Conclusion

70-200mm is a popular focal range for DSLR shooters, and the Tamron 70-210mm f4 Di VC USD makes a strong case to be your 70-200mm lens of choice. It might not be as exciting as an f/2.8 variant, but at half the weight and cost, this constant f/4 lens is well worth a look.

It's an excellent alternative to the equivalent lenses from Canon (EF 70-200mm f4L IS II USM) and Nikon (AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR), offering most of the performance at half the price. It doesn't have a focus limiter switch or different stabilizer modes, though, like the Canon and Nikon lenses, or like its bigger brother, the SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2, but again, it is literally half the price of those 3 lenses.

Image quality in both the centre and edges of the frame is very good at almost every focal length, with fantastic sharpness from f/5.6 to f/11. It's only when shooting wide-open at f/4 that sharpness drops off a little, and at 210mm, where performance at the edges isn't quite as good as in the centre. Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled and flare is only ever an issue when shooting directly into the sun or if you choose not to use the large lens hood. The only other real optical issue of note is some obvious corner shading at the maximum aperture, whcih can be fixed in post-processing or by stopping down to f/8.

In summary, the Tamron 70-210mm f4 Di VC USD is a very sensible choice if you're in the market for a classic 70-200mm zoom. It's smaller, lighter and a lot cheaper than both the main brand alternatives and Tamron's f/2.8 version, whilst delivering excellent image quality, fast AF performance, weatherproofing, and very handy Vibration Compensation. For £699 / $799, you certainly get a lot of lense for your buck. Highly Recommended!

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	5