sigma vs Tammy 70-300 vs Pentax da 50-300
Tamron 70-300LD at about £100+...excellent lens overall when you consider the price...love mine...BUT it hunts like mad at the longer end when taking fast moving targets like go karts and planes. I gave up trying to use AF and used manual focusing instead which is a doddle at or close to infinity although I should imagine a lot more trying at tens of meters distance with the subject running towards you carrying a ball!
Macro is not bad too if you don't expect too much...more flowers and still life than insect close-ups. Hope this helps. Oh and i've only used mine on a K-x (12MP) so can't comment on what it is like on a K30/50 or K5.
Karlo
On balance - I'll take the Pentax every time, but if you're on a limited budget, the Tamron will serve you very well.
Phil
My Flikr Page link
The Pentax hunts quite a bit (and is noisy) at the long end but not as much as the Sigma used to, so for me the Pentax is much better optically and great for all but 'Birds in flight'
Michael
Build is very good..... It's quite solid but light as well. Engaging macro needs care but its easy once you've ' got it'. It's a 1:2 macro but at 300mm that's close enough for general details.
Purple fringing is the main IQ complaint, mainly around fine higher contrast edges, but its manageable in PP.
I'm no action shooter, but for general photography where the widest aperture is not essential, the Tamron is the one for me.
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
I have used the Tamron and Pentax lenses side by side and the Tamron is very good, but the Pentax is crisper.
I agree
Phil
My Flikr Page link
It's heavy, solid, big, has a useable macro function and has a manual aperture ring - so you can use it with basic teleconverters and not have to use it wide open.
It's also sharp right to the end. I eventually sold mine in favour of a Pentax 55-300 simply because the purple fringing was doing my head in.
An alternative may be the Pentax WR 200mm is a potential option also. Doesn't have the reach but seems to have a bad name because it was a kit lens bundle, but the results seem actually really good, and it's WR also.
atm, I have a Pentax 50=200 non Wr, and I like the size of the lens, but at the long end I feel its not really cutting it in both sharpness and AF abilities. I'd like an improvement in each and a bit extra reach without spending a lot.
I'm leaning towards the Tammy, having read some of Nigels comments on the lens in the past, and general criticism online of the Pentax 50-300 for hunting.
I was looking to buy S/H, but I think I'll do a lil bit more reading before deciding.
Many thanks again to all who posted, your help is much appreciated.
It is especially brutal when you have a dark subject against a bright background, such as a bird on a white sky etc. ~ which is often what people want a big zoom lens for.
It can be removed in post, sometimes very well, but at other times it requires way too much effort for my liking, which is why I eventually parted ways with it.
Often in Lightroom this is a single click to deal with, or a click and a sample to tell Lightroom exactly where the problem you want to fix is.
example youtube link here
So of course, to me, to find out that in practise it does a very good job, gives me shots that are better than I was expecting, then that leads to my own enthusiastic response. It doesn't mean it is better than the other choices for everyone. Someone who had shot professionally with a £2000 F2.8 zoom for years would probably not sound as enthusiastic as me about it! So, it's about ' what it is and who you are ' ....
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
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201 posts
10 years
I really want it for some photos of my dogs running at a distance, my Pentax 50-200 lacks a bit of reach and not brill AF speed.
I've read that the 50-300 Pentax has poor AF speed and hunts. Would welcome your views.
Also is there a significant difference in quality between the apo and non apo sigma lens. And what's the macro like on the two third party lenses?
Many thanks