Patent: Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 VC

[Canon Rumors]

Tamron has filed a patent for a 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 VC optical formula. Such a lens would likely be a smaller and cheaper competitor to the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II.</p>
<p>Patent Publication No. 2016-126295 (Google Translated)</p>
<ul>
<li>Published 2016.7.11</li>
<li>Filing date 2015.1.8</li>
<li>Focal length 103.00 247.29 389.05</li>
<li>Fno. 4.51 5.81 6.53</li>
<li>Half angle of 11.68 4.88 3.11</li>
<li>Positive and negative positive negative</li>
<li>Rear focus (Group 5)</li>
<li>Anti-vibration (third group)</li>
</ul>
<p>We haven’t heard much about Tamron’s plans for Photokina, but we do expect some major announcements from the company.</p>
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[Wizardly]

Three of the four working examples describe a replacement 150-600 mm f/4.5-6.3 lens design.

 

[j-nord]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

 

[mnclayshooter]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

 

[Don Haines]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

+1

 

[canon1dxman]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

+2

 

[j-nord]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

+1

+2. further, if they produced such a lens then maybe Canon would put out a 500 f5.6 L IS prime

 

[TeT]

is it an SP lens? that would be awesome...

 

[9VIII]

I wish third parties would just put out a new set of supertelephoto primes already.
Imagine if Sigma would launch a stabilised, super sharp, lightweight (plastic body) 400f5.6 for $700.
(These lenses have very few elements after all, the 400f5.6 has a total of seven elements, almost a quarter as many as the 100-400MkII, in a full plastic body I'm betting it would be incredibly inexpensive).

 

[mnclayshooter]

I wish third parties would just put out a new set of supertelephoto primes already.
Imagine if Sigma would launch a stabilised, super sharp, lightweight (plastic body) 400f5.6 for $700.
(These lenses have very few elements after all, the 400f5.6 has a total of seven elements, almost a quarter as many as the 100-400MkII, in a full plastic body I'm betting it would be incredibly inexpensive).

Exactly.

 

[AlanF]

Sigma used to make a superb 400mm f/5.6 telemacro that was sharper than the Canon 400mm f/5.6 - it had higher published MTFs, measured by Photozone, and I bought a copy, which was indeed sharper than my Canon. It had 10 elements in 7 groups.

 

[FramerMCB]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

+1

How about a 300-600mm f5.6 constant aperture w/VC at $2,800 with great performance? :

 

[vscd]

What means that "Positive and negative positive negative"?

Reviews @dpreview.com?

 

[FECHariot]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

+2

That lens already exists. Its called the 150-600 VC... Seriously do you expect a $500 600/6.3 prime? Not going to happen.

 

[Don Haines]

Interesting, Tamron started this affordable super zoom race so I'm guessing what every they put out will be a step above the current 150-600. Something to compete with the Sigma Sport version, better at the long end.

Man, I would love it if they'd skip the zoom range and just flat-out make a 500 or 600mm f6-ish lens for budget-conscious/hobbyists.

That lens already exists. Its called the 150-600 VC... Seriously do you expect a $500 600/6.3 prime? not going to happen.
+2

not the same..... not even remotely close....

Zoom lenses are designed to cover a range of focal lengths.... as you zoom, sharpness (usually) changes. With the Tamrom 150-600, it is at it's worst performance at the 600mm range. They could EASILY! make a 600F6.3 lens that was significantly sharper than the 150-600, and without all the moving parts required for the zoom action it would be significantly cheaper to manufacture and lighter to boot. This would also result in a mechanically superior (tougher) lens that would not be a dust and humidity pump like all extending zoom lenses are.

Despite having a Tamron 150-600 in my camera bag, I would buy a Tamron 600F5.6 or 6.3 in a heartbeat... unless they also came out with an 800F8

 

[candc]

One advantage of a zoom over a prime is the retracted size. Its not a big deal with a wide or normal lens but a long zoom is pretty "long". How about a "collapsible" prime that packs down small. That seems like something that could improve on the current zooms at the max fl.

 

[Don Haines]

Seriously, how many super-tele primes would they sell?

And if they're going to be $thousands (and still be cheaper), who'll buy them?

Nobody here would because the Canon autofocus is better and Tamron/Sigma are unreliable.

Hmmmmmmmm
$15,000 around here for a Canon 600F4.
$1000 for a Tamron 600F5.6?

For some inexplicable reason, I think that Tamrons would outsell the Canons.......

 

[9VIII]

Seriously, how many super-tele primes would they sell?

And if they're going to be $thousands (and still be cheaper), who'll buy them?

Nobody here would because the Canon autofocus is better and Tamron/Sigma are unreliable.

Hmmmmmmmm
$15,000 around here for a Canon 600F4.
$1000 for a Tamron 600F5.6?

For some inexplicable reason, I think that Tamrons would outsell the Canons.......

It wouldn't be $1000.

If we're generous and say that it would be half price, it would be $7,500 for a 600/f5.6.

Who is going to pay $7000 for a 3rd party lens that doesn't autofocus right all the time?

Nikon did 500f5.6 for $1400, and practically speaking Sigma does sell a 600f5.6 for about $3,500 if you stick a TC on their 120-300f2.8 zoom lens.
So they could probably get a 600f5.6 prime out the door for less than $3,000.

 

[lightthief]

That lens already exists. Its called the 150-600 VC... Seriously do you expect a $500 600/6.3 prime? not going to happen.
+2

...
Despite having a Tamron 150-600 in my camera bag, I would buy a Tamron 600F5.6 or 6.3 in a heartbeat... unless they also came out with an 800F8

+1
I do not own the Tammy zoom, but i would give a 6.3-prime a chance.
Same price, less weight, more sharpness...

And yes, an 800f8 is fine, too.

 

[Don Haines]

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY! predicted that Tamron would come out with a 150-600 F6.3 lens for $1000. It is a great lens and sells very well. Yes, the image quality suffers a bit at the long end, but up to 400mm it is surprisingly close to the Canon 100-400 II yet about 40 percent of the price. The AF works quite well with this lens, but start adding things like the Sigma dock into the picture and you now have the ability to field upgrade software.

As an aside, Olympus had the ability to field upgrade lens firmware through the camera body from the launch of their 4/3 cameras..... this is not a new concept nor is it a novel concept.

Changing the zoom from 150-600 to 100-400 means smaller elements, and this means smaller size and smaller price.... this zoom should definitely be priced under $1000, and that gives them a huge advantage over Canon.

Tamron has created the affordable long-zoom market. Sigma dropped prices and came out with the competition. I think that this is just the start of the battle and more is to come, particularly with the affordable long prime.

I can easily see a 600F6.3 prime out there for under $1000..... and with the cameras starting to come out with F8 AF, someone must be thinking of an 800F8 prime. The market for $1000 lenses is probably a thousand times larger (if not more) than the market for $15,000 lenses and at some point, someone will address this.