Summary: zoom lens for Pentax camera

Comment: I have a SLR Pentax camera and was looking for a 300m zoom lens for my camera which is a film camera. I checked with Pentax and this lens does fit a film and digital camera. The Macro lens is a bonus because I don't have to change lens for close up and distance pictures anymore. It fits my camera perfectly, the zoom is great, delivery was quick, and the price at Amazon was the best. Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras regards, Clare

Summary: Lottsalens for the price

Comment: I think the majority of reviewers have captured the qualities of this product. It's not a professional piece of equipment, but damn close to it considering the incredibly low price. A great lens to learn with and have fun with while also providing the opportunity for some intriguing and very good photos.

Summary: A good value

Comment: For the money, this is a very good lens. I took some really good images with this lens. Eventually, I did upgrade to the Pentax 55-300 but that's not disparaging this lens. It is a very nice entry level supper telelphoto zoom. Living in the Seattle area, I needed a weather resistant lens to go with my weather resistant camera.

Summary: Phenominal Lens - For the $$$

Comment: My experience with this lens has been extremely positive. I purchased this lens to vacation with - it is inexpensive, has 1:2 macro capability and frankly, if it was damaged or lost during my travel it wouldn't be a devastating loss like losing a Pentax 50-135 or 100 macro.

My first trip with it was to Disneyland and I gave it a good workout as I was there prior to my wife's arrival while I attended a business conference and needed something to do in the late afternoon and evening. I found the lens to be excellent for flower macros in good light - distortion and CA were very low at 180-300mm in macro mode. On the other hand, for normal distances, 150-300mm tended to have noticeable CA, and at the wider end, 70mm had some barrel distortion that was noticed when I framed a few shots through windows, awnings, and the like. Low light performance was comparable to the Kit lens - not good but certainly something you can live with.IQ seemed best around f/8 which is not unusual for an inexpensive lens. Close Macro work such as insects was a bit lacking, DOF is always razor thin for Macro shots but it's to an extreme with this lens, only slightly better than a lens reverse mount but with the significant advantage of being able to focus from a greater distance. Bokeh is slightly fuzzy and lacks the smooth creamy appearance of most good Pentax lenses, and flare, though controlled, is noticeable especially in Macro mode. Several macro shots I have made have required extra PS attention to remove distracting flare in the out of focus areas. At the long end but not in macro mode, about 200-300mm, the bokeh is relatively smooth.

Overall this lens is an extreme value - a long 6 year warranty - excellent performance in good lighting - good macro performance for flowers and similar sized subjects - decent telephoto capability - minimal distortion in the mid-zoom ranges.

Some things to look out for and avoid if they are critically important to you: CA is noticeable in telephoto use, 70mm end has some barrel distortion, DOF in macro between 250 & 300mm is as little as 1/2cm or so, Autofocus hunts sometimes - especially if you don't lock, out the macro ring during regular telephoto use.

Summary: Very Good Macro Lens

Comment: For the money this lens does exactly what I wanted. It gives me a great telephoto reach (becomes a 450mm with my *istDL) plus the added bonus of a macro. For the money this is a very good lens.