In-Depth Review: Tamron 150-600 f/5-6.3 VC

[Somlu]

I have got the lens 2 days back and am initially happy. Basically I don't expect an IQ equivalent to my 500 f4 . It is a very good lens for the budget. I opted for this because I am struggling with my old 100-400 over reach. Iq wise the new Tammy is almost as good as the 100-400 and the extra reach is welcome for a day to day use . The only thing I can complain is a little slower auto focus when it is focused on the other end. Ev en with flying birds I feel OK with the lens. This is an example of the flying rock pigeon with the exif data....

Canon EOS-1D X
06/02/2014 8:44:58 AM
Manual Exposure
1/2500
7.1
Evaluative Metering
ISO1000
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
600.0mm
RAW
Auto WB
AI Servo AF
Low-speed continuous shooting

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I have got the lens 2 days back and am initially happy. Basically I don't expect an IQ equivalent to my 500 f4 . It is a very good lens for the budget. I opted for this because I am struggling with my old 100-400 over reach. Iq wise the new Tammy is almost as good as the 100-400 and the extra reach is welcome for a day to day use . The only thing I can complain is a little slower auto focus when it is focused on the other end. Ev en with flying birds I feel OK with the lens. This is an example of the flying rock pigeon with the exif data....

Canon EOS-1D X
06/02/2014 8:44:58 AM
Manual Exposure
1/2500
7.1
Evaluative Metering
ISO1000
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
600.0mm
RAW
Auto WB
AI Servo AF
Low-speed continuous shooting

Great feedback and a nice shot.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's a close-up of a boar's face. It has been processed, and purposefully slightly oversharpened to emphasize the bristle texture.

 

[Plainsman]

Mine arrived yesterday and my initial impression is that It's well worth the money. It handles well and fits nicely on the 70d. Really big lenses dont match well with a smaller body like that but this one seems just right.The IQ is what I expected, really good to 400 and good to 600 same thing for the af. I think the sigma 120-300 with the canon tc's is still better but this lens is 1/2 the weight and less than 1/3rd the price (1/4th if you add the cost of the converters) if you are looking for a packable high quality long zoom with an attractive price then I don't see how you could do much better, I am very pleased so far.

...are you saying that the Sigma 120-300 is better than the tamron at 600 ie 600/5.6 - or 600/8?

If so that surprises me because the photographylife tests of the Sigma at 600/5.6 were quite poor and only slightly better at 600/8.

 

[Plainsman]

Here's a close-up of a boar's face. It has been processed, and purposefully slightly oversharpened to emphasize the bristle texture.

May I enquire what was the focal length/aperture of that photo?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's a close-up of a boar's face. It has been processed, and purposefully slightly oversharpened to emphasize the bristle texture.

May I enquire what was the focal length/aperture of that photo?

Off the top of my head, I believe it was 329mm and f/8. DOF is still pretty narrow at that distance (about 15 feet).

 

[canonrumorstony]

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1270895/2

Just want to clarify what I have experienced with this lens using the AI Servo for BIF.
Canon 6D AI Servo Single center point focus works fine
Canon 70D AI Servo Single center point focus works fine
Canon 7D AI Servo does not work Note: The only way I have taken keeper BIF images with this lens is by using Single center point focus or center point expanded and constantly bumping focus.
Canon 1DM4 AI Servo does not work
Canon 1DX AI Servo works fine.

 

[candc]

Mine arrived yesterday and my initial impression is that It's well worth the money. It handles well and fits nicely on the 70d. Really big lenses dont match well with a smaller body like that but this one seems just right.The IQ is what I expected, really good to 400 and good to 600 same thing for the af. I think the sigma 120-300 with the canon tc's is still better but this lens is 1/2 the weight and less than 1/3rd the price (1/4th if you add the cost of the converters) if you are looking for a packable high quality long zoom with an attractive price then I don't see how you could do much better, I am very pleased so far.

...are you saying that the Sigma 120-300 is better than the tamron at 600 ie 600/5.6 - or 600/8?

Yes, I read that review which is not very complimetary. That goes against most other reviews and my own experience with the lens. I also looked at a lot of samples with this lens and the sigma 2x converter and by all accounts the new lens did not perform as well as the lens it replaced which is odd because the new lens is sharper.
I decided to try it with the promaster, kenko, and canon tc's. The kenko and canon 1.4x work really well. The kenko/promaster 2x is sharp but it has metering problems. The canon 2xiii gives much better results than what I saw from the sigma 2x samples?

From using both the sigma and tamron lenses I would say that using the bare lens the sigma is hands down better and its f2.8
Using the canon 1.4xiii or kenko 1.4x the sigma is better and its f/4 420
Using the canon 2xiii the sigma and tamron are pretty close and that's a plus for the tamron in cost and weight.
I still think the sigma with the canon 2xiii gives better results at 600 but its not a huge difference.

 

[candc]

Here's a close-up of a boar's face. It has been processed, and purposefully slightly oversharpened to emphasize the bristle texture.

That's a really nice shot, I always enjoy seeing your work, thanks for posting.

 

[AlanF]

Mine arrived yesterday and my initial impression is that It's well worth the money. It handles well and fits nicely on the 70d. Really big lenses dont match well with a smaller body like that but this one seems just right.The IQ is what I expected, really good to 400 and good to 600 same thing for the af. I think the sigma 120-300 with the canon tc's is still better but this lens is 1/2 the weight and less than 1/3rd the price (1/4th if you add the cost of the converters) if you are looking for a packable high quality long zoom with an attractive price then I don't see how you could do much better, I am very pleased so far.

...are you saying that the Sigma 120-300 is better than the tamron at 600 ie 600/5.6 - or 600/8?

Yes, I read that review which is not very complimetary. That goes against most other reviews and my own experience with the lens. I also looked at a lot of samples with this lens and the sigma 2x converter and by all accounts the new lens did not perform as well as the lens it replaced which is odd because the new lens is sharper.
I decided to try it with the promaster, kenko, and canon tc's. The kenko and canon 1.4x work really well. The kenko/promaster 2x is sharp but it has metering problems. The canon 2xiii gives much better results than what I saw from the sigma 2x samples?

From using both the sigma and tamron lenses I would say that using the bare lens the sigma is hands down better and its f2.8
Using the canon 1.4xiii or kenko 1.4x the sigma is better and its f/4 420
Using the canon 2xiii the sigma and tamron are pretty close and that's a plus for the tamron in cost and weight.
I still think the sigma with the canon 2xiii gives better results at 600 but its not a huge difference.

My benchmark is the 300mm f/2.8 II +TCs, and I'll compare it with the Tammy when I return on Monday and open my Tammy parcel, which was delivered yesterday. According to TDP, the Sigma with 1.4xTC at 420 stopped down to 5.6 looks as good as the Canon +1.4xTC at 420 and f/4, which is really very good. At 600mm with 2xTC, the Sigma has to be stopped down to f/11 to rival the Canon at f/5.6. If the Tammy at f/8 or f/11 at 600 is as good as the Canon at 600, I will be overjoyed.

The Tammy is meant to be for me a lighter lens for travel and when I need a zoom. The Sigma with the TC weighs about 3.7 kg compared with 1.9 for the Tammy. And is not an alternative.

420 f/5.6 vs f/4
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=844&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=6&API=3&LensComp=739&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=1&APIComp=1

600 f/11 vs f/5.6
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=844&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=7&API=5&LensComp=739&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=2&APIComp=2

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Mine arrived yesterday and my initial impression is that It's well worth the money. It handles well and fits nicely on the 70d. Really big lenses dont match well with a smaller body like that but this one seems just right.The IQ is what I expected, really good to 400 and good to 600 same thing for the af. I think the sigma 120-300 with the canon tc's is still better but this lens is 1/2 the weight and less than 1/3rd the price (1/4th if you add the cost of the converters) if you are looking for a packable high quality long zoom with an attractive price then I don't see how you could do much better, I am very pleased so far.

...are you saying that the Sigma 120-300 is better than the tamron at 600 ie 600/5.6 - or 600/8?

Yes, I read that review which is not very complimetary. That goes against most other reviews and my own experience with the lens. I also looked at a lot of samples with this lens and the sigma 2x converter and by all accounts the new lens did not perform as well as the lens it replaced which is odd because the new lens is sharper.
I decided to try it with the promaster, kenko, and canon tc's. The kenko and canon 1.4x work really well. The kenko/promaster 2x is sharp but it has metering problems. The canon 2xiii gives much better results than what I saw from the sigma 2x samples?

From using both the sigma and tamron lenses I would say that using the bare lens the sigma is hands down better and its f2.8
Using the canon 1.4xiii or kenko 1.4x the sigma is better and its f/4 420
Using the canon 2xiii the sigma and tamron are pretty close and that's a plus for the tamron in cost and weight.
I still think the sigma with the canon 2xiii gives better results at 600 but its not a huge difference.

My benchmark is the 300mm f/2.8 II +TCs, and I'll compare it with the Tammy when I return on Monday and open my Tammy parcel, which was delivered yesterday. According to TDP, the Sigma with 1.4xTC at 420 stopped down to 5.6 looks as good as the Canon +1.4xTC at 420 and f/4, which is really very good. At 600mm with 2xTC, the Sigma has to be stopped down to f/11 to rival the Canon at f/5.6. If the Tammy at f/8 or f/11 at 600 is as good as the Canon at 600, I will be overjoyed.

The Tammy is meant to be for me a lighter lens for travel and when I need a zoom. The Sigma with the TC weighs about 3.7 kg compared with 1.9 for the Tammy. And is not an alternative.

420 f/5.6 vs f/4
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=844&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=6&API=3&LensComp=739&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=1&APIComp=1

600 f/11 vs f/5.6
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=844&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=7&API=5&LensComp=739&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=2&APIComp=2

Wow, that combo must be pretty hefty. The Tamron isn't particularly light, but is literally half the weight.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's another 600mm shot. This series is a bit softer because of the temperature variation phenomena I discussed in the review, but I love the compression effect on this Arctic Wolf from the long focal length:


The Silent Assassin by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[Scimitar]

Just wondering if this hands on field trial (AF ISSUE) with the Tammy 150-600 was just a faulty sample piece. I hope so.
http://chewyenfook.smugmug.com/Photography/Tamro-150-600-VS-Canon-400mm/36134215_3P9q3W#!i=3030095385&k=Q6n39TN

 

[CarlTN]

I have got the lens 2 days back and am initially happy. Basically I don't expect an IQ equivalent to my 500 f4 . It is a very good lens for the budget. I opted for this because I am struggling with my old 100-400 over reach. Iq wise the new Tammy is almost as good as the 100-400 and the extra reach is welcome for a day to day use . The only thing I can complain is a little slower auto focus when it is focused on the other end. Ev en with flying birds I feel OK with the lens. This is an example of the flying rock pigeon with the exif data....

Canon EOS-1D X
06/02/2014 8:44:58 AM
Manual Exposure
1/2500
7.1
Evaluative Metering
ISO1000
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
600.0mm
RAW
Auto WB
AI Servo AF
Low-speed continuous shooting

Not a bad shot at all. But I wonder why you would pair the 1DX with this lens? If you need 600mm, it seems a big white, or a combo with a TC, would better serve the 1DX. Looks like the Tamron is in fine form, though.

 

[CarlTN]

A quick sharpness test....

The goal is to see what effect the F stop has on sharpness with the 150-600 when used at 600mm

All shot with a 60D from a distance of 20 feet and processed in lightroom. All images are with the Tamron 150-600 profile enabled and with chromatic aberration correction enabled.

The target is the fine print on the back of the packaging of a laser pointer... it was the smallest size printing that I could find lying around the house.

The first image has the colour balanced, sharpness slider at 0, noise reduction slider at 0

The second image has the sharpening slider at 80, noise reduction slider at 50, and blacks level at -50. There is a typo on the picture description.... The first bar is F6.3, not F5.6.

Obviously F8 or F11 is far sharper than F6.3 and it falls of by F16. With sharpening enabled, F11 appears slightly better than F8. When you consider that I could not see the pattern around the "danger" symbol when it was inches from my face, yet the lens could pick that up from across the house, this lens is great bang for the buck!....

Very nice comparison, but I wonder just how sharp it is at 100 or 200 feet distance? In my experience with telephoto prime and zoom lenses, both the lens itself becomes less sharp at longer distances...but also the AF accuracy diminishes at those distances that are either at, or close to, infinity. Why? Because the focusing elements need only move a micron or two to take things from being "tack sharp", to "soft"...even when focusing manually in live view.

I'm not even talking about atmospherics with the above, either...they enter in (especially in warmer weather), but they are easier to see than just some slight softness. They're "wavy"...

I don't shoot most of my bird images, and especially not any other wildlife at such a close distance (20 feet).

Agreed!

I've done the "hunting blind" test and I'd like to see what it looks like at "in the wild" distances... I probably won't get to try it today... it is snowing....

It's supposed to snow here soon. One thing is certain....wildlife in snow, is almost always majestic. Of course we don't get snow every winter down here, so I guess it depends on one's perspective. For those of you who are Canadians, I guess snow does not seem all that majestic after a while. I think I would get depressed if I had to deal with snow all winter, or especially over half the year.

 

[CarlTN]

Here is the crop of the subject from the shot above with a little more exposure added to it:

Well done. The smirk on its face, makes it look like its feelings got hurt! Either that or it's cold...or it's slowly sniffing something out (perhaps a photographer?)...I can't tell.

 

[CarlTN]

...
Not a bad shot at all. But I wonder why you would pair the 1DX with this lens? If you need 600mm, it seems a big white, or a combo with a TC, would better serve the 1DX. Looks like the Tamron is in fine form, though.

The 600mm Canon lens is $12,000+.
The Tamron lens is ~$1100.
The 1DX is $6800.

You can afford 2x1DX+Tamron for the price of 1DX+Canon 600mm.

Indeed, but that was not my point. If one buys a Ferrari, one does not put Enkei wheels on it...and then attempt a run to 200 mph.

 

[Albi86]

...
Not a bad shot at all. But I wonder why you would pair the 1DX with this lens? If you need 600mm, it seems a big white, or a combo with a TC, would better serve the 1DX. Looks like the Tamron is in fine form, though.

The 600mm Canon lens is $12,000+.
The Tamron lens is ~$1100.
The 1DX is $6800.

You can afford 2x1DX+Tamron for the price of 1DX+Canon 600mm.

Indeed, but that was not my point. If one buys a Ferrari, one does not put Enkei wheels on it...and then attempt a run to 200 mph.

Some people shoot wildlife only for fun or occasionally, so they would like a long lens but can't justify $12K for the 600/4 L.

 

[Roo]

I picked up my copy today to replace my Sigma 150-500 I'll have to wait until tomorrow to test it out but my first impressions are

Like
Build quality is good
Switches have a positive feel
Zoom lock is nicer to use than Sigma
Focus limiter is a good inclusion
Zoom and Focus rings operate smoothly

Dislike
No 2 position VC (1 to allow panning)
No additional carry strap as per Sigma
No lens case
Sigma has a better tripod foot for holding.

I've added a couple of shots to compare the length against the Sigma. On the 5D3 its not that much bigger than the 60d/150-500 combo.

 

[Albi86]

Amazon IT shipped mine today, although it still appears out of stock. I guess they're still catching up on preorders.

I should get it next week and put it to test in the weekend - with Scandinavian weather's collaboration.