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The Tamron SP Line
The G2 upgrades to Tamron’s SP line of lenses have been extremely popular. The 70-200mm f2.8 G2 rides the wave of updates to the Tamron line up.
This lens available in both Canon and Nikon mounts and can be used with Full Frame or APS-C sensors. If you use this lens on a Canon APS-C body, you will get a focal range closer to 112-320mm due to the 1.6x crop factor. This may not be a bad thing when you’re talking zoom lenses!
When shooting under the bright daylight, I’ll take advantage of the magnification by slapping this lens on my Rebel T4i when shooting sports and subjects at a distance. This body and lens combo basically adds another lens to my arsenal.
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The Build
Overall, the build quality of the SP 70-200mm F/2.8 is absolutely superb. The body of the lens is of all metal construction and has both a nice weight and a lovely quality feel to it.
The layout of the lens is very intuitive and the general ergonomics are a step up from the previous version of the lens. However, there is a slight difference in the way Tamron lens layout compared to Canon branded glass.
The Tamron lenses have the focal length and focus rings swapped compared to Canon’s ring layout. If you’ve only ever used Canon glass, then you will have a It’s a slight quirk that you just get used to fairly quickly, you will change the focal length when you’re subconsciously want to focus.
Both the focus and zoom rings are of a good size and there are good quality feeling switches for Vibration Compensation (Tamron’s version of Image Stabilization), a Manual/Autofocus switch and a focus limiter so that the lens isn’t hunting through the entire focus range on Autofocus.
The Arca-Swiss tripod mount on the collar is an underrated feature. You can leave your tripod mount on your camera body, keeping it tripod ready should you need to switch off the 70-200mm. The G2 versions of the 70-200mm and the 150-600mm lenses are the only ones that feature the Arca-Swiss tripod collar.
Tamron have also added good quality weather proofing to the SP 70-200mm F/2.8 G2.
If ever you’ve been caught out by a sudden rain storm or you regularly shoot sports or other subjects where you’re at the mercy of the weather, this an absolute godsend.
You know when you pick this lens up that you’re holding a quality item that will give you many years of service.
But, more importantly, what about image quality?
Internally there is a 9 blade aperture diaphragm that stays almost perfectly circular through most of the aperture range. Perfect for those gorgeous out of focus backgrounds.
In terms of optics there are 23 elements in 17 groups and incorporates Tamron’s Low Dispersion glass. These are designed to increase overall sharpness, while reducing Chromatic Aberration.
77mm Filter Size
The updated Vibration Compensation now gives a five stop stabilization and the Ultrasonic Silent Drive is fast, quiet and on point. In all tests, it gives a good, precise and accurate Autofocus.
The image quality of this lens is excellent. Is it as good as Canon and Nikon’s own fast zoom lenses? Not quite, but then the Tamron SP 70-200mm f2.8 G2 is significantly cheaper.
At the max focal length of 200mm and wide open at f/2.8, there is vignetting that shows up at the corners. This is something that you don’t see on the Canon EF 70-200mm lens.
It is however at the very top of the third party lenses in terms of both build and image quality.
The Specs
Maximum Aperture: ƒ/2.8
Minimum Aperture: ƒ/22
Minimum Focus Distance: 37.4 inches
Optical Construction: 23 elements in 17 groups
Aperture Blades: 9
Image Stabilization: Up to 5 stops correction
Filter Size: 77mm
Mounts: Canon, Nikon
Length: 7.6 inches (Canon)
Weight: 52.9 ounces (Canon)
My Recommendation
This is an incredible telephoto lens. Period. I absolutely love this lens and have full confidence in the image quality of my shots taken with it. It’s a heavy number, but when you wield it, you know it’s quality. If you do buy this lens, you won’t be disappointed. While I can’t say wholeheartedly that it’s as good as Canon own version of this lens, there’s not that much difference in image quality.
What it will give you is many years of service and tack sharp images. What more do you really need from your zoom lens?
To learn about other lenses I use, check out My Gear Bag!
Conquering Bounds is a travel blog that motivates and inspires novice and veteran photographers to overcome the bounds of their own creativity. The blog site is a rich resource for globetrotting bloggers who wish to document their travels via images that speak volumes about their experiences.
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Disclosure: This page contains some affiliate links. If you purchase a service through one of these links I may earn a small commission, this is at no extra cost to you.
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