Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Review

Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Handling and Features

The size of this lens is fairly typical for an optic sporting a 10x zoom range, as is the weight, which is 540g. It balances well on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III body used for testing, and will make a good companion for smaller, more compact SLR camera bodies as well. Matte finished, high quality plastics have been used for much of the construction of the lens barrel, and the bayonet fitting is metal, so it feels reasonably robust as a result. A rubber gasket, located around the metal lens bayonet, will help to prevent the ingress of dust and moisture into the camera body. The lens professes to be dust and splash proof, and is sealed internally.

A Piezo Drive motor powers autofocus and speeds are fairly quick, for a super-zoom lens. Manual adjustments can be applied at any time via the narrow focusing ring near the base of the lens. Manual focusing action is smooth and well damped, which makes fine adjustments a pleasure to apply. The zoom action is as smooth and although it seems to tighten up a little when being zoomed from 200mm to 300mm, it doesn't snag at all. Enough resistance has been applied to prevent the zoom creeping forward when it is pointed down, even so, a switch to lock the lens at 28mm is provided, to prevent the lens from being extended accidentally when removed from a case or bag.

Closest focus distance is 49cm, which is fairly typical for a lens covering this zoom range and focusing is performed internally. The 67mm filter thread does not rotate, which should make this lens ideal for use with graduated filters and polarisers. A petal shaped hood is supplied with the lens, which attaches to the bayonet fitting on the front of the lens.

Tamron's Vibration Compensation system promises to allow hand held shooting at shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be consistently possible. The system settles down quickly , providing a steady viewfinder image, although it is best to leave a short pause after focusing to allow the system to settle properly. With care, sharp held held shots were possible at shutter speeds as low as 1/30sec around half the time at 300mm, which is roughly four stops slower than the usual rule of thumb may recommend.

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