ePHOTOzine lens expert, Gary Wolstenholme casts his keen eye over the 15x Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC LD Aspherical (IF).

Zoom range; Price; Vibration Compensation feature; Light weight

Slow maximum aperture; Needs to be used at mid-apertures for best quality

The Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD is a compact and lightweight superzoom that manages to fit a huge zoom range into a compact, lightweight package. Throw in its quiet PZD autofocus and optical image stabilization, and it's a very versatile little lens that's well worth considering if you're...

Very useful 15x zoom range; Good image quality at wideangle; Quiet autofocus; Reasonably effective image stabilization; Compact and lightweight

Rather soft at telephoto; especially wide open; Strong distortion across most of the range; Chromatic aberration at each end of the zoom (most pronounced at telephoto; Slower autofocus than its peers

Cons Bottom Line Pick This Up If...

Very well built; Comfortable controls; Capable VC system; Very quiet and fast AF and VC; Incredibly compact; Amazing 15x optical zoom range

Images are soft throughout the zoom range at all aperture settings; Small amount of visible CA; Zoom ring is stiff but smooth

With the broadest zoom range (15X) of any interchangeable lens for DSLRs, this 28-419mm equivalent superzoom ($600, street) also packs a Vibration Compensation system for sharp handheld shooting at long focal lengths or slow shutter speeds.

The Tamron 18-270mm is an excellent all-round lens, capable of being used for landscape, wildlife, portraits and even close-up shots. It's a great lens for the enthusiast photographer and boasts a full set of features including stabiliser, ultrasonic focus and good quality optics.

in all camera mounts it supports including Canon's APS-C mount. The 15x focal length range is, without a doubt,

Tamron has always been a pioneer in the do-everything zoom lens category and their new AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens is no exception. Don't be intimidated by those initials-it's all good stuff-and I'll get to them shortly.

Sometimes great, sometimes pretty ordinary. Unfortunately more of the latter than the former. My older Tamron 18-250mm 3.5-6.3 is a much better lens. I'd like to use this lens more (because of the convenience) but I just can't rely on it.

Inconsistent image quality (mainly focus

Great all-round package

This is an 18-270mm zoom lens that is image stabilised. Tamron calls it "The Ultimate All-In-One Zoom: Longest, Steadiest Lens On Earth", which is one of those records made to be broken. It is available in Nikon and Canon mounts.

The sheer versatility of this lens makes you overlook its weaknesses; It is a pleasure to be able to walk around with a lens that replaces a bag full of lesser range zooms and primes.

Auto focus is slow, particularly at the long end of the range; It is not suitable for fast moving subjects; There is noticeable distortion which is just acceptable at wide angle, but the pincushion effect at the long end is so bad that it demands correction in software; Zoom creep is irritating

The many reviews I have read about this lens tend to be a little harsh. It's far from perfect, but it gives you an incredible reach in a very small and light format. Autofocus is fast, color rendition and general image quality is predictable.

Small; light; fast autofocus; good stabilization

Dust got in between the two first glass elements at the back of the lens after 8 weeks