My thoughts on my new Tamron 150-600mm

Hey guys, and gals. So I did not get out and play with my new Tamron lens as much as I would have like. Hopefully I will get some more shots with it tomorrow.But I did have some thoughts on it.

First thought is, Hand holding a lens this size definitely take some practice. The shots from my first "shoot" this morning were all pretty bad. This was 100% me. The second attempts weren't bad. IQ is totally acceptable to me. It is not as sharp as the pics I have seen from some of the big L's, but it is still great. Totally usable for me and at this price I think its hard to beat.

The last time I got to spend with it today I really found my self enjoying it. The shot of the bird on the power lines in my backyard, was handheld and I can't believe how sharp this thing is, for the money that it costs. I really think this lens has great potential once my technique improves.

While I realize that sharp is in the eye of the beholder, this lens is great for me. There is no way I am able to afford any of the big L primes, so this is the only way for me to be able to shoot at 400-600mm. I am very happy with this purchase. If you are on a budget, I think this lens really does give good performance.

I have never shot with anything bigger than my Tamron 70-300 VC and It will take some practice. But after initial frustration, I am finding my self loving this lens.

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thanks for sharing, nice photos.

Look pretty good here; but, I'll be out trying to put mine through the paces tomorrow. For me, it won't need to keep up with the big 'L's, but it will have to keep up with my 100-400, wide open. If the straight lens can't beat a resized crop from the 100-400 it will go back to the shop. If it can, I'll have a replacement for the pump

Looks pretty good,like you say for the money going to be hard to beat.
I think Tamron going to sell a few...

You should start a post in the Lens Sample Photo Archive

Kiwi Kid wrote in post #16614773
Looks pretty good,like you say for the money going to be hard to beat.
I think Tamron going to sell a few...

You should start a post in the Lens Sample Photo Archive

Thanks. I will. We are going to go to the Santa Barbara Zoo tomorrow and hopefully I will get some good shots.

Snydremark- I look forward to your results. I almost bought a 100-400, but the push pull seemed strange to me. I am looking forward to seeing more results from guys who have this length of lens to see what it is capable of. I know its a keeper for me and I hope t improve my skills with it.

The VC really blows me away with this thing. the ability to hand hold a lens this long is simply amazing. Looking forward to seeing and taking more shots soon.

Your pics look very good to me. GAS, here I come ....

can't wait for newer samples.

This article might help http://www.moosepeters​on.com/techtips/longle​ns.html - these tips helped me get much better images from my 800mm.

Juan A wrote in post #16614784
Thanks. I will. We are going to go to the Santa Barbara Zoo tomorrow and hopefully I will get some good shots.

Snydremark- I look forward to your results. I almost bought a 100-400, but the push pull seemed strange to me. I am looking forward to seeing more results from guys who have this length of lens to see what it is capable of. I know its a keeper for me and I hope t improve my skills with it.

The VC really blows me away with this thing. the ability to hand hold a lens this long is simply amazing. Looking forward to seeing and taking more shots soon.

I've got some test shots posted over in this thread and am on my way out for some afternoon shooting. But yes, the VC on this thing is crazy good.

Hey everyone - Until purchasing the Tamron 150-600, I have only owned Canon glass ... so this was a bit of a step for me. But for the price, the reach is awesome! I also really appreciate the bokeh. It is true that it does a better job of focusing using the center point ... but I can live with that.

Here are some test shots that I have been taking with the lens ... body 5D MK III.
http://www.flickr.com …e/sets/72157640​346692053/

Snydremark wrote in post #16614771
Look pretty good here; but, I'll be out trying to put mine through the paces tomorrow. For me, it won't need to keep up with the big 'L's, but it will have to keep up with my 100-400, wide open. If the straight lens can't beat a resized crop from the 100-400 it will go back to the shop. If it can, I'll have a replacement for the pump

Eric,

That seems like a very reasonable expectation. In fact, that is exactly what I demanded of the Sigma 150-500mm when it first came out. Unfortunately, it didn't quite pass the test, and I returned it to B&H after two weeks of rigorous testing. I wish you better luck with your new acquisition.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #16766384
Eric,

That seems like a very reasonable expectation. In fact, that is exactly what I demanded of the Sigma 150-500mm when it first came out. Unfortunately, it didn't quite pass the test, and I returned it to B&H after two weeks of rigorous testing. I wish you better luck with your new acquisition.

Sorry to take this OT.

Tom, was it the AF on the Bigmos that didn't pass the test for you, softness at the long end (the issue i had), or both?

1Tanker wrote in post #16766391
Sorry to take this OT.

Tom, was it the AF on the Bigmos that didn't pass the test for you, softness at the long end (the issue i had), or both?

Softness was an issue, but not a deal-breaker. AF was a bit slower than the 100-400, but not a deal-breaker. Color cast was poor, compared to the Canon L glass I am used to using. That wasn't really a deal-breaker either, though.

So, what was the deal-breaker? All three of these things combined. I could have lived with any one of these minor shortcomings, but all three together just had too much of a negative effect on the final images.

I wonder if it will be the same with this new Tamron - too many minor shortcomings all added up together, resulting in not-quite-as-good images. But I hope that is not the case, and that this new lens is a real top-notch performer. It'd be great to get stellar image quality in every area, for just a thousand bucks. We'll just have to wait and see, as more and more reviews from experienced photographers come in.

Thanks Tom. Yeah, it was a host of issues for me as well, but softness at 500 was the deal breaker for me. Substantial lens creep, f/8 for anything decent (which also seems to be the case with this Tammy, but the Tammy still offers 1/2 decent images at f/6.3), AF, and a few (admittedly)minor nitpicks.

Juan A wrote in post #16614746

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Great capture