Tamron 28-300mm VC - Excellent Super Zoom Lens For Full Frame DSLR

Today I tried the Tamron 28-300mm VC lens on my Nikon D300s camera. The VC update is only available for Canon and Nikon users. The Vibration Compensation (VC) feature is well worth the money I paid for it.

This article will be a short review on the Tamron 28-300mm VC.

I found the optical quality of this lens to be great so I tested it with both full frame (Nikon D700) and cropped sensor cameras (Nikon D300s). To my surprise, the images came out very sharp on both cameras. To a normal viewer, the image quality of the lens is comparable to a professional lens. The super zoom range was just perfect on my full frame camera.

However, I found the zoom length to be a bit awkward for a cropped sensor camera. If you want a better range, look at the Tamron 18-270mm VC lens. This lens will give you a better zoom range for a cropped sensor DSLR. Although the 18-270mm VC has a better range, I’ve found the lens’ optical quality to be less sharp than the Tamron 28-300mm VC.

When doing the Tamron 28-300mm VC review, I’m mildly surprised that this lens has a fast and accurate autofocus mechanism. Here’s one tip on autofocus: In low light, switch to manual focus. This will prevent autofocus hunting (due to the lens’ small aperture).

In terms of sharpness, I found the center and border sharpness to be excellent. The distortion is also minimal.

Another very handy feature is the zoom lock mechanism. I’m not afraid of zoom creep, especially when transporting the lens. The lens is also very light weight, making it very easy to handle.

As a final thought for this Tamron 28-300mm VC review, I rate this lens as a great value proposition, ideal for non-professional use and travel.

I don’t recommend this for professional use because the slow aperture speed makes it impractical for use in most professional photography situations. Nor does it make sense to use this lens in extreme weather.

Before buying the Tamron 28-300mm VC, make sure you check out my full review at Tamron 28-300mm VC for Nikon and Canon DSLR.

If you’re using other camera brand such as Sony or Pentax, check out the Tamron 28-300mm review (the non-VC) version.