Comments about Tamron Tamron SP 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro LD-IF Autofocus Telephoto Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this lens to photograph flowers and plant details in the field and in the studio. It has many uses when a macro lens is needed to isolate detail. I like the longer focal length especially when using in the field and the subject is not easily accessible. Surprisingly, I prefer to use it in my studio more than my Canon 100 macro lens because of the more convenient working distance and the ease to rotate the lens and camera in the mounting collar. That allows one to switch quickly from vertical to horizontal format without detaching the camera from the tripod. I found it to be sharp through out the available f/stop range from the center to the edges. The price can't be beat and the quality of construction is as expected for a high quality lens. I really like the filter ring rotating collar feature that I wish other of my lenses had. It allows one to easily rotate the filter without having to try to turn the filter with the lens hood inplace. That is a great feature when using a graduated neutral density or polarizing filter. The light weight is very much appreciated when I am carrying equpment in the field. I also like the quick sliding collar that switches from auto to manual focus rather than a small slide switch that I never can easily find. You can't go wrong buying this product. It is a winner as much as their 24-75 mm APO f/2.8 lens.

Comments about Tamron Tamron SP 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro LD-IF Autofocus Telephoto Lens for Canon EOS:

I bought this a couple of years ago and it wouldn't work with the Canon 10D. [...] I have many other lenses [...] and they work fine with my 10D.

Comments about Tamron Tamron SP 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro LD-IF Autofocus Telephoto Lens for Canon EOS:

I've compared this lens with the Canon 180L and chose this lens not because of price but because of what I've read and experienced about the LD coatings. I tested both lenses and found them similar in resolution but the falloff at the edges was minimized in the Tamron. I couldn't validate that flare was decreased (as advertised) but it makes sense that it would be on a coating specifically designed for digital. I use a Canon 5D (full 35MM chip) so edge issues and flare are critical. The Canon construction is undeniably better but the Tamron's lighter weight and good quality contruction are a good compromise. Both lenses are slow for autofocus and, frankly, it doesn't really help in a macro anyway since the depth of field is so shallow that picking out what you want to focus on is a very personal (not computer) thing.