Tamrons 30A and 60B: Grackles and Doves

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Today, I took my Tamron 30A -- SP 80-200 f/2.8 LD -- out to take some pics of birds that hang around the neighborhood -- mostly grackles and doves -- and when I was out there taking pics, the FedEx guy delivered my new old 60B -- a 300mm f/2.8 LD IF. So I unpacked it in a hurry and switched over immediately to the 300mm.

So anyway, I have some shots to show you from both lenses, but the most by far are from the 300mm. I'll start off with the 30A's shots. Incidentally, I did not use Live View with any of the following shots. Just my XS's (1000D) squinty viewfinder. Guess I'm finally getting used to it. Still hate it though. Cool

I dumped about a pint of dog food into the dog's bowl -- the birds really go for it, plus he and they had already eaten the allotment he received this morning. Grabbed a lawn chair, the camera and a tripod, and set up in my front yard, about 20 meters or so away from the food and water and sat down to wait.

It didn't take long. But while I was waiting I fired off a few at some of our roses that are not looking so great anymore. Here's one with a crop.

And soon the birds started coming around. A grackle:

And a 100% crop of him:

And a dove. I really like these doves with the blue mascara. I just missed focus on him, though. 100% crop.

Then the FedEx guy came with a Big Present.

Cool, even came with a Nikon mount already attached, so all I had to do was swap out the Nikon to EOS adapter from the 80-200 to the 300, and . . .

Whoa! Wide open is fun!

I stopped the lens down to f/5.6 or so for the remaining images because I didn't want to have to use live view, which is necessary for focusing accuracy with my camera at f-stops faster than about f/4.

Grackle up in one of our oak trees.

100% crop

Some doves made their appearance.

With a grackle overseeing their activities.

The 60B is probably not even KEH BGN condition, compared to my 30A, which was (it's much nicer looking than the 60B). It's body looks a little rough in spots, the hood has some marks and some nitwit used silicone sealer to glue the hood's outside rubber ring in place. And there is some fungus on the inside of the front element, but it isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. The sellers really managed to exaggerate that issue.

And I love the way both of these lenses hold resolution when I zoom in to 100%. Of course, I'm not showing you all the shots where I missed focus, but you know what? Back in the days when I was shooting several rolls of slides a week, I usually always had a pretty good pile of rejects after sorting through them because I'd missed focus. So I guess it's about par for the course. I just need to get out and shoot more is all.

RioRico · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 4:41 am Post subject:

Awesome 60B!! May I ask the price?

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Sure. It was an eBay auction. Opening bid was $499, and the auction ran for a week. It went without bids until about 10 seconds before auction close, when I placed my bid. And I was the only bidder.

This was the auction:
Click here to see on Ebay

I think the reason why people were scared off from bidding on the lens is that the seller really exaggerated the level of fungus the lens has. The photos on eBay make it look much worse than it actually is. I would rate the amount of fungus really as negligible, although one of these days I will remove the front element and get rid of it.

I've been hoping that somebody would list a 60B for cheap on eBay so that I might have a chance to pick it up. This was really a dream come true. I used to own one back in the early 90s and have been wanting to replace it for years.

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

Michael, welcome to the 60B club. I suppose the 2x and 1.4x tele converters are also on the shopping list? I must take mine out again soon, scored mine from Adorwin/Adorama a bit over a year ago.

pat donnelly · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:57 am Post subject:

Bargain!

Great performer, too. Laughing

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I eat my words of warning on the Tamron, what a nice lens and samples!

kryss · Expire: 2017-09-18

Nice find & shots Michael.Why is it when I own over 100 lenses there always seems to be one I don't have which creates an irresistible urge to buy.is this normal??

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

Cool bird shots. I've never heard of a Grackle.

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

Yes, great shots all round.

I understand that we have the term "grockle" in certain UK dialects, as a colloquial term for a seagull (and hence, from that, a tourist!).

kryss · Expire: 2017-09-18

Fastest/slowest 300 I own Canon Fd 300 F 5.6,Tamron 60-300 23A and seeing as I predominantly shoot Macro I don't really need the 60b but it looks sooo! nice(lascivious dribbling) which is best the green one or the black model? I flew Vulcan Bombers for 9years in the Royal Air Force Bomber Command before emigrating to Canada and your shots of aircraft are superb.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Wow, thanks much, Kryss. Coming from you I consider that to be a real compliment. I got hooked on air shows back in the mid-80s and attended every one I could manage to fit into my schedule for years. So I have many slides from all these shows, as a result. Sort of got away from the scene during the 90s because of other obligations that occupied a lot of my time. Then I moved to Houston and they only have one air show a year around here -- way different from California, where I could usually attend four or five a year. And I haven't attended but a few since I've moved here, sorry to say. Gotta get back into the habit.

BTW, I used to own the Tamron 60-300 23A back in the day, and used it with a lot of air shows I attended before I bought the 60B. Once I got the 60B, I wasn't using the 23A much anymore.

According to the write up over at adaptall-2.org, the black one is supposed to be slightly better than the green one. Also Tamron made the black one in AF mounts as well. Both of them come up for sale on eBay occasionally but the ones I've seen had expensive BINs.

Martin and Martyn, grackles are common in eastern North America. Basically east of the Rocky Mountains. See the habitat chart here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Grackle

Around where I live, they are more common than mockingbirds and blue jays. So are doves, far as that goes.

kryss · Expire: 2017-09-18

Hi Michael just visited your blog(nice) and seeing as I do a lot of cooking I will definitely be trying the Gumbo,I was salivating just looking at the photos and you are fortunate to have a wife who is a chef,my ex was always wanting me to take her somewhere she hadn't been before-------So I took her in the Kitchen.I have a friend who hunts so I usually have a freezer full of Moose ,Deer,Goose,Partridge etc.which I slow cook for about 10 hrs--deeliscious.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Sounds fantastic, Kriss. If I ever make it up your way, I'll expect to get a sample of some real game.

My wife can cook darn near anything. I just like to watch her and learn. I enjoy cooking as well, but unfortunately it doesn't work having us both in the kitchen, wielding utensils. So when she's cooking, I'm an observer only. And when I'm cooking I'd just as soon as she took a trip to the mall or something. Cool

Thanks also about reminding me about my blog. I haven't written anything in it since -- I dunno -- April? Way too long. No excuses, either. There are dozens of subjects I could write about.