Being a photographer who is just starting out, this lens seems to be a no brain-er at its price point. And there's not much sacrifice to speak of, judging by the few reviews out there in the internet. And as such, I have ordered one from my local store. I am really looking forward to your next review! Thanks for doing this Dustin!
Wow, I was blown away at how much sharper it is then the Canon. Even when the Canon appears to be 'closer', where the subject you had filled the frame more then the Tamron, the detail on the Tamron was so much sharper at those wider focal lengths. Pretty crazy. Great review, as always! I cannot wait to get my hands on one.
Very qualitative comparison review with useful info as always! Wonder about the technical details about how the shots were made.. a) I assume tripod was used for every shot. b) I assume VC / IS was used all the time. c) Have you used a 2sec timer delay or remote shutter to eliminate vibration that comes from pushing the button on camera) ? d) have you used mirror lookup to eliminate vibration that comes from mirror movement ?
Very nicely done, Dustin. This was a professional and comprehensive review. The more I hear about the G2, the more I like it. Thank for your efforts here!
Excellent review as always Dustin! It is fantastic to see just how close the Tamron moves up to the Canon, which is about 7 years old by now. Of course, center of the frame sharpness at 200 mm is very important and Canon keeps a slight edge. But, I am sure Canon will feel the pressure in the market as this lens is one of their most important ones. Surely we can expect a vIII from Canon in the next two years, but I doubt that Canon will ever outperform third party lenses by such a significant margin as before. Amazing times for us photographers: more choice, better lenses, and potential savings that we can use to travel more :)
I think you made the key point there - it is going to be very, very hard for 1st party lens makers to ever have that clear separation in quality from the third party lenses that they had in the past.
Fantastic to hear that you will also begin reviewing the Rokinon SP 14mm 2.4 this coming week. That lens is currently occupying the #1 spot on my wish list-another 3rd party lens! And just a few years ago, I wouldn't even consider lenses without a red ring ... much of this change in my perspective (pun intended) is thanks to your great work Dustin! Thanks and enjoy this exciting March!
Canigou Cycling - Girona & Pyrenees Road Cycling totally agree on the overall dollar to performance ratio here Tamron truly a clear winner here compares to Nikon, Canon plus other third party companies. I m not a brand royal person to all of my belongings, I always looking for the best bang for my bucks, Canon costs $2000, Nikon costs $2100-2700 and the 100th year edition costs $4000, Tamron costs $1300 how much can we ask for with that much of a price different but so little to none in performance loss. With price different we may able get one more great lens to add into our lenses arsenal or other things that we like. I think this is easy call to make, unless money isn't a problem to some people....
Excellent series!! All the info I've been looking for. Very well done!! That said, I'm holding out for more info on the focus speed. I'm using that to sway me one way or the other from a used Canon 2.8 II. Any idea on when I could expect you to release your last video?
Great work as per, thanks Dustin. Have to admit I' did been waiting for a video like such, having the previous version of the tamron on such as a 5ds, the newer version's differences simply aren't worth the upgrade for the time being from what I've seen. Keep up the great work
+Ben Parsons While there is obviously some improvement optically, I would venture the improved build, autofocus, and compatibility with the Tap In would be the bigger reasons to upgrade.
+Theoria Apophasis Yup. I watched your early coverage of the lens and noted this morning your issue with the raise switches. I haven't had one out on a strap yet (just in a harness), so I haven't noticed that yet. I do carry cameras often like that (though rarely telephotos), so I may run into it.
Picked up my copy in Malaysia. This lens has very much impressed me.. Had to dial in a -2 on the wide end and a -1 on the tele end, but everything else is spot on as far as I can tell looking great at both ends. Will have my review out in a week also..
Hey Dustin, love your reviews! Very thorough and practical. Eagerly awaiting your review of the new 2x teleconverter and whether or not it performs ok at the 200mm end of the Tamron 70-200. Both the G2 AND the previous version. Also are the teleconverters tweakable using the tap in console? Thanks again 😊✌️
I'm covering that more in the final review, but they are very close. The Tamron hesitates a split second before locking focus in a way the Canon doesn't, but I'm talking something incredibly brief.
Makes me happy I didnt spend the extra for the canon and got the G2. I had no way to compare since I dont know anyone with the MKII to compare to my G2 but seeing this I am happy I went with the tamron. Did you do any adjustments to the Tamron. with mine I needed to do some adjustment to get mine at 200MM dialed in perfect. It didnt really need any at the shorter focal range. it was especially at the 16foot mark that it needed adjusted at 200mm the most. I use a 7DII
I've got two copies here - one that I've gone through the whole calibration process (Tap In). It needed some adjustment, but has focused perfectly afterwards. I haven't calibrated the other copy yet, so I can't comment on it. It seems to focus pretty well out of the box, though.
thats another thing that is great about this lens. I have zero focus issues with consistency. I never have to worry if its going to just flat out blow a photo because of some focus issue.
Dustin Abbott you have done a great job, I have the Sony GM 70-200 f2.8 and just thought it would be great to compare them all, but you always do a great job on your reviews Dustin. Wish Sony had more people with your skills and expertises on RU-vid. Continued success Dustin :) and great video.
Hi! I'm thinking of buying my first (higher-grade) lens, wanting it to be a 70-200 f2.8 as this suits my style of photography most (horse/equine photography). Within my budget I've brought it down to the following two lenses: the tamron 70-200 f2.8 G2 and the canon EF 70-200 f2.8 II (mark 2). The price difference (used) is about 100€ (canon being more expensive in my country), so it's quite close to each other. Which one would you recommend to buy?
Thanks for this review Dastin. Just arrived in New York this afternoon and am going straight to B&H for my copy. Hope I can calibrate to suit my Canon 80D.
Hi Dustin and thanks for your review! Do you think that this zoom will work (canon mount) with a mc-11 adapter on a6500? Or maybe i will wait for a sigma 70-200 art lens to gate all focus option...if any? Thanks again!
+Ulrick Teissier I've been using it some with the Metabones adapter on an A7r II, and, in decent light, it focuses pretty well. Better than the Canon, actually. I would suspect the Sigma lens will work better via the MC-11
I noticed that when you showed the Vignette comparison against the Canon 70-200mm II, the Tamron was on the A009 version, not the A025. Figured I'd let you know, unless that was a LR glitch.
Would the tap-in console close the image quality gap at the 200mm end? I look forward to your focusing speed Canon versus Tamron comparison. Your review is great. I'm looking forward to your next two installments. Thank you for your work. Extremely helpful.
+John Kerr John - I use 10x Live View focus for these tests, so autofocus accuracy isn't part of the equation. These should be consistently focused results.
Excellent review! it's going to be a exciting year with so many new camera and lenses coming out. Sigma 135mm 1.8 and other. Thank you and I really appreciate your reviews every time I buy a camera lens from B&H, I make sure you get the credit.
I have the tamron f2.8 70-200 Vic di first model and find it comes Alive at f3.5 to f4.0 and above but I do not have the canon f 2.8 is vii to compare it with , and will this matter when I print my photographs ?
What about the focusing speed and accuracy of focus compared to Sigma 50-100 f1.8. I am using canon 80D and willing to own a lense which is similar or equivalent to 70-200.
Great job Dustin. I have two questions if I may? I can see that they seem to be nearly he same length but how do they compare weight wise? The next one is just for your opinion: I own a 7Dmkii and the original canon mki 70-200 L and have been thinking of upgrading. The canon seems to shine a little better on your test with aps-c. I still cringe at the price though. I'm also considering adding a 6D to my kit for full frame work. (in the future mind you. I'm still not done getting my lenses without my wife divorcing me lol). In the real world would I see much difference between the two on my 7dmkii? Which would you recommend?
I think you will be happy with either lens on crop. They deliver good results. The weight is within about 30 grams of each other (the Canon is slightly heavier).
Thanks Dustin. I have a follow up question now: Would you ever consider using this with the 2x converter instead of using the coveted 100-400L mkii? And have you compared them at 400 yet?
I personally prefer the image quality from bare lenses, myself. There's more than sharpness at stake; I often find that extenders can make bokeh look a little more "nervous" and I don't like the images globally as well. I'm privileged to own a lot of lenses, though, and so if I could only afford one lens I would probably be more open to using a 2x extender. I have compared them side by side, and the 100-400L II is definitely sharper than either the Tamron or Canon 70-200 + 2.0x extender.
I think Tamron and Sigma have really improved over the last few years. They have put out some real winners. I'm still skeptical thought. I shoot apsc and was really excited about the Sigma 50-150 but was truly a let down with the focus hit rate. When it hit it is supper sharp but the hit rate is so low you have to take hundreds of pictures. I'm hoping this Tamron doesn't have the same problem. Thanks for the video.
I have a question: at what distance from the subject does this lens start behaving like a true 70-200mm lens, in terms of delivering the same magnification as the Canon? As a wedding and portraiture photographer, magnification and a decent working distance are important to me.
+Jasper Levi It's important to recognize that the Canon is actually longer than it's stated focal length at close focus distances. The Tamron is delivering a similar magnification at about 20+ feet.
Did you compensate both lenses with MFAs? Coz it looks like your APS-C shots are slightly back focused, giving the illusion that the Tamron lens is not as sharp as the Canon. It could just be me tho. But well worth a look.
Yes the price is awesome. Tamron lens has been performing well (this one and 24-70) on my sony A7R II through both MC-11 adapter and Metabones adapter, especially this one, the image stablization and autofocus works pretty well. (Plus sony have that insanely priced 70-200 GM lens so of course I will choose the tamron...
Good to know, I was considering buying the Tamron for use with my A7R II and MC-11 adapter. Currently, I use a Canon 70-200mm f/4L, which is great for traveling because it's light, but the Tamron would be great for events. Especially with its better transmission and vignetting. How's the focus working for you when using it with the MC-11?
As always, great analysis of a lens. I have both Tamron SP 70-200 lenses and they are both very sharp, fast and reasonable lenses although the G2 is better in every category. The only issue I had with both lenses is that I had to micro-adjust the focus on both lenses and with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III & Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Other than that, great lenses and I'm happy with the upgrade to the G2 except for the G2 lens hood.
Hi Dustin. Thank you for this. The sharpness and focus breathing at 200mm is a consideration for me; I primarily shoot portraits, beauty, and headshots (Nikon). What would you say is the best option for a true 200mm focal length (whether zoom or prime) by a third party manufacturer? Nikon's options are ridiculously over priced. Perhaps the new Tamron is the way to go but I'm nervous that I won't get the sharpness and compression I'd like at 200mm. I know you're busy and I appreciate your time. Cheers!
+Chris Violette Right now this is the best third party option, though Sigma is rumored to be working on a 70-200 Sport lens. It hasn't been announced, and Sigma has just announced four other lenses that will come in a staggered release for months...so I wouldn't expect the 70-200 to come for a while yet.
I just got my copy of this G2, but I was wondering if you know whether there's a difference between the version made in Japan vs China? Mine says designed in Japan and made in China?
Thanks for the reply. I have the 24-70 G2 on the way and am curious to see whether that will have the same branding as my 70-200. Great channel by-the-way, love all the reviews and tuts.
Thanks for showing examples of the G2 with the 2X teleconverter in the video and gallery! I think that my Nikon 200-500 holds a slight edge but, the size savings of the Tamron may be better suited for my needs. I'm looking forward to your complete evaluation of the autofocus. I think I may consider selling off my 200-500, and switch to this Tamron. I've been wanting to fill my 70-200 gap for quite some time now. Yes, I won't have 500mm anymore (and, I do go to the focal length often), but it's just such a pain to carry...
If the magnification is different between the canon and tamron, wouldn't it it look a little more blurry on the canon because it is enlarged? I'm not a very scientific person so I'm just curious. if they were cropped to appear the same size, would the canon improve at 70mm?
Around 7:58, it seems you are comparing the Tamron G1 vs the Canon, rather than the Tamron G2 vs the Canon. Also, I think you are missing the comparison G2 vs G1 at 200mm, which would be very interesting.
+Andrea I had to cut some things to make sure the episode wasn't even longer. At 200mm the trend is the same - a slight advantage in the center for the A025 but stronger edge performance by comparison.
This is very useful and detailed information Dustin, thank you. Noting the give and take in respect to Full frame and APS-C is particularly interesting to me. I am wondering if the new Tamron TC performs as good as the late gen Canon 1.4x on this lens as well as on other lenses. I am looking forward to your AF and overall videos.
At 10:51 you give samples of the new TC performance on this lens. I am glad you enjoy doing these videos because they are consistently of good quality and many times the best on RU-vid for many subjects.
+Stephen Likes Tools The Tamron TCs are optically excellent. When I tried Canon lenses on either the Canon 1.4x or the Tamron 1.4x - the results with the Tamron extender were definitely sharper, though focus favours using Canon with Canon and Tamron with Tamron.
Thanks for this Dustin, great review. I've just ordered the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 G2 and 2X convertor for my Nikon D750, this combo is still $1000 cheaper than the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 E Lens.
I doubt it. The 5D Mark IV is incredibly clean at ISO 800, and I wanted to keep the shutter speeds reasonable so that no one would complain about the possibility of vibration.
I am considering whether should I set the Tamron70-200mm g2 or the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 is ii? I am planning to shoot portraits with the lens, so bokeh would be a much more important issue than the sharpness. I wonder which lenses' bokeh do you prefer. I have difficult deciding among the two lenses😂😂😂
I'm not going to be able to help much there, as I didn't see a significant difference/advantage for either lens. I would probably recommend the Canon if you don't mind spending the money. It's just very, very good, and you might get easier focus results out of it.
Dustin Abbott Thanks for your suggestion! Maybe I would rent a copy of both lenses. After testing the two lenses, I could share the thoughts about the lenses. Your review showed that the Tamron is actually competitive with the canon one, so I think I should give the Tamron a try😂😂
I wonder and wish you had tested if the sharpness loss on the 200mm end would disappear had the subject not been lining the bottom of the frame and actually at the center of the frame? Probably wishful thinking on my end. Too bad it wasn't the opposite as most folks will be using this at the longer end. Still sounds like a great option though. Maybe you can test this in your real world review on both FF and Crop. Great info nonetheless.....Thank You.
Dustin, I have a new question after all these months. Since the Tamron doesn't perform as well at 200 as the Canon but seems to be better at 135 and lower do you think using micro adjustments in camera or getting Tamron's tap in would make these lenses equal at each focal length they lagged behind in in your test?
Hi Dennis, those conclusions were based off 10x Live View manual focus comparisons. Focus is not an issue. That being said, others have found the two lenses closer at 200mm than I found. I've also used 4 different copies of the lens (review copies and then one that I own) and found pretty much the same results with all four copies, so I don't know what to say.
Thank you Dustin. Very informative video with great fair completed test between the Canon and the Tamron. It would be fantastic if you could also do a comparison of Tamron with other brands(Nikon, Sony). Keep up.
Dustin Abbott I today bough Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 GI LD (IF) Macro. I was searching any review material on your channel. but found nothing can share me with such link of Hands on Review, Tutorials and How to's of this lens. Dustin Abbott also if you can share the comparison and differences of the same lens feature with one with VC.
The truth is that the venerable canon is no longer the standard of 70-200,that crown now goes to Nikon and then Tamron before canon. It's amazing what tamron has done here,photographers should be grateful.
Thank you for an excellent review. Apologies for the late entry to these posts. I would like to use either theTamron G2 or the Canon L IS II lense on an A7Rii body with the MC-11 converter. Can you confirm if either of these configuations will be satisfactory. I would be happy if there was reasonable performance in AF-S mode. I will only be using the lens for stills. Also, will you be reviewing the new Sigma 70-200 f2.8 Sports lens and possibly test the performance using the Sigma MC-11 converter. Thanks for the knowledge you bring to this medium.
Thanks for replying so promptly. Its' good to know that the lenses work after a fashion. I worry that firmware updates change the way in which these lenses and converter function together and make me wary of making a purchase. I look forward to reading any comments you make regarding the Sigma lens. Thanks again for your help.
Doesn't make sense to me. If the Canon is sharper on APS-C, which is the smaller pixel sensors, then it SHOULD perform better on FFrame. Can it be a mounting issue or, how do you explain it? Great comparison video. I did think the Canon was also sharper on the FF left side, as you noted on the right side, (test before you went to APSC)
It's not cut and dry when moving from full frame to APS-C. My experience says that every lens behaves differently in that transition, so its never wise to make assumptions.
All of these tests are done with 10x Live View focus, so yes, they are focused very accurately. I've used/tested three copies of the lens, and some are better than others...but not exceptionally so.
Is there any reason to spend the extra money to purchase the Canon? A $700 difference is big that could go to all sorts of other gear and even a large chunk toward another lens. Not necessarily that money is an issue but what about the Canon justifies its price and purchase?
That question will have to be answered by the buyer. The Canon is still a split second faster to lock focus and has the stronger performance on the long end. I think it comes down to your priorities. There isn't much difference between them.
induplicable Performance at 200mm with focus breathing towards 230mm at close distances. For people shooting portraits in this range it may be a justifiable price difference. Northrops could be an example of such people.
I would love to see a focus breathing comparison i know the Tamron has a focus breathing issue but i want to what would be the distance like if i'm 5 meters away from my subject or maybe 10 or 15 meters is it gonna be a true 200mm or 135mm ? i cant find any answer for this :( can you please tell me if you already made your experiments what is the distance i should be away from my subject to avoid this issue ? Thank you
Just go one video back and you'll have your answer. ;-) There you can see how this - all in all for sure wonderful - 50-140mm lens performs in those regards...
Thank you for the review! Here in Germany the price difference is only ~300€ to the Canon one =/ (1599€ vs ~1930€). But I think/hope the price will drop in the future of the Tamron (Like the 150-600 G2)
I did it. It depends on how much you value the extra build, features, and slightly better image quality. If you are mostly about image quality, the G1 isn't much worse and is a very good lens.
A link to what? Purchasing? My review of the lens? You can see the review here: dustinabbott.net/2013/07/tamron-sp-70-200mm-f2-8-di-vc-usd-review/ or you can purchase it here: bhpho.to/2oyfpca
Dustin Abbott My original question was to see if you can do a comparison video between the version 1 and version two since this video is version 2 vs canon. You said you already have but I can't find the video where you compare ver 1 to ver 2
just for information purposes you should include the Minolta 80-200 mm f2.8 fast focus APO 30 year old lens to these newer lenses, i think you will be pleasantly surprised .........
Dustin, it is clear that Canon's lens is backfocused on examples at 70mm. Back focus is clearly seen on the lens caps. I hope that this omission has been occurred unintentionally and that you will rectify this mistake in following video.
Mr. Abbott, I purchased this lens here in Ottawa just about a week ago. I mounted the lens to my Canon 5D Mark III as instructed. Right from the very first photo, it started to make a strange noise. The noise sometimes continues after I put it down. I just came across a youtube video that was posted about 10 days ago. At least one other person is experiencing the same strange noises from the same lens (Nikon mount). Seems like more than a coincidence. This was my first Tamron purchase. It will certainly be my last.
Hmmm, I don't know what to tell you on that. I've tested multiple copies of the lens and never encountered anything like that, nor have any of the credible reviewers that I'm familiar with. I would certainly get it replaced.
This morning I brought the lens back to the store where I purchased it. They did hear the same noises and confirmed that this lens needs replacing. They believe that it is a VC issue. They noted this copy would be useless for any video work. They have ordered a replacement for me. Though the store is looking after me, I am quite disappointed with the reaction from Tamron's Canadian distributor.
Good morning Mr Abbott. I have a tricky question this time, because of the unfair behaviour that some resellers might have. I'd like you to make a clear statement about the 70-200 price point. I heard that Tamron for a precise business choice, decided to price the new and improved lens at the same or less price ( USA is 1299$ ) to make it even more desirable for potential buyers. Over here unfortunately prices are even more the already weird 1:1 currency exchange rate, so that you can get the new lens between 1500 and 1600 euros (!) Could you confirm Tamron choose not to increase the actual price point for this lens and rather lowered/cut it a bit ? Of course everyone can choose its price point but not justify"because it's newer" because it's a fraud., the newer theoretically costs equal or less.
I'm not authority on that, Dino. There are fluctuations on price in every market. I'm familiar with the North American market, and that's what my statement is based on.
