Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO
Test data available for this lens:
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| I own it | I want it | I had it |
Tamron's SP 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD (IF) is a fast standard telephoto zoom, offering a constant maximum aperture of F2.8, making is useful for low-light handheld work, and for portraiture and event photography. Measuring just 7.6 inches long and weighing only 1.1kg (40.6 oz.) the SP 70-200mm is one of the more portable zooms of its type, and offers truly excellent image quality for the price. The sacrifice is that this lens does not include Tamron's VC image stabilization (although Pentax and Sony DSLR users don't need to worry about that) and focus is both slow and noisy. Also, Nikon users should be aware that this lens will only autofocus on camera bodies with built-in focus motors. The newer Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD offers significant improvements all round, but this original non-stabilzed version remains excellent value.
| Lens type | Zoom lens |
| Focal length | 70–200 mm |
| Image stab. | No |
| Lens mount | Canon EF, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF, Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Max aperture | F2.8 |
| Min aperture | F32 |
| Min focus | 0.95 m (37.4″) |
| Max magnification | 0.32× |
| Weight | 1330 g (2.93 lb) |
| Length | 194 mm (7.65″) |
The optical quality of this lens is genuinely superb. What we have here is a flawed gem, a lens which fully capable of delivering excellent images, but also frustratingly capable of missing focus on that once-in-a-lifetime shot, either through misfocus or simply being too slow.
Good for: Low light shooters on a budget.
Not so good for: Photographers who depend on very fast autofocus.
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| New Forest pony by Dutch Newchurch from Equines in 2018 | Leader of the pack by Wu Jiaqiu from My Best Photo of the Week | Czech Crown by Tobik from Coins - Macro only |
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