Name: Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC (Vibration Compensation) LD Aspherical (IF) AF Zoom with Macro, for Canon EOS Digital SLR - U. S. A. Warranty
Brand: Tamron
SKU: TM18270EOS
Price: 629.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.2 (68 reviews)

Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC (Vibration Compensation) LD Aspherical (IF) AF Zoom with Macro, for Canon EOS Digital SLR - U. S. A. Warranty

Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC AF Zoom for Canon

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Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC AF Zo...

Buy: Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC (Vibration Compensation) LD Aspherical (IF) AF Zoom with Macro, for Canon EOS Digital SLR - U. S. A. Warranty Maximum Aperture: f/3.5-6.3

I tried this lens in several situations. It totally did NOT work in low light, or if the subject was moving at all. The only time it worked - and worked well - was outside in bright light with a stationary subject. Would be the perfect lens to take photos of flowers.

Wasn't at all impressed

I had such high hopes for this camera. I'm not one who likes to keep switching lenses back and forth, so the depth this lens offered would have been perfect for me. However, once I actually tried the lens, I was sadly disappointed. 

I will say that in bright daylight, when you're standing perfectly still, this lens is great. 

But if you plan to try to capture any sort of photo with any item/person moving or in less than bright sunlight, this lens leaves a lot to be desired. 

I returned it and will stick with my Canon lenses for now.

Wasn't what I'd hoped

I have been borrowing my brother's lenses for a long time, and I finally found a good deal. And it was cheaper than the online auction site. Extremely satisfied.

All good

I don't have to change lenses as often because of it's wide range

love it

I bought this for landscape and wildlife photography but find myself using it for everything: portraits, indoor; I rarely feel I need to change to another lens.

amazingly lightweight

Use for school programs and sport events.

very versatile, excellent for events

I bought this lens for my Canon Rebel Xti, it's great, a little heavy though, and not as smooth as a Canon lens, but a good travel lens for the photo enthusiast. NOTE: You need a flash attachment if you are shooting in low light/nighttime/darkness, especially with a Canon rebel Xti!

Good Travel Lens

This one truly  "does it all". From macro to "out there" telephoto this is one amazing piece of gear. I regularly use this lens on two different Canon bodies for a wide variety of shooting. I've found the image quality to be consistently excellent over the entire zoom range. The auto-focus responds quickly and quietly, the "twist" type zoom works effortlessly and overall performance beats practically anything else I've ever used in the past forty years. What I especially like about the Tamron brand is their outstanding warranty which they back up without a hitch (ever).

If you find yourself limited to one lens

I wanted a lens to travel with that i could attach and use without thinking .This did it !!!!
It replaced 3 others and allowed me more time to think about subject as i moved from place to place.Great from close up to long distance.Only glitch when first used was tendency to bind slightly in zoom at about 70mm.Tamron said it was normal and i quickly adjusted.Iwould be lost without it!!!

Travel Marvel

I used this lens on a recent 61 day vacation of 14 states and 16 National Parks. I took almost 4,000 photos and was satisfied with 99% of them. The zoom range makes it a great lens for most uses, the vibration Compensation mode makes for sharp, clear photos under most circumstances. I don't have anything negative to say about this lens. It was a great purchase.

Great Lens for the Money!

I rarely use any of my other lenses now after purchasing this one.  I have been very impressed with it.  My only two complaints are that you can't put the lens cap on if you have a filter and the lens will zoom out if you tilt the camera down.  However, I knew about these two drawbacks prior to purchasing based on other reviews.

Great Lens for Daily Use

I have had this lens for almost two years and have come to use it about 90% of the time. I take it everywhere I go and it is my best all around lens. It performed admirably on our trip out West last year. I guess you could say "I never leave home without it!" I have read previous reviews where most concerns seem to be with the "lens creep", where the lens will slip if you are not careful. My solution to that is that I hang on to the lens and not necessarily the body of the camera. If I am going to do any lengthy walking, I just lock the lens to keep it from moving. The lens is a little heavy but I kind of figured that with it construction and it being an 18-270mm lens. The pictures I get from this lens far out weigh the minor problem of the "lens creep". This lens takes clear and sharp pictures. The focusing is very fast as is the Vibration Compensation. Finally, I can truthly say that this lens has performed as advertised and with no problems to me whatsoever.

This lens is great!

I bought this hoping that for casual, everyday carrying I could stop packing 5-6 lenses and just carry 1 lens that would do most things. It seems a good idea and the range for this lens is incredible. 18-270 is just an amazing spread. 
As in all things photographic, there is compromise. With this lens it is sharpness. No matter how well it nailed focus, it was much softer than the combination 18-55kit and the 55-250. It was also heavier and more bulky. I found I wasn't using this lens at all so I have it to my daughter for her T2i and went on to carrying a pair of lenses. 
With that said, my daughter just loves it. She uses her T2i for video a lot while I never touch the video on my 7D. I've watched some of the work she's done and this lens is just awesome for it. You get this super zoom capability but since 1080p video isn't near as sharp and an 18MP image, the lens doesn't need to be any sharper. Any additional sharpness would just be wasted on video. So if you are looking for something for video, this would be a perfect lens. If you are doing still work though pass and go the two lens route.

Not what I had hoped

Used primarily for railroad and concert photography. However, the lens does not maintain its telephoto position if you move the camera even a little bit. It slips very easily. It would be great if you could lock the lens at any zoom position, not just at the widest angle. In very low light situations, such as nighttime street photography, it has problems focusing, then jumps out of focus should you move the camera even a bit. The lens, however, does render an extremely sharp photo. Its wide zoom range has allowed this lens to replace a number of other lenses having the same ranges, thus saving the changing of lenses, eliminating the possibility of dropping them and having dust/dirt enter the camera's interior. It's a great lens but the zoom range has to have a zoom lock.

Great lens but constant lens creep

I have most of the Canon zooms and love them, but if you don't want to lug around several lenses and change them for different zoom ranges, this is a good choice. ANY of the 18-200/250/270 zooms are going to have some weaknesses at certain focal lengths, but when you're sightseeing and want lighter weight, this is a good choice. Also, if you're a casual photographer, this one is great.

A good walkaround lens

This probably the best len that have use in a long time. Very easy and quick.

This is great len, it is my primary len.

Very good lens for outdoors,scenery & landscape.Lens cap has not been a problem, it stays on just fine. For all around this product is far better than average.

It is what it is.

The zoom feature is great. Can go from wide to zoom without changing lenses.
The lens creep has been annoying. Sent it back to Tamron twice and they tightened it up, but it still has the problem.
Otherwise, its been a very useful lens. Would even consider upgrading to the newest version.

Good all purpose lens

I like the small size, it is easy to carry as I do most outdoor photos. I don't like changing lenses
so it is my do-all most of the time.

My favorite lens

I hike in the mountains in France during the summer,  and this lens is as light and easy to carry as the 28 to 105 mm lens I was using, and is obviously much more versatile. The image quality is easily as good, too.

Terrific lens

I have Canon Rebel Xti, with out image stabilization, so I wanted a lens in which could compensate for it. I really love this lens, it's versatile, stabilizes images, so you don't have to worry about shaking and not using a tripod. 

The only thing that I'm still trying to get used to, the lens turns opposite of the Canon lens that came with the camera, and it's heavier, which is expected, because it's a larger lens. I do love it so far.

The Best Part: VC with Macro

Initially I had the non-stabilized version of this lens but sold it and bought the stabilized version to replace it.  The stabilization has made all the difference!  I bought it primarily to replace several lenses when I travel, but it stays on my camera most of the time now.  It lets me shoot everything from macro to super telephoto without changing lenses and is ideal for those times when I don't want to haul all my gear around.  The image quality is terrific - especially in the mid-range from around 30mm up to around 200mm.  There is the expected distortion at the 18mm end and a slight but not terribly significant loss of sharpness at the 270mm end.  When you take into consideration that a single lens is covering everything from 18mm to 270mm, it does an amazing job.  Of course, there are some drawbacks - this lens isn't fast and needs light!  It isn't for available light indoor use without a flash or tripod - especially at the long end.  I use this lens almost exclusively outdoors at higher ISO's so this isn't a problem for me.  Teamed with a Canon 7d, which has terrific noise reduction capablities at higher ISO's, it takes great photos.  If you can live with its limitations, it is a great do-it-all lens.

A good all around lens

I am building a portfolio to begin my own photography business, and this lens has taken most of the photos. The cons that I checked above are so minor, that I hesitated to even mark them.  The lens creep is to be expected due to the size and length of the lens.  The OCCASIONALLY slow autofocus (in low light) is also not so much a design flaw as it is a product of user.  Besides, manual focus is always a  viable option.  I also use this lens in combination with an extender tube and a circular macro flash.  I LOVE this combination for macro photography. The whole kit cost nearly the same as a macro lens alone would have cost, and the lens is much more versatile than a macro lens.

Great Lens

The lens is good for taking pics, I use it mostly for birds, the reason for four stars is because while turning it to zoom in/out it has a "sticky" spot where it kinda gets stuck, also it zooms (turns) in the opposite direction of all my other canon lenses, not a big deal.

Great Lens!

I use this lens primarily for outdoor shots. I'm very happy with the zoom. The lens is versatile and can be used for close ups, long shots and zoom. I really like this lens!

Excellent Lens!

This lens does a lot of things really well. Good optics. Nice for travel: I can take shots of scenery, then focus in close on something specific w/o changing lenses. Did have a problem with lens creep (severe) for which I had to return twice to Tamron. They returned it quickly, but it took two times to get it right. It is slow focusing (because of the long range), and not great in low light. But overall I am enjoying it. The 270 end is nice for getting close to birds and other types of wildlife.

Nice versatile lens

I purchased this with the intent of it furthering my photo business (beginning portrait photographer; seniors, engagements, weddings).  I got it out of the box and it focused quickly, which I was happy about, but when I would try to zoom quickly from 18 to 270, the zoom ring seemed to catch (felt like it was trying to turn it through molasses) in the middle of zooming, making it obviously difficult to zoom quickly.  I returned it because it just won't work for the type of photography I'm going into.  May still work nicely for landscapes though, when you have more time to compose an image.

Didn't meet expectations

I gave this only 3 stars because after about a week, a gear in the focus mechanism got stuck. It would usually AF just fine, but MF wouldn't work at all. The ability to MF in low light is crucial, because sometimes the AF couldn't settle on the subject. 

Also, the zoom ring gets tight about halfway through the range. Gravity seems to help, but that's not always practical. I have read that this is to be expected with longer lenses, but I should think that the lens designers could figure out better technology for this.

Aside from that, the performance of the lens during the week in which it functioned correctly was great. Although it's quite heavy, I quickly got used to the weight. The combination of zoom range and VC is phenomenal for taking wildlife shots (when you can't get closeup). Because of the overall range of the lens, it's the perfect everyday lens to keep on my camera body. If this one had not been rebate-eligible when I purchased it, I probably would have sprung for the PZD version, in part for the slightly smaller size. But, I'm sure that when I get this one back from warranty repair, I'll be very happy with it.

Must-Have Lens

Have used many TAMRON lenses in a 40+ year effort.  Have NEVER had ANY issues w/ any of them, EXCEPT for lens creep.  That is my ONLY complaint.  As far as THIS lens is concerned, it was an upgrade from the previous version, the 28-300 (WITHOUT) the "IS" function.  It is a GREAT casual lens when it is convenient to equip only one lens.  I have not had any issues w/ autofocusing, and have found that the "IS" function DOES work quite well.  In fact the autofocusing action seems QUICKER than some of my far more expensive (manufacturer) prime lenses!  I also use the "sister" lens, the latest version of TAMRON'S 28-300 "IS" on my full-frame bodies, both digital & film, and find that to be equally as GREAT.

GREAT lens!!!

I bought this lens basically for travel as it eliminates having to carry 2 or 3 lenses to cover the same range.  I had the older Tamron 18-250 (non-stabilized) and I can tell you that the stabilization on the 18-270mm lens makes a world of difference! 
I have been pleasantly surprised at the images that the lens has produced.  Of course, at the long end you need to have plenty of light since the widest aperture at 200mm and up is 6.3.  So this is not a lens that is well suited for dim light and/or fast action.  
  As one would expect in a lens with this wide range, there is some distortion, especially at the 18mm end.  Lens creep has not been a problem at all.  On the contrary, my copy of the lens is very stiff when zooming, especially when zooming in.  Hopefully this stiffness will be reduced, if not eliminated, by usage over time.
  This lens has performed as expected and meets my needs for a one lens travel outfit.  I am using the lens on a Canon 7d which allows me to compensate for high apertures by the use of higher ISOs (800-1600) with less noise.  So the high apertures on this lens are less of a problem for me than if I were using it on my 40d.  But if you have an older camera that can't handle higher ISOs without excessive noise,for those times when a fast shutter speed is required in less than bright light, you will probably need a faster lens.