Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
List Price: $ 366.55
Price: $ 366.55
Product Description
The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens is a compact, light-weight, ultra-tele zoom which covers the 70mm to 300mm telephoto range and produces photographs of exceptional image quality. It is ideal for taking pictures at a distance particularly when the subject is difficult to approach such as in nature and wildlife photography as well as at sporting and theatrical events. The Tamron 70-300mm also excels at portraiture and allows you to isolate the subject from the background for eye-catching, dramatic portraits. This versatile zoom has superb macro capability with a magnification of 1:2 enabling 1/2 life-size close-up shots of flowers, insects, and other objects that normally would require the use of a specially designed macro lens. This new lens is made with the Tamron Di (Digitally Integrated) design which uses an optical system with improved multi-coatings designed to function with Digital SLR Cameras as well as Film SLR Cameras. Tamron also incorporates LD (Low Dispersion) glass in this lens to correct chromatic aberration, resulting in clear, sharp, and beautifully vivid images.
Feature
- 9 Groups, 13 Elements Lens Construction
- Rotation Type of Zooming
- 9 Diaphragm Blade Number
- F/32 Minimum Aperture
- 59 inch Minimum Focus Distance (1.5m) in normal setting, 37.4 inch (0.95m) in macro mode f=180mm-300mm range
List Price: $ 750.00
Price: $ 750.00
Product Description
A thoroughly modern design that’s optimized for select Canon EOS digital SLRs. Its angle of view is equivalent to a 96mm lens on a 35mm camera, with a floating optical system that can focus down to full life-size (1:1) magnification. Inner focusing, driven by a silent and powerful ring-type USM, means the lens‘ overall length never changes during focus. This lens is a wonderful multi-purpose lens that’s equally at home shooting macro shots, portraits or available-light photos. Like all Canon EF-S Lenses, its use is restricted to the EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel and EOS Digital Rebel XT cameras.Bring small things into full-sized view with the Canon EF 60mm macro USM lens. Macro lenses can uncover detail that would be impossible to detect by the eye and give new perspective to extremely minute subjects such as insects or the petals of a small flower, and this lens is no exception. The 60mm lens offers an angle of view that’s equivalent to a 96mm lens on a 35mm camera, along with a floating optical system that can focus down to life-size 1:1 magnification. The inner focusing system, meanwhile, is driven by a silent and powerful ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM), meaning the lens’s overall length never changes during focus. Ultimately, the multi-purpose lens is equally at home shooting macro shots, portraits, or available-light photos. Like all Canon EF-S lenses, this lens is restricted to the EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel, and EOS Digital Rebel XT cameras.
- Focal length: 60mm
- Maximum aperture: 1:2.8
- Lens construction: 12 elements in 8 groups
- Diagonal angle of view: 25 degrees
- Focus adjustment: Manual
- Closest focusing distance: 0.65 feet
- Filter size: 52mm
- Dimensions: 2.9 inches in diameter, 2.8 inches long
- Weight: 11.8 ounces
Feature
- 60mm macro lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture for EOS digital SLR cameras
- 25-degree angle of view is equivalent to 96mm lens on 35mm camera
- Floating optical system can focus down to life-size 1:1 magnification
- Silent and powerful ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) for autofocusing
- Measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2.8 inches long; 1-year warranty
- Measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2.8 inches long , 1-year warranty
6 Comments on “Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras”
Surprisingly good lens for just over a $100,
I own both Canon gear (Canon 40D) and Nikon gear (D40). Since Nikon is my cheaper lighter gear, I am not to invest a lot of $$$ into it. While D40 is light and cheap, it is an excellent camera which I use all the time for many reasons. I needed a tele lens to compliment my kit 18-55 lens (which is excellent in itself and gets great reviews). I was between Tamron 70-300 and Sigma 70-300 APO since Nikon’s 70-300 is 4 times more expensive than Tamron and Sigma. After reading tons of reviews and playing with both Tamron and Sigma, I chose Tamron and I am very happy I did. There are several versions of Tamron’s 70-300, however this one is the latest, 2008 version, which autofocuses on D40, 40X and 60. This lens is remarkable for the amount it is sold for. I’ve taken many great photos with it on vacation and around town. It is also very compact and light. While it is not an ideal lens to shoot Birds in Flight (neither is D40 with its 2.5 fps) due to its slow autofocusing mechanism, it is great for general photos and portraits. As you can see from samples I even took some bee shots with it. I took a star because of slow autofocusing, but hey, you are paying $130 for it, realize it. I recommend this lens over Sigma for budget shooters who want 300 tele, but don’t want to pay $450 Nikon wants for its version. I am happy with it
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|Very good lens with some nice extras,
The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.
Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly “macro”) position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That’s about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.
Compared to the Canon lenses, it includes a lens hood ($$ from Canon) and a six year USA warranty (vs. 1 year). It’s a bit noiser than the Canon lenses in autofocusing. Additionally, the Canon 75-300 III is a considerably older design, which came out well before the needs of digital cameras were known. One slight drawback is that the Tamron uses 62mm filters vs. 58mm for the Canon (which is the same size as the popular 18-55 kit lens).
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|Good value in this updated design.,
The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.
Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly “macro”) position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That’s about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.
If you’re buying this for one of the new Sony Alpha series, this might be your best bet. The Tamron will include a 6-year USA warranty. It also includes the lens hood. The Sony 75-300 is repackaging of the older Konica-Minolta 75-300 lens, a lens that hit the market before any KM digital SLRs.
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|Sharp and Light,
This was one of the first lenses that I purchased with my Rebel XT. Now after taking several thousand pictures with it I can honestly say it was well worth the cost. I very rarely have any unsharp pictures with this lens unless it is my own fault by trying to use too slow of a shutter speed without a tripod.
I also have the 180mm f/3.5L Macro Lens, which costs about 3 times more than this lens, and although it is very clear and the extra reach is nice at times especially since it can be used with both the 1.4X and 2X TC’s, it is very difficult to use inside without a tripod. The 60mm can be handheld if needed with very good results even if you have to bump your ISO up a little to do so.
I have also used this lens for both inside and outside portrait work with very nice results.
All-in-all, given it’s small size and light weight I very rarely leave this lens behind when I go out because you never know when you might see a great macro shot.
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|Top-Notch,
I once thought that macro lenses were too specialized and that I would seldom need something so fine that I could photograph the segments in an insect’s eye. That was until I bought this lens.
I use it with a Canon 20D. My other lenses include the 17-85 IS zoom (versatile range but slow and not sharp), the 70-200mm f2.8L non-IS zoom (great for those moderate telephoto needs), and a 50mm f1.8 prime (very good for the price). But the 60mm is now my favorite lens, by a large margin. It’s on my camera all the time, and the other lenses spend most of their time in the bag.
It’s very sharp; it’s not heavy or conspicuous, and it handles fine macro photography or standard walking-around work (though not useful for wider angles).
It’s a little unfortunate that it doesn’t come with a hood – Canon must make a fortune selling those hoods at the prices they charge. I’m probably going to have to buy a hood or hope somebody sees it on my Amazon wish list. It also doesn’t come with a case, but if you’re keeping the lens in a decent camera bag you don’t need a case for the lens.
More important than a hood is some kind of support for camera if you’re doing any serious macro photography. With the lens wide open at f2.8 and the subject close to the lens you will only have about 1/4 inch (2-3 mm) of depth-of-field. Your breathing can move the camera enough to ruin your composition or knock the subject out of focus. So I’d suggest investing in some kind of small tripod or a bean bag or something to help hold it still. Of course, you can also boost the ISO and thereby get away with a faster shutter speed, but that’s at the expense of a slight loss in quality. Depending on how your pictures are being used, that may or may not be important.
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|Macro and Portrait in ONE lens!,
4 starts because otherwise 5 stars is inevitable:
1) Slow autofocus (hunt at times) but is to be expected of a macro lens.
2) built quality not as solid as expected at this price range.
I bought this lens instead for two purpose: Macro and Portrait! I was thinking of buying the 100mm macro plus 85mm f1.8 but this lens saves me buying two lenses! I have been very happy with it as what it is. I don’t do flying insects very much so it is not a problem but that said I was able to get 1:1 shot of a fly, see sample here:
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There are other samples in this gallery here:
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The large aperture (F2.8) means that one could have shallow DOF and great for low light such as this pic:
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For portrait, I accidentally took this photo during the London Bombing of a women ‘Shocked’ by the incident unfolding in the public TV display. It was a coincident that her background inmage was the winning Reuter’s photo of Tsunami tragedy and the matching colour of their dresses! I was quite far away so was able to capture her from head to toe:
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This illustrate the capability of both macro and normal photography using this lens. You will not regret it unless your primary aim is to shoot flying insets where longer 100mm or 150mm macro lenses may be needed in this case.
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