Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras by Tamron
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Digital camera reviews of Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: Good All Purpose Travel Lens
Summary: 4 Stars
If you're looking for an all in one lens, this is a good one to take. Weight conscious travelers who want just one lens to keep on at all times will be happy with this option from Tamron.
Upon getting it, I put it on my 20D, and it hasn't come off since. I took it on a trip thru SE Asia and it worked great in nearly all light conditions. Some focus lag if you start at longer focal lengths, but that can be fixed either by switching to manual, or just being patient.
The long end was good for unobtrusive people pictures, while the short end was great to capture some stunning wide angle shots. It was also sufficiently bright to get some decent handheld pictures in low light. Other pros are the zoom lock that kept the lens from extending when you don't want it. The flexibility of wide angle and zoom without having to take off the lens and risk getting dust on the sensor was well worth it.
Other than the slow focusing, there are few things I can think of that would make me consider switching it other than using the IS lens for low light photography. I'm not sure I'll ever use the lens that came with my camera again...anyone want it?
Digital camera Review: Good Lens for the General Photographer
Summary: 5 Stars
The Tamron 18-200 lens is able to perform at a level exptected for this make and model of lens. The all plastic construction is firm, grip is good, well damped and light in weight. The lock button to prevent zoom creep is a nice feature but not really necessary. The hood is adequate.
Pros: Light in weight. Fast auto-focus in daylight. A good consumer all-in-one lens that can do almost anything. Macro works well in bright light.
Cons: Auto-focus hesitation in macro mode. At 200mm, satisfactory sharpness at f6.3, excellent sharpness at f 11 and beyond. Does not hold up against dust (keep it covered, in a case, or under a jacket when walking around. Dust gets into the internal barrel of the lens). Lens can get out of alignment if the lens gets banged around, and not made for abusive photographic conditions. Using the built in camera flash at 18mm (without the hood attached) will darken the lower portion of the picture.
Tips: When you get the lens, immediately put on a 62mm UV filter to protect the front lens element. Finger prints not removed carefully can damage the coating. Get a case that will fit the camera with lens attached to minimize shock when walking or hiking. DO NOT switch lenses if you don't have to. This will minimize the dust that may enter the camera chamber. Use the lens hood.
This is a good all in one lens for the non-professional. Good for family shots as well as "soccer moms" wanting to capture the action. Tamron has a good warranty and has good customer support. I'd suggest that after a year or so of use (or within warranty), have the lens checked by Tamron to realign and make necessary adjustments. I had the older Tamron for over 10 years with the film Canon and it has held up very well. It was sent to Tamron for alighment during the warranty period and worked better than new.
This is an excellent lens for the Canon Digital Rebel. It compliments the camera by having a light weight all-in-one lens that will cover most photographers. If you are a serious or professional photographer (or own a Canon D20, D30, etc.) and if your budget allows, you might want to consider the Canon L lenses which has more exacting tolerances, seals against dust, and can handle the abuse.
Tamron makes a good lens. Shop for the best price.
Digital camera Review: Good choice for All-in-One lens for digital SLR
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very good choice for anyone shooting Canon Digital Rebels or 20D/30D series cameras, and wanting an all-in-one design that small and light weight.
Although it doesn't give us the overall range of the most common choice for Canon users (18-55 & 75-300), it does give us a broader zoom than Canon offers starting at 18mm, and is considerably smaller than the 75-300 alone. It also has internal focusing (in neither Canon lens), which means filters, like polarizers, won't spin with the autofocus. It also means we'll have a more useful lens hood, which is included ($$$ add-ons from Canon).
The max aperture at 200mm is 6.3, adequate, but not the best we can get in a 200mm that's still reasonably priced (here's were we loose a star). But construction seems very good, and the warranty is considerably longer than Canon's.
Digital camera Review: Good for amateurs, but far from professional quality!
Summary: 3 Stars
Once my 18-55 kit lens did not fulfill my needs, I went out and purchased this one. As a hobbyist, this is a great lens. Its not very costly anymore, it has an amazing range and produces decent enough pictures for nonprofessionals.
There are a few things to be aware of with this lens though.
#1: Its obviously not going to compete with dedicated zoom lenses and its not going to be anywhere as good as wide angle lenses. With this much versatility, you are sacrificing a bit of quality
#2: The auto-focus is very slow, noisy, and often will be confused on what to focus in on. There are many times which I've had to rely on manual focus. This isn't all that annoying, since manually focused images tend to be a lot sharper anyway.
#3: This lens does suffer from lens creep. This means that if you have the lens on the camera pointing towards the ground, the lens will slow zoom out unless you are holding it or have the lens "locked." Again, this is more of a minor annoyance than anything else.
#4: This lens suffers from chromatic aberration when zoomed in past 150mm. This means that your blues are going to bleed out a bit. If you're not sure what "Chromatic Aberration" is, there is a great wikipedia page that goes into detail about it. Its worth a read.
#5: This lens needs a ton of light when using its higher zoom. New photographers might not realize how much light is needed to properly expose an image at f/6.3!
#6: If you have a fancy-smancy full frame camera (read: not APS-C!) then you can't use this lens! This lens is only designed for digital cameras with small sensors and will not work on the Canon 5D or the 1D!!! Chances are though, if you are looking at this page, you aren't using either of these cameras.
If you're still not put off by all of these drawbacks, then perhaps this lens might be what you are looking for. Its a good value for the price, and is certainly a cut above similarly priced Canon lenses.
Digital camera Review: Good for basics, not for professionals
Summary: 2 Stars
This lens is appealing for its wide to zoom abilities. BUT it has a very VERY small focus. The focus seems to move around constantly, especially if there is any kinds of movement. It seems good for still life but for people it does not work well. I tried shooting a wedding and a portrait with it and found many of the images were out of focus and while I was working with it the focus kept moving all over the place.