Comments:

I bought this lens solely because of the price. I used to have the Sony 70-300 G but ended up selling it because I didn't use it very much. I since then acquired a cheap Sony 75-300 and Minolta Big Beercan to try a couple other options in that zoom range. The Big Beercan is too long and old for my taste. The SAL75300 is nicely sized and cheap, but the quality is just not the same. The Tamron is nearly identical to the Sony 70-300 G except quite a bit cheaper. The size is very similar, the hood is a giant, the quality is top notch, the focusing is very quick and quiet and the picture quality is excellent. This will be my keeper for this zoom range. When reaching out to the 300mm length, just make sure to either use a tripod or rest it on something as keeping it steady is a little tricky. It is a big zoom, but definitely manageable and well worth it.

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Fast and accurate auto-focus

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Purchased this as a gift for my wife who is an enthusiast photographer to use with her Sony Alpha A55. This is a replacement for an early 70 - 300 auto focus Minolta lens that could no longer deliver the quality shots she wants. The Tamron A005 certainly delivers a much better image, even when zoomed to 100% on the computer. This lens has been described as the highest level you can get before treading into the professional models costing 3 or 4 times more and agree with that. The trade off for this quality of picture is the weight, almost 2 lbs. I feared that the weight alone was going to force a return. After some acclimation and then a series of test shoots against the old lens, she couldn't part with the Tamron A005.

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I'm a semi retired American professional photographer living on the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka. I currently do eco adventure stories with pictures for in flight magazines and the occasional video for web outdoor adventure and travel sites. I use the alpha Sony 55 because it's fixed mirror enables continuous focus when doing HD videos. I also use both Sony and Tokina optics because I like their light weight and superior optical quality. Their long zoom lenses are particularly useful as I shoot a lot of wildlife and birds.

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THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE TAMRON LENSES. IF THEY ARE ALL AS GOOD AS THIS ONE, I'LL ALWAYS BUY TAMRON.