Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC
 
 
Before I review this lens, let's look at what it's for and what it's NOT for.
This is not a lens to replace you 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 VR. This is a walk-around lens for those times when a multi-lens kit and lens changes are impractical. To that end Tamron has designed a lens to serve in that capacity. Let's have a look to see how it stacks up.
 
Build Quality
The lens has plenty of plastic, but it's tolerances feel about the same as the 18-200 and 70-300 AF-S. You will generally find some lens creep just like the Nikon 18-200, but the Tamron has a lock to hold it at 28mm. Focus action is okay though not quite silky. Switches for focus mode and VC are fine, but the barrel lock is a bit tough to engage at first. The lens ships with a short lens hood.
 
Compatibility
While the lens has a focus motor, it focuses SLOW on a D40 or D60 and is marginal on a D90. It's also going to do a LOT of hunting on anything below a D300. On the D300 it's better, but it really works best on a D700. Those with DX cameras would probably do better to stick with a 18-200 AF-S from Nikon. I feel the Tamron does best on a D3 or D700, which is how I mainly tested the lens. On my D700 the 28-300 was fairly quick to focus and reasonably reliable indoors, especially with an SB-800 mounted.
 
VC vs. VR
Some folks are reporting the "impression" that the Tamron stabilizing system is better than Nikon's VR. Let me put this to rest now. I've tested the lens against the 18-200 VR, 70-300 VR and the 70-200 VR. There is NO question that Tamron's noisier system is better. It may be as much as a full stop better, but I'll cut than down a bit. In all tests I was able to get sharper results at lower shutter speeds with greater frequency with the Tamron. The operation feels a bit clunky though. Half press and the image shifts and steadies. Let go and VC stays engaged for almost a full second. But the bottom line is that Tamron's approach yields better results and is superior. If Tamron employed this VC system on a high end prime they'd really have something special.
 
Optics
This is what everyone wonders about of course, so let's get to it. The 28-300 VC is a superzoom and you can't have one lens be great at everything. Yet Tamron clearly took no backseat with this design and have eclipsed the Nikon 18-200's good optics. In fact the 28-300 does quite well up against my 70-300 vr, thought falling slightly short in sharpness and contrast. I doubt many folks could tell which lens took what in many cases. The Nikon 70-300 wins for Bokeh, a bigger failing for superzooms almost as a rule. But the 28-300 bests the Nikon with it's VC and then adds a macro mode.
 
Macro function
This is really only about a 1:3 macro, essentially a close focus mode at 300mm. I got results that were just fine, though this is not a replacement for a Sigma 150, Tamron 90 & 180 and so on.
 
Summary
On a D700 or D3 this lens is a smash. And it should be considering the 600 dollar price tag, which is pricey, especially for a 3rd party lens. The reward is a lens that will surprise most shooters with it's quality and versatility. Though I own "better" lenses costing much more, I won't ever feel that I'm making a huge compromise when mounting the Tamron 28-300 VR. This is the FX walkaround lens we've all been hoping for. My final comment is a standard one for 3rd party optics: Beware of sample variation. It's clear than there are some lemons out there, so be sure you can make an exchange if the lens doesn't perform properly.
 
The Good Captain