Used Tamron SP AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di Ultra Silent Drive (USD) Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha and Minolta Maxxum DSLR Cameras

2020-03-05T15:47:23

I like thus far

Jaime G.

2018-08-03T11:21:44

Still rocking it outside.. Did a couple of tests indoor so far so good

Louis L.

2018-07-01T03:48:40

Very nice lens, but heavy and large. Use it on a limited basis because of this. However it is a quality product and I am completely satisfied with the photographic results. If you can handle the size and weight go for it.

JOHN K.

2018-03-17T16:17:29

I bought this lens as a replacement for my Nikkor 55-300G ED VR whose AF failed after a drop (and Nikon wanted $ to fix it), hoping it would be the perfect replacement. What a disappointment; images were hazy, focus was soft at all focal lengths, and the lens is a beast at 1.7 lbs. Construction is solid, and it has a nice manual focus override that comes in handy if the AF doesn't quite get your subject sharp. Maybe I just got a bad copy, I don't know. What I do know is that after three test shoots, the lens went back for a refund. Fortunately, I was able to find the Nikkor 55-300 VR here on Adorama, refurbished. Sticking with Nikkor glass from now on.

PAUL H.

2017-09-07T19:14:16

Love it. Best buy for the buck

jim b.

2017-08-07T12:48:44

Great lens for sports and stills at less cost than the nikon branded lenses.

ALFREDO S.

2017-05-10T08:54:40

Crisp, clear photos with unmatched sharpness. Near silent autofocus. A+!

Christopher R.

2016-11-23T12:22:52

Amazing value for a lens at this price.

MATTHEW G.

2016-10-03T18:54:39

i shoot with a Nikon D750 and i did a lot of research on this Tamron 70mm-300mm lens. I love how the focus locks on to the person or subject your shooting. I get sharp pictures at 300mm This also was in my money range

Rosemary H.

2016-08-16T07:07:29

Ordered this lens based on the good reviews and bargain price. I wanted a longer zoom lens to compliment my 'kit" Nikon 18-240. The Tamron looked to be a practical solution. I had some worries as the zoom mechanics are not buttery smooth, but it's improving with use. Focus is relatively fast and the image stabilization works well (a bit noisy though). Images are sharp with good contrast. I'm enjoying this lens.

ALAN T.

2016-06-16T08:38:49

No complaints - love the lens. VC is great.

GREG S.

2016-01-25T09:37:26

I did a lot of research on telephoto lenses before I bought the Tamron SP AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC Ultra Silent Drive (USD) Telephoto Zoom lens. I just bought a Full Frame Nikon D750 and I needed a full frame zoom (I also own a Nikon D5100 with a 55-300 telephoto lens, but that is a DX lens). I first checked the 70-200 and 70-300 in the Nikon lenses and found that they were decent lenses, but very expensive. Upon further research, I found that the Tamron 70-300mm lens worked better... The auto focus works pretty well. I think that it is a little slower than the Nikon, but that is the only downside that I could find. To answer a lot of questions: Yes, it will work with most Nikon cameras. The motor is in the lens, so it should work on your Nikon D3100, D3200, D5100 (it worked just fine on mine), D5200 etc. etc. The motor is relatively quiet. The vibration compensation (VC) works really well. It does take a little getting used to. It is kind of noisy when it is working (I can't take pictures of my brothers (small) dogs when it is on...when they hear it, they freak out). The VC works with a couple of gyros inside the lens, so you can hear and feel it compensating every time you move your lens. Like I said, it takes a little getting used to. All that said, you don't lose as many action shots to blurry pictures with this lens. The lens has some weight to it. It is not over heavy, but it feels very solid. With me, going from a DX lens to this, there is a definite difference. It feels very good and stable in my hand when it is mounted to my camera. Zooming....The lens zooms pretty well. It is still new, and seems to still be a little "sticky" in places...but, once you set your zoom, it doesn't move...even if you point the lens straight up. I have seen reviews that said that they have a little slippage in their zoom lenses, that is not the case with mine. I think that in time, mine will work very smoothly. Size...One of my things when I check into lenses, is just how big they are when they are on my camera, and nobody includes that in their reviews...so here goes: Lens by itself: 6-1/4 inches. Mounted on my D750: 8-3/4 inches. Mounted on my D750 with the included lens hood (which is huge by the way): almost 12 inches. Mounted on my D5100 (DX format): 8-3/4. D5100 with lens hood: almost 12 inches. As for performance, the lens works really well. It is still very new too me, and will probably take a little time to get used to. I have used it for some landscape shots, and they turned out very well. I believe that you need to have a good telephoto lens. (I used my D5100 a lot, and it seemed that I had my long telephoto lens on it for the majority of the time) You always want to fill your frame, and sometimes you can't just walk up on your subject. It is nice to stand back and get some great candid shots. So, if you are looking for a good lens, and don't want to spend way too much money. If you like taking pictures of wildlife, out of doors, sporting events etc. etc., you should invest in a lens like this one. Adorama was great to work with, and were very good at answering all my questions before I bought the lens...but, they were also very good on follow up questions I had after I purchased the lens. I hope that you find this review helpful.

Dean R.

2015-07-06T21:00:00

Tamron has come a long way since my first lens from them back in the 60's. That lens was so soft in the corners I said I'd never buy another Tamron product, but Japanese cars weren't that great back then either, and look at them now. This Tamron 70-300mm VC lens does what I want it to do... it captures great telephoto images and is wide enough on the low end to use as a basic lens on any given day. This week I intend to use it on one of my theater stage show production photoshoots. I always shoot from the balcony on a tripod during their dress rehearsals, so I expect to get some great closeups of the performers with this lens. Since I'm shooting with the Nikon D7100 I can push the ISO pretty high and still get excellent shots, so we'll see. As for the lens itself, it isn't the smoothest lens to zoom, and there are a few weird noises inside the lens when zooming with it, but it does the job. It's a big/long lens, with a long lens hood, so it's very impressive LOOKING on the camera. Overall I'm happy with it. Would I prefer the 70-200mm Nikon or Tamron f/2.8 instead of this lens? Well duh. Who wouldn't, but this was way cheaper. Until I can get one of those other lenses I'll be content to use this one. I've attached a couple images below.

Robert D.

2015-04-29T21:00:00

It only took one picture to blow me away. I had read all the reviews on this lens before getting it. This lens has the best image stabilization of any lens I have used to date. Picture quality is spot on. Focus is almost silent. I use it on a Nikon D5200. The only downside to this lens is that it is pretty heavy and it is large. It won't fit in my camera bag when attached to my camera. I got this from Adorama used in excellent Condition. I can find one defect on this lens. Adorama really has excellent service. This is my first purchase from them, and I am impressed. Buy this lens, you will not regret it. It is truly a "Diamond in the Ruff

CLOSER

2015-01-04T19:00:00

ok i have a nikon D7000 i use the back button focus well when i use this lens when i hit the back button to bring in to focus the V.C would not kick in so i had to ease down the shutter button to break the plan to make the V.C work and then push the shutter button down to take the photo it was frustrating so i had to change back to normal operation of the shutter button then retrain myself to easy down the shutter to bring into focus and engage the V.C then continue to push it all the way down to snap the photo and it works perfect that way. so if you are having some issue with the V.C not working right and if you are using back button focus change it back to normal use and try it.. i really like this lens and if you are deciding on what 70-300mm lens to get try this one first

Steven G.

2014-07-01T21:00:00

Have had this lens about a month and overall I'm quite satisfied. Images are sharp as a tack through all zoom ranges (may drop off slightly at max but not objectionable). Image stabilization is excellent and is better than I expected. Overall operation is smooth and quiet. My only concern (and maybe I'm over-cautious) is that the lens is a bit heavy so it might be wise to hold the camera in such a way as to provide support to prevent any possible wear or damage to the camera coupling. I think this lens would benefit with having a fitted tripod mount. Otherwise I'm quite satisfied, and think this lens is an excellent value for the money.

lucky7

2014-04-14T21:00:00

I wanted a bit more reach and sharpness than my old Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6 was giving. The reviews on this Tamron 70-300 were positive, and the price was attractive so as to make this a low-risk purchase. Honestly, I was not expecting such a good lens as this lens is. The image quality it produces on my Nikon D800 is outstanding. I use it mainly for wildlife photography, and it is useful to isolate a bit of distant landscape. It has a fast and silent autofocus, although I mostly focus manually. This is a rather heavy lens and necessitates the use of a tripod. I wish it had a tripod collar because I am concerned that such a heavy piece of glass could damage the camera lens mount. Nonetheless, I am happy I purchased this lens and anticipate getting a lot of use from it.

JACK M.

2014-01-06T19:00:00

The vibration reduction and AF are excellent. light weight easy to carry. For the price, the optic quality can't be beat. If you want better lens, the next step is thousands.

Daniel L.

2013-11-11T19:00:00

This lens is quiet and focuses well. The VR (nikon) seems to work well. The only quirk I've found is that on program it hardly ever goes off of F 5.6 at the max length. I've tried the highest ISO and the aperture only changes when you run out of shutter speed. I don't know if it is designed this way to keep blur at a minimum or if it is a design glitch. However, I can easily work around this by using aperture priority or adjusting the aperture/shutter combination adjustment feature the d600 offers.

RICHARD L.

2013-10-28T21:00:00

This complements my Sony 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM in my Sony SLT-a99v kit. I preferred it to the Sony 70-300mm because it's a little faster (max f/4.0 vs. f/4.5) and with the $100 rebate, nearly $500 cheaper. The optics are fine, auto focus is quick and manual focusing is easy (just need to train the finger muscles that the focus is on the inner ring). At 27 oz, it weighs about the same as the comparable Sony long zoom. It comes with a quick-release flower-style lens hood. Can't compare it to the $2K Zeiss lenses other than its smaller aperture, but for the money, it's fine. Used for still and video work (with tripod, given the weight and length), and it is fully compatible with all SLT-a99v features. Except that since Sony provides on-camera optical stabilization, Tamron disables its on-lens stabilization but doesn't lower the price. That's not a big deal since the price is so low to begin with.

WILLIAM A.

2013-08-22T21:00:00

I wanted a 300 mm for sports: football, soccer, and baseball, and I needed a fast focus. Saw the reviews for this lens. All said fast auto focus, but none really said anything much about sports. I bought it a month ago (with a $100 rebate), and could not wait to try it at a night, high school football game. Tonight I did. I was amazed at the speed of the autofocus, the sharpness, and the color while shooting 4 to 5 frames a second for 2 to 3 seconds at a time with the players running in every direction even straight at me, the players being 10 feet away to 60 yards away. Out of the 400 or more photos taken, about five did not focus, and that was probably my fault and not the lens. The speed also of how you can zoom in and out is excellent. The manual focus ring is good, too, though I did not use it tonight. Granted, since I had to keep my shutter speed at 320, and the f-stop cannot go lower than 4 and was usually at 5 to 5.6, my photos were under exposed this night even at high ISO's, but I had nothing serious enough for most of my photos that I couldn't get a good photo out of it with photoshop, even shooting in Fine JPG. Bottom line, yes, I would recommend it to a friend.

ANDREW S.

2013-07-15T21:00:00

Solid construction, excellent color rendition, smooth VC, super creamy bokeh; all at a price that can't be beat. Maintains sharp contrast, even out at 300mm. Outstanding performance overall. I've used my Tamron SP AF 70-300mm with a Nikon D80, D90, and D7000.

CHRISTOPHER O.

2013-07-01T21:00:00

Just starting in wildlife photography. This lense is lite, focus is fast, vr locks in solid. Not good in low light for fast shutter speeds. My next lens will be a 2.6 ap.

Deborah P.

2013-06-18T21:00:00

I absolutely love this lens. I previously owned the Sony SAL75-300 and this one is better in everyway. My Tamron 70-300 USD never leaves my camera (Sony A57). I use it for everything from sports to wildlife and to candid shots of the kids. It is very sharp through the entire focal length and af is spot on. It is solidly built and feels just right on my camera. This was my first Tamron Lens and would definitely purchase them again. I only took off a half of star for low light performance where it still performs admirably and half a star for some internal dust that it appears to have even brand new. Not sure if that is a common thing but it does not affect picture quality whatsoever. Great product and highly recommended.

Phillip M.

2013-04-29T21:00:00

Love the way this focuses even handheld. I got it for wildlife but have used it for a general lens with success.

JOLENE O.

2013-03-18T21:00:00

The lens is a good value. It is sharp across the frame when stopped down a bit, wide open it's a bit softer but that isn't unusual. At the extreme long end it gets a bit softer as well, but still very usable. Color rendering is good. I use the lens on a D600. I was pleasantly surprised at the speed of the sutofocus. At the dog park it gave a good percentage of keepers at distances from 3 to 60 yards when the dogs were running toward or away from me. The VC is effective as well, probably not the advertised four stops but not far off. The construction and materials are certainly acceptable for a lens of this class. Everything that shouldn't move is solid, everything that should move does so smoothly. All in all it is a good product.

GLENN B.

2013-02-04T19:00:00

This is a really good zoom lens....it has a great range,VC is excellent, pretty good IQ throughout but comes with the limitations of a zoom at this price point. A bit soft at the long end but within it's zone (bright light, 70-250), it is excellent. A great buy for when you don't want to lug around a 300 mm prime and want the flexibility of a zoom. For the price it is a steal.

Joseph K.

2012-12-17T19:00:00

Use for wildlife Photography. Mostly birds. Im in Sitka AK. Lots of Eagles.

Bob

2012-12-17T19:00:00

I'm using this for outdoor photography, hiking, sports shots and I am very satisfied with the speed of focus and quality of the resulting photos. It focuses quietly and has been spot on every time. It is a bit heavy and extends out a lot when zoomed in at 300mm and with the hood attached, it's huge! Great lens that I can see keeping for many years!

Robert F.

2012-08-05T21:00:00

I bought the lens to replace a Tamron 18-270 PZD lens, which I found to slow to autofocus at the tele position. I needed a "field lens" to capture pipctures of live, unposed/unposable wildlife, such as insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, and tiny snakes. The 70-300 Tamron USD VC lens works for me!

cobra