot film and had a Canon 10s and thought 5fps was really good. The next was the 7D which at (I believe) 7fps was amazing.
Not sure what 32mm in crop is.
The likely faster AF is why I did it. While I have been happy with the AF of the Tamron, I heard so many great things about version 2 of the Sony lens that I decided to get it. Apparently compared to version 1 of the Sony lens, the Tamron is pretty close. Not so with the new version. It took me a while to get it and it costs significantly more. Tough call but I eventually did do it.
It may (again) sound contradictory but I did find the AF of the Tamron to be really good. I was able to capture what I consider really sharp and in-focus football photos and hockey (even tougher) with that AF and FPS. However, I believe that the Sony will be better based on reviews and will up my keeper rate. Quick tests while photographing my dog in the backyard running at full speed makes me believe that is true.






Jun 09, 2022 at 08:51 PM
pulper11
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p.2 #18 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


Here are some new links to some of my photos.

I'm in the process of building a website so I'm not sure how long these images will be up at these pages or if they'll change. They're also not as sharp as I'd want on these pages (something I'm working on).

Some of the hockey photos are with the Tamron 28-75. The rest are the 70-180. All the football photos (except 2) are with the 70-180.

https://photobybarnick.com/hockey-photos-by-barnick/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-wvu/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-iowa-state/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-texas/



Jun 09, 2022 at 08:59 PM
eyal
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p.2 #19 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


pulper11 wrote:
Here are some new links to some of my photos.

I'm in the process of building a website so I'm not sure how long these images will be up at these pages or if they'll change. They're also not as sharp as I'd want on these pages (something I'm working on).

Some of the hockey photos are with the Tamron 28-75. The rest are the 70-180. All the football photos (except 2) are with the 70-180.

https://photobybarnick.com/hockey-photos-by-barnick/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-wvu/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-iowa-state/

https://photobybarnick.com/football-photos-by-barnick-texas/


Fantastic shots with that Tamron. Maybe I'm overthinking this and/or suffering from GAS...




Jun 10, 2022 at 08:24 AM
pulper11
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p.2 #20 · Sony 70-200mm f2.8 II vs. Tamron 70-180: Pros vs. Pros:


eyal wrote:
Fantastic shots with that Tamron. Maybe I'm overthinking this and/or suffering from GAS...



Thanks for the compliment!
The Tamron is a really really good value. However I don't believe that it will be as good as the new Sony in AF. You might get around $800 for selling the Tamron. A used Sony here (when they come up) may cost about $2600. That's almost an extra $2k. That's nothing to sneeze at and it took me a while to decide to go that route.




Jun 10, 2022 at 09:28 AM
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