DPReview TV: Tamron 70-210mm F4 vs. Canon and Nikon OEM lenses

That is a good attitude, you have to like what you have. I personally have the Nikkor 70-210 4-5.6 and I love it because of the size, IQ and the price. I have never owned a really large lens like the ones in the shootout. It is just not for me right now, maybe when I retire.

You could shoot an award winning photo with any of these I am sure.

There's also the weight thing. It can make a difference on a hike or on your carry-on luggage.

I don’t know about “most people”, but for me it was about the weight. Plus the fact that the f/4 lens has no focus breathing. Makes it a better lens for semi-macro work.

I know people who own an f/2.8 from one of the major brands (and not third-party) and routinely shoot it at f/4 for sharpness/DoF in paid photo gigs.

For some use cases, it could make sense to compare an f/2.8 and an f/4 lens both at f/4.

I would get the NIkon 70-300 (preferably the AF-P version despite it's lack of a VR switch; and if it's compatible with your D7100... I can't remember). The Tamron 70-300 I don't think got that great of reviews (either version: the 4-5.6 or 4.5-5.6 from what I read).

@Sam – You're technically correct that the Tamron could be used on a Sony with adapters. That said, we're not going to try to test all products in a category in every video we ever produce. We'll certainly do that at times, but in some cases we're going to be a bit more focused on a specific product or set of products.

The Tamron is available natively in Canon and Nikon mounts, so the very specific question we wanted to address was whether the Tamron is a viable alternative to the OEM lenses from those two companies. Could you adapt the Tamron to other systems? Yes, but in this case that's simply not the question that was being explored.

My Sony DVD player has been acting up lately!

Why? Because the. Sony A7 III and Sony A7R III are eating Canikon’s lunch. That's why. Ever try the Sony 70-200/4? Sharp.

DPR is free to choose their reviews, aren't they? This video was intended to compare Tamron with Canikon lenses, and that's it.
You want Sony in the comparison? Then why not add m43 options, or Pentax 60-250mm f4 or even go forther and add 70-200mm f2.8 lenses in the comparison? There is no end to it.
"The idea of this video (stated twice) was to compare the Tamron against the OEM options in the two lens mounts it is offered in (EF and F Mount)."

@caver..
Is it fanboy or fanboy? Never quite sure on the spelling - but they live in the same comfy world of self delusion.....

Again, while these lenses may work with an adapter on a Sony camera, the topic of the video is whether the Tamron is a viable alternative for those with “Canon and Nikon systems”. Sony lenses, be they superior or inferior, are completely irrelevant to the discussion. I am perhaps a little twitchy living in a country where our president assumes he must be the topic of every discussion and did not realize the world of photography held a like minded group of enthusiasts. It is great that you have a wide selection of excellent Sony lenses, when they are released in Canon and Nikon mounts I will take note.

America's Team sports mentality at its finest..

"My team wasn't included ... is it because we didn't make the tournament. :( :( lets get drunk and jump on a hotel awning"

No! Its because this article IS NOT meant for Sony users adapting different manufacturers' lenses! This is meant for users that are still using the mirrored cameras. Anyway it would probably make a lot more sense to devote an entire article or video in general to adapters and using the lenses that way rather than include it in this discussion.

As many have said already, this wasn't about comparing the OEM lenses with each other. The specific question was: is the Tamron a better or worse option compared to the OEM lens for someone using one of the two systems for which it is natively available?

You cannot move a foot without Sony in this forum. So disturbing...

@Chris2210
Yes, i got that but at around 800-$1000 less i'll take lens with same optical formula with no IS. i can crank up ISO to 10 000 where results are still usable when really needed. Happy to not have IS if price is much better :)

Don't know where you get the idea of that sort of saving from. Canon are unlikely to make a non-stabilised version of their lens because they're making them for non-stabilised bodies.

You may be looking at one of the very early models when they didn't include IS, but back then Canon only charged fairly high, rather than completely extortionate prices for their lenses. Off the top of my head I think the only manufacturer that offers current non-IS lenses in this range is the Tamron.

It's not meant to be a complete shoot out so omitting Sony is fine. I agree that a comparison between Tamron, Sigma and Tokina would be very welcome.

"The idea of this video (stated twice) was to compare the Tamron against the OEM options in the two lens mounts it is offered in (EF and F Mount)."

And why is the Tokina ignored? Don't tell me kickbacks from Tamron. If Tamron really would have managed to bribe the vast majority of reviewers, there'd be some leaks of it somewhere. When you try to bribe a lot of people, at some point one of them will not accept the bribe and rather tell the world about it.

And the definition of the word 'shootout' is: "A decisive battle, especially a gunfight." In various 'game playing' it is used for tournaments where always two combatants face each other and 'play' until one of them wins and moves onto the next stage. In the context of lens tests, it simply means comparing two or more competitors with the aim to find the winner, the best lens among them. Your criticism of the use of the term 'shootout' is thus rather baseless.

@Deliverator, you can use both the Canon version or the Nikon version on any Sony mirrorless, really no reason to leave Sony out, unless their camera bag was full :)
In the end DP has to make choices if they do not want to cover the whole market, their userbase will let them know if they fumbled up. Fortunately its a video review which I find generally useless, but perhaps the Canikon crowd loves those

Compare two lenses, and people will complain that a third lens wasn't included.
Compare three lenses, and people will complain that a fourth lens wasn't included.
Compare four lenses, and people will complain that a fifth lens wasn't included.

That's ok, Hugo. Don't let the obvious get in the way of your fanboyism. You just keep being you.

This was answered several times. For example: "The idea of this video (stated twice) was to compare the Tamron against the OEM options in the two lens mounts it is offered in (EF and F Mount)."

Ok, sirhawkeye64, what is acceptable as a testing group?
1) Compare two lenses if there are at least five lenses in its category (otherwise when testing only two out of three or four, one obviously has excluded them to bias the results)
2) Compare all lenses if there are three to five lenses
3) Compare compare only five lenses if there are seven or more lenses it the category

This would mean that if there are six lenses, you could only compare two (or all). Boy, this is getting complicated.

is there this much canon fanboy trollness on the Sony related posts ?

Then don't watch it. I enjoyed it for what it was.

MyReality - "It was offered as a 'shootout" by DPR, not a review. The two are not the same thing." - What is a "shootout", exactly?

Information and entertainment aren't the same thing. I think we need to be diligent in distinguishing between the two,

All the best

Not sure which lens you are talking about. I have the Canon 70-200 f4 non IS, and love it. Been a fantastic piece of kit for a decade. Interesting also that when Canon released the 50MP dSLRs that they listed this lens as one of the few that were approved for use with the 5dsr
Perhaps Kandid is correct

If you have the oldest 70-200 f/4 L, and it is a totally de-centered piece of junk, then why haven't you sent it on for optical calibration yet? It's capable of incredible sharpness, but yours has probably suffered some sort of damage over the years. It happens. Get it serviced!

Many Sony users adapt some Canon 70-200mm lens anyway :)

And yet again, nobody remembered Pentax...

@bluebomber, does Pentax even offer a 70-200 f/4?

Interesting. They actually have a 60-250 F/4! Reviews from back in the day (released 2008) say it's ridiculously good optically.

Isn't that Pentax a DX lens? Even if it "covers" FX circle, it was still designed as a DX lens (about 10 years ago).

sony is a ghost in japan .... theyve pretty much taken up residence in china
like most american corporations

https://kotaku.com/5960411/how-sony-is-turning-into-a-ghost-in-japan-and-around-the-world

anyway , most people would know i was refering to their 70 200 f4 ff lens
as missing from the shootout .its a shame i had to explain that to you two campers

Yea yea Sony is the best and stuff...

Yeah, I understand if this is simply a comparison /FOCUSED ON/ the Tamron versus the "two most common brands", that's totally fine.

However, the title is still, as others have stated, "70-200 f/4 shootout", not, "Tamron 70-200 f/4 comparison"

Just to be clear, Chris and Jordan didn’t write the headline. The intent of this episode was always to compare the Tamron to the OEM lenses for Nikon and Canon (since those are the mounts for which it’s available) to see if was a good alternative to those products. That’s it.

In retrospect, a different headline may have set expectations more clearly.

@ dpreview

I really enjoyed this review like always with Chris and Jordan, I think what would have made things perfectly clear would have been two different reviews:
- tamron vs nikon
- tamron vs canon
Mixing the two in the same review is easier, but brought some confusion in the first place.

@cosinaphile: if you really feel less stupid, you just made me a happy camper

If the camera is the same, the sensor stack and the processing is the same.

The video presents the opinions of two guys using a few f4 zooms, who said it was a scientific test?

Scientific?? and if I need an Scientific Results..I heading over to Ken Rockwell! 😜🤔🤪

Looks like no one read the preamble to the video. It was billed as a "shootout", not a test. They mentioned a disclaimer that it was not comparable to a bench test.

Yes Canon and Nikon are like 2 old grand dads. Old and slow ! :)

Sony is like the new kid on the block. Quick and fast ! :D

@brendon1000...i was just watching the world medal presentation to the winner of the World Cup soccer, and regrettably i have to say, there wasn't a single, Sony rig, all white and black (canon, nikon) lenses and cameras. the old grand dads are not doing too bad, eh ;-)

Yes because sports photography is the only genre of professional photography in the world and is an excellent yardstick to judge a vast genre like photography! :)

I mean probably 99.99% of pro photographers are sports photographers :D

Canon and Nikon are both releasing pro mirrorless systems that will directly compete with their own DSLR line up. That too 8 years after Sony ! Wonder why Canon and Nikon are willing to cannibalise their sales if DSLRs are the future ? :P

Brendon is full of.... wrong information.

@Brendon1000
Do you think that Ford canibalizes their truck-section if they release a new Mustang? Don't think so...

@vscd I don't thing mustangs compete with ford trucks in the marketplace.

But there are a variety of ford trucks... and they all have mirrors. :-)

Battersea says I am wrong! Oh no! :D

Wait who is he and what wrong did I say? I guess even he doesn't know! :p

And comparing Ford mustang to a Ford truck is as ridiculous as saying that the Canon 1300d will spoil its 5d mk 4 sales. Totally different segments!

"And comparing Ford mustang to a Ford truck is as ridiculous as saying that the Canon 1300d will spoil its 5d mk 4 sales. Totally different segments!"

I guess vscd's point was exactly that, namely that mirrorless and DSLRs are totally different segments, and therefore the former won't be cannibalising the latter. I disagree, but I think that was his point.

Really ? So mirrorless and DSLRs are two different segments ? :P

So that means the Canon 5d mk 4 and A7rIII are two different segments and Canon has absolutely nothing to worry about the Sony A7 III and A7rIII since they belong to a totally different segment and anyone looking at buying the 5d mk 4 will never consider a Sony A7rIII since its a different segment :)

Somebody should inform Dpreview to never compare mirrorless and DSLR cameras since they are different segments

Are you saying they can't offer both... and can offer only one?
Wouldn't it be nice for a person to have a choice?

Correct. The mirrorlessguys think they replace or compete with DSLRs. It's not the case... even Sony build them parallel to the Alpha 99. So, there is nothing "eating" from Canon, there will be both systems soon and I can imagine to get a mirrorless fullframe as a second cam. But I'll surely buy the next DSLR for the main-jobs. They still have their big advantages...

@vscd...i agree with your point! there are many people that use dual brand or MLC/DSLR users and i find that very interesting and acceptable--but the problem is that most Sony guys think that DSLRs are dinosaurs and people should drop their DSLRs and adopt MLC cameras. i find that notion laughable. it is like saying people should junk their Lexus and buy BMW automobile because it is technologically superior to Lexus autos. well, that is not gonna happen, i am gonna hang on to my Lexus because i love it, i don't care what is under its hood. i love DSLRs and can't wait for canon to introduce their 5DsR II.

@Battersea

Brendon never said Sony released a FF mirrorless 8 years ago, so your questions is pointless, and it's not an error he made.

Sony released Nex-5 in 2010 (mirrorless APS-C), and A7 and A7R in 2013 (mirrorless FF).

Was the Nex 5 cosidered a professional mirrorless system? Canon has had mirrorless APS-C for about six years. So what is Brendon comparing the forthcoming Canon and Nikon FF systems to?

@Brian - excellent as per your low requirements.

"Alpha" guys need to admit Sony gear is not as good as the 2 big ones, yet!!! they can talk about Alpha technology all they want but the silent huge majority won't buy it, simple as that :-D canon 70-200 lenses have been around for 20+ years and Sony's? just a few years!

And a Sony shooter if they wanted, could just use the Canon 70-200 which performs well on a Sony body. Still, it would have been nice to see a comparison to the Sony lens - perhaps it was left out intentionally.

We wanted to compare the Tamron against native lens options. The Tamron 70-210mm F4 is currently not offered in Sony E-Mount.