Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC G2 Lens (6 Year Warranty)

Pros: image quality at all focal lengths is comparable to or superior to Canon’s rival, and better than their equivalently priced unit
Very solid build quality
Zoom does not extend, focus does not rotate
Very short throw (1/5 turn for all focal length) zoom
Arca style tripod mount on the support collar
Rubberized front element surround
Very discrete shade of black/rubberized finish
Extremely quiet and very effective IS. When compared to my Canon 100mm f2.8L IS which sounds like a blender.

Cons: included lens hood feels very cheap and fragile. Not very positive click in when locked in place, and hard to reverse mount to transport lens
Included pouch is extremely cheap quality
Weight… if lugging around all day, a monopod would be useful. The penalty of the quality glass and mechanisms, and no heavier than the Canon offering
No major faults. In my opinion better than the equivalent Canon, and for non-sport subjects, better optics than the Sigma equivalent (Sport series)

Meets or exceeds the Canon equivalent in every way. Crisp images with nice background separation at f2.8. AF is fast and quiet. VC (stabilization) works as advertised providing easy hand holding at 200mm down to 1/30s or slower if you have steady hands. Personally, I boost ISO and increase shutter speed before trying to shoot that slow since at that point I’m more concerned with subject movement than camera shake.

The build quality of this latest generation of Tamron lenses is superb. This is a real pleasure to hold and work with for hours. Focus and zoom rings are smooth and well damped. The barrel finish is beautiful.

One thing I have noted is that the AF and VC control switches seem to be more easily knocked out of position than the similar function switches on my Canons. I think this is partly due to the Tamron switches having slightly less resistance and possibly being slightly more exposed compared to the Canon switches. This has caused my to unexpectedly find myself shooting in manual focus mode after I had apparently moved the AF/MF switch while either carrying or unbagging the Tamron.

An integrated Arca mount plate is awesome. Thank you Tamron.

I was reading some reviews of this lens, and a couple people were throwing around the term tack sharp. I have the G2 Version of Tamron’s 150-600, and it’s definitely not as sharp as my Canon 100-400 II, so I didn’t necessarily place much faith in the claims of the reviews. I was curious, though, so I figured I could return it if I wasn’t satisfied. Well, I have to give Tamron credit for this lens. It’s very sharp, approaching the sharpness of my Pentax K-70 and new 55-300 combo (the K-70 has no low-pass filter, and those two make for the sharpest setup I’ve ever used). The depth of field is a blessing and a curse, being razor thin at these focal lengths, so I need to practice that some more, but that’s no fault of the lens. It’s pretty heavy, close to that of the 100-400, so that will take some acclimation. Autofocus is very fast and virtually silent, although perhaps not *quite* as fast as the Canon lens. The manual override is a very nice feature, and the focus ring is buttery smooth. The zoom ring is not quite as nice, but still works fine. I have a 7D Mark II, and I figured that because of its low-pass filter, and other factors, I just resigned myself to its less than staggeringly sharp output. But with this lens, I’ve been proven wrong, and I know now that the 7D is capable of some very sharp images, indeed. I haven’t tried either version of Canon’s 70-200, and I only tried Sigma’s version briefly (it seemed pretty sharp, though), but if you’re looking for a 70-200, and your budget won’t quite allow for L glass, the Tamron is a killer alternative.

Just a fantastic lens. Whether you’re pro or enthusiast this lens is fantastic. Tamron is setting a new standard with many of its SP lenses and this workhorse 70 – 200 mm zoom is no exception. Not only does it offer outstanding value at its price point, but it is a standout in nearly every category against all competitors including the Canon L series. If you really want the red stripe so you can be seen sporting L series glass, then by all means step up and pay the extra grand or so. But if you want just about the best lens you can get (without spending 5 or 6 k) then this will not disappoint. My only complaint is the placement of the buttons on the side which can get inadvertently switched by your hand if you’re not paying attention. Once you adjust to this you become conscious of it so it fades as a concern over time.
I definitely do recommend this lens.

good

Excellent lens as far as image quality and I’ll start by saying I love this lens, but two things to watch out for. First, my version of the lens needed A LOT of micro adjustment to focus on the right spot, which I read was common with this lens. If you aren’t familiar with the process, read up on microadjustment and do it with this lens to get the most out of it. The lens was focusing almost 2″ in front of where it was supposed to consistanly before the adjustment. I second-shot a whole wedding like this and was initially disappointed with the lens. I did the adjustment and it has been amazing ever since, made a huge difference. This lens by far needed more adjustment than any of my other lenses.

Second issue is that the MF/AF and VC buttons are in a horrible location and not recessed enough if you use a sling strap, so I promise that you will repeatedly accidentally switch it to MF or turn VC off when you don’t want to, and will miss an occasional shot because it isn’t autofocusing when you expect it to. Again, I read this was a problem and can confirm that it is.

All things considered, this is a wonderful lens, focuses fast, very sharp after the micro adjustment, and is my new workhorse lens. As annoying as the button issue is, it is still well worth the savings from the Canon version of this lens, highly recommend this lens.