Summary: Tamron 18-250mm AF Di ILD - a winner by any count!

Comment: I have been using this lens for almost an year now and have put it through it's paces and it has held up admirably.

Image quality- Very acceptable considering the massive zoom span. Can be a bit soft on the edges at low apertures but stop the aperture down to f 11 and smaller and you get superb results. I use a monopod whenever I can and I am very pleased with the sharpness.

Build quality and durability- very durable and well built! The barrel lock is still positive as ever and the lens hood which I take off and on often, is still firm and locks positively. I use it to photograph landscapes in the harsh deserts of Saudi Arabia and has had it's share of knocks and bumps, sand storms, extreme heat and bitter cold, but the finish is still as good as new! Very impressive.

Convenience- this MUST be it's best selling feature; with this zoom range you have most of what you need..wide to tele. Doesn't get much better than this! Versatality and functionality is matchless!

Advice- make sure to retract the barrel in an lock when the lens is hanging on your neck as the heavy barrel will "zoom out" automatically due to it's weight and thus might be subject to knocks and may damage the alignment of the barrel.

Overall, a superb every-day lens. Mine is permanently on, and I take it off only when I go into ultra wide or hyper-telephoto. Definitely recommended as an everyday lens and WHAT A PRICE for this awesome zoom range!

Summary: Great multifunctional lens even for beginners

Comment: I just bought this lens and Im very pleased with the performance of it. I greatly recommend it for those who dont want to have a variety of lenses. This one applies for most situations.

Summary: Tamron flexibility

Comment: Very excited about the capabilities of this lens. Fast, doesnt drain my battery (Sigma macro reduces by battery life dramatically). Not sure what to do with my kit 18-55 or my 75-300....

Summary: Awesome!

Comment: This lens is simply fantastic. I've used it to shoot my kids swimming, indoor shots of family/friends and at a wedding inside a church. In each case, this lens performed superbly (action shots, portraits, indoors, etc.). The zoom has an incredible range and I've taken great shots at both ends; I really think this lens will remain on my Rebel XTi for the foreseeable future. Also, my wife was impressed with a number of my shots (and she's VERY critical of me and "my toys"). Based on this, I'm going to sell my other two Tamron lenses (17-35mm I think and 28-85mm). If you're thinking of getting this lens, just do it--if you're like me, you'll wonder why you waited so long.

Summary: Just Get It

Comment: This has been rated elsewhere as the best all-around lens on the market, and I fully agree. The only thing that would make it better would be if it had image stabilization of course. For the way we use a lens like this , the IS is not as huge of a factor as one might think. I have Canon's 100-400MM 'L' lens, and with that lens and application the IS is extremely helpful. But then that is a $1600.00 lens so you can see what a bargain the Tamron lens is. The pros don't really like the Tamron 28-300 lens with the vibration reduction or 'VR' since they say it has some issues at the high end which is where we use a lens like that. Using a high enough shutter speed (like 350-400) and sound shutter technique is enough to get outstanding pictures from the 18-250 Tamron lens. It really is like shooting a gun you know. Press the shutter so slowly that you don't know when it goes off. Let the flesh of your finger compress as you take the picture. Also, a tripod or a monopod goes a long way toward absolutely perfect pictures. As one pro said to me, "this lens is way passed what we expected of it; it is just 'tack sharp'"