18-250 Lens

[brijanhub]

Hi All
I'm new to the club but have dabbled in photography for many a year, i'm 71. Have had Canon & Minolta SLR cameras but went to digital to reduce the weight , carrying of spare lenses and keeping images on a computer which enables one to see them more often, it's also cheaper. Bought a Dymax 7 ( I think it was ) and then an A1 and was very pleased with that and then when Minolta transferred their photographic side to Sony was undecided. Decided I wanted to go to DSLR anyway and then when prices became reasonable I thought about the A100 but held fire and then along came the A700. Bit too pricy for me and would not use it to its fullest capability so now the a300 has come along I shall get that. However I want a zoom lens that I can leave on the camera for general use and when Sony produced their SAL-18250 (18-250) I thought that could be just what I would like. I found however that it was difficult to locate and then found that Tamron produce an identical Lens, except it is a lot cheaper. I know that many of the top camera manufacturers buy in their optics from manufacturers like Tamron & Sigma and so I must pose the question: Is the Sony Lens a Tamron in disguise?

[rogprov]

It's almost the same but Sony have changed the focussing ratio (less turns of the camera screw from end to end) also the diaphragm and coating may be different. I've not tried the Sony but have the Tamron version and am very happy with it.

[David Kilpatrick]

We also have the Tamron version at photoclubalpha, because we got it long before the Sony appeared. It is an excellent lens in either version but the Sony is faster focusing as they made some changes to the gearing.

David

[donedoc]

I have the A100 and Tamron 18-250 as my only lens at this time.

I find it to be quite sharp... I had just had the camera for 2 weeks when we went to Prague/Budapest/Danube trip... it really was a learning experience. I have some excellent handheld fairly long exposure shots and some lovely landscapes. It isn't the fastest focusing lens, but if catching the birdies in flight isn't your thing, then I don't think you could go wrong with this lens.

I have even taken some action pictures of kids playing basketball in a really poorly lighted gym, and while many aren't very good, there some keepers. The joy of digital photography: Always take the shot, you might be surprised at what you get. And if it's no good, find the delete button.......

The Sony wasn't available when I bought mine (August 2007), but if I were buying now I would get the Sony because of the faster focusing.

This is a great all around lens.....

Bob

[Kjell]

I bought the Tamron 18-250 a year ago, for use with my Dynax 5 D, Alpha 100 (and now) Alpha 700 bodies, as a replacement for the Tamron 18-200 I used with my analogue Dynax bodies. It’s definitely a lens that I soon learned to appreciate; it’s really a terrific all rounder. Great for travelling lightweight, obviously, and it represents very good value for money too.

Not surprisingly for a lens offering such an enormous zoom range, one will register considerable distortion (barrel effect) at the wider end of the range; from 18 mm. up until about 60 mm. However it’s quite possible to live with, and can rather easily be rectified during a possible post processing job.
The resolution is surprisingly good throughout the zoom range though, up until 200 mm. that is. For longer focal distances I tend to rather use my Sigma 200-400. As a conclusion however, the Tamron 18-250 gets my unrestrained recommendations. It’s probably the best option available in this lens category offering a Minolta/Sony lens mount

All the best from Kjell in Hadeland, Norway

[santanu]

Day before my 350 with the sony 18-250 lens arrived. The sony version is great-super fast autofocus, sharp and very sturdy well made construction. Its about -9 deg with chill factor so coulnd not venture out but tried some shots in the house....great lens and camera.