kcj Loc: Seneca SC

Looking to buy the Tamron 90 mm macro it is. Suppose to be a great lens now Tamron has the 18 to 400 mm lens that is not a macro, but still has good macro capabilities .does anyone have this lens ? How is it for a all around lens? How is the weight?

Zooman 1

I have the Tamron 18-400mm, it is a love/hate relationship. I like the focal length range, but find at shorter focal lengths the image is not as sharp as I would like. Mine has a tendency to stop focusing at 400mm, sent it in for repair and it was returned from Tamron with a note that there is nothing wrong with the lens. From about 50mm out to 300mm works well. Just check out the lens very carefully if you get one.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

We have thousands of shots with the 18-400. It is my wife's main lens. It is a good all around lens and the average non-expert, whatever that means, will be satisfied with its performance. There have been many positive reviews and examples posted. A good bang for the buck!

Eddy Vortex

I've been using this lens for almost a year and it's now mounted at all times. I shoot county exhibitions (8 hrs ), live theater (10 hrs weekly), Car shows (3-4 hrs), portraits under very varied & poor lighting conditions so with ISO 5000 I get very nice low light shots. The closest focus is 18" which is almost macro.
As for weight, I don't find it too heavy ( I use 17" holster) but I wouldn't want it to be any heavier.I like the build too. After 55 years...I'm soo happy not to be changing (and haulin') all those lenses around:)
I'm using a Nikon 5300 BTW.

philo Loc: philo, ca

My main travel lens is the 28-300. I find that i get sharp images and it sure is a lot easier to carry then my canon 70-200 or my Tamron 150-600.
I will be going to Costa Rica in Oct and was debating which lens to take.
I believe I will take the 28-300, because I believe it will be better hand holding it to get bif.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Nice, but have you used the 18-400??

Zooman 1

If I had the choice, heading to Costa Rica I would favor the 18-400 over the 28-300. I found I needed all the focal length I had for bird photos. But, my 1 trip to Costa Rica was BD (before digital).

agillot

rent one for a day . my friend has one and loves it .

TreborLow

I have an older Tamron 90mm Macro which I use on a Pentax K3. I am very satisfied with it. I tend to use other lenses for general photograhy since I like zooms. Also my macro is not auto-focus, so less convenient in general photography. Yes, I recommend it for macro work and any time the specific need for a moderate tele.
Happy shooting,
Bob

miskinss

I have the Tamron 90mm and love it. I am getting very sharp photos at a macro level as well as portraits and other all round shooting. I did do some initial tuning with the Tamron Tap. I dont have any experience with the 18-400.

philo Loc: philo, ca

Do they make the 18-400 for a canon 5d mark 4?

philo Loc: philo, ca

I called Tamron and the 18-400 is only available for a crop body not for full frame. Nice idea.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The 18-400, 18-300, 18-270, etc. are so-called "travel zooms". They are nothing but a barrel full of compromises. But sometimes, that's EXACTLY what you need. Just know that before you buy, so you don't have unrealistic expectations.

The sad fact of physics makes it very difficult to design a fast, light, wide focal length range zoom lens that is well corrected from barrel distortion at one end, pin cushion distortion at the other end, plus astigmatism, coma, chromatic aberrations, vignetting, and light loss from using too many glass elements.

If you want zoom lenses with good sharpness, a reasonable lack of the nasties mentioned above, and a reasonably fast aperture, go for fixed maximum aperture 3:1 zooms such as a 24-70mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 pair. If you need portability, pick one of the travel zooms after reading reviews at https://www.dpreview.com and on YouTube.

For great FLAT FIELD macro work, you need a true macro lens. The Tamron 90mm is a very good IMAGE STABILIZED macro!

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/1002386186/gear-of-the-year-tamron-90mm-f-2-8-di-vc-usd-macro

These are lenses made especially to photograph objects at 1:1 life size on the sensor. They are well-corrected optics, suitable for copying art without distorting it. They can stand up to the highest resolution sensors.

For every day close ups, a so-called "macro" zoom that can get down to 1/4 life-size reproduction on the sensor is okay in a pinch. Just expect some distortion at anything other than the mid-range of its focal length.

Then there is a set of close-up attachments known as "close-up attachment diopters". A set of +1, +2, +4 diopters is reasonably priced ($75 to $150 for most sets). These are used like filters. Many people buy a set of these to try close-up work, then migrate to a macro lens, later. I've actually used them WITH a macro lens for special effects work.

What do I use? I've switched to Micro 4/3, so I use a 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom, a 30mm f/2.8 macro, and a 35-100mm f/2.8 zoom. This kit is equivalent (in field of view) to the typical 24-70, 60mm macro, and 70-200 f/2.8 lenses used on full frame bodies, but with depth of field two stops deeper at every aperture at the same distance. I borrow or rent anything else I need.

MAYBE if I were going on a long trip, I would buy a 14-140 f/3.5 to f/5.6 lens for outdoor use (10:1 zoom range, equivalent in field of view to 28-280 on full frame). But I'd take something faster for use indoors.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

As you know, the wide open aperture gets smaller with longer focal lengths. It may be simply your camera can't auto-focus at the wide open aperture above 300 of that lens.

Zooman 1

Paul, that does not seem to be the problem, what happens is that the lens freezes, can't move and you can hear the gears trying. Usually have to turn the camera off, turn back on, bring the lens back to a shorter length and start working up to the desired focal length. Surprisingly, once I had it back it has seldom froze
up.