"Side-by-sides"

[seanhoxx]

From what I see my plan is to be a Tamron man for years to come, with any luck. The AF 17-50 as I have said is awesome, and as far as the 70-300 you can't beat the price for what you get. like sparkie said I don't know if the lens is working up to specs or not but I like it. Look forward to hearing about the 200-500mm and some sample shots. I am torn between waiting for the 70-200 2.8, or getting the "big gun" now to play with, advice and suggestions always welcome!

[DonSchap]

The simple answer is ... BOTH, of course.

But, since you already have the 70-300 range pretty well covered (outdoors, at least) ... I'd go for the BIG outdoors or stay at home (indoors with the 70-200 f/2.8) .

[seanhoxx]

As I justed posted in another posting on here I am going to order the 200-500mm Tamron. Looks like fun to me, I have a sunpak brand monopod that i have had and used fine with my Sony mini-cam video over the last few years. I even had it on the A700 with both the 17-50 and the 70-300 on the camera, seemed stable enough, but I am just wondering how that will work with the 200-500, should i be looking at a larger heavier monopod, advice please?

[DonSchap]

I use a pretty sturdy Manfrotto monopod, with a tripod foot, that tucks up inside of it. It is akin to an aluminum basebat!



So, yeah ... self-protection guaranteed. LOL

In fact, I was walking all around the zoo, yesterday, with it. I usually have it tucked on the side of my camera/lens backpack ... but, I was using it so often, I just carried it. I might just buy a clip to securely "snap" it alongside. I use a grip-ball head on it, also. Total flexibility, for just about any kind of shot. It has the quick-release on the top, so taking the camera off and on is a snap.