I have a Nikon 5300 and have been looking at purchasing a Tamron 18-400 with a Tap-In console. Has any one used this console with the Tamron 18-400? The console costs about $60 and I'm curious if it has any benefits with this lense. Doesn't this lense come with the factory settings already optimized? Thank you in advance for your comments.
Moondoggie wrote:
I have a Nikon 5300 and have been looking at purchasing a Tamron 18-400 with a Tap-In console. Has any one used this console with the Tamron 18-400? The console costs about $60 and I'm curious if it has any benefits with this lense. Doesn't this lense come with the factory settings already optimized? Thank you in advance for your comments.
The Tap-in console would be especially useful to you as your model camera body does not offer AF Fine Tuning.
The Tamron is a VERY nice lens but has a tendency to be slightly soft at full zoom. Proper tuning of the lens can vastly improve its sharpness on the long end as I have found.
MT Shooter wrote:
The Tap-in console would be especially useful to you as your model camera body does not offer AF Fine Tuning.
The Tamron is a VERY nice lens but has a tendency to be slightly soft at full zoom. Proper tuning of the lens can vastly improve its sharpness on the long end as I have found.
Does fine tuning at the long end compromise focus accuracy at the medium and short ranges?
Jim Bob wrote:
Does fine tuning at the long end compromise focus accuracy at the medium and short ranges?
Absolutely not, how could it? You can focus tune at multiple focal lengths AND multiple focal distances.
MT Shooter wrote:
Absolutely not, how could it? You can focus tune at multiple focal lengths AND multiple focal distances.
OK. Thanks. I wasn’t aware that you could fine tune individual focus lengths. I thought the conventional wisdom was if you fine tune one focus length it might adversely affect others. Please forgive my ignorance (and that of many reputable professional photographers). Can this be done with all Tamron zooms that are compatible with the console?
Jim Bob wrote:
Does fine tuning at the long end compromise focus accuracy at the medium and short ranges?
Go to the TAP-in help page to become familiar with the device before you make a purchase decision:
http://www.tamron.co.jp/software/en/tapin/help/
In addition to AF fine tuning, I believe that lens also has customization switches for focus limiting. Focus limiting allows you to pick minimum and maximum distances for focus. This is very helpful for things like birds in flight. If you know that the closest you are likely to be to the action is 300m you can set one customization with a long minimum distance. This reduces focus hunting and, as a result, speeds up focus acquisition. Also, if Tamron does a firmware update, you can get it quickly through the TAP-In. I use the Sigma version of this same thing.
That doesn't answer the question.
dsmeltz wrote:
In addition to AF fine tuning, I believe that lens also has customization switches for focus limiting. Focus limiting allows you to pick minimum and maximum distances for focus. This is very helpful for things like birds in flight. If you know that the closest you are likely to be to the action is 300m you can set one customization with a long minimum distance. This reduces focus hunting and, as a result, speeds up focus acquisition. Also, if Tamron does a firmware update, you can get it quickly through the TAP-In. I use the Sigma version of this same thing.
In addition to AF fine tuning, I believe that lens... (
show quote)
I'm aware of all of this. But it does not answer the question.
dsmeltz wrote:
In addition to AF fine tuning, I believe that lens also has customization switches for focus limiting.
This lens does not, as far as I can tell, have a focus limiting switch... at least, not on the Canon mount version.
http://tamron.cdngc.net/inst/pdf/b028inst_1701_en.pdf
Looking closer, I think you are right. Kinda of surprising give the range of the lens.
Moondoggie wrote:
I have a Nikon 5300 and have been looking at purchasing a Tamron 18-400 with a Tap-In console. Has any one used this console with the Tamron 18-400? The console costs about $60 and I'm curious if it has any benefits with this lense. Doesn't this lense come with the factory settings already optimized? Thank you in advance for your comments.
Yes the lens is optimized at the factory, but not to your individual camera body. Cameras and lenses are built within tolerances. The TAP_In allows you to adjust multiple length and distance combinations to your camera.
But, it your camera body has AF fine tuning one can skip the Tap_In?
Does fine tuning at the long end compromise focus accuracy at the medium and short ranges?
fotobyferg wrote:
But, it your camera body has AF fine tuning one can skip the Tap_In?
On a prime lens, yes (kind of). But for a zoom, especially one with significant range, no. A lens can be off differently over various distances and lengths.
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