全影像大小可產生APS-C大小影像的鏡頭只屬數碼屬性,它們不可使用於比APS-C 格式更大的影像接收器,也不適用於菲林相機。 無超聲波自動對焦一般來說,超聲波對焦鏡頭比傳統對焦鏡頭靜和快。 使用了一個或更多的低散光度鏡頭元素低散光度鏡頭元素能減低彩色的色差。 不穩定影像穩定器能減低手震時產生的模糊影像,特別在長焦距或陰暗情況下。根據倒數的定律,影像穩定化比無影像穩定鏡頭能有1到3個光圈優點。 金屬接腳平價鏡頭通常會使用塑膠接腳,而較昂貴的專業的鏡頭會使用金屬接腳。一般來說,金屬接腳會比較耐用的及當鏡頭改變很多。當相機主要使用一個鏡頭,接腳物料並不是很重要。 內置對焦內置對焦鏡頭不會因設定焦點而改變其大小。 固定前鏡頭固定前鏡頭在變焦及/或對焦時不會轉動,故可容許攝影師用花瓣狀遮光罩,固定前鏡頭能更容易利用極化濾鏡。 無插入濾鏡支援插入濾鏡使用於那些前鏡頭過大或視野不容許於鏡頭前傳統濾鏡的鏡頭。通常遠攝及超廣角鏡頭支援這類濾鏡。 |
|
| 可用的接環 | Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony / Minolta A |
| 應用 | 人像, 近攝, 風景, 建築物 |
| 類目 | 標準變焦 |
| 倍增器 | 1× |
| 穩定器 | 否 |
| 焦距 | 28 - 75 mm (2.7× 變焦) |
| 鏡片組 | 14 群組含有16 元素 |
| 視角 |
35毫米: 75-32° 數碼: 不適用 |
| 葉片數目 | 7 |
| 最大光圈 | 廣角: f/2.8 遠攝: f/2.8 |
| 最小光圈 | 廣角: f/32 遠攝: 不適用 |
| 最短焦距 | 33 cm |
| 放大 | 0.26× |
| 濾鏡大小 | 67 mm |
| 大小 | ∅ 73 × 92 mm |
| 重量 | 510 g |
| 記錄 |
|
| 自動對焦速度 | 不適用 |
| 自動對焦聲音 | |
| 內置對焦 | 是 |
| 內置變焦 | 不適用 |
| 固定前鏡頭 | 是 |
| 接駁類型 | 鐵 |
| 天氣密封 | 不適用 |
| 插入濾鏡 | 否 |
| 超聲波自動對焦 | 否 |
| APS-C大小的圈 | 否 |
| 低散光度鏡頭元素 | 是 |
| 硬機殼 | 不適用 |
| 軟機殼 | 不適用 |
| 遮光罩 |
包含 可印刷的遮光罩 |
| 三腳架接合器 | 不適用 |
8 May 2007
This lens has impressed me to no end. It is incredibly sharp even wide open. The zoom range is extremely handy. The build quality is excellent. Now, to be fair, the first one I got I had to send back because it was "front focusing" but I had NO problems returning it and getting a new one which was perfect! This lens is an exceptional deal and with the Sony A100 you get the benefit of image stabilization added to this incredibly sharp fast lens!!!
It's my new best friend!
24 November 2008
I bought this lense for my A100 because of it's lower light abilities. This has turned out to be a very good lense. It's focusing is very quick, very sharp wide open & feels well built. I do wish it was a little wider at times, but if really needed I have my kit lense. I've since picked up an A700 & keep this lense on one of my cameras at all times. The picture quality has been exceptional whether shooting flowers, people or my dog, indoors or outide. As a bonus, I also like the looks of it.
5 January 2009
Overall this is a very good lens but I wouldn't say it merits a 5-star rating. I've found in a couple of situations (in bright light) where chromatic aberration was a real problem. For the money, it's a great lens. But to me a 5-star lens would be the Sony/Zeiss offerings and the clarity they provide. Of course, those are significantly more money. Just bear in mind if you're looking for a CA-free offering this is not the best lens - but if you are looking for overall good value (especially in lower light or natural lighting) then this will probably work very well for you.
15 January 2007
I got this lens one month ago. I use it with a K10D and as long as I can shoot in the 28-75 range I use it! Sharpness is excellent and being able to shoot at f2.8 is worth the extra-weight.
The autofocus is fast for the price range. AF noise is OK but it gets really noisy when it's not able to focus... But anyway you won't use a zoom with that range for wild-life pictures!
Even though this is not a macro lens you can still focus pretty close (about 1:3, 1:4 magnification).
I recommend this lens...
17 February 2008
The Tamron 28-75 has become somewhat of a legend due to its phenomenal image performance for the price. Yet, when you take price out of the equation, this lens still holds its own surprisingly well against the top-dogs from Canon and Nikon costing anywhere from two to four times the price of the Tamron. So far, I've found this lens is consistent with what I've been hearing across the Internet: image quality is at a professional level.
The lens looks and feels like most Tamron lenses I've seen, plastic but reasonably well built. The zoom ring is at first a little snug in operation, but I suspect it will loosen a bit over time. The focus ring rotates during automatic focus operation, but that's really a non-issue in my view of things. However, everything still feels generally solid and of quality construction, in contrast to the loose and rattling lens barrels, zoom and focus rings of the Pentax "kit" lenses: the 18-55 and 50-200. Autofocus operation with the 28-75 is a bit on the noisy side, but I've found it to be fast enough so far. What's most important, it's been spot-on in typical shooting situations (a welcome relief to the Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8 I had to return due to poor autofocus performance and resultant soft images). Some comparison shots between this lens and the Tamron 18-250 taken in the 28 to 75mm range show that the 28-75 is clearly a sharper lens and maintains that sharpness nicely boarder-to-boarder. The 18-250, my basic walkaround lens, is a strong performer in that lower range, but it is simply outclassed by the 28-75. Contrast and color saturation is also superior to the 18-250. Interestingly, color tone with the 28-75 looks to be ever so slightly warmer. I've found that CA (chromatic aberration - purple fringing) is present in some rare shots near the boarders such as with the edges of overhead florescent lighting in a gym where that lighting is overexposed in contrast to the rest of the picture, but I haven't seen it appear in many other situations where one would expect to find purple fringing. At f2.8, I've found that this lens still produces impressive images, especially at the long end, but not quite up to the sharpness at f4.0 and higher. So far, I haven't really noticed any issues with vignetting or distortion.
The 28-75 is also a full-frame lens, meaning that it is designed for cameras with a 35mm film frame-sized sensor, but it will also work on the smaller APS-C sensor of the Pentax D-SLRs (dedicated APS-C lenses such as the Tamron 18-250 will not work properly with a full-frame sensor). The positive of using a full-frame lens with the APS-C sensor is that the smaller sensor benefits from being more in the lens' "sweet-spot, " that is, the potentially softer/distorted boarders seen by a full-frame sensor for a particular lens are just outside the reach of the APS-C sensor. Kind of makes one wonder why all D-SLR lenses aren't full-frame.
Considering the limited lens options for Pentax D-SLR owners, especially higher-end products, this is certainly the lens to have. While the Pentax APS-C factor of 1.5x, and an effective focal length of 42 - 112.5mm is perhaps not quite wide enough for some shots, it does, however, work great for general use including portraits and low-light interior shots without flash. A nice surprise I found with this lens is that it has an aperture ring which means I should be able to use it on my old Pentax ME Super film SLR for a true 28-75mm focal range. As I continue to be impressed with the 28-75, I'm hoping that the new Tamron 70-200 f2.8 due out in a few weeks will be in the same league as this legendary lens bargain.
6 June 2008
I just received my Tamron 28-75mm yesterday and fired off some test shots while walking around the house and yard.
Wow is all I have to say...This is definitely going to be my walk-around lens.
------
I did a ton of comparison shopping between various lenses in a similar focal range -- 16-50mm, 17-70mm, but I eventually ended up picking this lens because I need the 75mm more than the wide angles. I also compared lots of numbers at various web sites, although not on Pentax mounts.
GREAT picture quality wide open and only gets sharper if you stop it down. I'm cursed to be a pixel peeper, but I would not hesitate to use this lens at f/2.8 at any focal distance -- it's just that good. Vignetting is almost unheard of, which isn't surprising since it's a full frame lens and I'm shooting with a Pentax K200D.
Zoom feels good and snug -- I don't see myself using the zoom lock button any time soon.
Manually focusing feels okay, but a bit of a "geary" feeling as you turn the dial, and it's considerably smaller grip than the zoom grip. Still, it's fairly snug and doesn't have any play in the turn action, so it's decent.
Build quality seems pretty good for a composite lens body.
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I have no problems recommending this to anyone that would like normal to moderate telephoto action . Very crisp images and great color / contrast and a fast f/2.8 throughout.
Only one small complaint - Shadow visible in images when zoomed out using onboard flash, even after removing the lens hood. I guess I should stop being cheap and get a real flash :)
Tamron has an excellent lens here and the price is a steal.
26 August 2008
I recently started wedding photography, and this lens does the job. It does a great job in low light. I am very pleased I purchased this lens, it was well worth the money.
7 November 2008
Didn't buy this at Amazon, but ended up returning 3 bad copies in a row before giving up. The first had severe softness at 75mm. The 2nd had severe BF at 28mm. The 3rd had slight BF at 28mm and softness at 75mm.
While testing I saw flashes of super sharpness (75mm on 2nd lens and 50mm on 3rd lens). If Tamron could figure out what's wrong w/ their design so it can be more consistently manufactured, they'd have a real winner.
I did wish the range were 24-70 instead of 28-75 though...the Sigma 24-70 uses a ridiculous 82mm filter (they should stop at 77mm or the filter prices get ridiculous).
21 February 2007
I was shocked to see this lens with a low average score. Obviously the initial reviewer either had a bad lens or doesn't know the best practices of his camera. Well, it's his loss, cause this lens is one of the best I've used and my all-time favorite of my current kit.
I decided to give this lens a try after having good luck with other Tamron lenses and checking out the quality images my friend got with the same lens on a Canon camera. It was on my short-list for awhile, and I was thrilled when I finally had a chance to buy it.
Pros:
* size and weight - this lens is great if you want to travel and don't want to sacrifice quality. it is light, as are most Tamron lenses I've tried, but well built and easy to work with.
* color and sharpness - no problems with sharpness here, and color is superb. I find this lens provides better quality than the Tamron 18-200 that I started out with, and far above the Nikon 18-70.
* bokeh (out-of-focus background rendering) - beautiful, which can be said for every Tamron lens I've used so far. they handle the bokeh perfectly and produce some of the best results when shooting shallow depth of field.
* price - this lens falls at a nice price compared to similar Nikon models, and it covers more range than some of the 2.8 Nikon lenses.
* zoom lock - I love this feature on the Tamron lenses. I always lock it when I'm not shooting or before it goes back in the bag. I hated pulling the Nikon 18-70 out and having it fully extend every time because the sides of the bag just barely held onto the lens hood.
* will work with non APS-C size cameras. Nikon doesn't have a full-frame digital available yet, but who knows what will happen in the future. If they do release one, it's nice knowing you can use this lens on it as well. Same if you want to shoot film now and then, since the "digital only" lenses cannot be used on those cameras.
Cons:
* 28mm is not at all wide on a APS-C size sensor, which all Nikon models currently use. I would prefer 18, 20, or at least 24mm. My wide angle is a Sigma 10-20, so that leaves quite a gap in the wide range, unfortunately. It does go up to 75 rather than 70, but I've found that if 70 isn't enough, 75 isn't enough either, in most cases. I'd prefer that extra range on the wide end instead.
* auto-focus can hunt in low-contrast situations. again, this is a trait I've found with all my Tamron lenses, and it is easily overcome by switching to manual when needed.
That's the long and short of it. I don't think I will ever need to replace this lens, and for now it is the default lens on my camera whenever I go somewhere. Great performance all-around, nice bright image in the view-finder, and a nice price from Amazon. I would recommend this lens to anyone looking for a higher quality over their original kit lens.
15 February 2007
I got into digital SLR photography about 6 months ago with a Nikon D80. This was the first lens I purchased about a month later. My intended use was indoor available light shots. At first I was quite pleased with its capabilities. But after a while I was finding I need to do a lot of sharpening in Photoshop to get reasonable results on many but not all of my pictures with this lens. Being a beginner, I was not sure if it was me or my equipment.
Recently I came across a lens sharpness test in `Digital SLR Pro Secrets' by David D. Busch. I ran it on all my lenses wide open, 1 stop, and 2 stops down at various focal lengths. My Nikon 18-135mm kit lens, 50mm prime lens, and 70-200mm tested very sharp at all these points. The Tamron 28-75 did not. At 28mm it was fine. At 50mm I needed 1 stop down (f:4) to get acceptable (compared to the Nikon glass) sharpness. At 75mm I needed 2 stops (f5.6). I'm afraid its going to e-bay.
I seriously doubt I will ever by another lens from anyone but Nikon. And the first thing I will do with any new lens is run the sharpness test.
20 February 2007
I got the tamron 28-75 specifically for low-light indoor shots at concerts and such, situations where you need a 2.8 aperture to shoot "wide open" to get the fastest possible shutter speed--sports and action. i shoot with the d80 and also have the nikkor 18-70dx, the nikkor 50mm 1.8 prime, and the tokina 24-200 in this focal range.
have to say, i've definitely been impressed so far with the tamron -- just shot a concert at the fillmore auditorium and boy, did it come through with flying colors. the real test of sharpness in real-world conditions is when you can crop 40-50% without losing detail. yup, the tamron does that fine. it's great at 2.8 throughout the entire range (but obviously even sharper stopped down to 3.5 or 4), has minimal chromatic aberration and pincushion distortion (no zoom will ever be completely free of these), freezes motion even at the relatively slow shutter setting of 1/60, is lightweight, and has a decent build quality (it's not tank-like like the tokina, but not cheap either), focuses fast in all but pitch darkness (especially with a sb-600 speedlight and the d80's burst setting), and has a nice zoom lock feature to prevent lens creep. it also has a semi-macro feature that focuses to 1:3; not a dedicated macro but a nice thing to have nonetheless. unlike the tokina, the aperture dial is ergonomically situated and doesn't get in the way.
the 28-75 is considered a "pro" lens (look for the "SP" designation), and the price (under $400) is right, unless you want to pay 3x as much for the nikkor 2.8 equivalent. while optimized for digital (Di series) it can also be used for film, and if nikon ever makes a full-frame dslr, it can be used on that too -- unlike the nikon dx, tokina dx, sigma dc, or tamron Dii lenses.
the only downside is that sometimes i wish it was a little wider, say 24mm, but then it does go to 75mm. ultimately, that's why i chose it over the tamron 17-55 which is very similar and has been extremely well-received by the nikon crowd. wish there was a 16-70 or 16-80 f/2.8 out there, but there isn't yet and if there was, it would probably be pretty expensive. anyway, this tamron has proven to be a versatile performer that has met my needs thusfar--great for indoor concerts but also sufficient for portraits -- i'd rate it as a hair sharper than the 18-70 and almost as sharp as the 50mm nikkor, which is saying something. i wasn't sure about tamron before purchasing, but i'm glad i chose this over the sigma 24-70 EX, which is also a 2.8 but has a weird filter size (82mm). a bonus was that the tamron uses the same filters as the 18-70 dx, so i didn't have to invest in yet another set of filters.
perhaps the previous reviewer got a bad copy or just needs to review the camera manual again (particularly A and S modes and ISO and WB settings if intended for low-light shots), because this is anything but a one-star lens.
11 July 2007
This is my first non-Nikon lens, and for the price you can't do any better for a walkaround lens. I wanted to wait to write my review after a substantial test of this lens, which I did at a friend's wedding. I took along all of my usual gear just in case, including a 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor prime and a 70-300mm Nikkor zoom--neither of which I ever touched the whole evening. I managed to get every single picture using just this lens, including shots taken in full sunlight, shade, sunset, and indoors with minor assistance from a fill-in flash (SB-800). Over 90% of my pictures came out tack-sharp and exactly as I hoped they would, with the other 10% just being the result of poor planning or user-error. In my opinion, I never got anywhere close to this kind of quality with my kit 18-55mm Nikkor (which is what I intended to replace with this lens). I did a lot of research between this lens and a similar model by Sigma, but this lens had much higher praise--and I can certainly see why.
3 December 2007
I am thoroughly pleased with this moderately priced lens. For an outlay that does not break the bank, I am amply rewarded with sharpness and superb color rendition. I own three Tamron lenses: this one, the 90mm macro, and the 70-300mm macro zoom. I would call the 90mm the sharpest and put this one at a close second. Given the fact that the 90mm is a legend, that's high praise indeed. If you're concerned about quality but can't stomach the cost of a Nikon or Canon standard range zoom, try this one. I rented a copy and was so thrilled by how it handled, and how well it balanced on my Nikon D50, that I ordered my own copy after only a few days of use.
2 November 2004
I have never bought a non-Canon lens because I just love the look, feel, and optical quality of the Canon line particularly the L series lenses. But I kept reading glowing reviews about this lens. On multiple websites. So, I went out and took a look.
First impression: the build quality is not as good as a Canon L series lens. Duh! It costs about 1/4 as much for goodness sake. This is a plastic lens - not metal. But I must admit that the build quality was pretty darn good. Better, I think, than the Sigma lenses I've seen. Fit and finish was very nice and tight. I'd give the build quality a 4/5. Not bad. I figured I could live with it.
Next, I put the lens on my camera. I'd read reviews complaining about the speed of the focusing. It may not be quite as quick as my 200 f2.8 L series lens but it was pretty darn good and for my purposes, plenty fast. A 4.5/5
I'd read reviews complaining about the noise and the fact that the AF was not USM. I thought the AF worked very quietly. Not at all distracting and barely discernable. Noise - not an issue.
Then, I took pictures with the lens and I was absolutely floored! How in the world did Tamron manage to produce a lens that performed so well optically for such a reasonable price?! Beautiful contrast, excellent resolution, gorgeous colors, and extremely sharp, particularly above f2.8. But, f2.8 is very good as well.
Obviously the first comparison that comes to mind is between this lens and the Canon 24-70 f2.8 L. I would say, I kid you not, that this lens is in every respect optically the equal of the Canon or better than the Canon. I could not believe it.
I tested this lens directly against a brand new copy of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L. Method: I tested both lenses on a tripod @ F 2.8 and 8.0 @ 28mm 50mm and 70mm. Target limestone wall 9.5 feet parallel to the sensor plane. Remote release employed. No mirror lockup. Center and all four corners were evaluated to my naked eye on a monitor using 100% crops. Both lenses were new copies received within the last 7 days.
The limestone wall lent itself perfectly to evaluating sharpness and subtle contrast and color rendition. There was enormous detail present in the wall with subtle colorations present.
Findings:
28MM F8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners
28MM F2.8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners
50MM F8: Tamron slightly sharper in the center and very slightly sharper in corners
50MM F2.8: Tamron slightly sharper in center and equal in corners.
70MM F2.8: Canon sharper in center and at corners. Incidentally noted was inability of Tamron to focus as sharply as I was able to achieve with manual focusing.
70MM F8: Tamron sharper in center with Canon slightly sharper in corners.
Some have said that there is less flare with the Canon, but if you use the lens hood that should not be a problem. I didn't notice excessive flare in my copy.
Admittedly there is significant copy to copy variation in both the Canon and the Tamron, but my findings convinced me that at 1/4 the price, and with the Tamron weighing 1 pound less than the Canon that the Tamron was the lens for me. Optically 5/5!!
I cannot recommend this lens highly enough. It is the first non-Canon lens I have owned and I am thrilled.
17 May 2006
I was a fool to have believed that the kit lens(18-55mm f/3.5-5) from the 350D was enough, but I was more than a fool when I thought the "nifty-fifty"(50mm f/1.8) was the only lens I needed. The kit lens was only a "so-so" lens at best. And the nifty-fifty was hard to take pictures when I must be standing at least 5 feet back to capture my subject. The 1.8 of the nifty-fifty was brilliant but having almost everything except one small spot in focus is not worth my "Kodak moments." I needed something more versatile, something efficient and cater to the budget photographer like myself.
I scoured the internet for a lens that could be titled as the "King of the Walk around Lenses." Many lenses were nominated by photographers across the net. Lenses such as the Canon 17-40 f/4L, the Canon 17-85 IS USM, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, the Canon 50mm f/1.8(Nifty Fifty), Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Canon's 28-135mm IS USM, and much more. A good walk around lens must have versatility, which for me meant a decent zoom range. Something that a prime lens like the "oh so perfect" 50mm f/1.8 nifty fifty cannot satisfy.
Here I shall digress a little and talk about the nifty fifty. It's definitely a great lens, a lens that is extremely affordable, approx 80USD. It is outstanding in low light and again, it is CHEAP. Many people love this lens for its value per price, myself included. That is why that the 50mm f/1.8 was my very first lens besides the kit lens. I began using it all the time but always found myself stepping back, way back, in order to achieve a good composition of the subject at hand. This annoyed me a little and I decided to continue my search for the best walk around lens.
Back on topic now, versatility is important, zoom range is important. Something like the 17-85 IS USM, 28-135mm IS USM definitely interested me. These are definitely not as expensive as the other lenses out there, especially the L-line. I was holding back because the prices on the mentioned Canon lenses were still quite steep; they were as expensive as the camera body! I could not come to grip with a lens that costs as much as the body, here I would like to mention I'm new to SLR photography. Price was a major factor for me and the zoom range was important as well.
Along with zoom range, another aspect of versatility included the lens' ability to be useful for indoor or night photography. This is the reason why I bought the nifty fifty in the first place. I took more interest in the lenses that had a larger aperture; something about f/2.8 just screams sexiness to me. Well with these criteria in mind, I started to really look at the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L. This lens has received epic reviews from every photographer. Its built quality and its pictures are perplexingly amazing. My versatility requirement has been met at every angle. When I look at the price, my jaws dropped and suddenly this lens just became a lens beyond my reach.
As price is a huge factor in buying anything these days, the price of the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L scared me away. But through my meticulously investigation into the 24-70L lens, I came across a small group of people who had found an alternative.
That alternative is what I am really reviewing here: the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8.
Advantages of this lens are the best part. This lens is incredibly versatile, good zoom range, great for low lighting shots. It was the perfect alternative to the beloved Canon 24-70L. The major factor that really pushed me into buying this Tamron was the price. It was a HUGE bargain. The Canon sells for more than a thousand dollars while this Tamron is in the very reachable range of 350USD.
Now there are only a few sample images by fellow amazonites so I was hesitant in believing what others were saying about the quality of the pictures. And there weren't many in depth review on this lens either. I also heard this lens has to seek focus for an image in low lighting areas. I took the plunge and bought this lens anyways.
To my surprise, this lens is tremendously useful. The 28mm is decent enough for landscape. The other end at 75mm is quite good for portraits or just typical zoom images. My pictures were very sharp comparing to the kit lens and the nifty fifty. I have taken pictures indoor during a cloudy morning, indoor night time with halogen lights in the room, outdoor nature, and outdoor people. This lens produces exceedingly sharp pictures.
The constant f/2.8 was the best part. I can shoot rather well in low light. For some ridiculous reason, I walked into a national park as the sun was setting, so when I was a mile in, it was already dark. My Tamron was able to still take pictures at ISO speeds of 800 and I thought, "Wow, I couldn't do this with my other lenses." With that said, there is one minor annoyance. This is not a USM obviously, so it does take a little bit of time searching for that focus. In extreme low lighting, like that of a hike after the sun has set, it was impossible for me to obtain autofocus. I guess this is true for all lenses so it is not that big of a problem here.
The Tamron's build quality is quite sturdy. This lens was very strong from when I was playing with it. The 28-75mm is much heavier than the kit lens I received with the 350D so I was still getting used to it. When this lens sits in my 350D body, I couldn't really hold the camera if my hands were only on the camera. I needed to place my left hand on the barrel of the lens in order for a good feel. Mounting this combination onto a light weight tripod gave me moments of fear. The top of the tripod would start tipping forward. When I tilted my camera vertically on the tripod, the tripod tipped to the left. Of course adding weights to the tripod solved the problem but be warned that this is a real lens that has a good weight to it.
Comparing to the Canon 24-70L lens, which weighs twice as much and cost three times as much, this Tamron is a steal! Even though this lens is not that well known, I love its ability to compete with the 24-70L. I especially love the price of this incredible lens. For those that are hesitant to buy this lens, please don't be. It's an excellent lens with good quality.
To sum it all up, the price, the zoom range, the large aperture, the built quality, and again the price make this lens the best "bang for the buck" lens for a Canon SLR. I love the ability to just take photos in any situation while producing sharp pictures. This lens claims the title "King of the Walk Around Lenses" in my book. And last but not least, a good walk around lens will definitely encounter battle scars so the low cost of this lens would not take a week's worth of pay to buy another one. Two thumbs up, five stars, top 10 rating from me.
I am sorry if this review was too long, I just love this lens.
Update(2006-07-12):
Just came back from a 40 day backpacking trip through Europe. I brought this lens with me along with Canon 50mm f/1.8. The whole time, I only used the Tamron. It was heavy to be strapping the 350D around my neck walking around in 85F heat but i managed.
The lens performed commendably! It was truly a great walk around lens because when you're out, you're going to be out all day. So from morning to night, my lens was able to capture every moment I wanted to remember. Though I did find myself saying "I wish I had a wide angle lens" almost everytime I visited a museum or a church, I still recommend this Tamron whole heartedly.
After my long trip, I have learned that no single lens can truly claim to be everything you need, but with this Tamron, you'd have a blast with its sharp pictures! When I was in museums and churches, people were flashing about with their cameras while I took all my photos with my amazing 2.8 aperture so no flash was neccessary, capturing the true lighting on the subjects. People were just amazed and asked "Wow, you don't need a flash?"
Hope I can update every one out there with my experience on the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8
Update 12/13/07: 1 year later......
The lens is great, I did a lot of portrait shots over the year and with the 2.8, it made the subject stand out from the background. But I guess I'm still a beginner at photography. I looked back at some photos and realized my portrait style cannot be applied to taking photos of objects. Extending the focal range, I had tried to capture a car from a distance but my shaky hands and the f/2.8 made everything blurry! I have to review my basics and use a smaller aperture.
Still a great lens, for its price, it's definitely unbeatable.
I have now added a Canon 10-22mm to my collection, which is extremely fun to play with.
24 April 2005
I've been shopping for a new lens for quite some time now. I got my 20D a few months ago and I finally settled on this lens. I did my research on this lens. I have heard nothing but good about it. I've only tested the lens for a couple of days now and I am totally amazed with the quality of this lens. And the price is right too. The lens is fast and sharp. The build of this lens is excellent... it fits well in my hand and the weight is not too light [junky] and it's not too heavy... it's perfect for keeping on the camera at all times. The images captured by this lens are just "wow". I don't think I could have found a better zoom lens for my 20D. This is the lens that I am going to always leave on my camera. I couldn't suggest a better one.
21 March 2005
Got my Digital Rebel XT (350D) about a week and a half ago and was deciding between this Tamron (28-75 f/2.8), the Canon 24-85, and the canon 28-135IS, and for my money, this became the hands down choice. I researched this decision for a good month and a half (the digital rebel XT was not yet released in the US so i had some time to decide) and my goal was to buy a lens to start out the XT with that was able to bring out the true power of the new 8MP XT. The lens is faster and better quality than the Canon 24-85, and although it isn't as long-range as the Canon 28-135IS, it is smaller, lighter, cheaper, and "feels better" on the rebel than the 28-135 for everyday use.
If you are looking for a solid lens to cover most of your subjects (from telephoto to portraits to some strikingly sharp up-close Macro shots), and be able to leave it on the camera without much hassle, this is the lens for you. As far as image quality goes, this lens is comparable to the much much pricier Canon 24-70L series, and furthermore, it is smaller and lighter than the L-Series.
I was skeptical at first about buying any third party lens, and i still am, but this specific lens speaks for itself. The lens speed was the final straw in my decision... at f/2.8 this lens is quite a bit faster than the Canon 24-85 (f/3.5-4.5); and it comes with the Tamron 6-Year warranty. I bought this lens for $399 and it was worth every penny.
If you are looking in the long range for setting yourself up with a multi-lens system, this lens fits quite well without much overlap with other high quality lens. I plan on getting a Canon 50mm (f/1.4) for fast portraits, a Canon 50mm Macro for super close shots, and the Canon 70-200L for longer range shots to round out my ability to shoot a variety of subjects. The only overlap with the Tamron 28-75 is the 70-75 range which is nonconsequential to me. Hope this was helpful.
11 March 2007
I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose important photo opportunities while changing lenses - yes, resolution and detail are a must, and I'm quite sure this one packs great quality in a affordable package, but the reason people use zooms instead of primes is basically avoiding lens swapping in the first place - along with price as well (1 zoom vs 2 or 3 primes), so if you are shopping for a walk-around zoom lens, I believe you want to avoid as much as possible the stressing and often risky lens swapping. Considering a study I did I believe you'll be swapping lenses a lot with this one, since it is so long in a 1.6 FOV body. It becomes a 44.8mm lens, for Christ sake, a NORMAL lens! If I made you curious, keep on reading.
My research:
I have analysed the EXIF tags of all the pictures I took with my point-and-shoot Powershot A520 in certain days. It has a great range (35 to 140mm equiv). I have considered ONLY albums that were about travels or strolling around, no toddler parties were analysed. Boat rides, travels and sightseeing in general only. I made a frequency analysis of the lenses I used for every shot, and lately I compared with the ranges possible of many lenses in the market.
These are the percents of photographs taken with each lens (converted to 35mm equiv) range:
35mm - 41,7%
47mm - 7,0%
59mm - 4,0%
71mm - 10,0%
83mm - 13,0%
96mm - 4,0%
112mm - 11,0%
140mm - 44,0%
Now, these are the percentages of the shots taken I could do with each of these lenses on a 1.6 FOV cropped sensor camera. Here are my findings:
Canon EF-S 17-55mm (kit lens) (74.6%)
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 (100%)
Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR (74.6%)
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM (63%)
Canon EF 17-55mm f/2,8L IS USM (74.6%)
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 (82.1%)
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L (82.1%)
Tamron SP AF 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 (100%)
Canon EF 24-85mm f 3,5-4,5 USM (100%)
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM (58.3%)
*** Tamron AF 28-75mm f2.8 (40.4%)
Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8 (65.8%)
Cosina 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 (63.0%)
(I considered 319 shots in my research, should you be willing to do the math. To be fair, I considered 38.4mm to be close enough to 35mm, hence the good results of 24mm+ lenses).
As you can see, should you believe my research, the 28-75mm had one of the worst coverage-based hit ratios on a 1.6 FOV crop (for the considered lenses). Barely 40%. Even the considerably short Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM scored a 63%. Indeed 40% means a lot of lens swapping. BTW, in a full-frame camera (film SLRs included) the story is another one completely. The 28-75 coverage leaps to 68.3% of the shots. I personally wouldn't consider anything far from 70%.
There is a reason Canon packs a 17-55mm zoom with their cameras, though a soft one: it's a pretty commonly used range, as 74.6% of my shots would be covered by that lens.
Have I ever used a ~50mm as a walk-around lens on a SLR? Definitely, and for a long time. My opinion? It was a real pain. Never wide enough indoors (ever been to a crowded restaurant during a stroll around?), never wide enough for group shots (picture yourself inside a trolley car, trying to photograph your friends, as I did once. Wrong lens). Never the creative options even a modest 35mm wide-angle would give you. My idea? You don't want to loose the 35mm range in your everyday lens. It is a great loss.
My advice? Study another alternative, such as Tamron's highly praised SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR (scored a very fine 74,6%, and has the juicy 2.8 aperture as well). Or at least consider a lens that starts at 24mm. These extra 4mm become 7mm wide, and that's a great difference. A 38.4mm wide angle is no big deal, but close enough to 35mm, and in my opinion a world apart from 44.8mm.