Tamron's with internal motors

One of the most well regarded new Tamrons is the 28-300 VC, not that fast for AF but very good optically. You can find several posts about it. No idea of other newer lenses, sorry.

 

I found it to be noisy and it hunted a lot in lower light with the 28-75 on my D200. I send it back. The IQ was great but the other issues killed it for me.

Eric

 

there 17-50 with the internal motor has not faired well from what i've read  

 

I read a review on 17-50mm on Adorama's website; the reviewer was experiencing problems AF this lens: FF or BF -I can't remember. The reviewer also stated that he specifically requested the older version of the lens that does not come with the built-in motor and he suggested that older version of this lens, without the built-in motor, is better, although noisier.

Could anyone comment on this?

 

I spent a couple weeks with a 17-50 with the motor, and then it went back to Best Buy. The focus wasn't terribly fast (I'd say my Sigma 24-60 screw-drive is faster on the D200) and it made an annoying chirping sound (though it was quieter than most screw-drive lenses). It also had a tendency to hunt. Overall, I was not that impressed with the AF system, nor the off-center performance, so it went back.

 

I tried the new in-lens motor 17-50 in the store on my D300, and I wouldn't and didn't buy it. It was slow and sloppy, hunting and chirping. I've been looking for the older model. There are still a few out there, I hope.

One thing. The Promaster 17-50 is the Tamron 17-50 rebadged and without a motor. I was offered one for $449, the same price as the Tamron. I tried it and it was perfect. Focused fast, accurately and quietly.

I just felt that a Tammy with a Promaster name would have a terrible resale later if I decided to sell it. Furthermore, I'd think that a rebadged Tammy should be less than the real thing.

 

I have the 28-300 VC and it does focus really poorly indoors. I find it to be fine outdoors though.

I ordered the 17-50 w/ internal motor yesterday. I read everywhere that the focus with the motor is not so good. I played with it in the camera store and it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, this lens will be used for my indoor shots so this might be a problem-- I'll see how that goes and get back to you.

It also depends what the lens will be going on. Of course if you're comparing it on a D300, the screw drive will be much faster. However, on a lesser model it might not make so much of a difference.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't compare well, at least from the 17-50/2.8 I bought and then returned. To be fair, I returned it more because it appeared to have an optical problem (sample-related). But the lens's focusing disappointed me.

I had actually ordered the older screw-drive one as I had read it actually focuses faster on many bodies than the ones with the "built-in motor" (BIM) as Tamron labels on the box. But B&H ran out of them and substituted at no additional cost the BIM one.

Compared to my AF-S lenses, the Tamron was definitely noisier but quieter than most of my screw-drive lenses. The AF-S lenses focus with a soft whisper. The Tamron did an electronic "eh" or a whir, sometimes followed by a strange fine-tuning "eh-eh-eh." Probably no louder than my screw drive lenses and quieter than some of them.

My AF-S lenses focused faster, though the Tamron wasn't horribly slow to focus either. The major exception was when te Tamron wanted to do the "eh-eh-eh" as it struggled to lock down a precise focus -- that was significantly slower and worse than some of my screw drive lenses.

The real issue is that the Tamron's BIM is a conventional micro-motor, not a ring-type, ultrasonic motor as in most AF-S lenses. Does Tamron even have a lens with an ultrasonic motor yet?

Canon owners have noted for years that their Tamrons with the micro-motors generally don't focus as quickly and are usually louder than their true USM lenses.

 

I have the new version, what Big Daddy said about the "eh-eh-eh" sound when fine tuning the focus does happen most of the time, even in good light. But it still seems to focus as fast as my 28-75 screw drive, and is just as accurate. The sharpness and IQ of the lens is fantastic.

 

May I ask if the new lenses are made in Japan or China?

 

My 17-50 is made in Japan

 

I already had done a little research on this. Some 17-50mm are made in Japan, and some in China.

 

Apparently both. The reputation is that the ones made in Japan are usually less prone to "Tamron roulette." I was happy when I saw the "Made in Japan" label on the 17-50/2.8 I received from B&H. Then I was unhappy when it had some strange problem that was very pronounced at 17mm -- very soft. I tested it carefully on a tripod and shot some tests in the park, and it was clearly an issue. I had to return it because of that.

This after a 28-75/2.8 (without the BIM) I received in December seemed to very inconsistent in focusing. I think that one was made in Japan as well.

I was going to try another Tamron 17-50/2.8, but was very fortunate to get a great deal on a Nikon 17-55/2.8. So it all worked out.

 

Would it be silly to do a poll
Where did you get your Japan or China model?

Dunno if it's related, but my 28-300VC which focuses without any problem (just slow) is made in japan as well. I'm hoping that my amazon.com order will be made in Japan as well!!!

 

Update:

I just received mine from amazon.com today. It's the Japanese model (which is apparently a good thing). So far, images at 2.8 are reasonable sharp and very usable. f4 and above is tack sharp. The autofocus is pretty loud in my opinion and stupidly slow. Yes, it is slow on a D80...
I now own two Tamron lenses with the slow internal focus motors--but hey, the IQ is great.