lens dilemma...

mr cat · 24-07-2008, 10:15

hi - just took collection of a lens from fleabay yesterday - a tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD...I had read reviews about it and most of them said it was a top notch lens so this prompted me to buy it...
tho - one or two reviews said that a lot of the images were a bit soft - especially when at f2.8!
some even mentioned that they had to take the lens back to tamron to get it calibrated with their specific dslr...

now - I went out last night (lovely sunny evening!) and just about every pic I took was really soft - and it looks like the seller doesn't do refunds (tho, I'll have tp check with him...)

here's a couple of pics of my new amp - but with a bit of post sharpening...plus the camera was resting on the tv so it images should be sharp as it gets...

what do you think I should do - can I more or less (within the ebay rules etc) get the seller to refund me, or just try to sell it again on fleabay?

cheers

AQ · 24-07-2008, 11:14

They do not look that bad to me but with the angle of the player to the camera it is difficult to tell. I also assume that this a the whole image scaled down - that will not help either.

Why not take a picture with the camera on a tripod and set square on to the object and then post a 100% scaled section of it here. Also do not sharpen it. We could then get a better idea.

mr cat · 24-07-2008, 11:34

ok - those two pics are the best I managed....in ideal conditions I'd say as I used the TV as a tripod and they had settings of f2.8 and f4...

more details here (exif data and larger pics) -
Flickr: More detail about IMG_0666a

http://www.flickr.com/photos/weardal...06866/sizes/l/

Flickr: More detail about IMG_0662a

http://www.flickr.com/photos/weardal...83237/sizes/l/

I also got 2 more decent pics of a cottage wall (in bright sunlight) with setting of f2.8 and f4) - but the other 50 or so weren't upto scratch at all...the main issue is that they were soft and I then started shooting 2 pics of everything (in f2.8 and around f4)

here's a couple of review links too -
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Lens Review

FM Reviews - AF 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di Zoom

maybe I'm expecting too much..? - just that my sigma f1.4 and my old nifty fifty are in a different league...

silkstone · 24-07-2008, 12:11

My take on this is that you're not really happy with the lens, so something needs to be done. The eBay seller is legally obliged to refund or replace if there is a fault, but that's easier said than done. Maybe the best solution is to contact Sigma and send the lens to them for checking and calibration.

mr cat · 24-07-2008, 12:19

yeah, I've mail tamron to see what they say...

maybe my expectations are too high..?

but it seems that for a lens that has a rrp of nigh on 300 quid that can't really cope with pics around f2.8 and at high end of the focal range seems a bit of a joke...! I may as well stick with my sigma 30mm f1.4 - at least i know i'll get pin sharp images everytime...

I haven't contacted the ebay seller yet (he's just a guy - not a shop) as i wanted to get some info first - as I doubt he'll be too keen to refund me my money....but in theory it's not fit for purpose and p[aypal should be on my side..?

and becuase it's 2nd hand - getting it checked over and calibrated will no doubt cost me - I've heard around 70 quid for this service...so, I may as well of bought a new one...

Chris H · 24-07-2008, 12:58

OOPS a faux pas there Silky

Quote:

Maybe the best solution is to contact Sigma and send the lens to them for checking and calibration

Don't reckon Sigma would recalibrate a Tamron lens

Maybe worth trying spot focus on a landscape and including exif data.

I've had a Tamron lens which looked okay on my 350D but soft on my 40D, I ended up selling it and buying a 24-105 L IS USM and the picture quality is a world apart

mr cat · 24-07-2008, 13:11

yeah, looking at some sample images on the web - a lot of them do appear to be soft - unless ones where the exif data is at a certain setting (i.e. f6 and @ 40mm...) - but push the boundaries then you're in trouble...

wish I had of got the sigma one now - it was only the sheer bulk of it that stopped me...

but - I will play with it - until at least the wedding I'm going to at the weekend...

silkstone · 24-07-2008, 13:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris H

OOPS a faux pas there Silky

Don't reckon Sigma would recalibrate a Tamron lens

Ah yes - must learn to read!

mr cat · 24-07-2008, 20:22

ok guys - bit of an update here...

went out into the back yard and took a few more pics and just about all of them turned out fine...strange or what?

didn't do anything different from last night...

nothing special about the subjects tho...

Charlotte · 24-07-2008, 23:54

Only difference is the lighting - low light -vs- bright daylight, resulting in a faster shutter speed with the last set, hence possibly sharper. TBH the first couple don't look soft in the slightest to me - yes there's a very short DoF, but the bit of amp that's in sharp focus looks good + sharp to me

mr cat · 25-07-2008, 10:09

yeah, I was concered as when I forst went out the other night (sunny conditions) and some of the pics weren't as sharp as I hoped - like this one for example...

Charlotte · 25-07-2008, 11:17

Well maybe I need new glasses, or maybe your idea of sharp exceeds mine

mr cat · 25-07-2008, 11:56

yeah - you can't really tell with that smaller image - but it was more obvious when I viewed it via my canon raw image viewer (DPP) - same with most of the shots from that night...but hey - onwards and forward...

**Dabhand16** · 25-07-2008, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr cat

yeah - you can't really tell with that smaller image - but it was more obvious when I viewed it via my canon raw image viewer (DPP) - same with most of the shots from that night...but hey - onwards and forward...

Maybe the problem is in the way you are viewing rather than the way you are shooting?