Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO review

First things first; the AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO undoubtedly represents an impressive feat of optical engineering, and Tamron has to be applauded for producing a superzoom that has significantly longer telephoto reach than its direct competitors without further compromising image quality. That's not to say the lens is in any way perfect, indeed it has much the same optical problems as the other superzooms we've tested. At wideangle it shows chromatic aberration and barrel distortion (our test sample also exhibited one distinctly soft corner at wider apertures). In the middle of the zoom range the lens is unexpectedly sharp and shows essentially no chromatic aberration, but suffers from rather high levels of pincushion distortion. And towards the telephoto end, the lens is somewhat soft and shows relatively high levels of chromatic aberration, especially at 270mm (although distortion is low). But overall Tamron has managed to tread a commendably fine line in balancing the various aberrations without letting any of them become too extreme.

The 'Vibration Control' optical image stabilisation system is absolutely essential on this lens, with its extreme telephoto range and slow maximum aperture. Reassuringly it works very well, and belies Tamron's relative lack of experience in this area. It may not have tested quite as well as Canon's 18-200mm IS, but the difference isn't great and is unlikely to result in many more missed shots in actual use. The lens is also impressively compact; despite the extra telephoto range, it's little different in size and weight to competing 18-200mm lenses. On paper at least, this therefore makes the 18-270mm VC a compelling choice for users looking to buy an all-in-one lens; after all if you're going to buy a superzoom, why not go the whole hog and buy the one with the longest reach?

Andy Westlake

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