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Tamron SP 60-300mm focuses past infinity
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:43 pm    Post subject: Tamron SP 60-300mm focuses past infinity Reply with quote
Is this pretty common? How hard is it to fix? It's not a HUGE deal but it can be a bit of a pain. Could it be caused by a faulty Adaptall adapter or is it 100% the lens?


PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Are you using an original Adaptall mount? I've never had problems with originals before, but I've used one Chinese clone which was crap and caused this. Also, if you're using an original Tamron mount, but an adapter between that and your camera e.g. Canon->M42 M42-> Adaptall, check your adapter isn't too thin.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just checked mine (genuine AD2 for M42, M42-EOS adapter, 5D1). Lens helicoid turns slightly past the infinity mark; when infinity mark is aligned, focus is at infinity. (This lens was received NOS in box with case, hood & booklet)


PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm using a Nikon body with a genuine Nikon Adaptall mount.

Thanks for the info visualopsins. Guess I have to take my eye off the viewfinder and look at the marks to get proper infinity focusing. My helicoid turns past the infinity mark by about 1/4".


PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Maybe a little less than 1/4"; more than 1/8":



I keep my eye on the viewfinder to focus even infinity. I can see how the overshoot could be a problem; birding, for example, when it would be much easier to turn to the stop, or when zooming.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 11:57 am    Post subject: Re: Tamron SP 60-300mm focuses past infinity Reply with quote
Hi - it seems to be perfectly normal on this lens. This is one of the most amazing of the Superior Performance lenses given its central sharpness and macro to 1:1.55 on a 5x zoom. Let me assure you that the little extra room beyond the infinity mark is very helpful if you take the lens to a very hot place, reminiscent of the same thing with the big mirror lenses. There's a lot of metal and glass (11/15) in the lens and I can only assume that this extra 1/4 inch of travel is to accommodate heat expansion. I noticed that when I took my kit to North Africa, the lens made infinity beyond the indicated mark when the temperature was greater than 34 degrees C, so I was grateful for the extra travel. My Zeiss 300 f4 couldn't quite make infinity at that temperature and, unfortunately, nor could my other Tamron SP the 300 2.8 107B.

As there's virtually no creep in zoom or focus on the 60-300, holding at infinity is not very difficult - and finding it is easy if you have a bright viewfinder. Not so sure though how easy focusing would be on some of the more compact DSLRs with their small viewfinders. I just took delivery today of my third 60-300 and they all show the infinity+ characteristic.

I use them on my Contaxes (Adaptall 2 MM mount) and also on my Olympus E-3 where this is a 120-600 ( Shocked ) with an astonishing macro - and being cropped, the slightly soft edge definition wide open is never an issue... I would imagine this would also be the case with any non-full frame DSLRs. I'd urge anyone with a decent DSLR (or any SLR courtesy of the Adaptall II mounts) to grab one if you can find one.

Great fun.


HaoleBuilt wrote:
Is this pretty common? How hard is it to fix? It's not a HUGE deal but it can be a bit of a pain. Could it be caused by a faulty Adaptall adapter or is it 100% the lens?


PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My only niggle with this lens is the CA wide open. Stop down to f8 though and this lens is incredible Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What Biggles said. Cool I own two 60-300s now that I bought used within the past year, and used to own one that I bought new back in about 1986. This is a very nice zoom. I used to use mine a lot in hot weather conditions (air shows and auto races in the California desert) and was thankful for the bit of reach beyond infinity.

I haven't found CA to be much of an issue with my 60-300s, although I'm seldom shooting with them wide open. I recently tested its macro capabilities against a few macro lenses I own -- the legendary Vivitar (Kiron) 100/2.5, Tamron 90/2.5 and Nikkor non-AI 55/3.5. Its corner sharpness wasn't nearly as good as the macros -- no surprise there -- but its center sharpness was just as good. I was really surprised about that.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:18 am    Post subject: Re: Tamron SP 60-300mm focuses past infinity Reply with quote
biggles3 wrote:
...there's virtually no creep in zoom or focus on the 60-300...
This is an exceptionally faulty statement.

My copy exhibits properties of looseness in both zoom and focus actions,
the like of which I've never seen before. The lens is in excellent physical
and optical condition, but it's the loosest lens I have, even as compared to
the notoriously sloppy Canon 28-135 IS USM. When face-down on a table,
if I pick the lens up by the mount, the barrel will fully extend on its own weight.
Focus action is also as loose, making a simple brush of clothing against it
a tremendous difference in focus.

My copy may simply be a well-used but cared-for lens, but there is no
mistaking that this lens is the absolute loosest-action zoom lens that I own.
I have to be especially careful when handling it, so that the weight
of it won't go crashing its mechanisms against one another.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 6:17 am    Post subject: Re: Tamron SP 60-300mm focuses past infinity Reply with quote
SkedAddled wrote:
My copy may simply be a well-used but cared-for lens, but there is no mistaking that this lens is the absolute loosest-action zoom lens that I own. I have to be especially careful when handling it, so that the weight of it won't go crashing its mechanisms against one another.


So you're copy is bad. I've owned two and both were well used and solid with regards to zoom creep.

Last edited by JohnBee on Tue Jul 27, 2010 7:55 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Have to agree with Johnbee here. My 60-300s are, if anything, the tightest push-pull zooms I've ever owned. I'm pretty sure there is an internal adjustment that can be made to tighten it up, although I'll admit it's been many years since I've had one apart (had to re-attach an inner ring that came loose on the first one I owned).

You might want to drop in over at the classic camera repair forum over at kyphoto and ask the folks there about adjustment. There's some knowledgeable folks who hang out there.

http://www.kyphoto.com/cgi-bin/forum/discus.cgi
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