AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO for Nikon: Hands-on review

[mybearbrick]

This time round TAMRON B003 goes to the Singapore Zoo.
At the zoo, this slow lens is indeed to put the test.

​

 

[mybearbrick]

Shot through a glass panel.

Focus tracking was a No-No, luckily it was easy to anticipate and pre-focus.

​

 

[mybearbrick]

Killer Instincts

Birdie in action

Kiss my butt!

​

 

[mybearbrick]

In conclusion,
we know that the TAMRON AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO is a great superzoom lens with a fabulous VC, but there is no perfect lens in this world. This lens has a slow aperture and lack of an ultrasonic silent wave motor. These factors in turn resulted in this lens taking ~1-2 secs to hunt, then ~3-5 secs to give an AF confirmation. By the time, a green signal lights up, the magical moment of the animal doing an action is gone. The continuous AF tracking is slow as well. Many times, to get enough shutter speed to capture erratic animal actions, bumping up the ISO is necessary. No amount of VC can compensate for subject motion. This lens might not be ideal for fast moving subjects unless the light is strong and ISO is bumped up. Nevertheless, this is one lens with a very useful range to capture any type of shots. I had put myself in the shoes of a tourist while at the Singapore Zoo. I went without a tripod, and still managed to capture close up and distant subjects handheld without the hassle to switch lenses. Sure fits the reputation of a great travel lens! I will anytime recommend this superzoom lens to add on to their lens collection.

The remaining zoo pictures available here.
​