My Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3

Now to a cheap but wonderful little lens from Tamron. I just bought it a second time. The first for my Pentax K-7 and now the second one for a Nikon d3200. The lens I talk about is the Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro.

It's an all-pupose-lens. It can't compete with prime-lenses but it's a very good alternative, when you don't want to take your whole camera-equipment with you. If you own a beginner-consumer-DSLR like the d3200 by Nikon, then this is a good lens, when you don't want to buy the expensive lenses from the camera manufacturer. And with a price of about 160,00 Euro / $ 299,00 I think everyone could affort it.

Tamron AF 18-200 on Amazon.de

Tamron AF 18-200 on Amazon.com

It's a plastic-lens (the body, not the lenses) but that don't mean, it have a bad build-quality. No, nothing hang loose, nothing squeaks when you use the zoom. And that changes not a bit during the live-cycle of the lens. My first lens is now about a year old and as good as new. And with such a range up to 200mm it's a short build lens.

left: Pentax K-7 with the Tamron in 200mm-mode (approx. 19cm long)

right: Nikon d3200 with the Tamron in 18mm-mode (approx. 10cm long)
The extraordinary camera strap I bought in 1991 in Florida / Disney's Magic Kingdom !

And now, the important question: How about the picture quality?

A short answer: For a price that low you can't get a better all-purpose-lens.

On both following pictures you see the sharpness of the lens. It doesn't matter if you use the 200mm – like on the picture with the two wild hounds – or the macro-function – like on the photo with the coffee. The camera have a great part in the sharpness of the pictures to play but the lens have to fit to the potential of the camera. And the Tamron lens fit to every camera. At least to my K-7 and d3200, so why should it not fit to any other DSLR?

both: Nikon d3200

With 18 to 200mm you have a wide range for almost every possible photoshooting. Any other questions? Sure. Everyone talks about the Bokeh when it comes to macro-photography. It's the blur or fuzziness in the background of a macro-photo. But let a picture talk for itself:

Pentax K-7

I don't have a sample-pic for a 18mm-photo in a town. But be aware that 18mm means slopey houses especially at the edge of the photos. So please don't use the 18mm on your city-trip to whereever. That would be a good possiblity to buy a 40mm prime-lens.