Which Superzoom ?

Tamron's 18-270mm superzoom is reviewed in today's Am Photographer. A hell of a zoom range, but it does result in some sacrifice of definition, etc. Also max apertures are f/3.5 to f/6.3. And the RRP is £665

It has Tamron's own optical image stabiliser built in (VC: Vibration Compensation). I understand that it is not a good idea to use lens stabilisation at the same time as sensor stabilisation (Pentax SR).

Don't know if it is available yet with a Pentax mount. It's not (yet) listed on the SRS web-site.

Martin

It looks like Tamron have dropped the Pentax fitting from their better lenses including the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP Di USD newly released.

John

Are any of the 18-200 lenses better than the 18-250 ?

+1 for the 18-250.

I've got the Pentax version and would recommend it highly. I took mine on holiday a couple of weeks ago and have got some pictures that were so much sharper than I had expected that I was genuinely surprised. I also like the colour rendition.

The only drawbacks as far as I can see are that it has noticeable distortion at the wide end (correctable in post-processing) and zoom creep such that mine extends pretty much every time I carry it on the camera. They're quite rare, too.

LCE have a Pentax 18-250mm for £299

People over the years who have had the opportunity to compare always say the 18-250s are better than the 18-200s.However the 18-200s are a lot cheaper. I've not had chance to compare, but have had a Tamron 18-200 for about 30 months, and been very pleased with it. The original post referred to a superzoom to replace using the 18-55 & 50-200, well FWIW I had those two lenses (in Samsung form) when I bought the Tamron, and I don't think either of them has been used since.

I found the Tamron 18-250 to be pretty decent, although it could be a little flat.

But I have to agree. You shouldn't have a problem with dust if you are careful and if you are going to stick a single superzoom on an SLR then you won't learn much. They have their place for the times when you can't carry a bagful of lenses (such as at a friend's wedding) but if you want to become a better photographer you could buy a selection of MF lenses from eBay for a lot less money and learn a lot more!

[quote:3496ace15f="justa"]thanks for the replies

I have had a problem with dust on the sensor since pretty much day one - its driving me mad !!

quote]

Tried a rocket blower ?? Shifts any noticeable dust just fine for me.
Failing that how about try cleaning the sensor ?

If i would go for a zoom with a long range i would probably go for the DA18-135 because that range is just very useful for every day shooting. If you need more length more specialize lenses are often better.

I had the Pentax DA18-250 but sold it because i didn't like the handling of the lens and it was slow in every aspect, i went to a DA*50-135 instead which i use for more situation then i've used the DA18-250 funny enough... so range isn't everything.

Btw Sigma also has a 18-250 lens with HSM, if this one focus faster and have a decent image quality then it should certainly be worth a look!

Quite so, especially if the extremes of the range are barely useable.

I noticed that the A.P. review of the new Tamron 18-270mm superzoom included comments like: "significant lens barrelling at the widest focal length. This turns to pincushioning from 50mm and becomes significant by the full 270mm ... Purple and green fringing are also prominent at 18mm in areas of high contrast. ... resolution drops more significantly at the [200mm to] 270mm focal length".

Martin

The DA18-250 was my original kit. 200+ lenses later, it's still my basic lens; all others are specialty tools. No, it's not perfect, but it's excellent to cover dynamic situations. For coverage, I have the Tamron 10-24, DA18-250, and Lil'Bigma 170-500. For special shooting, I may use DA10-17, or 24/2-28/2-35/2-50/1.2-58/2-85/2-135/2.5, or whatever. But if I don't know what I'll be up against, it's the DA18-250.

Extreme's will always be a problem with zooms but certainly with those superzooms but the image quality was very decent though of the DA*18-250 but i doubt it's better then a 18-55 + 50-200 combination which cost half the money if not less...

IQ of the DA18-250 *is* better than the DA18-55 (v1 anyway). I've not tried the DA50-200 but I've read that the DA18-250 beats it. And I have a big problem with 18-55 + 50-200 or 55-300 kits -- I shoot a great deal between 30-80mm (perfect for my F35-70!) and swapping lenses at 50mm is intolerable, I would miss too many shots. I have a Promaster-Tamron 60-300 and have tried pairing it with the DA18-55; that combo is just too clumsy for my. YMMV.

The DA17-70 f/4 is a pretty good lens and the tamron 28-75 f/2.8 & sigma 24-70 f/2.8 are also very good.