Evaluation:  
Conclusion: Light weight, good price, sharp at F/7.1, slow autofocus, slow max aperture
Review: See Nov 2008 Updates below for comparison between this lens and my new Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS
Pros:
Relatively light
Great bang for the buck
Pretty sharp at F/7.1 @ 500mm
Small size when zoomed to 200mm
Nice tripod mount that allows you to rotate the camera and lens
Cons:
Slow autofocus
No Image Stabilization
Cheap plastic build and feel
Slow max aperture especially at 500mm
Works best at long zoom settings on a tripod
Not as sharp as my Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS Zoom lens
I wanted more reach to photograph birds and the moon using my Canon 40D so I borrowed this lens for a few weeks from a friend while he borrows my Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L.
The first things you notice are it's pretty light and long especially when extended to 500mm with an even longer hood attached out past that. The hood seemed a little flimsy but attached firmly and stayed in place throughout shooting so I have no complaints about it.
My first shots were of the moon at 500mm hand held on manual mode at ISO 400 1/800th second at F/7.1. I was very pleased with how sharp and what great contrast this lens produced when I got back inside and downloaded to my Mac.
When attached to my monopod or tripod I liked the built in lens tripod mount as it easily allows you to rotate the camera and lens together easily without having to change settings on your tripod. I used this lens mainly on a monopod while shooting birds and this worked really well. I mainly used the lens at 500mm where it seemed really sharp at F/7.1 but pretty sharp wide open as well. Will try some more shots at shorter ranges and post later.
Conclusion:
If you are in the market for a 500mm lens especially one that's a zoom and in this price range and you don't need the speed of a faster lens then this may be the lens for you. I recently purchased a new Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS Zoom lens and find it much more useful especially since I am not tied to a tripod because of the freedom of the Image Stablizier. If you can afford it get the Canon 100-400 if you are on a budget and you don't mind using a tripod and having images that are softer then get the Tamron.
6-29-2008 Update
Despite being a really sharp lens, and a versatile one, there area several other things that make a lens a pleasure to use.
1. Fast auto-focus, this lens doesn't have it. After awhile of trading my Canon L lens back and forth with this one there's just too much I miss especially birds in flight. With a Canon L it's a snap.
2. Fast aperture, F/4 maybe I could put up with but when you get above F/5.6 you are getting into really slow territory.
I thought about getting a Canon 400mm F/5.6 L but this may be just a little too slow. I think I will continue to save up for the Canon 300 F/2.8 L. I know it's in another league from this lens, but I just can't give up the even better quality, fast aperture and lightening fast auto-focus. I'll buy a 2x multiplier to get out there further.
11-5-2008 Update:
I just bought a new Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS Zoom lens and there is just no comparison, The Canon 100-400 just blows away the Tamron lens in all areas except for reach which is another 100mm on the Tamron. I compared my old tripod mounted test photos with the Canon 100-400 test photos using the same settings and the 100-400 is shaper has better contrast and most importantly has image stabilization which allows me to use a much slower shutter speed and still get great sharp photos. The auto focus on the Canon is also faster.
11-14-2008 Update:
It was a full moon the last two nights perfect for taking my best shot of the moon with my new Canon 100-400 F/4.5 - F/5.6 IS L lens. I wanted to compare the best moon shot I got with the Tamron 200-500mm with my new Canon lens. The moon was full and night clear and I took a hand held shot at 1/400s F/7.1 ISO 100 with the Canon 40D same camera I used with the Tamron test. I then downloaded and processed the Raw photo using the same settings I used for the best moon shot I ever got with the Tamron.
Results: The Canon 100-400 had enough resolving power and was sharp enough where I could actually zoom in enough on the moon shot taken with the Tamron 200-500mm at 500mm and it was slightly better. The shots at 400mm with the Tamron were a step down from the 400mm shot with the Canon 100-400.
The other thing I noticed after looking through the directory with all the daytime Tamron 200-500mm vs the Canon 100-400 was how many shots I got with the Canon 100-400 lens that would not be possible with the Tamron because the Tamron has no Image Stabilizer and the Tamron focused much more slowly. The Tamron is more of a tripod bird perched on a branch lens the Canon 100-400 I can actually do bird in flight photos!
Verdict:
If you are on a budget and don't mind shooting from a tripod at motionless or near motionless subjects the Tarmon 200-500 can do, but... if you have the money at all you need to get the Canon 100-400 you will be getting more shots and with more resolving power even though the Canon is 100mm shorter.
Lenses I currently own:
Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone!
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5
Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!!
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now: _Canon EF 300mm F/2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
Evaluation:
Conclusion: One great Lens
Review: I have several lenses but this is my favorite. The optics are supurb and while it may be a little slow at 500mm this is commong for most lenses cousting under $4000.
The lens has a cool feature that lets you mount a polarizer filter and attach a lens hood. You can then rotate the lens hood and filter as a complete assembly. It is almost impossible to rotate a polarizer filter in other telephoto lenses with the hood attached.
The tripod mount ring has a quick release option that is perfect if you want to hand hold the lens. The lens only weighs 2.8lbs and built very solid.
[...]
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Canon Di 200/500 Lens
Review: I had to leave a review about this lens. I began nature photography while sailing and mostly photographing birds. I was never quite close enough.I bought this for my Canon 30D. This is a really terrific lens! I had another, smaller Tameron lens and this one is noticably faster in autofocusing. I was not expecting the extra speed. I shoot mostly handheld without a trypod and have been able to get some great shots by simply resting it on something. It is fairly light weight. Be careful near water though. It was windy the other day and the weight and length of the lens almost pulled me into the ocean! Shop around and you can find the hoodcover, filter and trypod connection built in for a very good price. www.natureliteracy.com
Evaluation:
Conclusion: GREAT LENS!!
Review: I'm real impressed with this lens. I've been needing to get more reach for my wildlife photos. The Dof and Bokeh are wonderful.
I use the Tamron 200-500 with my Rebel Xt. I have very small hands, and I have NO problems hand holding this lens at all. What I do is, when it is fully extended, I just put my left hand under the end of the lens to balance, and it's as easy as that.
I only have it 3 days and I'm really enjoying it. My images are sharp!
The only thing I did was change the contrast on my camera, which had been set to HIGH, to NORMAL.....
The "sun shade" is a must in bright light, and really works well.
If I chose to mount on my tripod, I have no problems. I have a bogen-manfrotto and it's sturdy enough to hold this big lens.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: A Greate Value
Review: I bought this lens to go with my Canon 70-200/4L. Before I bought it, I did my research and narrowed down my selection to this lens and Sigma 50-500mm (Bigma). Both of them got great reviews. Compared to Sigma, this lens is lighter, cheaper, and sharper according to most reviewers. And of course, I don't really need the 50-200mm range since I already got my Canon. Sharpness is great from 200-400mm, but does become a little soft at 500mm but still is very good. At 500mm, I did need to lock down my tripod, used mirror lockup and cable release to get a good picture. With this magnification, you have to use your best skills. I also compared this lens to Canon 70-200mm, both set at 200mm. This lens is a little bit softer than Canon at center, but much sharper at the edge. According to one review, the edge is even shaper than the center, which is rare for any lens. As noted by other reviewers, the auto focus becomes slow because of its f6.3 at its long-end. And if you add a 1.4X teleconverter, you have to use manual focus on Digital Rebel. But considering you need to spend thousands of dollars to get a Canon for this range, this lens is a great value.
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