Lubing my new glass?

[faeriegodess612]

So, I recently got a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens. Of course, have already played with it. It's first use with me was in downtown Austin. It works just fine, but I've noticed that 1) the motor is kinda loud, but that may just be a Tamron thing or because I'm used to my 18-55 being quieter; and 2) to turn it, it seems kinda stiff.

Now, is the stiffness just like when you buy a knew knife and you have to break it in? or do I possibly either need to lube it, or take it to the Ritz I got it at, and have them lube it?

Could the motor noise be because of that? Or is it just a Tamron thing?

I think I'm also still used to being able to be close to something to get it to come into focus,...cuz I tried taking a shot of the dog in the floor yesterday, and it didnt want to focus on her. I could see that it would come into focus, but then it wouldnt stay there. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the lens or not. I'm gonna try and play with it tomorrow some more, and try to find out. I think it's just me though.

Anyone have this lens?, or could tell me anything that they know about it, would be awesome.

[IABoomer]

I've heard/read that the motors in the Tamron lenses aren't nearly as quiet as the motors in the Nikons, so that's probably brand-specific and not necessarily a bad model. The stiffness might be to prevent the lens from flopping about as you zoom it out to 300. I could see them putting a bit of preload on the bearing structures to keep things tight.

Enjoy the new toy and I'm looking forward to seeing some new pics from it.

[Izzy]

My Tamron sounds like a grating meat grinder. It is so slow to focus it is not even funny. Even non usm Canon lenses beat it hands down. Tempted to use mine as a 500yd test target.

[tyasa81]

never heard of a lens that needs lubing... i used tamron 90, and the motor is loud, slow to focus, and sometimes un sure when to lock on a target... so i used it only in manual focus for macro... hate to hear such performance on a 70-300 where usually it's used for action/far away shots... good luck with it!

[gturner]

The price difference has just been revealed.
WD40 and lenses are not the best mix.

[amy_bb]

I have a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 and it is loud enough to wake the dead. It is also a hunter and pecker and I occasionally get frustrated with it for this reason. When the exposure triangle is correct and it is w/in the mid focal length of it's range, the pics are really nice and it focuses quickly and accurately. If the light is not *quite* right it will bounce around a lot I would like to drop it out my car window at 65mph.

I have not found it to be sticky, however.

[OsmosisStudios]

You... want to lubricate... the zoom ring... on a lens.

What is this I don't even...

[sk66]

Tamron's are loud. Slower zooms don't behave real well in lower light situations and it is somewhat autofocus system dependent. That lens won't be much good indoors/low light. The zoom is "stiff" to minimize "creep" while carrying/handling.

[Superfitz]

Originally Posted by faeriegodess612

So, I recently got a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens. Of course, have already played with it. It's first use with me was in downtown Austin. It works just fine, but I've noticed that 1) the motor is kinda loud, but that may just be a Tamron thing or because I'm used to my 18-55 being quieter; and 2) to turn it, it seems kinda stiff.

Now, is the stiffness just like when you buy a knew knife and you have to break it in? or do I possibly either need to lube it, or take it to the Ritz I got it at, and have them lube it?

Could the motor noise be because of that? Or is it just a Tamron thing?

I think I'm also still used to being able to be close to something to get it to come into focus,...cuz I tried taking a shot of the dog in the floor yesterday, and it didnt want to focus on her. I could see that it would come into focus, but then it wouldnt stay there. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the lens or not. I'm gonna try and play with it tomorrow some more, and try to find out. I think it's just me though.

Anyone have this lens?, or could tell me anything that they know about it, would be awesome.

I've noticed that Tamron lenses are hit and miss. You really should test them before buying. I know exactly wht you are talking about when you say the zoom ring is stiff. I have a 28 - 75, and tried out five new ones that were all stiff. I ended up buying a used one that is wonderful. You can not lubricate the zoom ring. I've heard some people say that it takes a while to break them in. I don't believe that. You shouldn't have to break a lens in to loosen it up. Some are amazingly stiff while a minority are fine. I've noticed the same thing with the loudness. Some are louder than others. I would take it to Ritz and have them let you check out every one of those 70 - 300's to see if there are any that aren't so stiff and noisy. A third party lens is always a gamble. When shopping third-party. I tend to shy away from Tamron and go for sigma (which also has its own quality control problems). You could probably return it, if they don't have one a little less stiff. Maybe even go down to (or call) Camera Exchange in San Antonio to see if they have a used one...or an equivalent. They actually waited patiently as I went through every Tamron on thier shelves.

[faeriegodess612]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I asked about lubing it because I did a search on Google, and came up with other photography forums that mentioned what you could lube them with. Mainly for bringing old film lenses back to life, but eh. Then I searched reviews for this lens. ( Something I should have done I guess before impulse buying mine, as B&H had it for $60 less than I bought it for. I got excited,..we've all been there. ) Found a review of it, that compared it to the Canon, Nikon, and Sigma equiv. From the review I was informed as well, that the noise is just part of the lens. And I've already noticed the issue with the focusing. I was playing with it in on my bed the other night, with just the light from the bedside lamp, trying to take a Macro of the cat's foot who was laying at the opposite corner. The auto focus would bring it into focus, then keep going. It was kinda like,..No wait, stop! You had it! Damn it lens, behave!

Also read that the stiffness is a good thing. I have 10 days to take it back. I've had it for 5. ( I got it Saturday.) Which I just may do,..because even though I did try the lens before I bought it, it was the display lens. The other guy in the store said that they had just put it out a few days beforehand. They didnt have any more in stock. They might by now though,...and if they have the Sigma, I may look at it instead. The issues that it has, are not really that big a concern. That's what manual focus and all that jazz is for. But still, I may just return this one, and buy one from B&H.