Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP DI VC USD (Tamron model # A005) is an award winning optically stabilized mid-tier telephoto zoom lens with full frame (FX format) coverage and fast focusing for Nikon F mount cameras (late model film or digital).  The lens traverses a very popular and practical zoom range that's useable for everything from portraits to sports & action.  The lens features a variable maximum aperture (f/4.5 to 5.6 depending on how much you zoom) that's more than adequate for daylight shooting yet keeps the lens a manageable size and weight for travel and more comfortable handheld shooting than higher-end f/2.8 telephotos.  The 70-300mm VC is a terrific general purpose telephoto lens for travel and nature photography and is an ideal complement to a standard wide angle zoom.The lens is part of Tamron's DI (Digitally Integrated Design) and SP (Superior Performance) lens series.  DI lenses have optics adapted for the unique challenges and performance characteristics of digital sensors such as increased resolution and sensor reflectivity.  SP lenses are some of Tamron's best quality products and designed to produces the best results possible in their class.  The optics in the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP DI consist of a highly refined 17 element in 12 group construction that have BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) multi-layer anti-reflective coating and include XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) and LD (Low Dispersion) elements to suppress optical aberrations.  The results are a lens that can produce excellent contrast, color with minimimal glare, flare or ghosting.Camera/lens shake can lead to significant reduction in image sharpness, especially as magnification increases because even the effect of the smallest vibrations gets magnified.  To compact this common problem the lens features Tamron's Vibration Compensation (VC) optical image stabilization system to counteract the sharpness reduction by detecting lens movement and actively adjusting a special optical group in real time to correct the light path.  While a tripod is always the best option the VC system is a real advantage when a using a support is just not possible.  The VC system produces stability roughly equivalent to using a shutter speed up to 4-stops faster than the one used. The 70-300mm VC has a responsive focusing system thanks to a built-in USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) focus motor.  USD motor performance is much faster and quieter than earlier built-in motors or camera drive mechanisms and that's of particular value for shooting wildlife or sports.  The lens focus mechanism also features a design that provides full time manual focus override so you can touch-up or tweak focus without needing to find the AF switch.The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP DI VC USD lens is an especially good value and great choice for photographers wanting a really good telephoto zoom that doesn't weighed them down.Key FeaturesSuperior Performance Digitally Integrated telephoto zoom with a good balance of capabilities and convenienceFor Nikon F-Mount (G-Type)Full frame FX format (24x36mm) coverage34°21' - 8°15' angle of view on FX size sensors°' - °' angle of view on APC-C format sensors -->XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) lens elementLD (Low Dispersion) lens elementBBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) multi-coating9 bladed apertureVC (Vibration Compensation) preserves sharpnessUSD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) for fast and quiet AFFull-time manual focus override mechanismIF (Internal Focus) design and non-rotating filter ringFocuses down to 1.5m (59.05in)Relatively compact for a strong full frame teleWeighs just 765g (26.98oz)Uses 62mm filtersAvailable accessories include: HA005 Lens Hood, 62mm filters, spare caps.