Managing expectations

End of season
Unlike most of you, I have a finite photography budget! So, when I buy a new piece of equipment, I have to balance my desire, the functionality, and quality of the item. If I want a higher quality item, then I may have to wait a while. If I want an item that is good enough to get the job done, well I might be able to get it a bit sooner. The main thing here is in managing my own expectations.

Eventually, probably after Christmas, I will get a GPS for my camera. I just like the utility of recording locations directly to the image’s EXIF data. I was reading some comments about a particular GPS and had to laugh when someone asked:

Well, how accurate is it? I mean, if it’s not very accurate, then I can see little use for it as a photographic tool!

Dang! There are pixel peepers everywhere! How accurate does it have to be? Most are accurate to within 25 feet or so. For photography, that’s pretty darn close. 100 feet would be close enough for me. I just need to get into the area! Also, for a $149 unit, I don’t expect it to be military grade and accurate to within 5 feet, calculate for ionospheric delay, etc. “It ain’t that kinda party!”.

And so it is with lenses
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not going to get my equipment lust get the better of me. I’m sticking with the DX format for a while, even though I think that we’ve seen the last of that format in the pro-sumer Nikon line. It wouldn’t make sense, I don’t think to bring out a D400, for example. Now that Nikon has 3 FX sensor cameras, but who knows. I have been wrong before. Eventually, as things get better and better, I’ll probably move to the FX line, but what I have right now is more than adequate. Also, I like the extended reach, the 1.5 magnification, of the DX.

Another DX lens
I just purchased a Tamron 18-270mm lens. It’s not exactly a walk-around lens, but could be used as such. For one thing, let us say that when extended to 270mm, it’s not inconspicuous! This lens replaced 2 lens, and 18-70 and a 55-200. I found that I frequently wanted to change between these two lens when I was out shooting, but sometimes became lazy and didn’t do it. So, why not have the best of both worlds?

My own expectations
I like Tamron lenses. They seem to have a quality build and, what I like most, Tamron is very sure of their products, offering a 6 year warranty on their lenses! No one in the industry comes close. This is my 4th Tamron. I also have a 200-500mm, 90mm macro and a 11-18mm. All perform well. I simply could not afford the equivalent Nikon glass. So, I’m covered from 11mm – 500mm.

When I purchased this latest lens, I expected that it would not be as good as my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, and I’m correct. It’s not. One, the Tamron, is a 15x zoom, the other is a 2.6x. Lower range zooms are generally better performers, especially on the outskirts of the zoom range. Usually, you’ll get some serious barrel distortion at the very low end and some pincushion distortion at the upper end. The Tamron 16-270mm certainly has these at the 18mm mark, but I expected that going in. Had it not been there, I would have been very surprised. Vertical straight lines are no longer straight near the edge of the frame and tend to bow. If you are seeing pincushion distortion, it’s usually seen on shots of the horizon, giving the horizon a slightly bowed look. It’s expected.

I don’t shoot architectural photos for a living, so this type of distortion is not bothersome. I don’t need absolute straight lines. A lot of it can be fixed in Photoshop, (Filter->Distort->Lens Correction) so it is not a point of contention.

I’ve only spent a couple of hours shooting with this lens and like it already. It has some small issues, but they won’t get in the way of the way that I shoot:

Issues noted so far:

• Lens creep. If you are anywhere above the 18mm mark and put the camera in a downward facing position, the lens will rack out to somewhere near 100mm. Not really a problem for me as I generally shoot straight on. This happens pointing upwards, too. So, it is necessary to hold the zoom ring when shooting in an upwards direction. Again, not a problem. This makes up a very small percentage of my shots.
• Stiffness: I’ve noticed a very stiff point at about the 100mm zoom mark. This makes zooming not so fluid in that area. Not really a problem unless I were following some action that required me to zoom past that point to get the shoot. Then, this might be a problem, but, for my style and what I intend to use the lens for, not a problem.

That’s all that I can think of and neither of these are issues for me. So, I’m happy with the lens. Others might take issue with these points, but it may affect their style, and so would become true issues, but for me … my expectations are managed and I’m very happy with the lens.

Note: All three images taken last night with the 18-270.