I remember when Tamron started their SP "Superior Performance" line in the seventies, it was an attempt at making third-party lenses which could compete with the quality of brand name optics (Nikon, Canon, etc). And they often succeeded.
For their sixtieth anniversary, they reveal a new 70-300mm full-frame zoom with extra-low dispersion lenses, which is very rare.
But 70-300 is a well-covered range, I even have one on my desk here by Pentax. So it must have something special, yes? Tamron says so:
"...the SP AF70-300mm... boasts sharper contrast and greater descriptive performance than all others in its class."
Woa, quite a claim. If it's true, that should be a heck of a lens.
Press release.
The lens looks as though it could be a very nice alternative to a marque version ... though I'd personally find it a much more attractive proposition if the maximum aperture was a\ fixed, and b\ faster ... I guess that it was built to a cost though, rather than all-out performance?
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I think we often lose the plot when it comes to the prices and specifications of cameras and lenses (and, I guess, many other things too!)
Sure, it's nice to own these things if we can afford them, but do we actually NEED them? Probably not! ... if a piece of kit adequately produces the end result that you seek, is there much point to faster, sharper lenses or more megapixels?
Not too many years ago, pre auto-fucus, I ran Canon T90's ... georgeous cameras that I WISH I could locate new today (Yep, it CAN be done!)at anything like a reasonable price.
I had access to a range of Canon glassware, though in fairness this was before I was seduced by their 'L' series porn! :-)
70-210ish zooms were my 'standard' lens at that time, typically fixed with a max. aperture of f4.
The bog-standard Canon versions at that time cost maybe £150 - £180 ... yet out of preference based soley on performance and handling, I prefered (and got sharper, better results from) a couple of Kiron zooms that cost me maybe £40 apiece, and included quirky features like 'zoom lock', and 'focus stop', which were actually very usable!
Now, I'm fortunate; I'm able to buy the glass I want, but if I could get hold of a couple of T90 bodies tomorrow, guess which lenses I would be searching for?:-)
Cost, and weight! If this lens was 2.8 over the whole range, it would weigh something like three kilos!
ReplyDeleteGuess you are likely correct there, considering the size and weight of a 300mm f2.8 telephoto! :-)
ReplyDeleteThere again, the Canon 200mm f1.8 actually DOES weigh 3 kilos ... and that is without the bucket-sized lens hood!
Talk about your monster glass!
ReplyDelete