In all fairness to your local store, the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 has been hard to get ahold of lately. I got one from B+H last month, but it took having to order one and wait for them to get it from Tamron for 2 weeks. If you watched the website, they were more out of stock than in. I think that the popularity of some of the new DSLR bodies (like XT) is causing a lot of demand for SLR lenses.
But, I share your concern. I find the same thing at my local store. They wanted to sell me the Tamron for $430, and didn't have it in stock. I got mine from B+H for $389 and they were great about returning the one that front focussed and giving sending me another one right away plus covering the shipping both ways. So, the local advantage starts to disappear rapidly.
J.
--
'Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.' -
Mark Twain
(equip in profile)
But, I share your concern. I find the same thing at my local store. They wanted to sell me the Tamron for $430, and didn't have it in stock. I got mine from B+H for $389 and they were great about returning the one that front focussed and giving sending me another one right away plus covering the shipping both ways. So, the local advantage starts to disappear rapidly.
J.
--I went into a local camera store and asked if they carried the
Tamron 28-75. They did, but unfortunately they were out of stock on
the EF mount lens. They called their sister store (about 15 miles
away). They didn't have any in stock either. First of all I am
thinking how they can be out of stock at two stores. Anyway, they
said they were supposed to get a shipment in about a week. However,
they wouldn't guarantee they would receive any Tamron 28-75's.
Therefore I ordered online. I received the lens and tried it on my
300 (at the time I didn't own the XT). The lens worked very well;
no problems. Six months later I bought the XT, and lo and behold,
the lens didn't work well at all. I went through the rest of my
lenses, and found only one other that didn't work with the XT, this
was my kit lens. On my 300, my kit lens was actually quite good.
The problem with both lenses was significant front focus.
I would like to buy from my local store, but they just don't stock
much of anything anymore. I have bought two camera bodies, and
other equipment from them, but I no longer patronize them because
they are either don't carry what I am looking for, or they are
"temporarily out of stock". The prices too, are far higher than
internet prices. I don't see how this store will remain viable in
the long term.
Since this time, I have purchased a split prism focus screen, and
now can use all my lenses.
jgb
--I went to a store to purchase the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens some time
ago. The first copy I tried (let's all it copy A) gave horribly out
of focus shots wide-open with my XT. Mind you, I've got Canon
17-85, Canon 85 f/1.8 and Sigma 150 f/2.8 lenses which work
perfectly fine. Anyway, I returned to the store to exchange for
copy B. This one worked out perfectly, i.e., sharp when wide-open.
Now, comes the weird part. The store has its own XT camera. We
tried out both lenses on their camera. Guess what? Copy A was sharp
when wide open but copy B was terrible. So, the results are just
the reverse!
Conclusion? You should get the lens that matches your camera body
(assuming your body is properly calibrated). If you bought it in a
brick and mortar store, it's easy to get an exchange till you're
satisfied. If you got it over the web... well, good luck.
Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/jon_b
--
'Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.' -
Mark Twain
(equip in profile)