Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 review

For the provided lens Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025 (version assembled in Vietnam) many thanks the store ProFotoSalewhere you can find many new and used lenses for different systems, including similar lenses for Nikon F.

Navigation

1. In short
2. History
3. Main Specifications
4. Assembly
5. Stabilizer
6. Focusing
7. Diaphragm
8. Image quality
9. Sample Photos
10. Alternatives
11. My experience
12. Prices / where to buy
13. Results
14. User Comments
15. Add your review or question on the lens

Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025 in the review I will call abbreviated - Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2.

Please note that the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 is available for Nikon F and Canon EF / EFS mounts. This review shows the Nikon F mount version.

In short

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 is a high-quality professional high-aperture telephoto lens, a very good alternative to original lenses Nikon 70-200 / 2.8G VR, Nikon 70-200 / 2.8GII VR и Nikon 70-200 / 2.8E VR.

The focal length with a range of 70-200 mm is very convenient for a huge number of photo tasks. Most often, such lenses are used for reportage and portrait photography. Overall, the image quality with the Tamron 70-200mm f / 2.8 VC is on par with the professional original lenses of the era.

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 is a major upgrade Tamron USD DI SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 VC Ultrasonic Silent Drive 2012 announcement. The lenses use a similar optical design. Optical schematic difference animation is available at this link.

History

Tamron has a long history of high aperture telephoto zoom lenses. At the moment, she has the following models of high-aperture telephoto lenses of the 70 / 80-180 / 200 / 210mm F / 2.8 class:

1. MODEL 30A: Tamron SP 80-200mm 1: 2.8 LD BBAR MC, manual lens, 1985-1992, Tamron Adaptall-2 interchangeable mount system
2. MODEL 67D: Tamron SP AF LD 70-210mm 1: 2.8, 1992-2001, Nikon F, Canon EF
3. MODEL A001: Tamron LD DI SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 [IF] MACRO, 2008-2012, Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony A, Pentax K
4. MODEL A009: Tamron USD DI SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 VC Ultrasonic Silent Drive, 2012-2017, Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony A, Japan or China
5. MODEL A025: Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2, 2017 - present, Nikon F, Canon EF, China or Vietnam
6. MODEL A056: Tamron 70-180mm F / 2.8 DiIII VXD Model A056, April 2020 - our time, Sony FE

The names are given according to the markings on the lens barrel. Separately, it is worth highlighting Tamron 35-150mm F / 2-2.8 Di III VXD Model A058, which partially works in the same range (70-150 / 2.8).

Main technical characteristics of Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025:

The name of the instance from the review (as it is written on the lens itself)	On the body near the focusing distance scale: Tamron 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 + silver plate with the inscription SP On the case in small print: A009 Made in Vietnam A025 Ø77 + DESIGNED IN JAPAN
Basic properties	A025 - lens model name SP (Super Performance) - high performance, Tamron professional lens range DI (Digital Integrated) - lens designed for full-frame digital cameras LD (Low Dispersion) - the use of low-dispersion elements in the optical scheme XLD (eXbetween Low Dispersion) - the use of super low-dispersion elements in the optical scheme USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) - ultrasonic quiet focusing motor VC (Vvibration Compensation) - built-in image stabilizer, analogue of Canon IS IF (Iinternal Focusing) - internal focus FTM (Full Time Manual Focusing) - constant manual focusing mode (has a number of features) AF / MF - focus mode switch Focus Distance Limiter Full / 2.5m-∞ RD (Rrounded Diaphragm) - rounded aperture Electromagnetic diaphragm control (analogue of Nikon E) MR (Moisture Resistant) - splash protection with rubber lens mount seal Enlightenment eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) Enlightenment BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) Protective coating / front lens coating Protective front shockproof bumper 1:2.8 - constant maximum aperture throughout the focal length range Internal zoom Tripod foot, Arca-Swiss compatible Protected enclosure Console support TAP-in Important: a lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its practical use.
Front Filter Diameter	77 mm, thread under the filter plastic
Focal length	70-200 mm EGF for Nikon DX cameras is 105-300 mm
Zoom ratio	2.86 X (often rounded to 3 X)
Designed by	for digital full-frame and cropped Canon cameras with bayonets EF or Ef-s and for Nikon F mount
Number of aperture blades	9 rounded petals
Tags	focal lengths for 70, 100, 135, 200 scale with focusing distance in meters and feet label for attaching the hood bayonet mount mark three marks for the orientation of the tripod foot
Diaphragm	F / 2.8 to F / 22 over the entire range of focal lengths
MDF (minimum focusing distance)	95 centimeters, the maximum magnification ratio is 200 mm and is 1: 6.1
The weight	1485 grams (including tripod foot)
Optical design	23 elements in 17 groups. The scheme includes: 5 low dispersion element Tamron LD (Low Dispersion) (shown in gray on the optical diagram) 1 super low dispersion element Tamron XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) (shown in yellow in the optical diagram) The optical design is clickable.
Lens hood	bayonet, petal, Tamron HA025
Manufacturer country	Vietnam (Made in Vietnam) It is known that some lenses were also made in China.
Period	from 07 January 2017
Price	View on E-katalog View on ROZEKTA View on EBAY

By the way, the older version Tamron a001 was lighter, even for Pentax cameras, it could shoot 'macro' at a scale of 1: 3.1 (versus 1: 6.1 for the A025) and had a very wide focusing ring.

Assembly

Build quality - at a high level. I did not find any obvious flaws in the build quality. It is a weighty and pleasant lens to the touch.

The Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 belongs to the latest Tamron SP line. These lenses are easy to distinguish from older switches.

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 uses metal bayonet mount and metal removable tripod foot... To completely remove the tripod foot, completely unscrew the clamping screw. No matter how hard I tried, I failed to remove the tripod foot. The tripod ring can rotate freely around the lens. For precise and quick installation of a strictly horizontal or vertical orientation of the tripod socket, there are 3 special marks in the form of white dots on the lens barrel.

The zoom ring is rubberized, wide and pleasant to use. During focal length changes, all outer parts of the lens remain stationary.

The focusing ring is also rubberized. Focus and zoom rings rotate in the same direction as Nikon Nikkor lenses.

Stated that the lens has waterproof (moisture resistant) designwhich prevents moisture from entering the lens. Near the bayonet there is an O-ring rubber seal that protects the bayonet from dust and moisture, which is undoubtedly pleasing.

The lens from the survey was produced in Vienne. At the same time, the same model was and / or is being produced in China.

There is a bayonet mount mark on the body and a mark for quick attachment of the hood. The lens uses a Tamron HA025 plastic hood (MADE IN PHILIPPINES), which is fixed in special slots located near the front lens of the lens. The hood can be installed in the opposite direction for transportation. In this position, access to the zoom ring is lost and access to the focus ring is difficult.

When changing the focal length and during focusing the back lens remains motionless, which completely deprives the lens of the so-called 'air pump effect', which can significantly increase the amount of dust that accumulates in the mirror shaft.

Optics uses antireflection BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection - deep anti-reflective multi-coating) + anti-reflective coating eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency), additionally the front lens has a special protective coating.

The outer part of the frame near the front lens is rubberized, which is a kind of protective bumper.

Stabilizer

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 has built-in Tamron IS VC (Vvibration Compensation, analogue of Canon IS). It is stated that the gimbal can compensate for 5 steps by shutter speed (CIPA, in '3' mode). In numerical terms, this means that you can shoot at shutter speeds 32 times slower than required by a lens without a stabilizer. For example, when shooting without stabilizer of stationary objects, at a focal length of 200 mm, it is recommended to shoot at shutter speeds of 1/200 s or faster. With the gimbal on, you can theoretically shoot by 1/10 s.

I was able to take sharp pictures of stationary objects on shutter speed 1/10 s and 200 mm focal length and 1/6 s and 70 mm focal length. The gimbal works really well.

When working with the lens at 200 mm focal length JVI the difference is clearly visible when the stabilizer is on and off (in the stabilizer mode '1'). When sighting with the stabilizer on, the picture freezes and allows you to comfortably compose the frame, and the focusing system catches the subjects more tenaciously.

There is practically no noise from the stabilizer.

There is a switch on the case VC ON / OFFresponsible for turning the stabilizer on and off. There is also a three-position switch, which is responsible for selecting the operating mode of the stabilizer:

• mode 1 - basic mode, maintains the balance between the stabilized picture in JVI and efficiency during shutter release
• mode 2 - for shooting panoramas (when the camera is turned in one of the directions)
• mode 3 - maximizes the stabilization effect at the moment the shutter is released and does not significantly affect the stabilized picture in JVIlike mode 1

This switch is not very convenient, it is rather difficult to set the middle position (value 2).

It's important: During handheld shooting, I accidentally knocked off the selected stabilizer mode several times, and also accidentally turned it off. Switches are quite sensitive to accidental switching.

It's important: The stabilization function consumes quite a lot of the battery life of the camera.

Focusing

To focus Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 uses technology USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) - ultrasonic quiet focusing motor (analogue of Canon USM). The Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 uses a large and powerful ultrasonic focusing motor ring type. The difference between the ring ultrasonic and the reduced ultrasonic motor is shown and described. here.

Important: this lens will automatically focus on all Nikon DSLR cameras... Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 is the analogue of Nikon lenses AF-S / AF-I, Nikon SWM.

When used on a camera Nikon D4 (with advanced focusing system), as well as on the camera Nikon D40 (with super-simple focusing system), the lens behaves well, rarely fails in focusing. I had no problems with focusing accuracy and tenacity. On camera Nikon D4 I checked the presence of the back and focus front at different focusing distances and different values ​​of the focal length (infinity and MDF as well). Pictures taken using the Live View mode (which does not suffer from back / front focus) were used as a measure. Focusing accuracy using phase sensors completely coincided with the Live View mode.

Auto focus speed high (closer to very high)... The focusing speed is weakly dependent on the selected focal length.

Focusing on Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 internal - when focusing, neither the front nor the rear lens rotates, and the lens itself does not change its size when focusing.

The focus ring remains fixed during autofocus. In manual focus mode, the focus ring rotates approximately 135 degrees. When the extreme positions are reached, the focusing ring does not rest, but continues to slide without affecting the focusing. Manual aiming is not very comfortable.

The lens has a window with a distance scale with marks in meters and feet. The scale is small, on it there are marks only for 10, 5, 3, 2, 0.95 meters and a label of 'infinity'. Such a scale in itself is of little use and is present more for show (justification of this thought here).

The minimum focusing distance is only 95 cm (the distance from the camera sensor to the subject). With this MDF, the maximum magnification ratio is 1: 6.1. This is a good indicator for a lens of this kind.

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 has focus mode switch 'AF / MF'. For manual focus, the lens does not have to be set to 'MF' mode. The lens uses full mode FTM (Full Time Manual Focusing) - the ability to constantly manually control focus while using the 'AF' mode. FTM mode completely similar Nikon M / A. As soon as you touch the focus ring, the auto focus turns off, it doesn’t matter which focus settings are set in the camera.

The Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC has an optional 'Full ∞-3m' switch that is focusing distance limiter.

• In the 'Full' position, automatic focusing is available over the entire range of distances - from ∞ to 0.95 m.
• In the '∞-3m' position, autofocus is available in the range from 3 meters to ∞.

Note that during manual focus, the limiter does not work... The lens focuses so quickly that limiters are not particularly necessary.

Features:

• The Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 has no focusing issues in Live View.
• The lens transmits the focus distance to the subject in the camera (analog Nikon D, Nikon G).
• The Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 does not have a hard infinity mechanical stop that allows you to accurately and quickly focus the lens to infinity under any ambient temperature conditions. For accurate aiming at infinity, you cannot just bring the focusing ring to the extreme position marked 'infinity'.
• When changing the focal length, focusing is slightly lost. The lens is close to parfocal.
• Important: Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 is a third party lens. It may happen that it will not work correctly with the new Nikon cameras that will be presented after the announcement of this lens. Details on this issue have been reviewed by me here.
• It's important... The lens has a very weak 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in the angle of view during focusing). At 70 mm, this effect is almost completely absent and slightly intensifies with increasing focal length.
• There is no depth of field scale and no mark for working in the infrared spectrum.
• Focus shift (shift-focus) was not noticed during operation and testing.
• Supported work with teleconverters
• Compatible with Nikon FTZ / Nikon FTZ II adapters (but there may be features and problems)

Diaphragm

Diaphragm lens consists of 9 rounded petalsthat form a flat hole. Aperture closes to F / 32.

One of the implicit benefits telephoto lenses with a maximum aperture of 1: 2.8 is the ability to easily use them with teleconverters. Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 supports Tamron 1.4X, Tamron 2X teleconverters. Nikon's original teleconverters shouldn't be a problem either.

It's important: Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 uses electromagnetic aperture control... Theoretically, only some Nikon digital cameras will be able to work correctly with this lens:

The exact list of digital cameras that support working with 'E'-type lenses:

Nikon D3, D3s, D3x, D4, D4s, D5, D6, Df, D600, D610, D700, D750, D780, D800, D800E, D810, D810a, D850, D300, D300s, D500, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3500

+ Nikon z5, Nikon z6, Nikon z6 ii, Nikon z7, Nikon z7 ii, Nikon z9, Nikon Z fc, Nikon z50 with Nikon FTZ / Nikon FTZ II adapter.

+ Nikon 1 J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, S1, S2, V1, V2, V3, AW 1 with Nikon FT-1 adapter

The exact list of cameras that do not support working with 'E'-type lenses:

Nikon D1, D1h, D1x, D2x, D2h, D2xs, D2hs, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100, D200, D3000

+ Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro, S2 Pro, S3 Pro, S3 Pro UVIR, S5 Pro, IS Pro

+ Kodak DCS PRO 14n и Kodak DCS Pro SLR / n

'E' type lenses on the cameras in this list will always shoot at full aperture. Other features of the work are possible.

Electromagnetic diaphragm control has some advantages over the older method of aperture control using mechanical camera and lens levers:

1. increases aperture value accuracy
2. increased response speed, which is important for high-speed shooting
3. As far as I know, the old aperture lever mechanism (Non-G, G lenses) was designed for a maximum speed of 10 frames per second. The electromagnetic diaphragm can easily operate at higher speeds
4. simplifies iris operation during movie shooting
5. the mechanism is quieter (at least there is no noise from the aperture control mechanisms built into the camera)
6. simplifies the design of the camera itself, as well as macro rings, teleconverters and other adapters. This is very critical for telephoto lenses with a focal length greater than 500 mm.
7. third-party lens design is simplified for Nikon / Canon and many other systems, especially mirrorless ones. The manufacturer does not need to globally change the design of the lens for different aperture control mechanisms on different cameras. For all, an electromagnetic diaphragm is used without additional mechanical parts. Let me remind you that, for example, all lenses for cameras Canon EOS equipped with an electromagnetic diaphragm since 1987
8. most likely there are other positive features, less obvious, such as improved power consumption or the possibility of having a huge number of aperture blades

Of the minuses electromagnetic diaphragm I would highlight only the violation of compatibility with old cameras. True, in the case of the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2, the aperture is perfectly controlled from a very old camera. Nikon D40 (while Ken rocwell writes that on D40 this lens does not work at all, most likely different batches have different firmware). Most likely, the aperture can be controlled from any Nikon cameras and not take into account the list of cameras shown above. True, there is no exact data on this matter, and the last remark is my personal guess.

An accurate list of all Nikon Nikkor electromagnetic diaphragm lenses:

• E:
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 28mm 1: 1.4E ED
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 105mm 1: 1.4E ED
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 300mm 1: 4E PF ED VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 400mm 1: 2.8E ED FL VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 500mm 1: 5.6E ED PF VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 500mm 1: 4E ED FL VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 600mm 1: 4E ED FL VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 800mm 1: 5.6E ED FL VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 8-15mm 1: 3.5-4.5E ED Fisheye
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 16-80mm 1: 2.8-4E ED VR DX
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm 1: 2.8E ED VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 2.8E FL ED VR
• Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6E ED VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 120-300mm 1: 2.8E FL ED SR VR
• Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm 1: 4E FL ED VR TC 1.4
• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm 1: 5.6E ED VR
• PC-E:
• Nikon N PC-E Nikkor 24mm 1: 3.5D ED
• Nikon N PC-E Nikkor 45mm 1: 2.8D ED Microphone
• Nikon N PC-E Nikkor 85mm 1: 2.8D Microphone
• PC, E:
• Nikon N PC Nikkor 19mm 1: 4E ED
• Z, E:
• All lenses Nikon Nikkor Z
• 1, E.
• All lenses Nikon Nikkor 1

The first such lens (not counting the PC-E) was Nikon 800 / 5.6E, announced in 2013.

Image quality

With the image quality of this lens, everything is good and even excellent.

Resolution

• confident resolution at open aperture in the center of the frame throughout the entire range
• in general, there is a slight drop in resolution at the far tele-range
• very high resolution at f / 5.6-f / 8 across the entire focal length range
• a slight drop in resolution at the edges and corners of the frame (even by 200 mm), when the aperture is closed to F / 5.6-8, the field of field becomes almost uniform

Distortion

• the overall level of distortion is at a level typical for such high-quality lenses
• 70 mm barrel distortion, after about 100-135 mm pincushion

Vignetting

• the overall level of vignetting is at a level typical for such lenses
• vignetting is strongest when focusing to infinity at open apertures
• the strongest vignetting occurs at 200 mm focal length

Aberration

• lens doing well with chromatic aberrations, even in the most difficult shooting conditions (with very strong contrast elements) see chromatic aberration hard (example of a snapshot under difficult conditions)
  
• low level of freezing

Rest

• the aperture is well rounded at all apertures
• the lens tolerates lateral and backlight well, but in difficult shooting conditions it can still create a noticeable amount of glare (example)
• lens can create nice bokeh
• the optical design does not use aspherical elements, which can impair bokeh due to bulbous concertina circles (for example, in Tamron 70-180 / 2.8 Di III VXD A056 used as many as 3 aspherical lenses)
• getting the effect of an 18-ray star is quite problematic (I never succeeded)

Sample photos on Nikon D4 (FX, Full Frame)

Converting original RAW files with the original Nikon Capture NX-D v 1.4.6 utility.

You can download / view the original photos in RAW format ('.NEF') at this link (16 files, Google Drive gallery).

Sample D40 Photos (DX, APS-C)

My examples on Nikon D40 (APS-C, Nikon DX, 6MP CCD). JPEG from camera, no processing... The shooting was carried out hand-held. With the old lady Nikon D40 I'm much more fun and interesting to shoot. Good result with Nikon D4 much easier to get than with Nikon D40 - which is the most primitive TsZK from Nikon. And this arouses sports interest. Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 on Nikon D40 has a fairly tolerable weight balance.

Original photos in JPEG format ('.JPG') can be view / download this link (Google Drive, 100+ photos)

My experience

I'm a fan of this class of lenses. If I had my way, I would shoot everything with one single 70-200 / 2.8. It is generally accepted that such a lens is included in the "holy list" of lenses of any professional photographer (in the so-called "holy trinity" of high-aperture zooms: zoom-wide, zoom-wagon and zoom-telephoto).

What's really about the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2? This is very good lens, approximately one and a half to two times cheaper than the original Nikon 70-200 / 2.8E VR... Perhaps in some trifles and in rare difficult shooting conditions, the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 will be worse than the original, but personally I would boldly use this lens and not worry that it is 'not the original'.

I highly recommend the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 to anyone looking for a similar solution. Price / quality at a very good level. True, at the cost of the new Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2, you can find a wonderful Nikon 70-200 / 2.8GII VR in a state of use And even between the original Nikon 70-200 / 2.8GII VR and Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 I would choose the latter.

Perhaps only a new one Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm 1: 2.8 VR S will be significantly better than the Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G (for example, it will not have freezing at all).

Alternatives

Below is a list of all fast class 70-200 / 2.8 lenses with built-in image stabilizer:

Canon (Canon EF / EF-S / RF)

1. Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-200mm 1: 2.8 L IS USM
2. Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-200mm 1: 2.8 L IS II USM
3. Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-200mm 1: 2.8 L IS III USM
4. Canon Lens RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM

Nikon (Nikon F, Z)

1. Nikon ED AF-S VR-Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 2.8G Vibration Reduction SWM IF (black or silver version)
2. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 2.8GII ED N VR Nano Crystal Coat SWM IF
3. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 2.8E FL ED N VR Nano Crystal Coat SWM IF + its modification 'Nikon 100th Anniversary Edition'
4. Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm 1: 2.8 VR S

Sony (Sony E)

1. Sony FE 2.8 / 70-200 GM OSS
2. Sony FE 2.8 / 70-200 G GM OSS II, 2021

Sigma (for different mounts)

1. Sigma 70-200mm 1: 2.8 APO DG HSM EX OS (Optical Stabilizer) (for Canon EF / EF-S, Nikon F, Sony / Minolta A, Sigma SA, Pentax K, no longer available for Pentax)
2. Sigma 70-200mm 1: 2.8 DG OS HSM S | Sport (for Canon EF / EF-S, Nikon F, Sigma SA)

Tamron (for different mounts)

1. Tamron USD DI SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 VC Ultrasonic Silent Drive A009 (for Canon EF / EF-S, Nikon F and Sony / Minolta A)
2. Tamron SP 70-200mm f / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025 (for Canon EF / EF-S, Nikon F)
3. Tamron 70-180mm F / 2.8 Di III VXD Model A056 (Sony FE only)

Panasonic

1. Panasonic LUMIX S PRO 1: 2.8 / 70-200mm OIS (Leica L, Fall 2019)

Prices

Prices for the lens Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 in popular online stores can look at E-KATALOG at this link.

Results

Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 turned out to be very balanced lens. The build quality, focusing, stabilization, as well as the image quality are at a high level here, while the lens is significantly cheaper than the original models. I bravely recommend Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC G2 for purchase and use as directed.

1. high-quality assembly, protected case (with bayonet seal, front bumper, protective coating of the front lens and many internal seals)
2. detachable tripod foot, bayonet hood included, support for TAP-IN console
3. built-in 5-stop IS (in practice quite effective and quiet)
4. Built-in quiet USD ring-type focusing motor
5. internal focusing, very fast, support for FTM mode, focusing distance window, focusing distance limiter
6. special optical elements in the optical scheme (5 ED, 1 XLD), high-quality optical coating
7. Tamron SP professional lens
8. nine aperture blades, electromagnetic iris control
9. mild 'Focus Breathing' effect ('breathing' / changing the angle of view during focusing)
10. high optical performance (high resolution, very low chromatic aberration)

10 main disadvantages

1. slight noise from focus motor and aperture control mechanism
2. heavy weight (for example, Tamron 70-180 / 2.8 Di III VXD A056 weighs almost 2 times less)
3. the optical design is slightly changed compared to the previous one Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 VC A009 2012 years
4. the tripod foot is difficult to remove
5. it is inconvenient to select the desired operating mode of the stabilizer using the switch, it is easy to knock the switches off the desired position
6. there are no AF-L temporal stop buttons (there are, for example, Nikon AF-S 80-200 / 2.8D or modern Sigma 70-200 / 2.8 SPORT)
7. MDF is much larger than the older model Tamron 70-200 / 2.8 A001
8. for this lens in modern cameras there is no profile that allows you to automatically correct some types of distortion (vignetting, distortion, chromatic aberration)
9. assembly is carried out in China or Vietnam (although the original Nikon 70-200 / 2.8 Z VR S already released in Thailand), funny and funny inscription 'DESIGNED IN JAPAN, MADE IN VIETNAM'
10. tangible vignetting on f / 2.8

For the provided lens Tamron SP 70-200mm F / 2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025 (version assembled in Vietnam) many thanks the store ProFotoSalewhere you can find many new and used lenses for different systems, including similar lenses for Nikon F.

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram