The 'silent' auto-focus system isn't and can sometimes 'hunt' for focus occassionaly missing the subject if it is moving... The focus is soft when the picture is enlarged and unfortunately the lens isn't compatible with the Tap-in device so if there is room for improvement it can't be found. On the plus side the range is good and it is not too heavy to take for walks especially when compared with the 150-600 lens. On the bottom end i.e. 16mm rather than the typical 18mm the extra 2mm is surprisingly useful. I shall stick with it but I suggest you at least look at the sigma or similar from your camera brand before deciding. It isn't the cheapest lens or the best which is disapointing, in many ways it is a reasonable compromise but I have used tamron lenses for many years and know they can do much better.

Brought this lens a couple of months ago as I got tired switching between the 18-55 and 70-300 mens that came with my Nikon D3300; on the good side this lens does take great photos both wide angle and zoomed in so it is a good multi-purpose lens that can be carried around and used for general purpose photography.My issue with the lens is due to a lot of autofocus issues I have been having since starting using it; a lot of the photos I have taken with the lens so far have been animals at zoos I have visited and, at times, this has really confused the autfocus on the lens. Even when I have made sure that my focus point is between the links on the enclosure fences the lens still some times focusses on the fence and not the animal; I have also noted that the autofocus can hunt and take a long time to actually focus on anything, even compared to the kit lenses.I would say that this lens is great for landscapes and targets that don't move much/at all - if you need a lens for wildlife/sport then I would consider others first.