Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 VC (Canon Mount) initial review
So I thought I'd write a lens review for my first blog post, just to get over the scary experience :)
This will not be a spec-driven, pixel-peeping, microscope-wielding review as, frankly speaking, I am not qualified for such and it really doesn't matter to me.
Pic by: Christian Fischer [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
That said, here are some of the specs (additional details can be found on the Tamron website):
Focal length range : 70mm - 300mm
Max Aperture : 4 - 5.6
Image Stabilization : Yes, claimed 4 stops
Filter size : 62mm
Weight : 765 g
Price paid : 395 Canadian Dollars + tax
I bought this lens a little over two weeks back, mostly for my telephoto needs for landscapes and the occasional trip to the park or zoo. I was considering one of the new 150-600s (which are in a different category to this one, though) but decided against them due to weight considerations.
The lens is very sharp in the center
This lens is S h a r p. It is very sharp in the center all through, although it falls off slightly after 200mm. Also, I found that it is much sharper for objects which are at maximum 20-25 feet away from the lens. Beyond that, subjects do appear a bit fuzzy although in focus. And this is when shooting at over 1/1000 shutter speeds.
I liked the contrast from the lens, makes the images look good on the camera LCD. While the micro contrast is not L worthy, it is very good. It tends to produce slightly warmer images, but I couldn't see any hard to remove colour cast that wasn't easily fixed in post.
I spent a weekend at a forest, shooting small birds, squirrels and the occasional beaver and raccoon with this lens attached to a Canon 6D. The AF is silent and fast. Right after achieving focus lock the image jumps in the viewfinder when the VC kicks in. This can be a bit disconcerting and I am yet to get used to this. It will occasionally miss focus, but I will attribute it more to user error than the lens itself. The Manual Focus ring is well damped. One thing to note is that the zoom and focus ring placements are opposite to that of Canon. This might take a little bit of getting used to.
The bokeh is a bit harsh and you might find yourself selectively blurring the background a bit if you are in the habit of using the Clarity slider. There is quite a bit of vignetting when shot open, but it reduces a lot when stopped down to 7.1 or greater. One thing to note is that the lens profile available for Adobe Lens Correction is not very good at handling the vignetting and overcompensates - you will have to adjust and save your defaults for the vignette correction.
The bokeh is a bit harsh and needs a little blurring in PP
My friend has the Canon 70-300 IS USM (non L) and graciously allowed me to use it frequently. The Tamron is bigger and heavier, and feels more solid in the hand. I found focusing speeds to be comparable. The image looks a bit sharper on the Tamron. It comes with a pretty long and sturdy lens hood which really adds to the length of the lens and protects the front element from spray and other undesirable elements. However, it makes putting the lens cap back on pretty much impossible.
Some images taken through this lens from the trip:
