TAMRON SP 70-300MM F4-5.6 DI VC USD
A rather ground-breaking lens for Tamron when it was first launched, this 70-300mm has certainly stood the test of time
Whereas all of the other lenses on test were launched a year or two ago, this one is now eight years old. When it was launched, this offering was Tamron’s first lens to feature a ‘USD’ ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system, which comes with the usual speed and handling benefits. It’s very quick, whisperquiet and enables full-time manual override. The autofocus isn’t quite as fast nor as quiet as in the other lenses in this group test, but it’s not far behind.
A plus point for manual focusing is that the focus ring is mechanically rather than electronically coupled, so you can adjust it without worrying that the setting might change if the camera goes into standby and is then reactivated. The Tamron is also the only lens in the group to feature a physical focus distance scale, which is neatly positioned beneath a viewing window.
The lens was also an early adopter of Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) system. It gives a four-stop benefit in reducing camera shake for static shots but is a little less effective when panning. That said, the stabiliser is only fitted to the Canon and Nikon mount editions of the lens, and is omitted from the Sony A-mount version. Posh glass includes both LD (Low Dispersion) and XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) elements, the latter of which is claimed to actually equal the performance of top-grade fluorite glass.
Sharpness and contrast are impressive, our only criticism being that sharpness tends to drop off a little when using very short focus distances at the long end of the zoom range. Colour fringing and distortions are also very well controlled.