Tamron SP Adaptall-2 60-300mm f/3.8-5.4

pdeley

One of my favorite Adaptall-2 zooms and a compromise design in the more interesting sense of the words. Good zoom range from short to long tele for larger & more distant subjects, plus the bonus of a fairly stupendous macro magnification all the way up to as high as 1:1.55. The drawbacks are that (1) macro access requires a pull-twist-push action, (2) focus distance at maximum macro magnification is so short that you can easily cast a shade across your subject and (3) the maximum focus distance at minimal magnification in macro mode leaves a noticeable gap in magnification with the 1.9m minimum focus distance in non-macro mode. In other words: at around 1-1.5 m distance there is no real option for getting reasonable close-up effects, you either need to step back or get a lot closer. Sharpness at the long end of the zoom range is good though not competitive with the better 300mm primes. Chromatic aberration is noticeable at 300mm in high-contrast situation, opposing fringes are olive and purple in color as seems typical for Tamron's BBAR coatings of its longer SP series lenses. The build is excellent and movements are smooth without wiggle, mine survived a 3 foot drop onto crushed rock with no more damage than a dent in the filter ring. The one-touch zoom ring covers the length of the lens when retracted and is quite heavy, as a result it will creep when tilted and this can be especially troublesome to keep proper focus/zoom set in macro mode. Despite these limitations, it's a very useful all-in-one lens for nature photography that can give you both long range needed for wildlife and high magnification needed for macro.