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I liked Tamron’s 200–400mm f/5.6 supertele zoom lens so much when
I tested it for PHOTOgraphic’s April, 1995 issue that I bought it. The
new SP AF 200–500mm f/5–6.3 Di LD [IF] tacks 100mm on the long end
and offers excellent sharpness at the long end.
The 200–500mm is 1.7” longer than its predecessor, not bad considering
the maximum focal length is 25 percent longer, yet the new lens weighs nearly
3 ounces less. It’s very well-balanced, with internal focusing so the
physical length does not change during focusing, and the front element doesn’t
rotate during focusing or zooming—handy when using orientation-sensitive
attachments such as polarizers and grad filters.
The lens extends about 3.5” when zoomed from 200mm to 500mm; a zoom lock
holds it at its shortest physical length. Less than 1/4 turn of the focusing
ring takes you from infinity to 8.2 feet. The zoom ring requires half a turn
to go from 200mm to 500mm. The focusing ring is about 1/4 the width of the zoom
ring, so you’re not likely to confuse the two.
An adjustable tripod mount makes attaching the lens to a tripod a quick and
simple matter and allows you to rotate the camera for vertical-format shooting
when desired. Other features include two LD glass elements to minimize chromatic
aberrations and a detachable Filter Effect Control which allows you to rotate
polarizers and graduated filters with the lens hood attached.
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Supertele zooms aren’t just for action and wildlife. They
lend a different perspective to scenic shots, too. EOS-1Ds Mark
II, 1/1000 at f/6.3, ISO 400 at 500mm.
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Autofocus performance was excellent in good light, and slow in dim light (that
maximum aperture of f/6.3 at the 500mm setting is beyond the f/5.6 most AF systems
like). I found the lens easy to focus manually.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for an affordable, long telephoto zoom
that produces great image quality, you should check this one out. It’s
available in mounts for Canon, Minolta (D) and Nikon (D) autofocus SLRs. For
more information, visit www.tamron.com.
Specifications
Focal length: 200-500mm
Angle of view: 12° (200mm) to 5° (500mm)*
Maximum aperture: f/5 (200mm) to f/6.3 (500mm)
Minimum aperture: f/32 (200mm) to f/36 (500mm)
Minimum object distance: 8.2 feet at all focal lengths
Maximum magnification: 1:5.0 at 500mm
Length: 8.9 in at 200mm
Diameter: 3.7 in
Weight: 43.6 oz (Canon-mount version)
Street price: around $829
Distributor: Tamron U.S.A. Inc., www.tamron.com
* on 35mm SLR or “full-frame” digital SLR
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