[Pirate!!]

Ahoy!

Anyone still looking to buy something like this ought to look here. Bargain of the moment I think @ £54.99 (Sony/Minolta owners ought to get in quick as the price is the lowest I've ever seen it), though you can still get the non-motorised Nikon mount cheaper here @ £34.99, though it's not compatible with D40, D40x and D60.

I've found the Canon variant here for £79.00 unless you can source it cheaper.

It is an exceptionally decent lens that gives far better IQ than the price tag suggests, so punches well above it's weight. Check out reviews.

[jonboy1963]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

though it's not compatible with D40, D40x and D60.

can i still use it on my d40, but it just wont autofocus, or is it totally incompatible?
seems a nice cheap lens , i can put up with manual focus at that price.

[pcfarrar]

Thanks pirate just bought one for my Sony A200, still using the kit lens at the moment so this will be a good extra to have.

[formula400]

how does it compare to the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG??? are the for the same use`s???? just with a little less reach????

[mrpink123]

Originally Posted by formula400

how does it compare to the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG??? are the for the same use`s???? just with a little less reach????

They're similar lenses essentially, both are good value telephotos. If you need the extra reach, go for the Sigma. This is a bargain though, and this lens is very highly rated. For example, on dyxum (the bible for the Sony Alpha mount), the Tamron scores an average 4.39/5 vs the Sigma's 4.11/5.

Tamron on dyxum:
Tamron*AF 55-200 F4-5.6 Di II*A15 lens for Sony Alpha - Minolta camera mount

Sigma on dyxum:
Sigma*70-300 F4-5.6 DG APO Macro*508-205 lens for Sony Alpha - Minolta camera mount

[mcstone]

Many thanks Pirate

Cheapest Sony mount one i've seen for ages.
Just ordered one for my A300.

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by jonboy1963

can i still use it on my d40, but it just wont autofocus, or is it totally incompatible?
seems a nice cheap lens , i can put up with manual focus at that price.

Data provided is from retailers websites. I would suggest you contact them or ask the Nikon fraternity as I don't know your system well enough to give a qualified reply.

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by pcfarrar

Thanks pirate just bought one for my Sony A200, still using the kit lens at the moment so this will be a good extra to have.

No problem. Buy 2 and do as you will with the other!

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by mcstone

Many thanks Pirate

Cheapest Sony mount one i've seen for ages.
Just ordered one for my A300.

Way to go

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by mrpink123

They're similar lenses essentially, both are good value telephotos. If you need the extra reach, go for the Sigma. This is a bargain though, and this lens is very highly rated. For example, on dyxum (the bible for the Sony Alpha mount), the Tamron scores an average 4.39/5 vs the Sigma's 4.11/5.

Tamron on dyxum:
Tamron*AF 55-200 F4-5.6 Di II*A15 lens for Sony Alpha - Minolta camera mount

Sigma on dyxum:
Sigma*70-300 F4-5.6 DG APO Macro*508-205 lens for Sony Alpha - Minolta camera mount

Ahoy!

And the overlap from 55mm wide end on the Tammy and 70mm long end on the SAL means you're extending the range of the SAL from 17mm (it's creaking @ 70mm and IQ wouldn't be great fully extended anyway), so not a bad combo if you can live with the shortcomings of the kit lens. The Sigma 70-300 is actually a decent budget telezoom and the 1:2 macro is excellent, but you have to use it fully extended @ 300mm which is a bit hit and miss, though none-the-less, can get nice detailed close-up's if you have steady hands.

Horses for courses, but in the current financial climate, the Tammy is hard to ignore at the advertised price (the average is £110.00 +). Certainly less £'s than I paid for mine, so why not bag a bargain whilst they can still be found?

[mrpink123]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

Horses for courses, but in the current financial climate, the Tammy is hard to ignore at the advertised price (the average is £110.00 or more). Certainly less £'s than I paid for mine so why not bag a bargain whilst they can still be found?

Definitely agree with this. I have the Sigma and love it, but if I didn't I would be picking one of these up.

[pcfarrar]

Got my lens already, excellent service from collegecameras. Great buy for the price

[mcstone]

Originally Posted by pcfarrar

Got my lens already, excellent service from collegecameras. Great buy for the price

Same here, only ordered it yessterday morning.

A dinky little thing it is too.

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by mcstone

Same here, only ordered it yessterday morning.

A dinky little thing it is too.

Ahoy!

That sounds like excellent service and price to boot. Hope you and pcfarrar find it as useful and as easy to use as I and others do. It's a cracking little lens.

Oh well, let's see what other bargains are out there Hopefully if anyone spots anything, they'll post their findings too.

[formula400]

Originally Posted by mcstone

Same here, only ordered it yessterday morning.

A dinky little thing it is too.

any chance of a pic of it stuck on your camera???

[mcstone]

Originally Posted by formula400

any chance of a pic of it stuck on your camera???

Well, it did look dinky honest....!

(first time ive attached a pic on here, hope it works)

[Martin.D]

If anyone has this lens to hand can you take some macro shot's and post them, a dead fly is a good subject!

[iGiDK]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

Ahoy!

Anyone still looking to buy something like this ought to look here. Bargain of the moment I think @ £54.99 (Sony/Minolta owners ought to get in quick as the price is the lowest I've ever seen it), though you can still get the non-motorised Nikon mount cheaper here @ £34.99, though it's not compatible with D40, D40x and D60.

I've found the Canon variant here for £79.00 unless you can source it cheaper.

It is an exceptionally decent lens that gives far better IQ than the price tag suggests, so punches well above it's weight. Check out reviews.

Thanks for the heads-up mate I recommended this thread to a friend who has now ordered the lens for his a200

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by iGiDK

Thanks for the heads-up mate I recommended this thread to a friend who has now ordered the lens for his a200

It's now £59.99 Still worth a punt.

[wicker_man]

Originally Posted by Martin.D

If anyone has this lens to hand can you take some macro shot's and post them, a dead fly is a good subject!

I've just purchased the Canon fit version of this lens, here's a few quick samples of the whole image and 100% crop on my Canon EOS 40D:

200mm, F5.6, 1/8 sec, ISO800
100% crop:

Whole image: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38...66/denon_f.jpg

200mm, F5.6, 1/2 sec, ISO800
100% crop:

Whole image: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38...an666/bw_f.jpg

Also for reference, the lens on my 40D (it is very small and light, especially compared to my Sigma 18-50mm f2.8.)

Hope this helps.

[Martin.D]

Thx for posting, I'm wanting a macro lens, tried a few "Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro"

It's a cheap lens, but whats your personnel view on macro quality?

Whats the minimum focus distance?

[wicker_man]

To be honest, I haven't really tried it much and not too bothered about macro anyway. The minimum focus distance is 95cm (3.5:1 macro).

My Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 focuses down to 20cm, and has a 3:1 macro which is better for closeups (but still not a true 1:1 macro!) But the Sigma is in a different class to the Tamron so can't really compare!

[Anastie]

Thanks for the post pirate and to wicker_man for the pics. Great price.

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by Martin.D

I'm wanting a macro lens, tried a few "Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro"

When you see a standard lens with 'macro' in the title, it's not going to be a true macro, so don't expect much better than 1:2 at best. It's more a pseudo type than anything dedicated, so go for the Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di. THAT is a killer macro/portrait lens BTW.

[iGiDK]

Just checking my emails, my a200 toting chum sent me a message to say he called college cameras prior to ordering to confirm stock and delivery.

He was told that the lens is going back up to £129 on Monday so if you're in the market for one of these get in there quick (or call the etailer to confirm if this is true)

[Pirate!!]

So there you go, get in now whilst the price is low. In fact, get two!

[TonyH]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

So there you go, get in now whilst the price is low. In fact, get two!

Ahermmm I did. at £55 each

[leaky5]

If you can get to any of these Jessop's stores it looks like the 55-200 is only £30. Assuming SON is Sony fit.

Jessops Clearance - Jessops

I normally try and avoid going into my companies London office like the plague, but as it is only 5 minutes from the London store, I might have to pay a visit this week.

[Ned Senior]

Just picked one up from Warehouse express for £53.98 delivered to use on my D60 something to get me started.. manual focus is no biggy as it will mainly be slow thought out shots anyway

[SPRINGERS]

I received mine today, thanks Pirate I would never have known if it wasn't for your post! Very pleased with it, tried some flower macros and they have turned out better than expected, very sharp indeed.