Home > Consumer Reviews > Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I bought this lens that came in a package deal with the Canon Rebel 2000 and the Tamron 100-300mm f/5-6.3. This is the lens that I use 90% of the time, and it has held up very well. The pictures come back very sharp and the quality of the prints are very good at most focal lengths. However, there are a few things I should note about this lens that I'm not too pleased with.

1) The autofocus system is a little slow and rather noisy.

2) The zoom operates in an odd way. Most zoom lenses are shortest at the lowest focal lengths, and extend at the higher focal lengths. This lens,however, is shortest at about 50mm and gets longer for both 28mm and 80mm. It's kind of an odd setup, and it has led to a small problem. If I have the focus set to infinity or near it, and have it on autofocus, the zoom ring is sticky, or hard to move when I get to 28mm. If I have the same setup but put the lens on manual focus, rotating the zoom cuff will actually rotate the focus ring a small amount, until it is away from infinity. Now I don't know if this happens eventually to all of these lenses, or just mine. But this problem did not happen until several months after I purchased and used the lens.

But overall, this is a very nice lens. It is small and compact, and perfect to leave on the camera all the time. As I said before, the pictures turn out great, which is all you can ask for in a lens.

This lens is made with focus on the price and looks very affordable.His whole body is made from plastic which makes this lens very light.Also the focusing mechanism is outside of this lens which makes holding camera little difficult and you have to watch your fingers where they are if you do not want messed up the focusing mechanism or you can use manual focus.There is a better lenses on the market for not too much money then this in this class.

I purchased this lens with my 35mm Rebel K2. A the time of this review I have shot 4 rolls of B&W film though it of Landscape and some action shots of people.

The lens has preformed admirably thus far. I have used it in both manual and auto focus modes both have resulted in good sharp photos. The included lens hood does a good job of preventing glare on the lens and the lens cap included with the lens can be removed with the hood on the lens.

The way the wide angle- zoom feature works seems odd in order to get this lens to act similar to a "prime" lens it makes some sense the lens is at it's shortest length a 50mm then lengthens when either going to 28mm or 80mm. Holding the camera and lens properly will prevent you from accidentally interfering with the focus ring in the auto focus mode. I prefer manual focus (old habits die hard) however when in auto focus the lens works well to quickly focus and allow the camera to shoot.
This isn't a fast lens as far as maximum aperture is concerned but for the average user it will work well in most normal lighting situations.

If you are doing photography in lower light this lens may not work for you.

Over all the lese is good for a good price for about $50 this is a good lens for the average non-professional beginner / intermediate photographer

Fair is fair, and $50 bucks for a lens gets you a $50 lens. Great starter for someone getting into SLRs. Won't give you the greatest pictures ever, but for shooting snapshots of the kids on vacation, you really can't beat this.

I've owned a copy of the Tamron 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for many years. It started usage on an old Rebel G 35mm film camera, and then found a home on a Digital Rebel XT. This lens is a low budget lens, but does a fairly good job at producing decent images. Works as a fairly wide zoom on a film camera, and a slightly wide zoom on the digital camera. Very light in weight due to the amount of plastic used in making it. Easy to change, and easy using filters with. If you are just starting out, this lens might be a good option. Colors and sharpness aren't great, but are also not horrible. This lens has managed to work like new, even though it has been banged around often. The lens hood is a must! I've taken over 3000 shots with this lens, so I guess it is safe to say that I've got my money's worth!