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

[Roy C]

If the Tamron is auto-focusing properly in AI Servo, you should not have to bump/pump the back button.

Agreed but it would still be interested in seeing if it helped :t:
BTW are you indicating that the Tamron does not AF properly in Servo mode?

 

[Roy C]

Speak for yourself. Many people want to get decent shots close-up of subjects by taking the focal-length to 840mm.

You may want to use a tc when shooting from a close distance, I would sooner use the bare lens myself and use the tc when I want that extra reach in the field but each to their own I guess.
The attached shots show that even with a cheap 'point and shoot' you can get reasonable shots when close up (both taken at around 1000mm (FF equiv) and hand held) - it proves nothing about how it will perform for distant birds in the field IMHO.

 

[flanken]

Wrong: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/58/922658.jpg

Like I said, based on my experience with the Sigma 50-500 OS, and most other slow zooms that I've used with a teleconverter, I was predicting that the Tamron would have similarly unexceptional teleconverter performance. If that is a 100% crop with a 1.4x TC, then the Tamron behaves very differently from the Sigma, and is very good with a teleconverter. Otherwise, if it is a downsized photo, it would be difficult to tell whether the sharpness would hold up at a 100% view.

 

[Roy C]

Funny how some people dismiss a lens without ever having used it.

Not really, I suspect most lenses are bought based on other peoples reviews, comments and images.

I have dismissed loads of lenses in the past without ever trying them based mostly on reviews and user comments. By the same token I have bought lenses based on the same criteria - always worked OK for me.

BTW I have not completely dismissed the Tammy but based on the user comments I have read thus far there are still more questions that need answering before I would jump in personally.

 

[the black fox]

likewise i have been watching this lens and reports/photos avidly roy ,and the one thing i have been able to deduce is ,that 95% of the a/f problems are coming from user error ,there has only been one that i can see that was down to (according to tamron) a faulty lens .
we have to take it as read that most of the buyers for this lens are not versed in long lens techniques etc and also are using them on the lower end cameras .as the majority of people with 5d3 and 1dx cameras will already have a big white in there camera bag .
some of the classical errors being on tripod with v.r switched on ,multi point focus in use all the time ,trying to a/f on seagulls against a grey sky at 600mm .
i think that once people get to grips with this lens its going to be a killer in the right hands and on the right body with the right technique

 

[Roy C]

likewise i have been watching this lens and reports/photos avidly roy ,and the one thing i have been able to deduce is ,that 95% of the a/f problems are coming from user error ,there has only been one that i can see that was down to (according to tamron) a faulty lens .
we have to take it as read that most of the buyers for this lens are not versed in long lens techniques etc and also are using them on the lower end cameras .as the majority of people with 5d3 and 1dx cameras will already have a big white in there camera bag .
some of the classical errors being on tripod with v.r switched on ,multi point focus in use all the time ,trying to a/f on seagulls against a grey sky at 600mm .
i think that once people get to grips with this lens its going to be a killer in the right hands and on the right body with the right technique

I agree that a lot of the users have been inexperienced with long lenses Jeff (especially a lot of the early Asian users) but I would not entirely agree with your conclusions thus far. Some of the users of the best images have seen from this lens have reported AF and possible VC problems (this includes guys who are shooting with a FF Camera). I know you liked the shots from one particular user over on POTN from comments you made but he has sent his lens back reporting AF anf VC problems!!. I would go as far as to say that it is only the good photographers who seem to have found the problem with AI Servo.

Using multiple AF points for flyers is not to be dismissed lightly IMHO - I have found on both the 7D and 5D3 that when you have a clean BG Zone AF is very effective (using the right AI servo sensitivity settings of course). Some experienced guys have reported Zone AF for flyers to be almost unusable with the Tammy!!

I have not looked at the specs of the VC but I assume that it is not tripod sensing from what you say!!!. Any Canon long lens with IS that was first produced since the year 2000 is tripod sensing according to Canon and from my own experience it is certainly beneficial to leave IS on as it helps with mirror slap and slight movements.

I remain with an open mind about this lens and wait to see what gives with this reported AF Servo problem.

 

[MiguelM]

it would be difficult to tell whether the sharpness would hold up at a 100% view.

That's very difficult for any lens. Once I had a chance to take a few pictures with Canon big whites(800mm, 600mm IS I and 500mm IS I) and many of them wouldn't hold up sharpness at 100% view.

 

[micloi]

Interesting review

http://theamazingimage.com/wildlife...n-150-600mm-super-telephoto-zoom/#prettyPhoto

 

[GYRob]

Thats a nice review and a vary close call but on the crop the detail show's quite a diffrence in the feather's around the foot but so it should cost wise it's 10 time's more .

Rob.

 

[Roy C]

Interesting review

http://theamazingimage.com/wildlife...n-150-600mm-super-telephoto-zoom/#prettyPhoto

Yep, very interesting. The f6.3 AF'ing on Canon cropper was a bit weak in as much as he did not seem to even realise that all these f6.3 lenses fool the Cameras AF system. I also wonder how much AI servo stuff he did with fast(ish) flyers. That aside it is a very positive review for sure . This guy is saying it is almost as good as his 600/4 and yet on another forum a guy said it is not up to his Sigma 120-300 OS + 2x tc!!! Does that make the Sigma far better than the Canon 600/4? - I wonder if there are big copy variations around?
For me the biggest plus is the weight,if I could be convinced that it is as good as this reviewer found I will certainly be in the market for one. Could give the likes of Canon an Nikon a wake-up call.

 

[njlarsen]

Yes. I will definitely sell my Canon 100-400mm L IS and buy a Tamron 150-600mm. It’s has more reach for wildlife that’s small and/or distant, and as a wildlife shooter, that is far and away my biggest concern.

Pretty interesting words from that review

Niels

 

[capdegat]

Definitely a weight thing for me as i have problems with my scope and tripod now . If amazon had it at a decent price I would be trying it but they want £1150 for some reason ( I don't like trying for the sake of it as its unfair to others )

 

[Paul - Herts]

Definitely a weight thing for me as i have problems with my scope and tripod now . If amazon had it at a decent price I would be trying it but they want £1150 for some reason ( I don't like trying for the sake of it as its unfair to others )

£949 from Digital Depot in Stevenage, Herts. They are a real shop and I have always found their service good. Don't know what the delivery charge is but still cheaper than Amazon - not sure what their returns policy is.

Edit: you could phone them and ask
http://www.digitaldepot.co.uk/cameralenses/tamron-150-600mm-f-5-6-3-vc-usd-canon-fit.html

 

[punta]

WEX are doing them for £949 as well delivered.

Just checked and Park also £949 are now out of stock so be quick if buying haha

 

[flanken]

That's very difficult for any lens. Once I had a chance to take a few pictures with Canon big whites(800mm, 600mm IS I and 500mm IS I) and many of them wouldn't hold up sharpness at 100% view.

True; I wouldn't expect any lens to be perfect at a 100% view, particularly on a sensor with a high pixel density. I'm now using the new 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR and the 500mm f/4 on a 24MP Nikon crop sensor (D7100), and even the 500mm f/4 shows its limits at a 100% view.

I don't think every lens needs to be perfectly sharp at a 100% view, but it's best to compare lenses on the same sensor at a pixel level, because at downsized Web resolutions many images from even relatively poorly-resolving lenses look great. Of course, the degree of sharpness that one considers sufficient is highly subjective, and to each their own. With the 80-400, I'm willing to sacrifice a little sharpness for ease of handling and autofocus speed for flight shots.

That said, based on the review above, it looks like the Tamron does in fact hold up pretty well to the 600mm f/4, and it certainly looks pretty compelling at the price.

 

[Roy C]

. If amazon had it at a decent price I would be trying it but they want £1150 for some reason ( I don't like trying for the sake of it as its unfair to others )

Just get it somewhere else, every UK Tamron approved seller seem to be selling for £949 although postage cost does vary a little (mind you there is not a lot of stock around).
Strange thing is that apart from Amazon the only other seller doing it for more than £949 is digital rev (gray importers!) who have it up for £999 although they are quoting two months before they get any stock.

 

[Weekend Birder]

I think the set up it needs to be tested against is the Canon 400/5.6 + 1.4x tc.

It would be interesting to see 100% crops on that test.

I'd like to hear how it AF on BIF too, as reports seem mixed on this.

 

[CerambyX]

From what I've read and seen don't think there should be too much problems with BIF - for example the only serious problems I've had (and which weren't caused by my lack of skill) while taking BIF were when using some ~200$ xx-300mm zoom (don't remember the manufacturer) which indeed was pretty awful (but still not completely useless). I think it's clear that 150-600 has much better IQ than similar cheap xx-300mm zooms. Focus limiter switch and stabilisation (much easier to follow bird through viewfinder) helps a lot in that regard.

Ok, probably taking pictures of swallows feeding in evening light low over ground against trees in background will be tough and almost impossible task for this lens but then again - that's a tough task even for 600/f4. BIF are more of a user skill (and for some part also luck) thing than pure technical achievement anyway.

 

[The sniper]

What some people seem to be doing is falling into the trap of comparing it to some high end lenses,of course compare them but the results are obviously going to favour the higher quality lenses,this lense should be compared to a similar type,ie the Sigma 150/500 mm of which I own.
What I would like to know is a) being reasonably happy with my Sigma and Nikon D7000 combo,Does this lense from around 450-600mm perform well,the Sigma can be soft over 400mm b)can you AF with a convertor and C) is the pricing of this,likely ,if successful to push the higher end priced lenses down at all or as I already have which send to be a similar lense in the Sigma,am I better off looking for a reasonably priced second hand Nikon fixed lense.

The price of this Tamron seems to be good though and it's obviously for those of us who haven't got thousands or like me, aren't allowed to spends thousands on a higher priced lense but still want the focal distance it gives

 

[Roy C]

From what I've read and seen don't think there should be too much problems with BIF -

The problem is that several good bird photographers have reported that the AF system seems to stall when tracking a bird in AI servo mode - many people are reporting problems in AI servo mode with the Tammy - this is the issue which is concerning a lot of folk. AF in one shot mode seems fine.