14 Reasons the Tamron SP 70–300mm f/4–5.6 Zoom Lens Is an Excellent Choice for Digital Photography Enthusiasts

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Digital photography enthusiasts and hobbyists will find the Tamron SP 70–300mm f/4–5.6 Di VC USD Telephoto Zoom Lens a great choice when they are ready for a second lens in their kit. It features a comfortable design and a very affordable price tag. It comes in compatible mounts for Nikon (built-in AF motor), Canon and Sony cameras.

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  1. Tamron has selected a very practical focal length range for its 70–300mm zoom lens. It provides photographers with the portrait range at the low end, and then the telephoto mid-range that covers most subject matter for the amateur, from travel to wildlife to landscapes. The lens has a pleasing narrow angle of view on an APS-C sensor DSLR, which is similar to 112–480mm on a full-frame DSLR.

  1. The SP 70–300mm is also built with Tamron’s Vibration Compensation (VC) technology, which is rated to provide 4 stops more to help avoid blurry images because of camera movement. Those 4 stops are more likely to be delivered at 300mm with a longer shutter speed, such as 1/25, according to third-party tests. At the 70mm end, 1/10 of a second works well, but with more realistic 2 to 3 stops of help.

  1. As typical with lenses of this type, the image quality of the Tamron 70–300mm is best at the low end of the focal-length range and opened to f/4. Some sharpness is lost as you move toward the other end of the range, with narrower f-stops helping a bit.

  1. Using the Tamron 70–300mm on an APS-C camera body generally eliminates all vignetting. Some may be slightly noticeable in the corners at 300mm.

  1. Tamron obviously addressed any chromatic aberration issues, as you must look closely for it in the corners of a full-frame image.

  1. Again, with lenses of this type, it is not unusual for barrel distortion to be almost non-existent at 70mm, and then begin to show pincushion distortion as you move towards the 300mm focal length.

  1. Bokeh is particularly pleasant at 300mm when framing a subject that is close to the camera.

  1. Tamron’s uses an Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) for auto-focusing for the first time on any of its lenses in the SP 70–300mm. The AF motor is quiet and its speed is acceptable, considering this is an enthusiast’s and not a pro’s lens.

  1. Digital photography enthusiasts will also be happy the Tamron 70–300mm focuses internally, so the focus ring doesn’t rotate when the USD motor is operating. Plus, filters don’t turn either and manual focus can be accessed at any time.

  1. Amateurs are also sure to appreciate the smooth operation of the focus ring and its 160-degrees of rotation. Exterior controls are neat and reduced to just two: activating/deactivating the Vibration Compensation (VC) and choosing manual/auto-focus.

  1. The Tamron SP 70–300mm also rates rather well for minimum focusing distance at 55.1 inches, as compared to many Canon zooms that are significantly more expensive. In fact, it actually does better than two of the three Canon 70–300mm lenses.

  1. The size and weight of the SP 70–300mm is in the average range, at 3.2 x 5.6” (81.5 x 143mm) and 27 oz. (765g).

  1. The digital photography hobbyist and enthusiast also benefits from Tamron’s 6-year warranty.

  1. In the final analysis, the Tamron SP 70–300mm f/4–5.6 Zoom Lens is a great combination of the features and photo quality for amateurs who want to add the next general-purpose lens to their shooting gear.

Photo copyright Tamron USA, Inc. Copyright (c) 2012.

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