I bought the DA18-270mm to replace my DA18-250mm. I bought the latter 2nd hand and used it for 7 years: it started to develop quirks and issues. The DA18-270mm is, like the DA18-250mm, the perfect all-around lens in my opinion. It is small, compact, relatively light weight and very versatile. I loved my DA18-250mm and I love my DA18-270mm. Tamron's 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD was announced in December 2010, as a successor to the well-regarded AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO that we reviewed in December 2008. Compared to the previous version, its main attractions are a significant reduction in size and weight, and the addition of an 'Piezo Drive' motor for faster, quieter autofocus. At launch it was also the longest range superzoom available, although it's recently been surpassed by the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR in this respect. This lens is equipped with Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization, which helps to compensate for unwanted camera movements, especially under low light situations. While the official statement does not indicate the number of f-stops the lens can deliver, I tested and managed to get decently sharp photos at 1/14 sec at 300mm. I think I can confirm that VC does work reasonably well under such a situation. At 18mm sharpness is impressive right across the frame even wide open, and improves only marginally on stopping down, with best results around F5.6. The lens gets progressively softer on zooming in, however, with the corners of the frame suffering more than the centre. At longer focal lengths it's generally best shot at F8 or even F11 whenever possible. The lens lets you stop down to very small apertures, especially at the long end, but these are generally best avoided as sharpness is poor due to diffraction. The 18-270mm is typical in design and build for a recent Tamron lens. The barrel is made of fairly lightweight plastic, and subjectively the construction doesn't feel quite as solid as its Sigma counterpart (although it's not obviously 'bad'). The lens uses a 'double trombone' design to extend to its longest setting, and as we'd expect of a lens at this price, the mount is metal.

Centre sharpness on the Tamron is pretty good even at wide open although there is some fuzziness to the edges which we expected. The sharpest aperture seems to shift through the focal range with f/5.6 giving the best results at 18mm. From f/11 the sharpness drops off significantly. Aperture

filters attached to the front of this lens do not rotate (helpful when using certain types of filters including circular polarizer filters).

The above images were shot from a stationary EOS 50D with each lens set to the maximum focal length.but the 250mm and 270mm variants do indeed have longer max focal lengths than the 200mm variants - which are similar to each other. I mentioned earlier in this review that I had to buy three lenses before I found one that was properly calibrated at 18mm.

Focal lengths are rated at an infinity focus distance, but here is a table that shows the moderate distance required to frame a Vignetting is certainly clearly visible at full aperture. Fortunately, after stopping down, at f/4, it already gets a lot better, and at f/5.6, you can hardly see any of it anymore. This new version of the lens is also 100g lighter rolling in at 450g. It certainly doesn't feel weighty in the hand. It is balanced though, which is important. The rear element is surrounded by a metal lens mount and hides 16 elements in 13 groups. That's a lot of glass for the image to go through and is under continuous threat of dispersion. There are seven aperture blades for the aperture range which has a minimum of f/22-f/40. Chromatic aberration ranges from low to high, depending on where you're working within the zoom range. CA is highest at maximum telephoto, somewhat lower at maximum wide angle, and best in between the extremes, and with the lens stopped down a notch or two. The Tamron engineers appear to have split the difference in terms of CA and focal lengths: The 18-250mm does better than the earlier 18-200 at the ends of its range, but not as good in the middle of its range. I think this was a good trade-off to make though, as it delivers reasonable performance across the entire range, rather than a range from excellent to poor, as was the case with the 18-200mm. As I would expect for a lens covering such a wide focal length range, this lens is a competent rather than spectacular performer resolution-wise. On our scale, the lens produced fair resolution at focal lengths up to 100mm, which will satisfy users looking to produce A4 prints. By 270mm, the resolution has dropped off somewhat and have a visibly soft appearance. Throughout the zoom range this lens is at its best between f/8 and f/11, which will suit those taking shots on sunny days the most. Diffraction robs the lens of clarity at small apertures of f/32 and beyond. I would say these settings should be reserved as a last resort.

Popular lenses for digital SLR cameras

The image circle of this Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE is therefore large enough for full frame. But the lens is so small and light that it’s also not out of place on an APS-C camera. On the smaller APS-C sensors, this Samyang offers the field of view of a 28mm on full frame. On APS-C, the outer corners of the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE remain out of view, and you only use the optically outstanding center. That doesn’t mean that you don’t get a good picture on full frame. On the contrary, the image quality is generally excellent. When you also look at the price, the quality is even ridiculously good. For landscapes or architectural shots that need to be sharp from corner to corner, it’s a good idea to stop down a few stops, but that is actually a good idea with every lens for such subjects. BUILD Tamron's Vibration Compensation system helps a lot with the slow maximum aperture of the lens, improving the sharpness of images taken at low shutter speeds. Tripod detection isn't present though, so this feature will need to be switched off when used with a support. The optical design consists of 9 lens elements in 8 groups. Three of those elements are aspherical, and five of them are made of special glass types. Samyang has obviously done its best here. The diaphragm consists of 7 blades. You aren’t going to buy an 18mm wide angle with a brightness of f/2.8 for the bokeh, so those 7 blades are plenty. FOCUS When I review lenses I take a look at who they are built for. I realize not every DPS reader wants to lug around a 5lb lens worth a couple month’s rent. While I love my main lens, it’s not for everyone and I’d be a fool to tell you you should buy it if you just want a portrait lens. Thank you for detailed review. Would you turn off IS on Fuji xs10 and let VC of lens t

Superzooms are a popular choice for photographers wanting an all-in-one lens when transporting a full kit bag is impractical. For many amateurs a superzoom may even be a default lens, with more specialist lenses an option only when the situation really demands it. I am heading to Scotland for a photography trip in August. This seemed like a lens that could help limit lens swaps out in the field and resistant to rain as well. If you want only one len for everything, this may be your answer. But if you're hope for perfect image, try some shorter range zoom lens or fix lens.It weighs 620 grams, which is acceptable for an ultra-zoom lens. Only looking at the numbers, the lens seems to be heavy, but fear not, the weight distribution is evenly throughout the lens. Chromatic aberrations are reasonably well controlled at shorter focal lengths, approaching and only just exceeding 1 pixel width at the edge of the frame. This will be barely noticeable, unless you go hunting for it. At 270mm, things get a little worse, approaching 2 pixels wide, which will be noticeable on closer examination.