Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC US D

What price an FX-format, stabilised, fully refined telephoto zoom? It may be cheaper than you think!

The feature-rich Tamron 70-300mm VC USD is as upmarket you can expect a ‘budget’ zoom lens to be. It matches the Nikon 70-300mm VR in most respects. Attractions include USD (UltraSonic Drive) autofocus (essentially ring-type ultrasonic by another name). It’s wonderfully quiet and quick in operation, and comes with full-time manual focus override. Similarly, there’s Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) stabilisation built in, which goes head-tohead with Nikon’s VR system.

The build feels tougher and more refined than that of Tamron’s more basic 70-300mm. Again, the relatively heavy weight of 765g is on a par with Nikon’s 70-300mm lens. Both are almost exactly the same size, although the Tamron has a smaller filter thread of 62mm, compared with the Nikon’s 67mm. Handling is aided by the fact that the focus ring doesn’t rotate during autofocus, and there’s a focus distance scale beneath a viewing window.

Performance

There’s little to choose between this Tamron and the Nikon 70-300mm when it comes to image quality, apart from colour fringing being more noticeable from the Tamron. Autofocus isn’t quite as fast as in the Nikon, but it’s not far behind.