So I’ve had this lens for about 6 months, and a lot of people are asking me how I like it now that I’ve had a lot more experience with it.
I have to say I still love it, and it’s the lens I use as often as I can.
What I love about it:
The Image Quality (IQ) is amazing, especially at f/8-f/11.
The VC is incredible.
The USD autofocus is silent, quick, and efficient.
The build quality is very good.
The price is affordable.
What I dislike about this lens:
VC is great for photography, not so much for video.
You need a LOT of light, so I strongly recommend using a flash with this one.
While light-weight for it’s class, I needed to upgrade to a CarrySpeed strap and a stronger tripod to support it.
Compared to other lenses:
Canon 75-300: I did not like this lens, IQ is terrible, focus is horrible, no IS, loud focus.
Canon 70-300: IQ lightly lower than the Tamron, IS is better than VC for videos, but front element moves when you focus, so not too good when using filters.
Canon 70-300L: Slightly better than the Tamron, but way too expensive.
Sigma 70-300 Macro: Not a real macro lens, no OS, no HSM.
Sigma 70-300 OS: no HSM, IQ not as good as Tamron.
