Looking for a new lens

I'm looking to get a new lens for my Canon 6D, but can't decide which to go with. Looking for some advice.

I'm looking to buy either the Canon 300mm F4, or Tamron 150-600mm. Want it more for wildlife, and something that would cover a good distance.

I do have a 2x 2nd Gen canon extender which I would be able to use with the canon lens. But would it cause distortion?


Thanks in advance.

dboghosian wrote in post #17737792
I do have a 2x 2nd Gen canon extender which I would be able to use with the canon lens. But would it cause distortion?

I don't know what sort of distortion you may be thinking of, but it's quite likely that the extender would cause a noticeable reduction in overall image quality.

Tough to say. A lot of people think the 1.4X on the 300 is clean.
I use the 2X with my 70-200, but find that I need to be at f/11.
I'd guess, that you might have to stop down with the 150-600, too, if you used your 2X on it. Maybe try to rent one & try it out?

The 2X would most likely cost you AF, so how comfortable are you at manually focusing? I think the 150-600mm is the way to go

I think you'll be happy with the Tamron SP 150-600mm, it is a sharp lens on its own. With a Kinko 1.6 you'll extend the reach to 960mm, and the lens will still be considerably sharp.

If you want a long lens, buy a long lens. Converters can be good on fast primes but if you want to be at 600 get the lens that gets you there.

Well, I should have made myself more clear. The 2x extender would be used on the 300mm only. Tamron 150-600 is good enough on its own. Wouldn't want to use an extender on it.

Wanted to know if anyone had experience with the Tamron.

I think the 300mm prime plus the 2x TC would be the option I'd go for. You'll get really good IQ even with the TC. But it depends if you can be bothered to be swapping out the TC in the field. Whatever you get enjoy.

there are plenty of people here that have experience with the tamron, i think the people that are buying a 150-600mm now are mostly going for the sigma contemporary, but there were still a number of people that had the tamron before, and still use it:
here's the lens sample archives for it https://photography-on-the.net …ad.php?t=134808​2&page=489

P4ulG wrote in post #17738528
I think the 300mm prime plus the 2x TC would be the option I'd go for. You'll get really good IQ even with the TC. But it depends if you can be bothered to be swapping out the TC in the field. Whatever you get enjoy.

have you tried MF at 600mm on wildlife?

dboghosian wrote in post #17738404
Well, I should have made myself more clear. The 2x extender would be used on the 300mm only. Tamron 150-600 is good enough on its own. Wouldn't want to use an extender on it.

Wanted to know if anyone had experience with the Tamron.

Two comments:

1. I don't think the 300 f/4 plus 2x TC will auto-focus on your 6D. That would be bad for me. I use AI Servo all the time for wildlife.

2. I have a friend who recently got the Tamron 150-600 to use with his Nikon D810. He loves it! I have seen many of his photos and they are excellent.

So what are the pro and cons of Tamron vs Sigma? I've only used Canon lenses. The only none canon lens I have is a Rekonin 16-24mm f2.8 lens which I love.

I actually love the sleek look of the Sigma.

dboghosian wrote in post #17742408
So what are the pro and cons of Tamron vs Sigma? I've only used Canon lenses. The only none canon lens I have is a Rekonin 16-24mm f2.8 lens which I love.

I actually love the sleek look of the Sigma.

You really need to compare lenses rather than companies as each of the two have standout lenses as well as some real duds. Sigma is making a name for themselves with some very fine lenses in their art series but again read the reviews or comparisons of specific lenses.

i just went to Samys camera and tried both. They both feel good. The Sigma is amazingly sleek and looks and feels great. But, the Sigma has 24 elements in 16 groups, where as the Tamron has 20 in 13 groups. Any thoughts about that?

dboghosian wrote in post #17744221
i just went to Samys camera and tried both. They both feel good. The Sigma is amazingly sleek and looks and feels great. But, the Sigma has 24 elements in 16 groups, where as the Tamron has 20 in 13 groups. Any thoughts about that?

Do you go around bragging about elements and groups? If not forget that. But look up the reviews of each lens for their strengths.