Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens with Built in Motor for Canon DSLR Cameras

Product Information

The bottom line is that if you shoot using a full frame camera - or plan to do so in the near future - a lens with appropriate coverage really does make far more sense (and for a superzoom, that means something like a 28-300mm). Optical Stabilization

Zooming action is smooth with no stepping. The action is all internal so there's no rotating of the front element. This is great for landscape photographers who use graduated filters because the filter won't rotate when the zoom is moved. The included plastic hood is small - and as usual with this class of lens, will not offer much protection against flare at longer focal lengths. This lens is equipped with Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization, which helps to compensate for unwanted camera movements, especially under low light situations. While the official statement does not indicate the number of f-stops the lens can deliver, I tested and managed to get decently sharp photos at 1/14 sec at 300mm. I think I can confirm that VC does work reasonably well under such a situation. At review time, the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC Lens holds the world record for longest focal length range in all camera mounts it supports including Canon's APS-C mount.

Autofocus is achieved via a motor built into the lens. It is not the silent (USM or HSM) type found on many modern zooms, so a noise can be heard during focusing. Focusing is fast and accurate at the wide-end of the zoom, but AF performance is less efficient as the lens is zoomed in, often hunting around in lower light conditions. The minimum focusing distance is 0.49metres (19.3in) throughout the zoom range, which is very close for a lens covering such a extreme focal length range. If I compare side-by-side the DA18-250mm and DA18-270mm, I am very impressed by the AF of the DA18-270mm, its speed, reasonable accuracy and it is almost silent. IMHO, the AF is a major improvement over the DA18-250mm. Chromatic aberrations are not bad but can be found at full aperture in the corners. That decreases with a bit of stopping down. The contrast of the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE is a fraction lower than we see with other wide-angles for Sony. The color reproduction is also a little warmer. Whether you like that or not is of course a matter of taste, and if necessary you can easily adjust it in post-processing. COMPARED TO THE COMPETITION At the 270mm end, the angle of view is 6°, which is the same as that of a 405mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera. When it comes to image quality, the Batis is the best of these three. The Batis delivers good sharpness in the corners even at full aperture, and the contrast is beautiful. The Tamron does nearly as well, which is special because the Tamron, like the Samyang, costs about a third of the Zeiss. Compared to these two lenses, we see that the Samyang is almost as good in the center at full aperture but clearly less sharp in the corners. That improves reasonably well when you stop down, so around f/5.6 and f/8, the corners are also fine. Another typical feature of the Samyang is that both the overall contrast and the microcontrast are somewhat low. As a result, the shots look slightly less spicy, and you just don’t get the quality you get with the other two wide angles. 18mm or 20mm, does that make much difference? See for yourself. Above, the Samyang AF 18 mm f/2.8 FE. Below: the Tamron 20 mm f/2.8 Di III OSD

We take 10 shots at each shutter speed and visually rate them for sharpness. Shots considered 'sharp' have no visible blur at the pixel level, and are therefore suitable for viewing or printing at the largest sizes, whereas files with 'mild blur' are only slightly soft, and perfectly usable for all but the most critical applications. Vignetting is generally very low - at worst there's slightly over a stop wide open at 18mm, which pretty well disappears on stopping down the F5.6. Overall this nothing to worry about in practical use. Hola! Muchísimas gracias por la reseña, tengo una XT3 y estoy entre este objetivo y el 18-135, no necesito una gran distancia focal pero si la tengo mejor, pero me preocupa perder mucha calidad. Si de calidad son más o menos me quedaria con el 18-135, puedes ayudarme? To begin with, the MF ring has a short rotation between MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) and infinity (common for this lens class),Quando parli di messa a fuocoin notturna, dici che cala notevolmente. Quanto influisce? Quanti scatti non sei riuscito a fare? C’è veramente il rischio che facendo foto notturne, e parlo di viaggi, tipo street non risci a fotografare? The testing, returning and re-purchasing additional copies of this lens was time consuming, but alas, my third copy functions properly.

As of September 2006. Based upon Tamron's research of lenses for exclusive use with digital SLRs equipped with APS-C sized image sensors. The 18-270mm's macro coverage is very similar to its predecessor's, which is to say perfectly respectable, although it's now soundly beaten by Sigma's latest 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. Our measured closest focus distance (at full telephoto, in manual focus) is 43cm, slightly shorter than Tamron's specified 0.49m. Note that you won't be able to autofocus quite so close.

This lens's angle of view widens dramatically on focusing from infinity to 0.49m, especially at the telephoto end. This is a common trait with superzooms, but at a focus distance of 2m the 270mm telephoto end has an effective focal length that's closer to 200mm. In context, it is worth bearing in mind that long telephotos generally tend to used more for distant subjects, in which case the lens naturally behaves as a 'true' 270mm; and at short distances you merely have to move a little bit closer to compensate. Lens body elements As you can see, this new optic from Tamron is amongst the priciest of the superzooms at the moment. Here we'll take a look at whether the extra zoom range and features make the extra expense worthwhile. Frankly speaking, I am excited to see more and more 3rd party manufacturers stepping into the Fujifilm X-system. Not only this gives Fuji users a wider variety of lenses to choose from, but it also provides healthy competition with other APS-C manufacturers.

Gravity extending (or retracting) is especially a problem when shooting upward or downward from a tripod using a hands-off approach (carry some gaffer's tape). Chromatic aberration ranges from low to high, depending on where you're working within the zoom range. CA is highest at maximum telephoto, somewhat lower at maximum wide angle, and best in between the extremes, and with the lens stopped down a notch or two. The Tamron engineers appear to have split the difference in terms of CA and focal lengths: The 18-250mm does better than the earlier 18-200 at the ends of its range, but not as good in the middle of its range. I think this was a good trade-off to make though, as it delivers reasonable performance across the entire range, rather than a range from excellent to poor, as was the case with the 18-200mm. Gary Wolstenholme takes a close look at Tamron's latest super-zoom which sports a silent piezo ultrasonic focusing motor and an improved Vibration Compensation system.The same scene but shot with the lens zoomed out to 270mm. Shutter speed was 1/6sec, again with a handheld D300, with the much sharper VC shot on the right. The distortion is fairly low with the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE. If you don’t have too many straight lines straight along the edges, then you won’t see it. However, the distortion is not entirely linear, so it is not purely barrel-shaped or cushion-shaped, but a little wavy. You can’t easily eliminate that in Lightroom or Capture One if you want to. As the name of this lens has suggested, it is an ultra-zoom lens that features a 16.6x zoom ratio, besides having a focal length from 27mm to 450mm (full-frame equivalent). At 18mm focal length, this lens is capable of shooting at a Minimum Object Distance (MOD) of 15 cm with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 and MOD at 1 meter at the tele end with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4. That is a pretty remarkable piece of engineering to me as I love to shoot close-ups a lot.