Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras (Model A17P) Product Description:
- 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens
- Minimum focus distance as short as 37.4"
Product Description
Compactness, light weight and affordability are brought together in the Tamron 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di, giving emerging photographers an alternative to the highly lauded SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD. Picture takers eager to bring distant sports or wildlife subjects closer, as well as bringing tiny, close range subjects into clear focus will appreciate the standout macro function, available at focal lengths between 180 and 300mm. Capable of a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 (one half life-size) close-up detail fills the viewfinder. Also, because the macro function is available at the lens' longer telephoto settings, an extended subject-to-lens working distance is maintained.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
138 of 141 people found the following review helpful.
Very good lens with some nice extras
By Hiram Grant
The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly "macro") position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That's about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.Compared to the Canon lenses, it includes a lens hood ($$ from Canon) and a six year USA warranty (vs. 1 year). It's a bit noiser than the Canon lenses in autofocusing. Additionally, the Canon 75-300 III is a considerably older design, which came out well before the needs of digital cameras were known. One slight drawback is that the Tamron uses 62mm filters vs. 58mm for the Canon (which is the same size as the popular 18-55 kit lens).
174 of 182 people found the following review helpful.
Surprisingly good lens for just over a $100
By D. Brodsky
I own both Canon gear (Canon 40D) and Nikon gear (D40). Since Nikon is my cheaper lighter gear, I am not to invest a lot of $$$ into it. While D40 is light and cheap, it is an excellent camera which I use all the time for many reasons. I needed a tele lens to compliment my kit 18-55 lens (which is excellent in itself and gets great reviews). I was between Tamron 70-300 and Sigma 70-300 APO since Nikon's 70-300 is 4 times more expensive than Tamron and Sigma. After reading tons of reviews and playing with both Tamron and Sigma, I chose Tamron and I am very happy I did. There are several versions of Tamron's 70-300, however this one is the latest, 2008 version, which autofocuses on D40, 40X and 60. This lens is remarkable for the amount it is sold for. I've taken many great photos with it on vacation and around town. It is also very compact and light. While it is not an ideal lens to shoot Birds in Flight (neither is D40 with its 2.5 fps) due to its slow autofocusing mechanism, it is great for general photos and portraits. As you can see from samples I even took some bee shots with it. I took a star because of slow autofocusing, but hey, you are paying $130 for it, realize it. I recommend this lens over Sigma for budget shooters who want 300 tele, but don't want to pay $450 Nikon wants for its version. I am happy with it
92 of 96 people found the following review helpful.
Good value in this updated design.
By Hiram Grant
The new Di lenses from Tamron are designed to work well with digital cameras, although those with the Di will work for 35mm as well (Di-II only work with smaller, APS-C chip size digital cameras). This is an improvement on the fine 70-300 LD (Low Dispersion glass) design. The major improvements in this lens are in the coatings, to help reduce any color bias, and minimize reflections. Additionally, lens manufacturers are doing more inside the barrels to reduce reflections.Like the older LD design, the new lens has a close-up mode (not strictly "macro") position that allows images 1/2 lifesize on the negative. That's about twice the size of most 300mm zooms lacking this feature.If you're buying this for one of the new Sony Alpha series, this might be your best bet. The Tamron will include a 6-year USA warranty. It also includes the lens hood. The Sony 75-300 is repackaging of the older Konica-Minolta 75-300 lens, a lens that hit the market before any KM digital SLRs.
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