Tamron 18-200 for NEX anyone? (pics added)

[bossel]

I was planning to get a 55-210 but now Tamron has announced the 18-200 and it seems to have the same size, just 100g more heavy. Never fancied the Sony 18-200, it seems to be a great lens, but it looks so fat.

So far I haven't seen neither the 55-210 nor the Tamron. Neither the 30/3.5 macro, 50/1.8, NEX7 or 24/1.8. It seems Sony has forgotten about the south east of France ...

First feedbacks of the Tamron seem to be good, a part some focusing issue in panorama mode or video (don't use either of them).

If you have used/tested it, I'd be happy to hear!

Et bien sûr, bonne année!

[bossel]

Well, since nobody knows, let me summarize what I found so far from different sites:

- Sharpness of the Tamron is more homogeous from center to corners. Sony is sharper in the center but loses in the corners.
- At 200mm the Sony has the edge
- AF speed seems similar but the Tamron tends to change focus faster. The Sony changes slower between two subjects (close/far)
- Sony AF seems to be better suited for video
- Tamron seems to have an issue with the sweep panorama, though some say it's working fine
- Tamron vibration control is slightly better than Sony OSS

Then there are the hard facts, the Tamron is a tad smaller (esp. in diameter), available in black, and a bit cheaper, although the resale value of the Sony is probably higher.

We'll be visiting the UK in a few months, until then I plan to get either the 55-210 or a 18-200 since the 18-55 is just too restricted and the A700 will probable stay at home. Not sure about the NEX 7 anymore, SAR mentions there will be new models - maybe the NEX6??

[agorabasta]

- Sharpness of the Tamron is more homogeous from center to corners. Sony is sharper in the center but loses in the corners.
- At 200mm the Sony has the edge
- AF speed seems similar but the Tamron tends to change focus faster. The Sony changes slower between two subjects (close/far)
- Sony AF seems to be better suited for video
- Tamron seems to have an issue with the sweep panorama, though some say it's working fine
- Tamron vibration control is slightly better than Sony OSS

In the order of appearance :

- The Sony is able to get pixel-sharp results at every corner at 18mm f/3.5, then longer and tighter it gets only better
- True, also wrt any other superzoom in existence
- Most likely an urban legend as the focusing speed depends more on the camera routines in case of CDAF
- Yes, focus transitions are very smooth, no jerky action - that's why it may seem slower; but it's the fastest to settle
- That has been reported
- OSS in SEL18200 is sort of best in class, it may produce some softness at sides/corners but never produces CA in the centre, only matched by Sigma 18-250; I was getting consistently sharp images riding a small fast shaking motorboat at 200mm under windy conditions causing about 20cm waves on the lake.

That SEL18200 is easily the best superzoom in existence. Especially if you need video.

[pakodominguez]

Hi Bossel,
The SEL 55-210 is the same with (diameter) and almost twice the length of the SEL 18-55 kit lens.
I haven't payed that much attention to the Tamron 18-200, mostly because I avoid superzooms (I know, I like the Minolta 35-200 Xi a lot...)
How good is the close focus on this lens?

[bossel]

Yesterday a guy put up his brand new NEX7 and Tamron 18-200 for sale, having to pay some unexpected taxes. Couldn't agree for a price on the 7 but got a good deal for the Tamron - I think NEX5 + 18-200 will be our everyday solution for our holidays. Should I not like it, I can still resell it later for the same price, I think

[Birma]

Congratulations on the new lens Thomas, should be very useful in London when you dodn't want to fiddle with lens changes in busy places . If a new lens prices keep going up then second hand lenses could even become an investmen for the future!

[bossel]

... If a new lens prices keep going up then second hand lenses could even become an investmen for the future!

Certainly, though we need to see how well lenses with motorized focus and OSS work after 20 years...

I actually bought 3 MDs and a cheap adapter for the NEX. Sold them a year later without much loss.

[bossel]

A few pics:

[Birma]

A nice looking lens Thomas, especially in black on a black Nex. It extends out a long way - the OSS will need to be good .

[bakubo]

The size of the lens is a bit better than the Sony lens so that is a plus.

How is the VC for this lens? Does it have the same problem discussed in this thread that Tamron DSLR lenses have?

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/vie ... f=1&t=6371

[bossel]

It probably has the panorama issue, but I am not doing panoramas. Haven't even tried yet with the Tamron.

As to VS, I can't compare, it's my first tele with OS, but when it kicks in a 200mm - wow, it nails the image, it's really impressive (at least on the LCD)...

[bakubo]

As to VS, I can't compare, it's my first tele with OS, but when it kicks in a 200mm - wow, it nails the image, it's really impressive (at least on the LCD)...

Thanks for the info. Yes, my Tamron 18-270mm VC is the same. The VC when it finishes initializing makes the image in the VF completely steady. Pretty amazing. The view is steadier than what I have seen with the Sigma and Canon lenses I have tried. The problem with the one I have and the ones David has tried is the long delay to kick in. Of course, it is actually pretty fast, just not fast enough to keep from missing shots sometimes. As I said in the other thread, the Sigma OS lens I had several years ago always kicked in fast enough that I never lost a shot to smearing because of it. If I ever decide to get a NEX and this Tamron that you have I will need to investigate further.

If you discover any more about this issue as you use the lens more please report back in this thread.

[bakubo]

Any further info with regards to the VC in this Tamron lens for NEX?

[David Kilpatrick]

Yes, I have one. However, since the NEX itself takes a second to fire up, you don't notice the lens. The CD-AF action takes longer to initialise and lock than the VC lenses on Alpha take to stabilise the view. If you find that a problem, you would find the NEX plus 18-200mm unusable; it's not really capable to taking a grab-shot, I'd say that if your camera is turned off, you would need to allow maybe 3 seconds from the moment of switching on before getting a locked, composed framing at 200mm. At 18mm, the AF oscillates in an odd in-out cycle before locking, and again you really can't just lift the camera to the eye and shoot.

This is no different from the very first experience I had with the NEX-5. We were dropped off on the island of Hvar, and the town has some attractive quayside walls. A party of cyclists came past, and I realised there was a good shot to be had with two cyclists passing a particular spot against the plain background of the wall. I raised the NEX-5 to shoot, but by the time the camera had come to life and focused, the cyclists were long gone.

Does this bother me? Yes and no. I grew up with rangefinder cameras, and if you lifted an RF camera to the eye the action of getting the focus set probably took as long. So we used preset focus, or we saw a moment about to happen and quickly focused on a marker point in the scene where the subject was likely to be a second later, then recomposed. I have learned to do the same with the NEX models, preset by composing and keep my finger on the shutter half way down to prevent it re-focusing, then capture the shot exactly timed.

David

[bakubo]

Hmm, that is disappointing to hear. Awhile back it was reported here that the new firmware for the 5N had a major speed boost for AF. Is that not in the 7?