Is the Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens any good?

Question

Hi folks,

I'm looking at a bundle deal for the Canon 450D and the IS 18-55 lens, which also comes with the Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens.

Is this lens good enough to tide me over for a few months until I can afford the equivalent Canon, or should I not touch it with a bargepole?

My camera experience is basic to-date, I'm not an expert (if that isn't obvious). Just looking for something with better quality and flexibility.

Thanks

Answer 1

Honest comments from owners here:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showp...

Probably best if you get a Canon brand instead.

Answer 2

I don't think you'll have any problems with this lens. I mean, the average review on fredmiranda.com says that it's not a lens that a professional photographer would use if given the choice, but it's not like it's a lens built out of coke bottles or anything. If the conditions that you'll be working in are bright that you can shoot between f/8 or f/11, this appears to be the sweet spot of then lens and it should be quite sharp within this range. I think you should be just fine for now with this one, and when you're ready to upgrade, you could very well sell this lens on ebay or something for a reasonable price. That's the wonderful thing about lenses, you can always upgrade and they have a very nice resale value. In the end, you're going to be better off with this lens than no lens at all. I mean, you may have a bit of purple fringing in extremely high-contrast areas and at the extremes of the lens (wide open, 300mm) you may not have a tack sharp from corner-to-corner, but at least you'll be taking pictures.

Another option would be an older manual focus lens, if you're willing to forgo such comforts. Personally, I prefer to shoot in manual mode with manual focus if at all possible. It's more of a matter of having complete control over the camera, and after a bit of practice, using your camera in manual mode should be like second nature. The Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5 was a brilliant lens that still recieves much praise from the photography community. It's sharp, contrasty, and has good color balance -- and it can be picked up on ebay for $40 or so. There's a few lemons out there, so I'd suggest reading this page (http://www.robertstech.com/vivitar.htm) for more instructions. Also keep in mind that you'll need to buy a Nikon version of the lens and then a Nikon to EOS mount converter, which is a thin ring that runs for about $10 off ebay (it's a piece of metal, any will do for most purposes). I completely understand that may be a bit complicated or too much of a hassle for some people, but if you're willing to look a bit, you can get some amazing older glass for pocket change. Good luck with whatever you choose, and have fun with your new camera!