This Tamron lens any good?

[o.versteer]

Afternoon all,

Bear with me on this, I'm a bit of a beginner to the world of DSLR's etc., but here goes - I've got a Canon 450d which I'm very pleased with, but would like to get another lens to extend the zoom range, so I can do motorsports events better (Goodwood Revival soon!!), and generally be more flexible etc.

I'd like something compace that does it all, so I came across this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-18-250mm-F3-5-6-3-A...

Is that any good? Seems good value, and is much cheaper than the equivalent Canon. So, what does everyone think? I want to use it for motorsport, concert photos and general faffing about. I'd like it to have sopme sort of IS (I think this one does) but I suppose that's not a complete requirement, although it would be nice.

Any thoughts much appreciated!

[miniman]

IMHO it's not fast enough (i.e. large maximum aperture) for things like concert shots. It is f/6.3 at 250mm so you'll never get a decent shot in low light with it.

[SamHH]

That lens doesn't have stabilisation, but I believe Tamron recently launched a 18-270mm lens that does. I don't know if the lens is any good, but being able to cover such a wide focal length range will probably come at the cost of other factors. That's not to say it won't meet your needs. Here is a review:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/293-tamron-af-18...

[ofcorsa]

The newish canon 55-250mm lens does have IS i belive

[miniman]

This Sigma has OS at the expense of a bit of reach:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.as...

Will your budget stretch another £100?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.as...

[o.versteer]

ofcorsa said:

The newish canon 55-250mm lens does have IS i belive

This one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-55-250mm-Telephoto-S...

miniman said:

Will your budget stretch another £100?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.as...

Yep, it would, if needs be. Is the L-Series lens a lot better than the 55-250? That seems stonking value at under £200, but presumably the L-Series one M~UST be a lot better at more than twice the price? With the latter, I think I'd miss the extra 50mm particularly for motorsport shots, but, er, what do I know.

Sorry if this is really obvious, I'm a bit clueless

[miniman]

So the general pecking order as I see it in the lens world is:

Tamron
Sigma
Canon
Canon L

The L lenses are absolutely superb. I have the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS and it is fabulous (but it's around £1200) - the f/4 L is still excellent and in a totally different league to the Tamron.

[VxDuncan]

Yeah, you've gone from IMO the worst lenses on the market today - the cheap slow superzooms, to L series glass in one go! Impressive!

I would add that the Sigma EX lenses are worth considering, and would usually sit somewhere between the Canon and Canon "L" in that pecking order. I've a Sigma EX HSM 70-200 F2.8 (circa £500 from HK) that is fantastic for the money, and would be great for your application (possibly with a match 1.4TC)).

The superzooms such as the Tamron you mentioned are convienient, but in my experience (sigma 18-125 and nikon 18-200) they are a major compromise on quality and speed. VR/IS/OS doesn't make up for slow glass as you would be able to stop the action. Certainly won't make up of barrel distorsion, chromatic abberation and softness that's my experience of them.

If you're on a budget I'd go something like (cheap->expensive)
70-300mm F4.5-5.6 USM
S/H 70-200 F4 L
70-200 F2.8 Sigma EX
70-200 F2.8 L Canon
...

This is err'ing on quality over reach, but better to crop a sharp image than have a soft image that doesn't need cropping!

[o.versteer]

VxDuncan said:

better to crop a sharp image than have a soft image that doesn't need cropping!

Excellent point. I could go for an L-series lens but I just think it might be a bit overkill for a beginner.

Would this 55-250:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-55-250mm-Telephoto-S...

...be a complete waste of time in comparison, ie is it really only half as good?

[DIW35]

o.versteer said:

VxDuncan said:

better to crop a sharp image than have a soft image that doesn't need cropping!

Excellent point. I could go for an L-series lens but I just think it might be a bit overkill for a beginner.

You may consider yourself a beginner, but how long will it be before you start saying to yourself I need to upgrade to that L lens? If you can afford it I would go for the L right off, knowing that it will last and will probably not need upgrading.

[outnumbered]

I recently bought the EF-S 55-250/IS. I haven't used it a lot yet, but so far it seems excellent value for money. From my research, people reckoned the IQ on this lens is better than, or at least on a par with, the 70-300, and it is a lot cheaper.

Have a look at

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.p...

for lots of relevant info.

[4hero]

DIW35 said:

o.versteer said:

VxDuncan said:

better to crop a sharp image than have a soft image that doesn't need cropping!

Excellent point. I could go for an L-series lens but I just think it might be a bit overkill for a beginner.

You may consider yourself a beginner, but how long will it be before you start saying to yourself I need to upgrade to that L lens? If you can afford it I would go for the L right off, knowing that it will last and will probably not need upgrading.

here here! I went through the same process, buying tamron 55-200, then the canon equivalent 55-200. Only a couple of months afterwards I realised what a mistake I had made and since sold them both to get the 70-200 L. You will not regret buying the L, it's worth pushing the budget a touch and will save you money in the long run. I'm still a beginner, but have no intentions of giving this up as a hobby. If you really enjoy photography, then get the L!

[havoc]

miniman said:

So the general pecking order as I see it in the lens world is:

Tamron
Sigma
Canon
Canon L

Are we talking price or quality?

Because the two aren't necessarily the same...my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is a sharp little piece of kit at a much better price than the (inferior) Canon 17-55IS.

But I agree on the superzooms - jack of all trades, master of none...

[miniman]

havoc said:

Are we talking price or quality?

I would say price and perceived quality. Clearly there will be some gems and some horrors from both ends of the scale (although I'm not sure there's a terrible L lens), bit like comparing a Kia Ceed with a Kia Rio.

[kybo]

Whether or not it has to be L glass, I don't know. The people that use them obviously appreciate the superior quality of their shots (99% of the time) so in that respect its probably a budget issue as to whetehr you can afford one. If you can do it.

I'd like to own some L glass but can't afford to. I would, without shadow of a doubt, get FAST glass - it has to be F2.8 (or F4 straight through). For me, now, I can see what the fuss is about. The trouble I've had on dull or dreary days means i'm saving for something fast - possibly the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 or the 120-300mm (can't save a lot fast and want a decent lens before I pop me clogs ) I currently use a Bigma - no probs using it yesterday morning but when it went dull in the afternoon not so nice.

Don't worry about image stabilisation - 90% of people turn it off for motorsport.

Scott

[stevieb]

I picked up ones of these a while back as a all rounder when wondering around london.

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Macro
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s32746/0/Lenses/Sigma...

But I am saving for this one!

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s22119/0/Lenses/Canon...

[size13]

I have a Tamron 28-300 and would say that for the money you can't fault it. I still use it as a general walk-about lens but now also have a sigma 70-200 f2.8 with is much nicer, but 5 times the weight and more obvious to carry around!

[m12_nathan]

kybo said:

Don't worry about image stabilisation - 90% of people turn it off for motorsport.

Scott

Or switch it to mode 2 for panning where it is really useful.

[SMB]

Anyone have any thoughts on this for motorsport or aviation, looks similar spec to the canon 100-400 which is highly recommended
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.as...