Tamron Auto Focus 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Model A001E)

Let me start by saying im just your average photo enthusiast that is no pro but knows a bit when it comes to lenses.The Lens itself is a beast! when it comes to built quality. Feels solid and You can knock someone out with it. Not as Solid a Canon 70-200 L lens but solid enough to know that if your buying a lens for its built quality, then you know you got a damm good lens.Focus Speed - I've read a lot of complaints about focus speed and let me just say that its not fast focus but it is not slow. If you looking to shoot sports you may have trouble trying to focus. It does not necessarily mean that you can't do it but i don't consider this lens appropriate to shoot moving subjects in sports. One of the main reasons is because of its "slow" focus speed when it comes to sports and also because Image Stabilizer does not come with the lens. In General the focus speed of this lens is superb when it comes to shooting static wild life, outdoor scenery, or in my example i used it on my trip to San Francisco and it performed well when it came to focusing on subjects like the famous railway trains that are in the city. It will focus fast enough on people that are walking as well as non moving objects. The focus speed was superb when it came to the city itself. So bottom line on focus speed - If your looking to shoot sports i would not recommend it.. other than that This lens is BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK on focus speed in General.2.8 - Is lovely when its late hours of the night. It still lets you shoot at a not so high ISO and come out with SHARP! photos.Quality of Shots - AMAZING BOKEH! Sharp Photos and its performed well above the similar Sigma in my opinion when it came to quality of shots.Weight - I have to admit this lens is not heavy but for the someone that is not used to carrying big lenses 4 pounds may be heavy to them. But even at 4pounds i was able to shoot nicely without a tripod. the Tripod ring is removable if you don't want to carry it on the lens. Plus if 4 pounds and bringing it up and down will give you a good work out haha.Let me just say that if you think IS will be a problem, it won't. Lens at fast shutter speeds makes you realize that IS is not something to consider if you do not need it.In simple terms -$769 for the lens is a BIG BANG! for what your getting. Sharp, Fast focus on non sports of course, Built quality is excellent! If you don't have those extra $400 for the canon non IS L lens or an extra $1, 800 for the IS version then this is a great alternative. I can honestly say that it blast my expectations and it will do same to yours. If you read negative things about it, don't necessarily think the lens is bad..its more sometimes of having bad luck with a lens. Maybe it wasn't built right, but in general this is a magnificent sharp fast focus (non sports)lens.

I RESEARCH THINGS TO A RELATIVELY HIGH DEGREE BEFORE I COMMIT TO BUY AND THIS LENS WAS NO EXCEPTION. I READ COMPLAINTS AS WELL AS PRAISE. CONSIDERING ALL, AND BEING A BIT OF A GAMBLER, I DECIDED TO ROLL THE DICE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I FOUND.....OVERALL BUILD QUALITY I FOUND TO BE VERY GOOD. IT'S NOT WEATHER SEALED (AND TO ME THAT MEANS NOT DUST SEALED EITHER) BUT NEITHER ARE MANY OTHER MORE HIGHLY REGARDED LENS'. I LIKED THE FLAT BLACK FINISH AND WITH THE STYLE OF KNURLING USED ON THE ADJUSTMENT RINGS I LIKE IT'S LOOKS. BY DESIGN THE OBJECTIVE IS A LARGER DIAMETER THAN THE LENS BARREL AND I FOUND THAT TO BE NICE WHEN USING MANUAL FOCUS (IT FITS THE HAND WELL). IT IS A HANDSOME LENS. WHEN YOU ENGAGE MANUAL FOCUS BY PULLING THE FOCUS ADJUST RING BACK, THERE IS A BLUE RING THAT IS EXPOSED WHICH I HAVE FOUND TO BE A NICE REMINDER THAT YOU ARE IN MANUAL FOCUS. IT'S WEIGHT IS ON PAR WITH ANYTHING THAT I KNOW OF WITH THIS FOCAL RANGE AND CONSTANT F/2.8 APERTURE (WEIGHING JUST A LITTLE LESS THAN A COMPARABLE CANON L LENS FOR EXAMPLE). CONSISTENT WITH TODAY'S WORLD AND ALONG WITH IT'S METAL PARTS, IT HAS IT'S SHARE OF PLASTIC BUT I DON'T CONSIDER THAT BAD AS MANY MODERN PLASTICS ARE MORE ENDURING THAN METAL. IT COMES WITH A TRIPOD COLLAR (EASILY REMOVED). FILTER SIZE IS 77MM. THE PROVIDED LENS HOOD LOOKS A BIT BIZARRE AS IT IS LONG AND ADDS LENGTH TO AN ALREADY LONG LENS (EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT WHITE IT'S STILL INTIMIDATING WHEN TRYING TO TAKE CANDID SHOTS OF PEOPLE).OPERATION IS FAIRLY SMOOTH WHILE MAYBE ZOOM AND FOCUS ADJUSTMENT ARE NOT AS SMOOTH AS THE BEST YOU HAVE EVER FELT, THEY STILL PROMOTE THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE USING A PRECISION INSTRUMENT AND HAVE VERY LITTLE IF ANY PLAY AT ALL. MANUAL FOCUS IS VERY SHARP (MEANING THAT THERE IS LITTLE MARGIN +- TO BE SPOT ON). WHILE MANY HAVE COMPLAINED OF NOISY AUTO-FOCUS (REVIEWS LEAD YOU BELIEVE IT'S LIKENED TO A 1957 VINTAGE CHAINSAW), IT'S NOT AT ALL THAT BAD. I CAN HEAR IT WHEN IT HAS TO MAKE A LARGE MOVEMENT BUT OTHERWISE, I SOMETIMES DON'T HEAR IT AT ALL AND HARDLY WOULD CONSIDER THAT IT COULD BE OFFENSIVE TO ANYONE ALTHOUGH I DO REALIZE THAT A USM DRIVE WOULD MAKE IT PERFECT IN SPEED AS WELL AS SOUND. MOVING ON, THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS AIRED REGARDING IT'S INABILITY TO CONSISTENTLY PROVIDE ACCURATE FOCUS. I GENERALLY HAD NO FOCUS ISSUES (AT LEAST WHEN USING GOOD FILTERS IN GOOD LIGHT) BUT ON ONE OCCASION, I TRIED A LOW QUALITY CPL FILTER AND FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. THIS LENS WOULD BE OUT OF FOCUS 80-90% OF THE SHOTS. RETURNING TO A QUALITY FILTER OR NO FILTER AT ALL, NOT A FOCUS PROBLEM ONE. FOCUS IN LOW LIGHT IS NOT AS RELIABLE BUT I HAVE HAD FEW OTHER LENS'S THAT ALSO HAVE A HARDER TIME IN LOW LIGHT. SOME HANDLE IT BETTER THAN OTHERS. GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHEN I SHOOT ANYTHING IMPORTANT IN OTHER THAN OPTIMAL CONDITIONS, I HARDLY EVER RELY ON AUTO-FOCUS UNLESS TIME DOES NOT ALLOW FOR IT. I TRUST MY EYES MORE THAN AUTOMATED FOCUS. HERE YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND AS TO WHETHER YOU CAN LIVE WITH THIS OR NOT. IF THE EARLIER LENS'S HAD PROBLEMS WITH FOCUS (MORE SO THAN MINE DOES), I THINK IF I WERE A MANUFACTURER TRYING TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE I WOULD INSIST THAT MY ENGINEERS RESOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS THE VERY FIRST TIME I HEARD OF IT AND MAYBE TAMRON HAS DONE THAT. KEEP IN MIND ALSO THAT THIS LENS IS NOT IMAGE STABILIZED. I SHOULD ALSO REMARK ABOUT IT'S MACRO CAPABILITY (ALTHOUGH NOT A TRUE MACRO) IT DOES FOCUS FAIRLY CLOSE AT 0.95M AND RESULTS OBTAINED WERE STUNNING.IMAGE QUALITY IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I WOULDN'T CARE IF IT WAS SHAPED LIKE AND ANVIL, WEIGHED 20LBS, AND RAN ON DIESEL FUEL IF IT PROVIDED SHARP IMAGES(BUT YOU MAY BE MORE DEMANDING THAN ME). SUPERB IMAGE QUALITY IS WHERE THIS LENS REALLY SHINES. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW (IN IT'S REVIEW OF THIS LENS) CALLED IT "OPTICALLY SUPERB" AND "A FLAWED GEM" (SPEAKING OF IT'S FEW SHORTFALLS) BUT OVERALL FOR A $760.00 PIECE OF GLASS, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU COULD DO BETTER IF THIS FOCAL RANGE IS WHAT YOU DESIRE. IN ANY EVENT, DO YOUR RESEARCH AND I THINK YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT WHAT THE LAB REPORTS SAY AND YOU WILL WANT TO SEE JUST WHAT THIS LENS WILL DELIVER. I DON'T THINK YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. THIS LENS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE BUT RATHER A SERIOUS COMPETITOR.IN SHORT, WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN???? "IN A HEARTBEAT"WOULD I RECOMMEND IT???? I'LL PUT IT THIS WAY. IT'S A GREAT BARGAIN AND WONDERFUL FIND AND YOU CAN BUY TWO OF THESE FOR ONE OF THEIRS.