Canon or Tamron 70-300?

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I am going to a wedding in a few weeks time, and no, I am not the photographer, but thought it would be a great opportunity to have a play... I have the 15-85, 50 f/1.8, and am wanting a 70-300ish.

The 2 that have caught my interest are the Tamron SP 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di VC USD (£350) and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (£440).

The Tamron came out on top of a review I saw in PhotoPlus, but would like your comments

Any recommendations? :thinking:
 
Ooh, I have just seen the Canon for £363 on Tesco. So the price isn't the issue, but which lens is the best?

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens could also be in the running, but only if the IQ is better to warrant a drop in length.
 
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The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM will suit your 450D just fine. I'm sure you can find a good copy cheaper than that. It is a great lens and will work well on your 450D. If you are likely to upgrade soon it would be better looking at the 70-200mm f4L. The 70-200mm will be better if you go for a new body with 15mp or above. I would be interested to know what body the test was done with.
 
The EF 70-300 is an excellent lens for the money. In good light the IQ is very close to 'L' quality. But as light levels fall this lens struggles to gain focus and tends to hunt a lot, which can be an issue depending on where and when you're using it. There is also an 'L' version of this lens which gets rave reviews - I think it's around £1100.

If you don't need the extra reach, then any of the 70-200 L variants are preferable, they're super sharp and fast, they're heavy though and it's usually worth paying the extra for the IS.
 
THe 70-200 f4 L is a cracking lens.
If you need extra reach then the 70-300 range of lens is the way forward.
I have a 70-300 IS USM, and the IQ does go soft after 270mm. Of course it does have a sweet spot f8-f11 ish.
I did have a go at the Tamron 70-300 Dii OS, and I must say i do think the IQ at 300mm is better than my canon EF 70-300 IS USM.
The only thing I think that lets it down is the plastic feel on the build !
 
So if I was looking at the Canon 70-200L, does it really matter not having IS?
 
weebleswobble said:
So if I was looking at the Canon 70-200L, does it really matter not having IS?
Click to expand...

Depends a bit on how much light you are shooting with, how good your camera is at handling higher iso and if you are shooting faster moving subjects...

I had the non-IS for a while then upgraded to the IS version....a very natural progression and I sold the non IS 2nd hand for almost what I bought it new for....
 
Mmm I only have a 450D so the high iso isn't great, and I prob won't upgrade my body until next year.
 
I had the 70-300 usm for a short while and while it was ok the difference in IQ between the 70-200 (albeit the IS version) was night and day.
 
But does anyone have the Tamron who have tested it with a 70-200? There is such a difference in price (to the IS version). Is the image quality so much better as I read one review that they the Tamron was very good in comparison to his 70-200IS (he was using a 5D MkII) - but you can't go on just one review...

Thanks for all your advice.
 
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I have the Tamron lens. I have found that it is fairly soft at the longer focal lengths when focussed to infinity. It seems sharp at the long end when focussed closer eg for portraits. My impressions are that it can struggle to find focus unless the light is good.
 
White Rose said:
I have the Tamron lens. I have found that it is fairly soft at the longer focal lengths when focussed to infinity. It seems sharp at the long end when focussed closer eg for portraits. My impressions are that it can struggle to find focus unless the light is good.
Click to expand...

Is that the New Tamron Dii 70-300 lens ! ?
 
It is the new version. It's a Di (full frame compatible) not Dii (crop sensor) lens though. I have to say that I've been a little disappointed in the performance of the lens so far. It's not a bad lens but the reviews I read before buying it suggested better. I suppose my expectations were too high for a lens at this price point.
 
White Rose said:
It is the new version. It's a Di (full frame compatible) not Dii (crop sensor) lens though. I have to say that I've been a little disappointed in the performance of the lens so far. It's not a bad lens but the reviews I read before buying it suggested better. I suppose my expectations were too high for a lens at this price point.
Click to expand...

I am surprised about the Di !
My current tele lens is the Canon EF 70-300 IS USM and IQ is soft after 270mm ! !
I tried the Tamron Di in Jessop's and i did like the IQ as it was better than my canon EF 70-300 !
I agree the build quality was still very plasticity, and dare I say little cheap feel.
The AF was quiet and smooth.

What is it about the Di you do not like ?
 
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