Review on 📷 Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD IS Zoom Lens for Nikon (FX) Cameras - AFA010N700 by Brian Krump

I am preparing for a vacation abroad and need to travel light. I originally intended to bring a full frame DSLR and three zooms (combined coverage 16-200mm) but quickly gave up on that idea due to the number of lenses and the WEIGHT! So I started my search for the "ideal" travel lens that would meet the following requirements (in this order): wide focal range, good image quality, small and light, and reasonable price. Needless to say, I didn't have high hopes. Okay, first the focal length. I wanted something with a wide range to replace my two heavy lenses (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L - total weight 5 pounds). It all came down to this Tamron lens and the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM lens. Both Canon and Tamron qualify for this category as the 28-300mm should cover pretty much everything. In terms of image quality, I usually view my shots at 100% zoom in Lightroom on an iMac 5K (great computer/display btw) as I "watch the pixels". I read many reviews that said the Tamron had a surprisingly good (sharp) IQ, but the same was said about the Canon lens. I looked closely at the MTF charts and sample images, both lenses seemed to have acceptable sharpness and contrast for the types of photography I would be taking while traveling. Next came the size and weight. The Canon lens is big and heavy (3.7 pounds) and uses a push-pull zoom, while the Tamron is light (1.2 pounds) and uses a pan zoom. Obviously, Tamron is the winner here. And finally, there was the price. Canon lens is three times more expensive than Tamron. I already have an expensive Canon "L" lens and don't want to spend a fortune on a travel lens that I only use a couple of times a year. Tamron is again the clear winner in this category. So I bought a Tamron. I mentally braced myself for blurry images and barrel distortion (especially on wide-angle shots). After taking numerous photos and viewing them in Lightroom over the weekend (RAW images, 100% zoom on a 5K display), I can say that I absolutely love the Tamron lens. It's very sharp with good contrast, sometimes I felt like I was looking at shots taken with my expensive "L" glass. Barrel distortion was very noticeable on the broad end (I was aware of that), but the folks at Adobe added a lens profile for Lightroom that completely reduces distortion (and vignetting). In addition to the phenomenal zoom range, the autofocus was fast and quiet, and the VC (image stabilization) worked very well. I'm very happy with this lens and looking forward to attaching it to my 5D Mark III for my upcoming trip (in fact I'll probably go with the 6D as it's a bit smaller/lighter). So finally. , I fell in love with the Tamron AFA010C700 lens (my first non-Canon lens). It essentially replaces two heavy lenses (a whopping 5.1 pounds) with one smaller lens (1.2 pounds). No, it won't replace my L-shaped glass when I'm at work, but it will be securely attached to my camera when I go on vacation. Tamron is small, light, durable, with great intelligence and features. I look forward to some fantastic holiday memories with this lens.