Tamron zoom takes top honours

Pro performance comes with a distinctly consumer class price tag

There’s no denying that 70-200mm f/4 lenses are smaller and more lightweight than their f/2.8 counterparts. However, denying yourself that extra f/stop in aperture width can feel like a compromise, and a step down the quality ladder.

The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 features a weather-sealed build, super-fast autofocus and excellent optical stabilisation, at a very affordable price. Indeed, it costs only a little more than the Canon and Nikon f/4 zooms. Best of all, the Tamron delivers stellar image quality throughout its entire zoom range and right into the corners of images. For our money, it’s simply the best option in its price bracket for Canon, Nikon and Sony (A-mount) cameras.

The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 is another appealing lens, and at a pretty astonishing price – some £300 cheaper than the Tamron. However, the lens lacks any weather seals and doesn’t maintain such excellent sharpness at its widest available f/2.8 aperture, or at the long 200mm end of its zoom range.

If size and weight matter more to you than an extra f/stop, the Canon and Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lenses are both very good and sensibly priced, with the Canon leading the way for sharpness. At the other end of the scale, the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 is the biggest and heaviest lens in the group, as well as being the most expensive. But if you’re in the market for both a fast telephoto prime and a great macro lens, it does both well.