New Tamron 28-75 f2.8 - my review!

[JimFZ15]

First off, thanks to everyone for guiding me to this great lens!

The Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR Di arrived today so I quickly mounted it to my trusty DS for some tests.

Build - Solid and heavy but comfortable. When mounted, it appears to dwarf my DS but I like the overall feel. It looked smaller in photos published all over the internet so I was a little surprised when it arrived. Excellent fit and finish and the lens exudes a professional appearance.



Performance - pretty good AF focus speeds throughout the entire zoom range and fairly quiet IF. The large soft rubberized rings provide precise control over focus and zoom. I like the fact that you can lock the zoom barrel so it doesn't accidentally slide out when you have the camera around your neck.

IQ - Very, very good! Sharp results at f2.8 and very sharp when stopped down to f4.0 - 5.6 for 28mm to 50mm range. At 75 mm, sharpest results were observed at f5.6 - 8.0. The f2.8 constant aperture is really sweet because it yields nice shallow DOF results throughout the entire zoom range (if so desired). This lens rivals my primes and so it's a welcome addition to my camera bag.

 

[Robert Barnett]

Where did you get it? What did it cost?

Robert

 

[JimFZ15]

Hi Robert,

I purchased it from an Ebay store brand new for 275.00 + 20.00 shipping. They have one more left at this price...here is the link http://stores.ebay.com/Prodigital2000

They are a class act - I ordered the lens on Friday and it arrived this morning.

Good luck!

Jim

 

[amicah22]

in general how much shapness do you lose compared to a 35 2.0 or one of the fast 50's?
--
Aaron W.

 

[JimFZ15]

You don't loose much sharpness if any at all.

I have two prime lenses from Pentax to compare against. An f1.4 50mm and f2.0 28 mm. The Tamron is slighlty sharper than my f2.0 28mm and on par with the f1.4 50mm. However, on both prime lenses, I need to stop down to f8.0 to achieve excellent center to edge sharpness.

Color from the Tamron is nicer but maybe because my primes are 20 years old!

Jim

 

[amicah22]

thanks, you have me interested.
--
Aaron W.

 

[brandrx]

Congrats on a great purchase.

The Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR Di is a very highly regarded lens by many of the folks in this depreview forum.

--
Ron ~ Retired

 

[Pattang]

I also bought this lens last week - I saw it at that price and had to have it. I am still waiting for it to be delivered! It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow so I'm itching to get it and give it a whirl!
--
Pat

 

[JimFZ15]

Hey Pat,

You won't be dissappointed!

Try to post some pix if you get the chance.

Jim

 

[tknterry]

Is it fully compatible with the K100D's SR?
--
---Terry http://www.photostuff.org/

 

[JimFZ15]

Yes, I can't see why not.

Jim

 

[tknterry]

Thanks for the informative and visual review Jim. Im thinking of ordering one for my K100D
--
---Terry http://www.photostuff.org/

 

[Pattang]

I'm still waiting and it is killing me!!

Give me my LBA fix!
--
Pat

 

[Lance B]

Congratulations, Jim.

I had the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR Di and I found it to be an excellent lens. Sharp, excellent bokeh for a zoom, good colour rendition, and very good build quality.

I am sure you will achieve good results from it as is indicated by your posted pics!
--
Lance B

http://www.pbase.com/lance_b
GMT +10hours

 

[Pattang]

Hooray! Who ever said a watched pot never boils!

Now I just have to figure out how to post photos on this site! What's the best way? I suppose having to get a flickr or pbase account?
--
Pat

 

[tknterry]

Thats what most people here do...they get a free account on a photo gallery website like pbase or flickr or smugmug, upload their photos onto the photo site and then post the URL of the photos located there onto a message here. If you already have your own website, of course just use your own web space, like I do.
--
---Terry http://www.photostuff.org/

Now I just have to figure out how to post photos on this site!
What's the best way? I suppose having to get a flickr or pbase
account?
--
Pat

 

[philzucker]

It's really a "must have" zoom, if only for it's f2.8 at the tele end. And if one isn't lucky (or rich) enough to get the Pentax version! ;-)

I'm sure you won't regret the decision to buy it. Yes, it's a bit large, but it's versatility and quality - especially price considered - is simply astounding. Have fun with it!

--
Phil

GMT +1

 

[janneman02]

It's really a "must have" zoom, if only for it's f2.8 at the tele
end. And if one isn't lucky (or rich) enough to get the Pentax
version! ;-)

I think the only real drawback is that it's no Pentax FA*28-70/2.8

Comparing this lens with the FA*28-70/2.8 is like comparing the FA35/2.0 and the FA31/1.8 LE....

I'm sure you won't regret the decision to buy it. Yes, it's a bit
large, but it's versatility and quality - especially price
considered - is simply astounding. Have fun with it!

--
Phil

GMT +1

--
janneman
http://www.pbase.com/jl2

 

[JimFZ15]

Hi Pat,

I have a free account with photobucket.com.

When I post pictures, I first reduce the image to 480 pixels wide so it fits this page without having to scroll from side to side. I then upload the images to my photobucket account.

Once the photos are uploaded, I simply copy the URL text from photobucket .com and paste it into the body of the dpreview page.

It's a little confusing at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of it!

Look forward to your posts!

Jim

Hooray! Who ever said a watched pot never boils!

Now I just have to figure out how to post photos on this site!
What's the best way? I suppose having to get a flickr or pbase
account?
--
Pat

 

[Pattang]

Lets see if this works then shall we! I don't have a dedicated photo site yet so I assume it won't! If not,

some flowers - don't know what sort! On-board flash for detail etc



one of my cats - outside, was getting dark, no flash



--
Pat