Product Description

This is a new zoom lens from Tamron that lets you bring your far away subjects up close while compressing the distance between the main subject and the background for professional-looking results. Even while covering up to a 500mm that enables you to take ultra telephoto shots of subjects further than the eye can see, its design is extremely lightweight and compact. When mounted on an APS-C size digital SLR camera, it provides a focal length equivalent to a 760mm for super ultra telephoto imaging.

Product Details

• Brand: Tamron
• Model: AF08N-700
• Dimensions: 5.80" h x 5.80" w x 12.70" l, 5.00 pounds

Features

• 200-500mm zoom lens with f/5-6.3 maximum aperture for Nikon digital SLR cameras
• 2 low-dispersion (LD) glass elements reduces chromatic aberration for sharp, clear images
• Close focusing distance of up to 8.2 feet; detachable magnesium alloy tripod mount
• Filter effect control lets you rotate filter with hood attached; 12- to 5-degree angle of view
• Measures 3.7 inches in diameter and 8.9 inches long; weighs 43.6 ounces

From the Manufacturer
This is a new zoom lens from Tamron that lets you bring your far away subjects up close while compressing the distance between the main subject and the background for professional-looking results. Even while covering up to a 500mm that enables you to take ultra telephoto shots of subjects further than the eye can see, its design is extremely lightweight and compact. When mounted on an APS-C size digital SLR camera, it provides a focal length equivalent to a 760mm for super ultra telephoto imaging.

Minimum Object Distance of 2.5m (8.2 ft.) throughout the Range
Tamron's new 200-500mm enables you to get as close as 2.5m (8.2ft.) from your main subject at any focal length and provides a useful maximum magnification ratio of 1:5.0 at the 500mm end, allowing you to take dynamic and impressive pictures of small subjects.

The Detachable Filter Effect Control
The Filter Effect Control is designed to rotate the filter to the desired position with the hood attached, enabling you to simultaneously perform minute adjustments to PL filter compensation. You can confirm the Polarizing effect through the viewfinder, all while using the hood to prevent harmful light from entering the lens.

Lightweight Design
This powerful ultra telephoto zoom lens weighs a mere 1237 grams (43.6 oz.) through the use of engineering plastic materials for parts that compose the main barrel that provide strength sufficient for industrial applications, yet offer dimensional stability. The tripod mount, detachable in one touch, is made of magnesium alloy that reconcile light-weight and high rigidity, resulting in enhanced balance and ease of use in hand-held shooting.

New Addition to the Di-series
The lens features Tamron's "Di" (Digitally Integrated Design) optical system to meet the performance characteristics of digital SLR cameras as well as film cameras. When mounted on an APSC size digital SLR camera, it provides a focal length coverage equivalent to a 310-760mm, covering the ultra telephoto zoom range.

Features Two LD Elements That Provide Sharp and Clear Images
Chromatic aberration is likely to be reproduced in an image as color blur or color shift. On-axis chromatic aberration in particular, that can be a problem in ultra telephoto lenses, causes color blur in the center of an image. This zoom lens features two LD (Low Dispersion) elements made of special glass materials that have low dispersion indices to confine dispersion of spectra, a cause of chromatic aberrations, to the absolute minimum, and provides sharp and clear images.

SP-Series Lens Featuring High Design Specifications
Tamron's SP (Super Performance) series is a line of high performance lenses featuring high design specifications. In designing the SP series lenses, the first and foremost priority is put on superior specifications and outstanding performance free from cost restraint. Therefore, SP lenses featuring impressive and innovative designs are concept models among Tamron lenses.

Optical System Designed to Provide Outstanding Image Quality with High Contrast
The lens features an optical system balanced at a remarkably high level to provide high resolution while achieving high contrast even in the low frequency range. Therefore, Tamron's 200-500mm provides outstanding images that are uniform and sharp over the entire image field.

What's in the Box
Lens, lens hood, detachable filter effect control.

Customer Reviews

I'm betting that this lens gets better with time...
I got this lens in the same set of purchases when I moved up from a Nikon D80 to a D300. So naturally, I tried it out on both before I sold the D80. Four stars on the D80; five on the D300. What CA I saw on the D80 images disappeared on the images from the D300 - the D300 automatically corrected the CA. This is why I say I think it will "improve" with age - the bodies will continually get better, and compensate for minor flaws.

But in its own right, this lens is a significant value. Not only in price, but in utility. I had to ask myself if I would really use a lens in this range enough to want to hump it around (yes), if I really needed a fast lens in the 200-500mm range (no), or practically, if I could afford same (no). I decided I didn't want to deal with the weight and bulk of a multi-thousand-dollar fast pro lens, and I certainly had better places to put my already out-of-control photography spending in relation to what would be my least used lens.

Since I wanted this lens primarily for cruise side trips (whales, bears, bridges, foilage, etc) which usually take place during the middle of the day with lots of light, convenience/cost was much more important than sophistication. I didn't need low light capability for sunrise/sunset landscapes, or to be sure to capture that one rare bird that only ventures out in the evening twilight. Further, portability was important. So, even though it's still the biggest space hog in the backpack along with four other lenses, all of which I use more than this one, the weight/bulk/cost to functionality ratio of this lens is still very acceptable to me. One other thing - it comes with a high quality, very usable, padded case of its own if you don't have a dedicated photo backpack.

Advice? Use it on at least a monopod. Even though it's light enough to be shot handheld, the images are highly dependent on good support.

One small negative. I've not found software yet which will automatically correct its barrel/pincushion distortion at various focal lengths. Neither PTLens nor DXO have it in their databases, and I've not seen the compensation factors published for Photoshop. While I am good enough to plug in factors that somebody smarter than me has figured out, I am not good enough to figure out those factors myself. So if any readers here ever find them/figure them out, could you share?

Hard to Beat For The Price
I have had this lens for almost a year and normally don't write reviews but the person who gave it four stars claims the pictures were great and focus fast and everyone agreed but gave it four stars? The lens deserves five stars for the price and flexibility. It does seem to work better on my 20d then on my 1Ds, the pictures are sharp and focus is fast for a zoom lens. Ihave all but two lens that are not Canon L lens, this one and the Sigma 150 macro and they are both fantastic lens. The lens is heavy.

Great lens at any price.
I have had this lens for not quite a week. I use it on a D200, and also on a D70S. I have taken pictures of aircraft, surfers, birds and have learned a lot about how to get the most out of this lens. I doubt that it was designed to be hand held, so if you want good pictures, use a tripod. I don't even think a monopod is adequate unless you have no other choice, like shooting a sporting event. It's a fairly bulky lens.
I use a relatively slow shutter speed, like 1/500 of a second. This is not a very fast lens. Faster shutter speeds result in reduced image detail. When I am focusing on an object that is fairly bright, even at extreme telephoto (500mm) I am getting very good image detail. But if the object that I am focusing on is dark, then the image detail will be marginal. The sensor in digital cameras requires lots of light.
I have a VR 18-200 mm Nikon lens, and my images are as clear with the Tamron zoom lens, as they are with the Nikon VR lens.
With these two lenses, I can cover the 18-500mm range, with respectable results. It's a bargain.