What is the difference in these two lenses?

[mlevin77]

Ignoring the stuff that comes with it, is there any difference in the actual lenses:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KHHG3RL/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK&psc=1

and

https://www.amazon.com/Tamron-150-500mm-AFA057S-700-Backpack-Cleaning/dp/B0B2GBJBYW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=321YFSEK15D97&keywords=Tamron+150-500mm&qid=1688768374&sprefix=tamron+150-500mm%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5

 

   I was trying to buy the 1st one but weirdly, it says it "cannot be shipped to my location" (a suburb near a major city, never had an issue with delivery of lenses or anything else before). So I started looking for alternatives, but I can't tell if it's the same product or not?

[FunWithCameras]

Both of those links go to a long list of lenses. It would help if you linked to the individual lenses. The first hit on the second search was to a lens for a Fuji camera, and that's definitely not the same, but the search doesn't seem to be looking for that.

I get "cannot be shipped to your location" occasionally. Sometimes it's because they won't ship to a PO Box, but sometimes it's to do with not shipping to another country. In both cases it's more about the supplier of the product than about you.

My only experience with buying a lens from Amazon was not good. They put a Nikon lens into a cardboard box twice the size of the lens box, and added a token air pillow - just one. It rattled, a lot. When I opened the Nikon box, the plastic clamshell inside was badly broken - it had sacrificed itself to try to protect the lens, but had failed. Clearly the package had not travelled well!

I'd strongly suggest looking somewhere else to buy your lens - B&H or Adorama, for example - they pack lenses with more care because they are photographic specialists. Amazon don't teach packing to their employees, so I will only buy things that are immune to Amazon treatment now. Books are fairly safe!

[Monochrome]

I will second the Do Not Buy Lenses from Amazon. FunWithCamera was lucky with his "packing". The Canon TS-E (tilt/shift) lens I purchased was in a box about three times the size of Canon's boxed lens and NO packing whatsoever! The Canon box just slid and slammed into the larger box as during shipping 2 to 3 foot drops are routine.

Needless to say, I immediately tested the lens with the open source MTF Mapper software. Sure enough, the MTF showed fairly wide deviations around the optical axis and did not get even close to published tests of the lens. Back it went, this time double boxed with generous amounts of bubble wrap inside each box. I got full credit including shipping. About 30 seconds of time packing it in bubble wrap would have saved Amazon shipping costs times two.

Oh, and then when I wrote about my experience to Amazon reviews of the lens, complete with MTF plots, Amazon did not publish it.