ProMaster Lens Good Quality??

[Gators300]

I went to the camera store today and looked for a 75-300 telephoto. I saw the Canon one with IS and a Promaster one for half the price. I took some pics with both, but they were indoor, and the quality seemed nearly identical. If anyne know how this particular lens handles overall, especially outside, I could really use the help. If the difference isn't that great, then I think I could use the extra $200 for other accessories. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Chris

[blinking8s]

do you have the pictures to show?

[CanonUser]

ProMaster lens are rebadged Sigmas or Tokinas, usually a generation behind the current version. I believe the 75-300 is a Tokina lens. Check the physical images and optical grouping of both lens to match them up, then read the Tokina (or Sigma) review.

Regards,

[Gators300]

I don't have the pics anymore, but I can't seem to find the equivalent lens you all are talking about. Does anyone own a ProMaster lens or should I just dish out the extra cash for the Canon lens? How about a 75-300 Sigma lens? Are they good?

Chris

[mdude85]

All lenses from all companies are hit and miss -- this is to say that some lens models are good and some are bad. There are certainly worthwhile Promaster lenses and cruddy Promaster lenses.

I believe Promaster lenses are also marketed under the Vivitar name. I have one Vivitar 1 Series Lens (equivalent to the L series from Canon) that I am really smitten with ... I believe it is sharper than the 50 mm 1.8 even at high aperture. It is the 19-35mm and satisfies my wide angle needs at an affordable cost. I posted a small test several weeks ago at the FredMiranda forums and may consider reposting another one here when I get the time. In any event, the performance of the 19-35 is no indicator of the performance of the telephoto lenses from this company or any other company that shares its parts. I think you should do some tests with both the lenses to determine which one you like better. My point is from personal experience is not to discount third party brands like Promaster, Cosina, and even more well known ones like Tokina, Tamron, or Sigma ... they make very excellent gems that stack up quite nicely with the best from Canon L, if you know what you're looking for.

[CyberDyneSystems]

In a word .. no.

I doubt "Promaster" are Sigma or Tokina.. more likely Cosina, Vivitar and Pheonix.

[Bainsworth]

Promaster lenses are made by a variety of manufacturers Tamron, Sigma, Tokina are all in the mix the Pro lenses are not a generation behind the prices savings is generated by no manufacturer or vendor having to pay to advertise & sell the lenses (usually better than 20% of the lens cost) The benefit is saving to you. The other great thing about Promaster lenses is they have lifetime warranties.

[gkarris]

I was able to take a peek at a salesperson looking at the ProMaster website for dealers and I saw that a $200 MSRP lens costs them $50... :eek:

[Mark1]

I believe Promaster lenses are also marketed under the Vivitar name. I have one Vivitar 1 Series Lens (equivalent to the L series from Canon)


I thought the Series 1 were their budget lens. I had one and was glad to get rid of it.

[tkbslc]

Back from the dead - just in time for halloween!!

[fr0natz]

I did a review of the Promaster (tamron) 17-50 f2.8 in comparison to the 50 f1.8 prime. Im very happy with it for the $300 I paid.

[joooowan]

i just pulled up this 17-50 from promaster, looks identical to tamron

http://www.promaster.com/products/products.asp?product=AF1750XREDO

[Sam|McGuire]

I have one Vivitar 1 Series Lens (equivalent to the L series from Canon)
I think the red ring is the only similarity between the two.

[nureality]

I thought the Series 1 were their budget lens. I had one and was glad to get rid of it.

Vivitar Series 1 of the 70's = good stuff, Vivitar Series 1 AF stuff = garbage, Vivitar Series 1 New stuff - 7mm f/3.5, 85mm f/1.4 = good, Vivitar Series 1 Mirror lenses = mirror lenses... i.e. junk.

The Promasters (GOD, that name is a misnomer) are generally Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina (news to me) rebadges and you can pretty much tell immediately which it is, because the lens design/barrel/finish is the same as the original. The ProMaster brand is kind of a house brand of Wolf Camera/Ritz Camera. With Ritz closing down so many stores 6 months ago, I thought we'd seen the last of ProMaster, but it seems it won't die just yet.

The difference between a ProMaster 75-300 and a Canon 70-300 IS is quite a bit, if the price difference is $200 only, its a bargain to get the Canon, and that particular ProMaster is overpriced. The 70-300IS is like a $600 lens, the ProMaster should be $200.

[craig_xB]

Anyone know who makes the Promaster flash units?
I have one, works great, just curious.

[gasrocks]

I tell all of my students not to buy anything that says Promaster on it.

[jr_senator]

Vivitar Series 1 of the 70's = good stuff
You ain't a kidding. The 90mm f/2.5 macro was made by Schneider and had better contrast and resolution than anything Canon or Nikon had. It was also the first macro to have correction elements (3) in the extender to bring the lens from half-lifesize to lifesize. According to a Popular Photography review, it resolved, at lifesize, 90 lines a mm. Now that is 90 lines in the center and the edges.

[Bainsworth]

Promaster has never been sold by Ritz and Wolf their house brand is Quantaray, Promaster has their own factory in China for flashes (They don't own the Factory but they are the sole customer)

[Bainsworth]

I tell all of my students not to buy anything that says Promaster on it.
We to have a local instructor that steers students away from Promaster due to a bad experience with a lens 20 years ago and they are often surprised they've been encouraged to spend more on the same or similar products. Have you seen the award winning Binoculars & Tripods or used the Memory with a lifetime warranty and free image recovery. It's also notable that out of the 1250 items Promaster offers only 7 are lenses

[Mark1]

I have a ProMaster TTL cord. Works perfectly and has no sign of wear at all.... well other than stuff the is my fault. I would buy it again if needed.

[jr_senator]

...out of the 1250 items Promaster offers only 7 are lenses
It's more than 7, check their web site. I counted 15. But that is neither here nor there. Staying on subject, ProMaster lenses, have you ever seen a professional (as in makes his or her living from photography) using ProMaster? Now the Sigma fans tell me Sigma's lenses are seen all up and down the sidelines and in the hands of a PJ in a war zone. Yeah, right. But if that's the case, and considering all the Canon and Nikon lenses there (the brands everyone can ID), where does ProMaster fit? I do believe that if ProMaster lenses were even somewhat close to the big boys that we would see reviews from Rockwell, Steve's, etc. championing the great value ProMaster lenses are. If I had students, I would advise getting the same brand lenses (please, no comeback like, "Well why not the name brand filters and memory") as the camera, with very few exceptions and ProMaster is not one of them.

[Bainsworth]

My point was missed... Promaster doesn't cater to your lens needs they make consumer lenses and I've never seen the ad from Promaster to replace your L Lens with a Promaster lens, Looking at your inventory of lenses and some of the previous posters you've bought some very high quality glass.
If I we're teaching a class to students who we have to assume aren't all going to stay with photography certainly their not all going to make their livings on pictures why would a responsible instructor encourage the most expensive lens option. I think I'd suggest a number of options like Promaster, Quantaray, Tokina etc...
My second point was Promaster has way more than lenses, I don't currently have a Promaster lens in my bag (there all L) but if I were to count items in my arsenal the Pro logo would still dominate.

[craig_xB]

I have a Promaster bag, it's a rebranded Lowepro, excellent bag.
Also have a very nice tripod and ballhead, and a monopod, all very nice. The best available, no, probably not, but still quite nice.

I've never had one of their lenses, but my local camera shop, carried them and he said they were very nice for the money. I'm pretty sure they used one on their studio camera with very good results.

[shooter mcgavin]

I have owned a Tokina 17-50 and have used the promaster 17-50...I'm pretty sure they're made in the same factory with different badges stamped on.

have you ever seen a professional (as in makes his or her living from photography) using ProMaster?

No, but I haven't seen many using a Tamron 17-50 either. And if they did, why would someone who is trying to make money spend more for an "identical" item? Probably because not as many have heard of Promaster. I wouldn't be surprised to see a pro using that lens any more than I would to see them using the Tamron version.

[jdang307]

It's more than 7, check their web site. I counted 15. But that is neither here nor there. Staying on subject, ProMaster lenses, have you ever seen a professional (as in makes his or her living from photography) using ProMaster? Now the Sigma fans tell me Sigma's lenses are seen all up and down the sidelines and in the hands of a PJ in a war zone. Yeah, right. But if that's the case, and considering all the Canon and Nikon lenses there (the brands everyone can ID), where does ProMaster fit? I do believe that if ProMaster lenses were even somewhat close to the big boys that we would see reviews from Rockwell, Steve's, etc. championing the great value ProMaster lenses are. If I had students, I would advise getting the same brand lenses (please, no comeback like, "Well why not the name brand filters and memory") as the camera, with very few exceptions and ProMaster is not one of them.

I don't know, is Ed Rader a professional? I only ask because while researching the promaster, I found another thread and read this:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=4187093&postcount=37

Maybe it's not his? I dunno, I've never seen a photographer lay their camera down on the concrete like that either, but what do I know. Fact of the matter is, Promaster doesn't make their own lenses, so look to the underlying lens maker, then ask if that particular lens is good or not. For example, the promaster 17-50mm. Read reviews on the Tamron 17-50mm. That's it.

[jr_senator]

That would not necessarily work well. Voigtlander and Zeiss are both made by Conisa, but I doubt the quality is the same.

[Dhindo]

Heres my most recent purchase fromebay..Promaster 19-35mm,not bad..for what i paid for,its worth it..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14195711@N08/4425961549/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14195711@N08/4425975373/?eOrig=4425973321

[Tee Why]

I think this is the ProMaster lens in question.
http://www.promaster.com/products/products.asp?product=AF70300EDO

If so, it's a rebadged Tamron, I think this model.
http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/70300_di_a017.asp

IIRC from the reviews, the Tamron 70-300mm has better optics than that of the Canon 75-300mm series (arguably one of the worst lens Canon makes)

Here is a list of Pro Master AF lenses. Most seem like rebadged Tamron's and some look like rebadged Vivitars, which IIRC is made by Cosina which makes cameras and various level of lenses for various other makers.
http://www.promaster.com/products/products.asp?CatID=230&SubCatID=2&sm=sm2_2302

Tamron's optics are pretty good in my book but each lens is different and wouldn't make any blanket statements.

[Mike Deep]

Date on the OP:
6th of November 2004
(emphasis mine)

[jr_senator]

Doesn't really matter, does it? The conversation (posts, replies) are being kept up to date.

[Persephone]

Now the Sigma fans tell me Sigma's lenses are seen all up and down the sidelines and in the hands of a PJ in a war zone. Yeah, right. But if that's the case, and considering all the Canon and Nikon lenses there (the brands everyone can ID), where does ProMaster fit?

The people who don't want to spend thousands on equipment because they don't make money off of it?

A few people I know prefer to be more subtle and hate the white color of the Canon lens. Those are the people who will be shooting with third party lenses. I believe war photographers used to tape up their silver cameras back in the film days to not stand out. Again, if you use a telephoto in a war zone, a white Canon lens is a liability.

My friend uses a Sigma 50-500mm for baseball. A sort of all-in-one. Canon doesn't have that kind of zoom lens. Neither does Nikon.

Granted, when I was shooting a basketball tournament yesterday, all the top pros had the brand name and professional equipment, and the college newspaper photographers had the Sigma equipment.

[jr_senator]

The people who don't want to spend thousands on equipment because they don't make money off of it?

A few people I know prefer to be more subtle and hate the white color of the Canon lens. Those are the people who will be shooting with third party lenses. I believe war photographers used to tape up their silver cameras back in the film days to not stand out. Again, if you use a telephoto in a war zone, a white Canon lens is a liability.

My friend uses a Sigma 50-500mm for baseball. A sort of all-in-one. Canon doesn't have that kind of zoom lens. Neither does Nikon.

Granted, when I was shooting a basketball tournament yesterday, all the top pros had the brand name and professional equipment, and the college newspaper photographers had the Sigma equipment.

All of your points are valid, for your "friend" and "...people who don't want to spend thousands on equipment...". I was referring to professionals. I doubt a PJ would carry a large and heavy tele into an active war zone anyway, even a black one. Many under those conditions many use a Leica "M" rangefinder. As for the lenses Sigma and others make that Canon or Nikon don't (like the "Big Mama") I understand completely. Canon's 20mm (and Sigma's) stink, so I have a 3rd party lens myself.

[heez10]

Back to the Promaster 70-300. I loke mine! Use it for backyard bird photos!!!

[RPCrowe]

Actually the 75-300mm Canon is a pretty darn poor lens also! The 70-300mm (several varieties) are far better.

The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 VC is also said to be a good medium priced lens...