In recent, regular tidying and cleaning my photo equipment, this lens I remembered in my hands and I was reminded of my early days. This was my first telephoto lens at all, as a student I could not afford more easily.
For around 100 Euro you get a very simple lens with a lens hood. The build quality is measured by the price, actually ok. The maximum apertures of 4.0-5.6 (4.0 at 55mm, 5.6 at 200mm) mean in this case that the intensity of the Tamron is quite low. Coupled with the fact that the image quality rather bad at open aperture fails and thus smaller apertures are meaningful (8.0 and is higher all ok), this pipe is to be regarded as an absolute fair-weather lens. Smaller apertures mean in turn that more exposure and higher ISO values are necessary. The former is in turn aggravate recording in low light much. Increasing the ISO sensitivity in turn brings more noise into the image. Beginners will tend to operate the Tamron at maximum aperture. The resulting photos look as if covered with a light veil on the image. The drawing of the lens is very blurred here. For indoor use or generally poorer light conditions, it is entirely inappropriate and the autofocus is not just a prime example of engineering. This creeps like a snail, is loud, hunts like before and he's back and the most accurate either. It also produces violent chromatic aberrations and distortions in the shorter and the longest focal length ranges - horrible for JPEG shooters and not always correctable in RAW format.
But why I give in all these disadvantages not only a star? Quite simply: beginners and beginners are only even notice these disadvantages not so much, and many more expensive lenses do their thing not much better. The Tamron is wonderful for a cost-effective entry into the telephoto. If things are not more like later, or you should lose interest in photography, you can sell at the original price again it almost. The image results are quite acceptable for beginners, without having had the same place a wad of cash on the table. So you learn photographing good and cheap! I do not know how many (for me rather boring) Zoo visits saved my objective this :)
To put it directly whiners first: No, of course there is no comparison between this lens and high-order lenses, certainly not the L-class. Today I would not even buy this lens, but back then I was glad. The price / performance ratio is simply very good. This impression was confirmed again some time ago, my wife began a little too interested in my hobby also and lay down a small Canon 1100D to. So I gave her the Tamron in the hand and made her a trip to a medieval market you had seen photographic enjoyment.
This lens is therefore suitable exclusively for beginners in photography. Do you want to buy a telephoto lens to do with it at the next visit to the zoo or another family trip in good weather a few pictures? Access! Later, when you should be more fun the photography and its claims to grow, you can still grab a better lens. If not, then this was not a mammoth investment. Who now has the right to use this lens next to Aunt Gertrude's birthday party in the club house, which should probably shoot more in the associated garden, as a use in low light, at least from his hand out to impossibility borders - In particular at higher focal lengths.
