Is the Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro (Nikon AF) any good?

[Phil Hinton]

I bought my mum a Nikon D40 last year for Christmas and this summer she borrowed my Nikkor 70-300mmVR lens and wants a similar lens now for her camera. Obviously I don't have the kind of money to buy a nikkor (£400+) for her, but I noticed the Tamron lens and it seems good value.
Is this lens any good? Are there any drawbacks? I would expect a lens costing a third the value of my own 70-300mm will not be as good as that, but would it be a good compromise for her D40?
Any advice welcomed.

[neilos100]

Hi Phil,

Yes, it will be a perfectly adequate lens and you are right in saying it wont be as good as a Nikkor! BUT unless the pictures are to be printed greater than A4 I suspect no one will really notice the difference unless they look really hard. What i would say though is at 300mm a tripod will certainly be needed as camera shake will be very hard to overcome. You could also have a look at a stabilised lens though again this will be much more. For £130 I don't think you can go far wrong with the Tamron though

Neil

[Strobe]

Agree with Neil, you can't go too far wrong for the money. The biggest drawback is the lack of image stabilisation so you will need good light and a trpiod to get the most out of the lens. Another to consider is the Nikon 55-200VR, it's a well regarded lens and is a good compliment to the 18-55 kit lens ... it costs around £200.
Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6 AF-S VR DX

[ManAlive!]

Have you considered the Sigma 70-300mm APO lens? It's the best performing lens for the price and can be had in mint condition for £100 or less.

It also comes in a version which has an in-built motor that enables it to autofocus on a D40, D60, etc...

I've got one and I love it

[Phil Hinton]

Thanks for the replys guys. Looks like I going to go halfs on the Nikkor.

[betterpolo]

My Nikon 70-300 is excellent, really love it. Have heard good things about the Sigma as well.

Aperture Photographic selling a mint Nikon for £320 if you're happy to go second hand...

Nikon Auto Focus - Aperture Photographic Tel. 020 7242 8681