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 lens if there is a lot of light around.
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted an all-in-one type of lens and I didn't have much money to spend when I ran across this Tamron 18-200mm. I really would have liked to get the Tamron 28-75 but it didn't have quite the reach I wanted. The real reason I ended up with this lens is because it has a much lower resale value than the 28-75 and I was able to pick it up much cheaper than it's retail price on a very large well known auction website. For the price I paid I'm very happy with what I got. If I would have paid full retail I probably would have paid a little extra to get the 18-250 Tamron.
Now about the lens...
Pros:
-Focusing is pretty fast in good light.
-Pictures are sharp with plenty of contrast.
-The wide angle photos at 18mm using the Rebel XTI are still very wide. I can stand about 7-10 feet away from a 20 foot tall saguaro and get the top and bottom of the cactus in the picture no problem.
-200mm x 1.6 is equivalent to 320mm on the XTI which is a plenty of reach for most of what I want to do.
-Build quality is actually pretty good. The lens has good weight to it and feels like it's mostly made of metal, it's not cheap feeling at all.
- The end of the lens does not turn when focusing which makes it a good lens for Polarized filters.
Cons:
-It's slow. Especially zoomed all the way to 200mm the aperture is a max of 6.3. Hand-holding at 200mm in broad daylight with a polarized 2-stop filter I have to bump the ISO to 200 or 400 at times to make sure my pictures have enough shutter speed. If you're using a tripod this really isn't an issue.
-Auto-Focus is pretty loud.
-The manual focus rings turns when the lens auto-focuses and sometimes I accidentally have my hand on it, I'm afraid this may end up damaging the lens unless I can figure out a way to remind myself to take my hand off the barrel at all times.
-If you buy this brand new don't expect to get all of your money back if you decide to sell it later on. Like a new car, this lens drops about $100-$150 in resale value when you "take it off the lot".
Bottom Line:
If you can only afford 1 lens, and you want Wide angle and Telephoto, and you're going to be using the lens outdoors in lots of light, then this is a great lens. Look to buy this lens used if you can. You can save almost half the price used unlike the Tamron 28-75mm which keeps almost all of it's original value at auction.
I use it mostly for landscape pictures and I'm thrilled with the results but when the light starts to get lower during sunsets, or indoors, I either have to put this it on a tripod or switch lenses plain and simple.
At the price I picked it up at I rate this lens 4 stars. At the price listed here, I give it 3.
Digital camera Review: Good price, good value
Summary: 4 Stars
A litlle PO by the fact that a week after I bought this lens they came out with an even better one.
None the less GREAT LENS, Great Price.
Digital camera Review: Good quality lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I like not having to change lens very often. Pictures taken with this lens have the high quality that I expected.Digital camera Review: Good value - useful all-in-one lens
Summary: 4 Stars
Like a baseball player with a decent batting average, some power, a little bit of speed and fairly good fielding ability, the Tamron 18-200 lens won't be an All-Star any time soon because it does not excel at any one thing. But, like that $500k/year utility infielder, this lens DOES provide a very good all-around value for what it is. Does it compare to a prime lens at either end? Heck, no. Is it a good lens to use when you can't carry a wide choice of lenses with you? Absolutely.
I've been using this lens on my 20D quite a bit and have only a few minor gripes: it tends to hunt for AF (especially as you get closer to 200mm), and it's not the quietest lens I've used.
An earlier reviewer mentioned that it maxed out at about 160mm. My own analysis shows that it is short of 200mm, but not by that large an extent; I found it much closer to 190. Still, there's no doubt that these zoom lenses with extreme ranges like this have a built-in fudge factor.
Another reviewer described the problems he encountered when using two screw-on filters. There aren't too many primes that I've used that will avoid vignetting when using two filters. Heck, my 10-22 can barely handle one extra-slim. As for darkening the image - well, you're adding two more pieces of glass to a highly-complex lens assembly... just asking for trouble.
As for the concern regarding blur at longer focal lengths, I highly recommend the use of a tripod. I noticed the exact same thing - blur and lack of sharpness - at lengths over 100mm. Keep the old rule of thumb in mind - if you're shooting handheld, your shutter speed should be no slower than the inverse of your focal length. A 200mm lens on a 20D (or Rebel XT for that matter), is an effective 320mm - I wouldn't recommend shooting any slower than 1/500 at max zoom with this lens - UNLESS you're using a tripod. When I mounted it firmly, I got great shots with no blur.
Keep in mind that you get what you pay for here: the convenience of a wide-angle, normal, and moderate telephoto lens in one piece. If you're shooting professionally, or need absolutely perfect images, then carry the three or four lenses that this would otherwise replace in your bag. But if you want one easy-to-use, satisfactory lens, go for this one. It's a jack-of-all-trades, ace-of-none kinda deal.
Digital camera Review: Goodbye kit lens
Summary: 4 Stars
So far, so good...I purchased this lens to replace my Canon kit lens (18-55mm). I am fairly pleased with the outcome. I can see were the cons come from but it will only making me work harder to get the outcome I seek. If your looking for a great walking around lens, then get it. If you have extra bucks to throw around then get an L series. :)