Camera Labs

http://www.tamron.com/en/news/2010/1209.html
http://www.tamron.com/en/photolens/di_I ... /b008.html

PZD is their new AF motor system with the usual claims of small/fast.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

They just released a lens with USD and now they have two kinds of ultrasonic drive? Seems a bit confusing but I hope at least that this is an upgrade rather than a middle ground between USD and the micro motor.

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Graham
Flickr

Ive always thought this lens is slower to focus than Sigma or Nikon equivalents, so hopefully this brings them all in line. In fact the slow focussing was my (main and possibly only) reason for picking the Nikon 18-200 over this.

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Nikon D5000 and D300 with 12-24mm, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 18-200mm, 17-55mm f2.8 (all Nikon)

I wouldn't say the AF was slow on the original version when I had it, no worse than other motorised lenses anyway. The only let down for me was it seemed quite hesitant to lock when using continuous AF.

I also wouldn't compare it against the much shorter 18-200 type lenses. The only comparable lens would then be the Sigma 18-250 OS HSM which wasn't even out at the time I got the Tamron. And the Sigma has the cheap version of HSM anyway.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

There is also a difference between the motors, you have built in motors to perform the AF like the camera does on old AF lenses at Nikon, and you have the silent and fast motors that now start to show in the 3rd party lens makers more and more (Sigma has a lot of them already, HSM, Tamron has now two lenses like that 70-300 and 18-270)

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW