Tamron today announced that their AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) macro lens has won an EISA Photo Award as European Travel Lens of the Year 2009-2010.
EISA Awards are presented each year to the best products in photographic, audiovisual, video and mobile product categories as voted by the EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) panel consisting of editors-in-chief and technical editors of about 50 leading and influential magazines in 20 European countries that specialize in photography, audio, video and mobile electronic products.
The award reads, “With this 15x-zoom APS-C format lens, Tamron has not only produced a DSLR lens with the most extensive zoom range available, but also an impressive optical performance. Tamron’s built-in optical image stabilizer, Vibration Compensation (VC), is able to reduce the impact of camera shake so the photographer can hand hold the lens at shutter speeds of up to 4 stops beyond normal safe levels. This is especially useful in low light conditions. With its compact design, light weight, high optical performance and extremely wide focal range the Tamron AF18-270mm VC lens is a perfect travel companion.â€
A quick browse at DPReview.com indeed confirms that Tamron’s 15x zoom is an impressive piece of optical engineering and its Vibration Compensation (VC) is very effective. However, it also shows slow and occasionally indecisive autofocus, and there’s geometric distortion across much of the zoom range. Not a perfect lens, it said, but it’s quite good nonetheless.
[Via: Tamron]