Tamron SP 300mm f/5.6 54B Lens Review
SUPERB!! I guess don’t need to say more. I didn’t find any weakness of this lens, color, sharpness, macro capability just excellent, if compare all this features with other 300 mm lens this is the number one. Better than Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 300mm f/4, Pentacon/Meyer Orestegor 300mm f/4 , Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AI or Tair 3S.
Lens
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Fact Sheet
Vendor name
Tamron
Tamron
Type
SP 300
SP 300
Product year
1979-1984
1979-1984
Focal Min(mm)
300
300
Focal Max(mm)
300
300
Focus Min(cm)
5.6
5.6
Aperture Max
5.6
5.6
Aperture Min.
32
32
Barrel length(mm)
163.5
163.5
Elements In Group
6 in6
6 in6
Diaphragm action
Auto
Auto
Weight (g)
610
610
Filter Size (mm)
58
58
Push on diameter (mm)
64.5
64.5
Angular field
8
8
The SP 300 F/5.6 Adaptall-2 on the other hand is a superb fixed focal length lens with excellent macro capabilities. Lens continuously focuses from infinity to 1:3.3 macro and features a built-in lens hood. Most importantly, this lens features a special spherical aberration compensator group to remove the focus group’s spherical aberration when close focusing. This lens is worth the price if you need a lens for macro work and need considerable working distance from the subject for personal safety or other reasons. No other long telephoto lens ever made performs better in macro mode. It should have sold better in its day, but few photographers understood or appreciated the benefit of the spherical aberration compensator group used within this lens for close focus work.
With that said about the SP 300 F/5.6, do note that several OEM manufacturers produce 180mm to 205mm macro lenses which offer slightly better macro performance. But ask yourself, are you willing to shell out several hundred dollars for a brand new OEM lens when you can buy a SP 300 F/5.6 on eBay for anywhere from $60 to $120? Try the Tamron first. If you don’t like it (and I think that you will since I love mine!) then you can always flip it on eBay.
by Michael Marcus (Adaptall-2.com (http://www.adaptall-2.com/lenses/54B.html) )
I have a Tamron SP 300/5.6 (Model 54B), and it is one of my favourite lenses. It is relatively small, very sharp, and easy to focus, despite its relatively slow maximum aperture. I rate it as an excellent lens.
by Jim Colwell
and much more better than popular today’s lens SIGMA 70-300 APO DG. After the first wonderful experience I bought one more piece to make sure if anything happen with lens I will have one more.Very nicely built, handles well very crisp and constrasty from f/8, but qulity is pretty good at wide open too.
I have the same experiences with the Tamron SP 5.6/300 macro.
Compared with the Sigma APO 70-300 (and the Tamron 70-300 AF Di) it is always much sharper. The Sigma needs to be stopped down at least 2 f-stops to get almost the same sharpness but never gets the same level in the corners.
This Tamron is the best 300 for the price. It’s as sharp as the Tair – which is legendary – but the Tamron is nearly half the weight and a lot smaller in size.
Stop down a bit and this lens will deliver sharp images with great colour and contrast.