One of the results of using Only Oly MF gear for a long time is that
I've lost track of progress in lens design, always looking back. My most
recently designed lens was a Tamron 28-200/3.8-5.6 asph LD IF. I've been
pretty impressed with that lens and shot my Reflections TOPE with it.
The only drawbacks seem to be some linear distortion at the long end and
that it is slow at the long end.
Then I bought a 300D and dutifully supplied it with a Can*n 24-85mm AF
zoom for casual shooting, quite a nice lens. I then started using it
with an adapter and OM mount lenses. With a long, scenic vacation coming
up where I would be staying and hanging out with friends, not just
photographing, I was wondering what combo of bodies and lenses to take.
Somehow, I ran across a rather subjective review of a new lens and then
found this Pop Photo review
<http://popphoto.com/pdfs/2002/1002/lenstests/tamron28.pdf>. I was
intrigued by the size, weight, range, etc. and especially by the way it
turned in it's best performances at the longer focal lengths wide open.
Quite a change from many older zooms that are faster at their long ends,
but have to be stopped down for best performance.
It turned out that Tamron had just released the newer Di version of this
lens as a part of their program of optimizing lenses for DSLRs
<http://tamron.com/lenses/prod/assets/pdfs/28_300xrdi.pdf>. Like some
others on the list, I've been a fan of lenses like the Zuiko and Tokina
50-250 (esp the macro on the Tokina) and Tamron 60-300 lenses. Here was
a lens that would act like a 45-480mm lens on the 300D. Suddenly the
f6.3 max aperture at the long end sounds pretty good compared to 500mm
lenses for 35mm. Also, the speed issue is different with a DSLR, where
I can just boost the iso when I need it.
So I ordered one. What a treat! It is slightly smaller than the older
28-200 asp and distinctly lighter. Yes, it's mostly plastic, even the
mount is only partly metal, but even extended all the way, there is
nothing sloppy about it at all, very nicely made. I already knew after a
few days that I liked it, so off it went to Maine with me. It was never
off the camera. I tend to have a "tele/macro eye", so it met most of my
lens needs and the 19-35 and 28/2 on the OM-4 covered wide angle. As the
Pop Photo review concludes, "what a convenient, fun-to-use lens!" I
can't remember so much enjoying using one lens. Carrying only one body
and lens on some hikes in the woods left so much more of my attention
for seeing and experiencing Nature's magic with my friends while still
coming back with good photos, compared with carrying even my usual light
Oly kit.
Results? Well, I can say I'm certainly not disappointed. It covers such
a great range of focal lengths and close focus opportunities that I just
don't know how it compares in detail to my MF lenses. I'm sure it has
some linear distortion issues, although not bad according to the
reviews, but I didn't shoot anything that showed them as a problem; at
least so far - I'm still going through the pics.
Just to give a taste of the zoom range and quality, I've posted a small
sampler with 2 examples of wide and tele shots of the same subjects. In
the lake/island shots, the island close-up is for some reason of an
island just out of the frame of the wide shot, but shot from the same
spot. Three of the shots have full pixel insets
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/Tam28-300/>. Did I mention it covers
a LOT of focal length territory?
With any luck, this lens will become available for the 4/3 mount. As you
can see, I had some pretty good success with it at 480mm eq. handheld,
but that is still dependant on a steady hand, high iso and the
occasional ad hoc support. It is already in Min*lta mount and should
make a formidible long zoom combo with the 7D body based IS.
Moose
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