Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Zoom Lens for Canon EF Cameras

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After reading numerous reviews I decided to purchase this lens with the intent of replacing a Canon 24-105 L and 70-200 f/4 L. I compared this lens shot-for-shot, setting for setting, with my 24-105, and it is almost identical. The L lens is only slightly sharper if you pixel peep. I took the lens to the soccer field, and the autofocus speed and tracking with my 5D Mark III were almost as good as my 70-200 f/4. The 70-200 is definitely sharper, and a bit faster in focusing on the field, but the big advantage of the Tamron is the versatility. I do not have to use two different lenses to get the same shots! The lens is incredibly small considering the focal range, and it also has weather sealing, which a lack of from other 3rd party lenses has always prevented me from buying third-party lenses. Overall, you do sacrifice a bit of sharpness and a bit of autofocus speed compared to L lenses, but the versatility outweighs those negatives.

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bought this lens used from an Amazon seller a couple of weeks ago. I used it on a Nikon d750, going to Europe, needed a walkaround lens. Just went to take some bird pictures in flight and was amazed by the results. Nice blur, fast focusing, I had hundreds of great and sharp photos. I recommend it to nikon users.

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This lens is lighter and cheaper than the alternatives and you don’t compromise much in quality. You _can_ take tack-sharp shots under the right conditions. A bit soft at 300 but really really impressed with the 28 to 200 range. Can you get a better 28? Yes Can you get a better 200? Sure But can you that without swapping glass? No.

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Im preparing for an overseas vacation and I need to travel light. I was originally planning to bring my full-frame DSLR and three zooms (combined coverage of 16-200mm) but I quickly put that idea to rest due to the number of lenses and WEIGHT! So, I began my quest for the "perfect" travel lens which had to meet the following requirements (in order): Broad focal range, good image quality, small and lightweight, and reasonable price. Needless to say, I didnt have high hopes. Ok, first, focal range. I wanted something with a broad range to replace two of my heavy lenses (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L -- a combined weight of 5 pounds). It came down to this Tamron lens and Canons EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens. Both the Canon and Tamron fit the bill in this category since 28-300mm should pretty much cover it all. Regarding image quality, being a "pixel peeper", I usually look at my shots at 100% in Lightroom on an iMac 5K (great computer/display, BTW). I read a lot of reviews that said the Tamron had surprisingly good (sharp) IQ, but the same was said about the Canon lens. I pored over MTF charts and sample images, both lenses seemed to have acceptable sharpness and contrast for the types of photos that Id be taking while traveling. Next was size and weight. Canons lens is big and heavy (3.7 pounds) and uses a push/pull zoom whereas the Tamron is lightweight (1.2 pounds) and uses a twist zoom. Clearly Tamron is the winner here. And lastly was price. The Canon lens is 3X the price of the Tamron. I already own expensive Canon "L" glass and dont want to spend a small fortune for a travel lens that gets used only a few times per year. Tamron is again the clear winner in this category. So, I bought the Tamron. I mentally prepared myself for soft images and barrel distortion (especially the wide shots). After taking numerous photos over the weekend and viewing them in Lightroom (RAW images, 100% zoom on a 5K display), I can say that I am completely blown away by the Tamron lens. Its very sharp with good contrast, at times I thought I was looking at shots taken with my expensive "L" glass. The barrel distortion was very pronounced at the wide end (I knew this going in) but the folks at Adobe included a lens profile for Lightroom which completely mitigates the distortion (and vignetting). In addition to the phenomenal zoom range, the AF was quick and silent and the VC (image stabilization) worked very well. I am extremely happy with this lens and Im looking forward to leaving it attached to my 5D Mark III for my upcoming trip (actually, Ill probably take the 6D due to it being slightly smaller/lighter). So, in summary, I have fallen in love with the Tamron AFA010C700 lens (my first non-Canon lens). It essentially replaces two heavy lenses (at a whopping 5.1 pounds) with one smaller lens (1.2 pounds). No, It wont replace my "L" glass when I do professional work, but it will be firmly attached to my camera when I travel on vacation. The Tamron is small, lightweight, solidly built, with great IQ and features that work. I look forward to some fantastic vacation memories made with this lens.

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I have the Canon 6D, and up till now was carrying around my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/2.8 for even casual photo taking because there wasnt really a good option for me out there that I liked or wanted to spend money on. That is, until I found this. I cant believe I didnt notice this lens sooner. Its proving to be something Im enjoying shooting with a lot! I had to micro adjust the tele end to -5, but the wide end I left at zero. I can say that doing some photo tests I found it pretty sharp at 28mm, a bit back focused at 35mm, pretty sharp at 50mm, a bit back focused again at 70mm (which is odd because it was also at 35mm, half this), but tack sharp from 100-300 in the center. The autofocus is not instant, so just be patient with it. Also I find that I get best results if I move the focus ring a bit before I autofocus. The lens is attractive and feels good in the hand, and having this kind of range on personal outings where Im only shooting just for the fun of shooting (i.e. camping trips, visits to the park) I couldnt be happier. I wouldnt use this for professional shoots, Ill leave that to my other two dedicated 2.8 lenses, but for just all around shooting this is a great deal.

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I want to second the review posted by user "ByDucrab". If you are considering this lens, read his(her?) review, I believe it is spot on with the analysis. I am not a professional photographer, but Ive owned Sony cameras since the mid 80s, starting with the Maxxum 7000, so I always have a camera around for family events, travel, etc. I recently invested in a Sony Alpha 99 full-frame as an "upgrade" to my Alpha 77. I have several Tamron APC lenses for my a77, so it was only natural I look at Tamron for my a99. In a nutshell, this lens is excellent if you are a casual shooter like I am. Im sure there are better lenses, but do I need to spend several thousand dollars for a lens a professional would use? No. (Heck, even if you are a pro, you might want this lens for your casual use so you do not risk damaging your expensive lenses at the family picnic) This lens offers excellent performance at a reasonable price-point for a full-frame lens, and I can use this one lens for a variety of shots without needing to swap lenses. No more "missing the shot" because I had to spend a minute digging a telephoto lens out of the camera bag. No more sore shoulders lugging around a camera plus a bag full of lenses.

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I am turning in a nikon 24-120 f4 and a tamron 70-300 for this lens. I am including a couple of photos and I will let you be the judge as to whether this is a good value. I rented a tamron 28-300 pzd for my nikon d750 yesterday and I bought the 28-300 pzd this morning after trying out the rental. I live on a large lake and I hate to tell you how many times I grabbed for my telephoto or needed a shorter lens for kids playing. this morning it was almost dark when I took the umbrella picture and it has be cold and cloudy all day. I hope this helps someone! luke

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Sure, if you have deep enough pockets, by all means buy the Canon lenses! For us folks on a tighter budget, this is the lens for you. If you want to have the versatility of a do it all lens at a more modest price, then your ship has come ii with this Tamron lens. Ive shot a ton of pictures with this lens since I bought it and am thoroughly satisfied its performance. Wide angle: no problem...a decent throw telephoto: no problem. You will find some limitations when you compare it with the performance of Canons stable of lenses, but for the price, you cant beat it.

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I used this on a Canon 6D for two weeks in a variety of situations both indoor and out and it performed wonderfully. Sharp at both the wide and tele end and focuses super fast. Great - 28-300mm reach and still relatively light - Sharp at all lengths. Not prime lens sharp, but a world better than a regular kit lens. - Near silent focusing - Build quality is very good Could be better - The lens hood is a little flimsy - I really wish this started at 24mm instead of 28 - The price is a good deal in the grand scheme of things, but its sure to come down as most Tamron lenses do. You are definitely paying to be an early adopter Unfortunately I had to switch systems, but will be picking up the Nikon version of this lens asap. Its just too useful for me to wait till the price goes down on it. Too many shots I would miss. In my short list of great all-in-ones is the Nikon 18-200mm and the Pansonic 14-140mm for the m43 mount. Both were great in their day, but the performance of the Tamron, especially at 300mm, really comes out on top.

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Edit: 3/29/2019 - just had to come back and add my excitement that this lens is compatible and the AF works with my new Canon EOS R body I just got from fedex no more than 30 minutes ago! I got the Tamron lens April 17, 2018 just about a year ago for my Canon 5D II and my below original review is below. I got a new Canon EOS R today even after having read many reviews that this lens, the Tamron 28-300, does NOT work on the Canon EOS R and Tamron has stated there is currently no plans to release an updated firmware. But since I still had other lenses I could use on the EOS R anyhow, I went ahead and got the Canon EOS R. And just for kicks, I attached this Tamron lens on the EOS R with the basic Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R 2971C002, and to my happy surprise, the lens and specifically the AF works, albeit a tad slower than my Canon lenses ! (see pic) Dont ask me why, but the setup works and I aint gonna question it! LOL! Havent tested any image quality yet and dont know if this setup will continue to work, so if it suddenly stops working, Ill re-update this review. -----original review begins below----- So far so good. Im walking around with 2 cameras, one has an ultra wide lens 16-35 while the other has this 28-300 lens on which gives me an effective range of 16-300mm! Covers most walkaround situations aside from indoor lighting, fast moving sports, etc. The lens is small and light but feels solid, and the image quality is pretty good without doing testing with machines or pixel peeping at corners that most dont really care about except for discussing on online photography forums! Yes I have most of the Canon Ls but prefer the range my current setup offers for most of what my photography style requires.

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