tamron.....cheap find or cheap junk

sabenemmons

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Tamron do have some good lenses but they also have some consumer level 'not as good' lenses...just like Canon or any other manufacturer.

They probably do have some lenses that are fast & quite like a Canon USM...but I don't think these are the ones. But you can't buy Canon USM lenses for that price.

Typically, you get what you pay for. Top quality lenses, from any company, will cost a lot. As for 'professional prints'...that is a subjective term. Some pros may require the sharpness of $1000+ "L glass"....while some may be fine with $200 Tamron lenses.
 
You might be able to find reviews of specific lenses, which might give you a clue. You could also go into a shop and try out the lenses on your camera.

Another thing to consider is that these cheap 'consumer' lenses are not as durable as the more expensive lenses. Canon 'L' lenses for example are tough and much more resistant to water than a cheap lens...but they are very expensive.
 
sabenemmons said:
thanks mike,
I know you generally get what you pay for which is why i am apprehensive about these. I am backpacking accross europe in the spring and plan to take a few thousand photos, hopfully for resell in the states. I need a broader range in lenses and i think the range of these two is great but if they take forever for the autofoucus then they are useless for my girlfriend and if the image quality is crap then i will have trouble getting a "sellable" photograph. But at the same time i dont want (and cant afford) to spend $500 and up for a lens that is going to be hauled all over in a backpack probable not getting the best care.
Thank you for your comment.
saben

Hi there, I don't have any experience with that lens but I do have a Tamron 28-200mm AF for a Minolta. The image quality is not crap. It's also not amazingly great. It's just good. You should be able to get photos which are good enough to enlarge and to sell, but you could certainly do significantly better. Also remember that although those lenses will give you good range, the image quality could decrease noticeably when shooting at the lens' extremes, for example at 300mm.

I have a friend who just got back from going round continental Europe for a month; on a few occasions people attempted to rob him, including once on an Italian train by two guys who openly attempted to pick his pockets while he lay at the end of the carriage, even though he was clearly awake. Backpacking by its nature tends to involve not always sleeping in locked rooms with people you trust. In short, even if you take great care of your lens there's no guarantee you'll still have it on the return flight. For this reason I might actually recommend a cheaper lens like this. Another alternative is prime lenses; they're generally cheaper and don't necessarily take up that much more space as long as you plan properly and only take the ones you need. There's also less to go wrong with them (I've found that stuff can get inside my zoom lens if I'm not careful - which is most of the time).

On the other hand, if you're confident you can take care of yourself and your camera (or you can sleep with one eye open) then obviously I'd say spend more for better quality - like Mike says, a more expensive lens is likely to be better built, so in fact you don't have to worry so much about handling it (and can instead worry about having it stolen) :)

Personally I would be happy enough with my 28-200mm, but would definitely take at least a 50mm prime for when I need to be sure.
 
I've used really nice Tamron lenses before. I would imagine that the results you'll get with these are similar to any other brand's standard, inexpensive, consumer zooms.
 
I have a tamron 70-300mm lens. I think it takes fine pictures, however not as good a $1000 lens i am sure. As far as the AF mine is 1sec or less and is more quiet that the Nikon lens that came on the D70. I don't think you will be disappointed. Have fun on your trip
 

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