Tamron AF28-105mm f/4-5.6 (IF)

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29 reviews 3.69 of 5 MSRP: $ 269.00  
 
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Reviews 1 - 5   (29 Reviews Total)     Next 5

Review Date
February 7, 2010

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

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Reviewed by
Alfredo Hernandez , Intermediate

Price Paid
$84.00 at Cameta Auctions

Photography Experience
0-1 years , Outdoor

Summary
I bought this lens used on Ebay through one of the Ebay Stores. i purchased this to use on my Nikon D80 at first I found the lens to be hard to get good color rendition, after i learned that the settings on my camera were the reason for the color I made some adjustments and the color has been no problem.One of the things that I don"t like about this lens is the flare when pointed directly at the sun,even with the UV filter and a CPL filter I still found flare.Other wise that is my only real quarrel with this lens. It takes very good and sharp pic's I only wish it was wider and faster F4 just isn't fast enough in low light conditions. As I do Landscape photography sunsets can sometimes require a larger aperture lens,but for the price this has been a very good quality lens, the build is very solid and there is no real problem with lens creep I shot the moon directly on top of me in bulb settings at 90 seconds and the lens did not creep at all.
If your on a budget and need a decent lens with very good sharp and clear photos then Go for this lens !

Strengths
Sharp,Solid build, No lens creep,Metal bayonet mount.

Weaknesses
Lens flare when pointed directly at the sun or towards the direction of the sun.

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Review Date
April 9, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

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Reviewed by
Mel Unruh , Expert

Price Paid
$49.00 at Ebay

Photography Experience
21+ years , People

Summary
I bought this to use primarily for portraits (formal and informal) of kids and also as a travel lens. I was wanting the SP version, but I found this as a closeout from a camera store on ebay. So, for the money, I thought it was a safe bet. I just got my first set of prints from a formal setting with my son. I was blown away at the sharpness (at portrait focal lengths) of this lens. I also shoot medium format and I have to say, I was hard pressed to tell the difference. They were that good. Skin tones were perfect, wardrobe colors were prefect and focus was tack sharp. Enlargements are just as sharp. I haven't shot anything outdoors and so have not used the lens at wide angle yet. Everything thus far has been in the 60-105mm range (mostly 85-100mm). So far, its the best $50 bucks I've ever spent.

Strengths
Outstanding sharpnes and color rendition indoors with studio flash.

Weaknesses
None yet

Similar Products Used
Tamron MF SP Lenses, Pentax lenses and Sigma.

Customer Service
Not needed

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Review Date
August 5, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1 votes

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Reviewed by
Christiano , Professional

Price Paid
$175.00 at pricebasker

Photography Experience
11-20 years , People

Summary
This is again a true little jewel from Tamron which many users oversee and ignore just because its 3 party.
However once you have tried it both on film and digital you will realize its a keeper and it will surprise you more and more,as its big brother the famed (and cheap) 70-300 lens.
Its colours its sharpness and distortion are outstanding regarding the price you pay! its a true winner and i often use it for PRO work especially when i travel and combine this with a Canon EOS 100,In short-a dreamteam of photogear.I also use it on front of my beloved Canon D1 and D10 with very good results,but generally put a very good filter in front of it!(a BW cost almost more than the lens itself ,but its worth it)
Tamron:!!;
Please Put some more LD glass in front and metal barrel and it will revoulutionize the business.

Strengths
all.as i stated before.its a winner.and its light.almost XXXXX stars!!

Weaknesses
very few.

Similar Products Used
many from canon tamron nikon leica ..and so on so forth

Customer Service
nope ist strong built

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Review Date
August 3, 2004

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

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Reviewed by
Marvol , Intermediate

Price Paid
$0.00 at The Netherlands

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
I bought this lens in a kit together with a Minolta Dynax 404si. I reckoned for a little extra money I'd like the extra 25mm over the standard 28-80mm on offer. Indeed, the extra mm's have given me lots of fun and pictures that would've been impossible with a mere 80mm.

Apart from that, I suppose this lens is very decent for the price (since I didn't directly pay for it, it's difficult to judge) and the weight. And the fairly compact size.
It's made me quite a lot of very nice pictures with good colour and contrast, although on closer inspection or magnification (to 8x12"/20x30 cm) the sharpness isn't quite comparable to what I get with my 50mm f1.7 Minolta prime. Well, if I wanted the extra sharpness I'd use that lens; if I wanted a versatile lens that I could use in most situations without having to change, I'd use this one. I've taken it on several holidays as my only lense (doing a lot of walking I really can't be bothered carrying kilo's of equipment around) and I hardly ever needed anything more than this one.
Sure, their might have been distortion but I never really noticed let alone cared. The pics look good and that's what matters.

On the downside is the slowness (f4-5.6) which causes problems indoors and after sunset, but when I bought it I can't remember any faster lenses being around for similarly reasonable prices or weight. Nowadays, yes, lenses seem to be faster... let's call that evolution.

Also the build quality of this lens isn't great. Extended beyond like 80mm, the lens front could be moved by hand for a millimeter or so in every direction, which doesn't feel or look very comfortable. After a while the lens developed a wobble when turning the focusing ring through a certain position; probably a grain of sand having gotten inside. I never bothered having it removed as it didn't interfere with any function.
Most annoying however was the fact that when carrying the camera around my neck, the lens always extended itself to 105 mm due to a lack of resistance or a focus lock (hurray for the Tamron's 24-135 focus lock switch!). Then again, for a lens in this price range I wouldn't expect it to break the pavement it falls on.

All in all, a good but not great all-round lens, useable in most situations (except low light). However, the build quality does make it a doubtful choice if you come across one second hand.

Strengths
- cheap(?)
- lightweight, compact
- very good range (although nowadays 24mm as a start range is taking over)

Weaknesses
- slow
- lack of resistance in zoom or focus lock
- not great in durability (but for the price, what do you expect)

Similar Products Used
Sigma 28-70 f3.5-4.5 (heavier even though 35 mm less range, and basically as slow)
Tamron 24-135 f3.5-5.6 and Minolta 24-105 f3.5-4.5D (haven't used either enough yet to judge)
Minolta 28-80 f 3.5-4.5D (lighter, compacter, perhaps slightly better pictures, but lacks the 25mm at the end)

Customer Service
None needed

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Review Date
July 17, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.50 of 5, 2 votes

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Reviewed by
DerKea302 , Professional , from Newark, Delaware

Price Paid
$0.00

Photography Experience
21+ years , People

Summary
I bought this lens as a back up. I didn't want to spend a lot of money because I knew I wouldn't be using it very much. I was wrong for photos outside of weddings I find myself using this lens a lot more than expected. It's truely a very good lens especially for the price paid.

This is a very sharp lens and the colors are great too. It's focusing speed pretty quick and accurate. Tamrom has always impressed me with good quality lenes.

Strengths
Sharp and accurate colorful images
decently built, resonable price,fast enongh AF

Weaknesses
A bit on the noisy side but livable
f4-5.6 not bad but should be f3.5-4.5

Similar Products Used
Tamron 28-200 1st series, Canon 35-105, 28-135 is usm, Tokina 35-105 MF

Customer Service
Not used

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