Tamron SP A09 28 mm - 75 mm F/2.8 AF XR IF Di LD Aspherical Lens For Sony/Minolta

I have shot a lot of photos with this lens at f/2.8 (and other apertures, on my Nikon D300) since I bought it recently. I enjoy the short depth of view which gives the photos a very nice blur effect especially when zoomed to max 75mm. The blur looks very good and buttery. Lots of creative potential here. I have no complaints about the resolution/sharpness of the lens. Before I bought it I have studied the review on photozone.de which was also the reason why I opted for this lens.
The built-in motor does a good job and the lens auto-focuses fast and precisely.
I would not want to buy this lens without the motor as those are older models and I had a bad apple which I returned (thanks to PayPal buyer protection).
The only minus is the limited zoom range at the lower end. Here I miss the gap between 18-27mm. However I have bought also a Tokina 11-16mm and see if that covers it for me. If not I will probably get an additional Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. I don't see any price/performance alternative to cover the zoom range from 17-75mm at f/2.8 but by the Tamron 17-50mm and Tamron 28-75mm.
New/almost new and after Bing cash back/eBay bucks those are available with 6 years warrant together for about $710 on eBay. The Nikon 16-85mm is too slow / not f/2.8 and the Tamrons perform better concerning distortion, light fall off and CA. I will get me Hoya S-HMC UV filters for permanent lens protection (99.7% light through).

This lens is better than you would expect. Decent build quality certainly better than a nikon amateur zoom lens like the 18-70 or 18-55. Sharp in the center even at 2.8. I never used it on full frame. Produces images with excellent dreamy bokeh. I never shot it on full frame. For reasons I don't understand it does occasionally miss focus but good technique reduces this possibility. As far as I am concerned any nikon non AF-S lens has this problem anyway. Perfect focal length for for shooting people. You need this lens if you are shooting a wedding on a budget. There is no substitute for a 2.8 lens. Buy and sell it used it will cost you nothing. Supierior to the 18-200 in brightness and possibly sharpness at these lenghts.
Worst problem is nasty moustache distortion at wide end but this would not be used as a wide lens. Best feature is very decent macro performance and small size. Also I like the zoom lock feature for walking. I rate as excellent taking into account price and size. Nikon prime lenses are brighter and sharper in these focal lenghts but don't have macro or zoom. A nikon 2.8 17-55 or 24-70 are monsters in size and weight in comparison. Perfect walk around lens that does not stick out like pro 2.8 nikon. Oh yes it kind of needs a hood as it does flare quite easily. Don't even think of using stup up rings (67 to 77) as it will flare.
To give you an idea of my taste I think the 18-70 sucks. The 18-200 has unacceptable distortion. The 18-55 is not that sharp as rockwell says. The 17-55 2.8 is Awesome from 24-55. The 105 micro is perfect. The 50 1.8 is super sharp and does not ghost like the 1.4. The 12-24 sucks wider than 18 and the tokina 2.8 11-16 is incredible on a d300. The 70-300VR is the best amateur zoom nikon makes. www.robwouds.com

I found that itis excellent for all purpose carry around lens. Yes its not super wide like 17 or 18mm. But its still very useful. The 28mm wide isnt a problem at all, just step back a few feet. If your used to primes then its no big deal :).

It also is very sharp at any aperture. I mean at 2.8 there is some softness but very useable (like all lenses around that aperture). And if you do portraits, its got good blur around the subject. Set it to F4 or higher it gets sharper and sharper.Razor sharp at the F8-11 range.

Colours and contrast are excellent through out the zoom range. Very little distortion aswell. Has very decent macro capabilities aswell. I was impressed. This lens is comparable to some Canon L lenses in terms of quality of the pictures. But the L lenses may have better or faster AF. I have no complaints in that area, nore is the louder af sound aswell.

If you can find this lens for a good price new or used, GET IT! You'll be very happy with the results. On a side note, I paid $240 for a very good used copy and find it well worth it, regardless. New prices Round out at the $350-$400 range. So i didnt do too bad.

2 thumbs up for this lens...

My opinions are all based on this lens on a Canon XT 8mp Dslr.

I wanted a fast (f/2.8) CONSTANT aperture lens wih excellent optics and it had to be reasonably priced. I bought this lens on the recommendation of ShootSmarter.com's DVD on TTL flash photography. They were right! This is a VERY reasonably priced lens with excellent quality. It is sharp, fast focusing and accurate. It focuses down to about 5 inches which is great for macro work. The front filter threads could be a bit better but they work. My only desire would be to have a greater focal length range, perhaps 28-105mm. A little more weight and a little more money would be fine with me in exchange for a greater focal length range! Overall I am very happy with this lens. Paying only a third of the Nikon price is great too!

This lens is one of the best in this focal range, hands down! It is super sharp, great contrast, perfect color reproduction, and accurate and fast focusing. This lens performs stellar wide open throughout the range and amazing when stopped down a stop!

I do have to add that there does seem to be some bad copies floating around that are a bit soft and mis-focus. I suggest if you get one don't return it, but instead send it to Tamron and get them to recalibrate the lens. When you get it back it will knock your socks off!! I have used 3 copies and own 1 and all were stellar performers.

The build quality may scare you when you first get it, but don't fret!! It may be lightweight (you will like this half way through a day of shooting) and build quality may seem sorta cheaper but in reality I assure you it is anything but cheap! The lens holds up just fine and is quite durable!