Telephoto zooms are a very widely used category of lenses. A long, fast zoom is something many photographers, shooting all kinds of photos, can use successfully.
Whenever you think about a telephoto zoom, something like the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II comes to mind. Well, that's exactly the lens we want to bring attention to, but we want to compare it to something different, and no, it's not Nikon's version.
We were interested to find out how the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD compares to the Canon. The later is one of the best lenses Canon have ever made. It is the workhorse of countless professionals and amateurs throughout the world, it is almost an icon and it costs $700 more.
Having the two lenses side by side, there are some noticeable differences to take into account. The Canon is a weather sealed tank that just feels right in your hand. Everything is where you'd expect it to be. The rings turn nice and smooth and the buttons give you the confidence that they're actually operating an important function. The Tamron on the other hand, while still a weather sealed metal beast, has a different design that somehow makes it look like it was created in the past.
Nevertheless, both lenses feel great in your hands and give you the feeling of something well built.
Autofocus speed is something most photographers look for when purchasing a lens of this category. There is a noticeable difference between the Canon and the Tamron when it comes to quick focusing. The Canon is simply faster and more accurate, but the Tamron still gets the job done even though it's a little bit slower.
Image quality is surprisingly similar, and for $700 less, you get 90% of what the Canon can do. The colors do look a little different, which is somewhat strange and the bokeh is subjectively better on the Canon. Other than that, there is little difference in detail, vignetting and contrast.
Here's a video from DigitalRev to help make up your mind on which lens to buy. We recommend both of them, but if you absolutely must have the best of everything, stick to the Canon.
This blog post about "Tamron vs. Canon 70-200mm f/2.8" was first published on our website here https://www.photographytalk.com/photography-articles/5230-tamron-vs-canon-70-200mm-f-2-8
