Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 DI IF VC USD (1 Viewer)

[Weekend Birder]

A longer range comparison involving considerable cropping would be good Roy.

Very difficult to see differences in lens quality at such close range.

Any chance of that Hor Kee?

 

[chris129]

I am the greatest fan of the 400/5.6 but it could not do better than the shot in the link I posted earlier HERE IMHO and this was taken at the full 600mm

Roy, Don't you think that the Japanese Robin is a little too good? NO EXIF Data in the image that I could find. Beautiful bird BTW. I don't think there is anyway that the Tamron 150-600 is going to beat the 400 5.6 IQ. Even if you cropped (67%) the 400 5.6 image to match the Tamron at 600 I wouldn't expect the Tamron to be better. Equal maybe, but not better. I would be happy if the Tamron was competitive with the Canon with a 1.4 TC at F8. A 400L Canon prime has better IQ than a zoom. I have the 400 5.6 and I am waiting like a lot of people to find out if the extra weight of the Tamron is worth having zoom and IS.

 

[Hor Kee]

Roy, Don't you think that the Japanese Robin is a little too good? NO EXIF Data in the image that I could find. Beautiful bird BTW. I don't think there is anyway that the Tamron 150-600 is going to beat the 400 5.6 IQ. Even if you cropped (67%) the 400 5.6 image to match the Tamron at 600 I wouldn't expect the Tamron to be better. Equal maybe, but not better. I would be happy if the Tamron was competitive with the Canon with a 1.4 TC at F8. A 400L Canon prime has better IQ than a zoom. I have the 400 5.6 and I am waiting like a lot of people to find out if the extra weight of the Tamron is worth having zoom and IS.

The Tammy can give great results when used on a tripod like that. But I have the 400mm for that work already and need the Tammy for hand held work. Unfortunately at least to my eyes the Tammy fell short there. Perhaps the copy I had was not well calibrated.

 

[chris129]

The Tammy can give great results when used on a tripod like that. But I have the 400mm for that work already and need the Tammy for hand held work. Unfortunately at least to my eyes the Tammy fell short there. Perhaps the copy I had was not well calibrated.

I missed the caption at the bottom. The 1d Mk IV doesn't hurt either. I guess the question is which lens you end up using. If the extra weight trumps the zoom and IS and makes you leave it at home then I guess you sell it. The only way to find out is to buy it.

 

[Hor Kee]

My advice would be to rent or borrow the Tammy to see whether it really suits one's needs and photographic standards or otherwise. It did not do well in my particular needs (good results from exclusive hand-held work especially in the poor light of the rainforest) but may work better for others that it did for me.

 

[chris129]

I emailed Tamron USA asking when and they replied saying that they were regularly shipping the lens to their dealers and that there were some delays due to demand.

 

[fogboundturtle]

I prefer the name Tamzooka. I have an 100-400L and a 5D3. I will acquire the Tamron and do some comparison shot in the coming weeks.

 

[wildambience]

Field tests & sample images

I posted some notes on my experience using this lens a week or so ago -

http://www.andersonstockphotos.com/blog/tamron-150-600mm-lens-field-test/

Also, I've just added some additional notes & images on a separate article -

http://www.andersonstockphotos.com/...f5-6-3-telephoto-zoom-lens-additional-images/

 

[GraemeS]

Many thanks Marc. I'm really tempted by this lens.
Your comments seem to back up what Hor Kee said, and I too will be largely in rain forests often with low light.
But I think the reach of this, the potential for great pics in good light, my willingness to use even ISO3200 on my 7D (I'm no pro), along with my expectation of moving to a better camera in the next few years have led me to give this a try.

I currently use a 70-300L, having sold my 400L because I like the framing options of a zoom. 150-600 seems like a great complement in my situation.

 

[Pasquier]

Thanks for posting, Marc.

Looks like an overall good buy.

 

[Paul - Herts]

I am edging towards buying this lens now though still holding back as not all my concerns have been answered. Given that my current combination is a 300 f4 with a tc added for extra length, I have nearly convinced myself that the Tamron has got to be sharper than cropping the combo, though finding actual evidence isn't easy! Looking on the net, when shot at 400mm, the Tamron seems to be just as sharp which would mean that I have the tc without taking the lens off and could zoom in and out for composition.

At 600mm I have seen some nice shots in good light, though they do lack detail they have had nice bokeh and I can't see that the Canon 300/tc combo is delivering more detail anyway and with the tc the difference in minimum aperture is less than half a stop - I tend to shoot at f7.1 or 8 anyway if I can so stopping down on the Tamron would be the same.

Pros:
Versatility of zoom
Increased focal length

Cons:
Reduced MFD
Increased weight
AF not as good
Reduced contrast
Overall sharpness?? Really not sure how the Tamron would compare to my 300 f4 at the same length

The other alternatives are the 100-400 L and the 400 f5.6 L. Never fancied the former, don't know exactly why but not managed to convince myself that there is a gain from the 300/tc other than zooming down! As for the 400 prime that's a definite yes! Except it doesn't zoom :C

I don't do BIF very often, except try for Barn Owls which I could keep the 300/tc for. And to be honest I could get away with the 400 prime for this too but would the 400 with tc do instead of the Tamron for longer reach? With the 70D live view being so snappy for AF then stationary subjects wouldn't be an issue, but no zoom for composition.

Sorry, lots of ramblings.

Any thoughts/links for more 400 and tc examples?

Quick edit: any thoughts on the 400f 5.6 and tc for BIF and planes or am I being fanciful? Going to do some airshows this year and that is one of the things I am considering the Tamron for

 

[GraemeS]

And to be honest I could get away with the 400 prime for this too but would the 400 with tc do instead of the Tamron for longer reach? With the 70D live view being so snappy for AF then stationary subjects wouldn't be an issue, but no zoom for composition.
?

If you're using the 70D, would you be able to autofocus with tc on the 400? Personally, the only bird I've successfully manual focused for was an owl, losing snappy focus just takes all the joy out of bird photography for me.

 

[Paul - Herts]

Live view only Graeme with a reporting tc. It's fast on the 70D - switch on live view it snaps in to focus in average to good light, much slower at sunset when it hunts when aiming at the horizon. For slow targets not a problem - I haven't tried it for bif as I have to hold the screen at arm's length to get my eyes to focus. Using the optical viewfinder is definitely easier.

OK scotch bif with liveview - what about non-reporting lenses (sorry meant tc here)? Would the AF on the Tamron be better than this anyway?

 

[wildambience]

I've been using the Tamron for about a week now & taken it out on several birding/photography field trips. One thing I have been particularly impressed by (and surprised by) is the autofocus. I have previously used the Canon 300mm f4 & 1.4x combo & I would say the Tamron is faster & more accurate.

This Canon 300mm f4/1.4x combo is definitely a bit sharper at the same focal length, but at 420mm+ the Tamron can produce images which I think are much better than cropping and enlarging the Canon combo.

Here's an example of an image taken in a shady rainforest & 100% crop:

Black-faced Monarch, Royal National Park, NSW, Australia

Canon 5DIII/ Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 @600mm
ISO 2000
f7.1 & 1/160s
No editing except default Adobe Camera Raw sharpening on full size 22mp image & slight increase in exposure and saturation.

Note: You can see some jpg artifacts in the feather details on the 100% crop.

You can download the full size 5760 x 3840px jpg on my blog page - http://www.andersonstockphotos.com/blog/tamron-150-600mm-lens-field-test/

 

[GraemeS]

Live view focussing means you'd be limited to tripod only (or at least I would). Personally that would be a stopper for me also, but that's my preference (ie why choose an option with such a severe limitation).
The Tamron may also limit handholding, but not actually prevent it in good light.
Just voicing my thoughts.

 

[Paul - Herts]

Thanks for the reply and info Marc. I had read the review on your blog but I think because you are using a 5D I hadn't taken in that you have also used the 300 f4/tc combo - I have been ignoring the full frame images due to the reported quality differences between them and crop sensors and therefore want to keep my feet firmly on the ground but comparisons lens for lens are vital.

Just like to say I like the look of your website too. A lot of people choose a white text on black background for blogs and this helps image impact - but I find it so hard to read the text. Yours is well laid out with subtle, natural colours and it's very effective. Loved the images too - must be nice to live somewhere sunny!

 

[Hor Kee]

The 70D's dual pixel AF won't work on the Tammy, so live view focusing on the Tammy will be slow compared with other Canon lenses. Same applies for all third party lenses.

 

[Paul - Herts]

Live view focussing means you'd be limited to tripod only (or at least I would). Personally that would be a stopper for me also, but that's my preference (ie why choose an option with such a severe limitation).
The Tamron may also limit handholding, but not actually prevent it in good light.
Just voicing my thoughts.

Oh I don't know. I reckon with a sturdy enough loupe with a skull harness attached I could jam it against my face and hold the camera steady like some sort of super night-vision setup - and control the camera using thought controlled software 3

Still wouldn't be able to see the screen well enough to know if it was in focus!

Seriously though, I have found it handy when sitting in a hide to be able to zoom in and check focus but other than shooting with small lenses it is for tripods. I like to carry a monopod when I am walking and this is workable with live view but it's still not ideal

 

[Paul - Herts]

The 70D's dual pixel AF won't work on the Tammy, so live view focusing on the Tammy will be slow compared with other Canon lenses. Same applies for all third party lenses.

Why not Hor Kee?

Edit:

OK just tried a couple of old Sigma lenses that I still have.

Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO DG Macro. Bought this when I got my 350D so must be something like 7+ years old with a slow, noisy motor. Live view AF works - sort of! In live view video mode it refocuses quite quickly and smoothly as I pan slowly so not a problem. In photo live view it also works whilst panning and focusing on a closer target BUT as soon as I press the shutter button it refocuses on nothing and shows focus achieved.

Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG macro non-HSM. I can't find out what the motor on this is but, trust me, it is not fast. It has always been slow and prone to hunting and in live view it still does deliver the same standards BUT given decent light it seems to have no problems - well, no MORE problems. I would like to upgrade this lens to one with a faster motor to be honest but not a priority at the moment.

Conclusion: I haven't got one :smoke:

Anybody tried 70D live view with the Tamron 150-600mm?

 

[MiguelM]

Hello Paul, I also have the 300mm f/4 +tc combo and previously had the 400mm f/5.6.
The AF on the 300mm+tc is very slow. Without the tc is already slow compared to the 400mm prime. For what I've seen, AF on this tamron seems faster than the AF on the 300mm+tc combo

With the 400mm you will also need good light because of the lack of IS. The prime with tc will even need more light and will be harder to shoot with low speeds. So another advantage to this tamron.
I can't see this tamron needing more light to perform than the 400mm+tc combo needs...

Also from what I've seen, it looks like this tamron is sharper than the 300mm+tc combo