If you are an amateur photographer and a regular traveller it can be quite a bummer to lug around a big kit bag full of lenses. It would be a whole lot easier if you could make do with just one primary lens that has good range and can deliver results in varying conditions. We tested Tamron's latest compact, ultra-zoom for APS-C format DSLRs.
The Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-F6.3 Di II VC PZD zoom lens is said to be amongst the world's first lens to use Piezo technology for fast, smooth and noiseless focussing.
The 15X lens (28mm to 405 mm) is the smallest and lightest in this range and is suitable for a wide range of applications from landscape, portrait, sports and wildlife photography.
It has a closest focussing distance of 0.49 metres throughout its ‘b' range. The lens measures 98.4mm (3.8-inches) and weighs 450 grams. It accepts a filter size of 62mm making it the smallest barrelled lens in this range.
The 18 element lens is an attempt by Tamron to lure users who have graduated from super zoom compacts to DSLRs. The lens is an all purpose unit as it covers a zoom range from 27mm to 405mm in the 35mm equivalent without having to change lenses, making it a perfect travel lens.
The piezo drive is an innovative ultrasonic autofocus motor based on an advanced piezo-electric design.
We put the lens to a series of tests to study its features and capability. The VC or the vibration compensation as Tamron calls it was very effective. It gave you a clear 2 stops advantage. We shot an image hand held at 1/8 Sec. With the VC activated and off positions and there was a visible difference in the photographs.
The piezo technology hunts a bit when you change focal lengths or where there are multiple fields of focus. It is however, fast, noiseless and accurate in most other situations. The lens functions very well in backlit conditions holding both highlight and shadow details, besides colour and contrast.
The colours and contrast are excellent at the widest focal length supplied to the lens, but tend to get soft as you zoom in. Edge sharpness is good even at full open aperture.
The Tamron lens is compatible with Nikon and Canon (Di II VC PZD), and also with Sony (Di II PZD) APS-C DSLRs.
Love: Zoom range, vibration control
Hate: Focussing at longer focal lengths, slightly pricey
for a third party lens
Rs 36,000
Ratings
Construction - 5/5
Handling - 4/5
Price - 3/5
Overall - 3/5
With inputs from S.S. Kumar and S.R. Raghunathan