One thing we have noticed about other compact, long range zooms is a tendency for the lens barrel to wobble inside itself when it is extended. The Tamron has no such tendency. The telescoping mechanism is reassuringly tight.

Focus is acceptable, but not brilliant. The focussing mechanism is noisy. Without image stabilisation hand-holding at the longest focal length doesn't work well. We used the Tamron lens on the test Nikon D50 [see review] and we found hand-helds at maximum zoom a bit hit and miss. This is not to criticise the lens - there is no divine rule that says that long lenses must be image stabilised, and IS mechanisms add to the cost - it is merely an observation.

Contrast, colour and resolution are good. Barrel distortion at the wide end is noticeable. Macro function is very good, with the lens focussing down to 0.45m, which at 200mm produces impressive close-ups.

TAMRON advises that this lens is specifically designed for digital cameras with APS size sensors and is not suitable for film cameras with their larger sensor area.

The last word: We used this lens as though it were the kit lens on the Nikon D50 and we are generally pleased with its versatility and image quality. At $899 this is a relatively inexpensive lens considering what it does, but still an expensive piece of kit. As most digital SLRs come with a kit lens that is about 18mm at the short end and 55 to 75 at the long end it does seem that consideration should be given to a less ambitious optic. Sigma, for instance, have a 55~200mm lens in their catalogue that is a very good performer.

SEE SAMPLE IMAGES TAKEN WITH THE TAMRON 18~200 LENS IN THE GALLERY >>