Tamron 2.8, 70-200mm Does anyone use this lens?

[Woodymite]

Hi, I am in the market for a 70 -200mm lens. I use a Canon 40D. The Canon lens is too expensive for my budget and reviews are not too kind to the sigma and tamron lenses, which leave me in a corner, does anyone have a tamron or sigma and if so, what are your experiences with these lenses?
Thanks.

[Henry Wilt]

I looked at this for quite a while before buying the Sigma last Saturday, so far I am delighted although it is obviously very early to say. I tried them both in the shops and the reason I ended up choosing the Sigma was for the AF. I am a complete novice but even I noticed how much slower the Tamron was in focusing and as I want to use it for sports I decided that that could be a problem for me.
I checked out some of the images posted on this forum Lens Sample Photo Archive - Canon Digital Photography Forums so I could compare results between the 2 lenses, I would suggest you have a look too.
I kept reading negative posts regarding both lenses as well, but as other people have said in different threads, people are more likely to post if they are unhappy than if they are happy.
One final thought, if you don't need the f/2.8, why don't you have a look at the Canon f/4 version? It is around the same price (at least it is in Thailand) and is lighter to carry and of course it is a Canon lens so your quality issues should go out of the window.

Sorry if I've rambled on but I hope this might help some. Good luck with your choice.

[Woodymite]

Hi Henry, thanks for your thoughts, it's always good to get another persons viewpoint, I like your idea of looking at the Canon F4 lens, it could be an alternative for sure. thanks again for your reply, I appreciate it.