The first contact proves rewarding, construction exudes strength - good quality plastic and rider weight of about 450g - while the bronze ribbon Tamron lens out less high end series, as I 70-300 also has. The ring Zoom is fast but still relatively precise, which is rare because the goals often fall into one of two pitfalls: too hard but accurate and fast but imprecise. The ring MaP is less satisfactory, the accuracy is good and it handles well, but it is not wide enough for my taste. The ring does bute to any focal length, 17mm to 50mm transition is fluid throughout.
But we will not have to use it much since, and I get to another good point of this objo, autofocus is amazing responsiveness. My personal impression is that the AF is twice as fast with my Tamron 18-55 with my kit, the AF is therefore faster engine, and at f2.8 PO greatly helps to discrimination from the point, the work of the collimators side is much more effective and I return often to SEL mode K20D where I stood on the center point before, the lack of precision fault of others. But make no mistake, the AF is also noisy, however, no more than 18-55, so we gain in speed without noise pollution is exacerbated.
The mini map distance of 27cm allows some proxy-photo, but this goal is not a macro provided. The supplied lens hood is of good quality, plastic is better than that of the sun visor of 70-300.
The lens has a clever LOCK button to lock the focus so that it does not open under its own weight when it is directed downward for example. This phenomenon is nevertheless far more marginal than on 18-270. But the effort remains significant.
The Internal Focusing (IF) is also a plus.
The core issue now, the optical quality. The Tamron is renowned for its IQ, and my feeling is that this reputation is well deserved. It stings from the PO, without weakness to 50mm, and the results are excellent across the ranks as soon as the diaphragm by two notches, with a peak at f8.
Distortion is pronounced between 17 and 24mm, and is zero thereafter. Results in the standard for this type of objo. Chromatic aberration is well controlled, where she was invading my 70-300 (the crops to PO and 300mm are unsavory.).
Finally, 300 euros, Tamron turns out to be the right solution to end up at less cost. The benefits are felt, the 18-55 AL II is buried optical level, I rediscover my AF K20D with the constant f2.8 which facilitates the work of the collimators, not just the center, manufacturing quality inspires confidence and is quality. The bokeh that allows f2.8 is nicer than my old portraits at f5.6. And able to work at ISO 400 indoors is not luxury.
