Anyone got the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD?

[An Exception]

I had one. It's a good performing lens however mine had an aperture issue going from F2.8 to F4. Basically the aperture that was stated was not what you got. I think this was a pretty common issue at the time so I returned it and didn't bother getting another.

 

[Richdog]

I had one. It's a good performing lens however mine had an aperture issue going from F2.8 to F4. Basically the aperture that was stated was not what you got. I think this was a pretty common issue at the time so I returned it and didn't bother getting another.

Interesting, do you mean it stayed at 2.8 when you set it to 4? or somewhere inbetween, basically just an inaccurate number? I didn't come accross that yet, so very interesting to hear!

 

[An Exception]

It just seemed I couldn't get F4 and it stayed at 2.8.
I had the same issue as this guy...
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/42551808

 

[Richdog]

It just seemed I couldn't get F4 and it stayed at 2.8.
I had the same issue as this guy...
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/42551808

Very interesting thanks man... how long ago did you experience this?

PS: Very interesting post here about the lens... http://www.dombowerphoto.blogspot.ch/

 

[Deific]

Hi mate that's good to hear as I am interested in both of these lenses. Can you give me a summary of your thoughts on the 24-70, and what you use it for and its strengths and weaknesses? Cheers.

It produces an extremely crisp image at all focal lengths, and is on par with the Canon mkII in most instances. It does tend to be slightly weaker at the 24mm focal length so if you shoot at 24mm often you may want to consider investing in a prime.

The rings are the opposite way around to Canon and the action is the opposite way which takes some getting used to. The zoom ring on one of my two lenses isn't particularly smooth but is good on the other one (I can't remember which) and the focus ring on both lenses is extremely thin which can be a nuisance at first but is fine once you become accustomed to it and may not even be an issue if you don't shoot video. If you have big fingers though, it may be troublesome.

The colours do differ from the Canon lenses tending to give a slightly more neutral tone, although I haven't compared any images side-by-side so can't say which I prefer, but this is down to personal preference anyway.

I got both of mine second hand for a combined price of £1100 and in fantastic condition. When you consider the price of the Canon equivalents (even second-hand) which are out-performed by the Tamrons in many instances, then these are an absolute steal.

 

[Richdog]

It produces an extremely crisp image at all focal lengths, and is on par with the Canon mkII in most instances. It does tend to be slightly weaker at the 24mm focal length so if you shoot at 24mm often you may want to consider investing in a prime.

The rings are the opposite way around to Canon and the action is the opposite way which takes some getting used to. The zoom ring on one of my two lenses isn't particularly smooth but is good on the other one (I can't remember which) and the focus ring on both lenses is extremely thin which can be a nuisance at first but is fine once you become accustomed to it and may not even be an issue if you don't shoot video. If you have big fingers though, it may be troublesome.

The colours do differ from the Canon lenses tending to give a slightly more neutral tone, although I haven't compared any images side-by-side so can't say which I prefer, but this is down to personal preference anyway.

I got both of mine second hand for a combined price of £1100 and in fantastic condition. When you consider the price of the Canon equivalents (even second-hand) which are out-performed by the Tamrons in many instances, then these are an absolute steal.

Now that is exactly the kind of feedback I was wanting when I started the thread, so thanks for taking the time to respond!

Regarding the neutral colours, Nikon has a warmer white balance than Canon anyway, so I think that will translate well in practise.

Have you noticed the "onion bokeh" much? The Nikon 24-120 has pretty awful bokeh so to be honest I think anything would be an improvement.

The focus ring shouldn't be an issue, and if you are comparing it to the Canon Mk II then that is clearly a sign of how great it is. I see the VR during video is staggeringly good too.

 

[Deific]

Can't say I've noticed anything in the bokeh but I only shoot video, so obviously it's less of an issue for me, and the VR is absolutely fantastic. Some say it's better than Canon's IS, which I don't know as I haven't tested side-by-side but it's certainly quieter.

 

[Richdog]

Gah, I tried to go and pick one up today from one of my local stores but they have a bit of a con going. The price they display is for a "grey import" version with a 2 year warranty... whereas for non-grey imports in my country Tamron offer a 10 year standard warranty. They tried to charge me 100 quid extra for the 10 year warranty stock, when their competitors are selling them for the same price as their grey imports. Grr, numpties.

Will order one elsewhere and hopefully get it next week...

Can't say I've noticed anything in the bokeh but I only shoot video, so obviously it's less of an issue for me, and the VR is absolutely fantastic. Some say it's better than Canon's IS, which I don't know as I haven't tested side-by-side but it's certainly quieter.

Ok cool thanks.

 

[Richdog]

Well, I picked one up on Saturday but in typical Richdog luck, the copy I got was bad and it will not focus properly at any focal length. Tested it in store with the guy today and he was like "Yup, lets send it for repair". Sadly no spares were available.

However, I knew there was a chance of this when buying one of these lenses, so I am happy to wait a week or two if it means I get an optically perfect (or as close as can be) copy back from Tamron.

 

[Sh4rkie]

How did you get on?

I ordered mine tonight as they are on offer via the Rainforest for £599 so too good to pass on.

 

[Richdog]

I am probably going to return it tonight for a refund as I am still within the 2 week period.

As above, I bought the lens and within a day I knew it had severe focusing problems on my Nikon D750. It would not focus accurately or sharply at ANY focal length even with AF fine-tuning. I know it is supposed to be a good lens, so I decided not to get an initial refund and sent it back to Tamron to be told that I "need to send my camera back too so they can calibrate them both together". Considering I use my camera almost every day, and warranty service can take 2 weeks, I told them that I would not do this unless strictly necessary, and if it was needed they should tell me. I did not hear back from them, and then they told me that the lens had been sent back with a full cleaning and calibration performed, and the VC had been fixed.

I then picked up the lens and re-tested it... focus is still bad. I cannot get an "acceptable" image with an AF fine-tuning setting of less than +20, but sadly my camera obviously does not go over this value to tweak it any further. Either way, it is not sharp. I may buy another copy when they come back in stock, and keep trying until I get a good one... very annoying though.

I may also use the money to buy a 35mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8 as I do love my primes... it's just that a zoom is so convenient for so many situations where it's not practical to change lenses.

 

[D.P.]

I had the same difficulties with a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
First one was terrible soft everywhere and was clearly broken. Second copy had focus issues and although was sharper was still very soft compared to any other lens I owned. Eventually managed to get a refund but was extremely difficult. A year later I found one in a second hand shop and tested it but it was also relatively soft and the focus wasn't convincing. A week later I spotted a bargain price on the Nikon 24-70mm and never looked back, sharp, beautiful rendering and the focus never missed a beat. Just a little big and heavy and 70mm is too short to be ideal



Tamron do seem to have by far the lowest QC. Lots of people report focus issues, VC issues, decentered lenses, communication issues, calibration problems etc.

 

[Sh4rkie]

@ Richdog grim reading . As mines coming from the Rainforest i have some piece of mind that i can swap them out if i get a lemon until i get a good one. And the 5 year warranty helps as well!

 

[Richdog]

Just got a refund. Warranty where I live is 10 years, so it's a very tempting prospect. However no way am I going to be sending a lens and camera back to a service station repeatedly just to get the damn thing to work as intended.

I also heard a troubling story that the various new Tamron lenses have the same lens ID, so if you have a 24-70 and a 70-200 then the camera sees them both as a 24-70, meaning separate AF fine-tuning profiles are not possible. That really sucks.

Sigh, I guess there's a reason why Nikon can command high prices when so many niggles exist with 3rd parties.

 

[Sh4rkie]

Well mine arrived and given it a quick go. Initial impression is it's sharp, very sharp. No decentering issues so it's good across the frame but softer at the extreme edges as expected. There is a but though, with VC off i get sharper images than with VC on. I've read a few reports of this and some say after a short break in period it corrects itself. Basically it consistently adds a hint of blur with the VC enabled (hand held, not on a tripod). It's not bad but at a pixel peeping level i can tell it's there.

I'll give it a day or two to see what happens with the VC and perform some more exhaustive test with it.

 

[Richdog]

Well mine arrived and given it a quick go. Initial impression is it's sharp, very sharp. No decentering issues so it's good across the frame but softer at the extreme edges as expected. There is a but though, with VC off i get sharper images than with VC on. I've read a few reports of this and some say after a short break in period it corrects itself. Basically it consistently adds a hint of blur with the VC enabled (hand held, not on a tripod). It's not bad but at a pixel peeping level i can tell it's there.

I'll give it a day or two to see what happens with the VC and perform some more exhaustive test with it.

What camera system do you use? Sample photos at the common ranges (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm) with VC on and off would be great!

Wondering whether to try another copy or not...

 

[Sh4rkie]

The body is a Canon 6D, no problems with some samples i'll be taking loads anyway in case i get a replacement for the VC issue to compare a before and after situation.

Give me a few days though.

 

[Richdog]

The trend I am noticing with my research is that for some reason this lens seems to be much better out of the box on Canon cameras as opposed to Nikon cameras. Almost all of the threads I've seen with major focal issues are with Nikon, whereas almost all the users getting sharp results out of the box with no major issues are with Canon. Interesting.

PS: The VC issue sounds like a fault. If it doesn't "settle down" soon I would ask for a refund before your usual window of opportunity period runs out and then try another copy.

 

[Sh4rkie]

Agreed on the Canon vs Nikon issues, or certainly Nikon users are more vocal!

If it doesn't settle down then i'll try a few copies first but a refund as initial impressions VC issue aside are all good. It'll be hassle free as it's Amazon UK and their service in my experience is flawless for stuff like this.

 

[D.P.]

The trend I am noticing with my research is that for some reason this lens seems to be much better out of the box on Canon cameras as opposed to Nikon cameras. Almost all of the threads I've seen with major focal issues are with Nikon, whereas almost all the users getting sharp results out of the box with no major issues are with Canon. Interesting.

PS: The VC issue sounds like a fault. If it doesn't "settle down" soon I would ask for a refund before your usual window of opportunity period runs out and then try another copy.

Tamron reverse engineer the AF communication for canon and Nikon. These are very different systems, they may have done a better job on Canon or have a bug on their Nikon implementation.