She Who Travels Fastest Travels With a Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD

Text & images By Roxanne Evans

Recently, I put the lens to the acid test while walking down the boardwalk of Crowley Nature Center in Sarasota, FL, which meanders through multiple ecosystems that showcase the real Florida before the infamous pink lawn flamingos came to town. Lighting can be rather gloomy under the heavy canopy of the trees at times. I saw this Spiny Backed Orb Weaver spider in its web and zoomed in at 270mm at f/8, ISO 400, 1/400 sec. to grab a tack sharp image of this unusual looking spider.

A bit later I left the boardwalk and stepped into the shade of a magnificent old oak draped in Spanish moss. I kept my settings of f/8, ISO 400 in the dark shade and switched to 18mm at 1/320 sec. I knew this would be my black and white image and I wanted to show the beautiful lines of the tree with the light spilling through the canopy and touching the dense vegetation in the surrounding glade. Being able to go from a tight detail shot to wide angle without a lens change means fast response and no dust on my sensor.

Crowley Nature Center is notable for their collection of wonderful historic structures from the pioneer days of Florida. I was in Tatum House, built in 1889. I walked into the heart of the house and noted the strong contrasts created by the sun spilling into the window as the only available light source. I shot this at f/6.3, ISO 1600, 18mm at 1/30 sec. Even crouched low and shooting through the barrier, the vibration compensation allowed me to create a sharp image of this scene from days gone by to take home with me.

I love nature in all forms and that includes the wonderful and sometimes exotic variety found at nearby public gardens. Since Florida is not known for waterfalls, it is exciting to find even a man-made one. I found a vantage point that I loved under the giant leaves of the philodendron with the waterfall in the background. I wanted to shoot slow enough to get the silky effect on the waterfall but also get the details of the glowing green leaves and the spill of sunlight on the ground. I shot at f/7.1, ISO 100 at 18mm, 1/10 sec. VC to the rescue again! I do love this lens!

Before leaving the gardens we visited the rare orchid room. It is a huge greenhouse with terrible light for shooting and tripods are not allowed. I found this isolated bloom and positioned myself so that there were no distracting background elements and moved in close to get a frame-filling shot. I used my camera’s on-board flash with exposure compensation set to +1/3 and set my camera’s exposure compensation to -1/3 and shot at f/8, ISO 400, 110mm at 1/60 sec. That kiss of light brought out the detail of the orchid and gave me rich color as well.

This final image was shot at a place that owns part of my heart-Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida. It is designated as a Wild and Scenic area and it abounds with dramatic landscapes, wild orchids and bromeliads, beautiful waterways, birds of every description, deer, bobcats, Florida panthers and alligators large enough to take your breath away. For me it is Paradise. This shot was taken on a cloudy, overcast day on a back trail that showcased the big sky and the curving path of the overgrown dirt access road. I normally shoot with a tripod for images like this but the 18-270 allowed for handheld at f/14, ISO 100, 18mm at 1/60 sec. I love the detail and richness of the textures and color that it gave me.

If you want a light, versatile lens that will go everywhere with you AND give you great images, then you want the Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD!

To see more images captured with this and other Tamron lenses, you can visit our site at www.dougplusrox.com, our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dougplusrox or email me at roxanne@dougplusrox.com.