Why I love my new Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD?

Posted by admin on February 18, 2015 in Blogpost | 5 comments

In December 2014 I decided to buy the new Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD Teleobjektiv für Nikon which I packed together with my D700, D800 and my Nikon 300/2.8 and my 70-200/2.8 VR1 to a Safari in Kenya.

My rational was to use the 300/2.8 in the early morning hours when light is still low and every f-stop is required so I could shoot at 300mm wide open. Later I would mount the Tamron to utilize the additional focal length and being more flexible.

To my big surprise I had to realize that most shots with my 300/2.8 were not sharp and I had to discard them. On the other side the Tamron produced surprisingly very good results. In the center it is pretty sharp. In retrospect I have to admit that obviously I did underestimate the lack of having a VR on the 300/2.8. Having mounted that lens on my D800 which is rather unforgiving, shutter speeds of 1/300 are not short enough if taken from a Safari vehicle even when a bean bag is used. On the other side the Tamron produced reliable good results under that condition.

Given the size and weight of the 300/2.8 and the result I achieved with the Tamron for my travel to Uganda I just packed the Tamron in leaving the 300/2.8 at home.

Below you find some images I made with both lenses, including 100% crops for some. I included only two shots created with the 300/2.8. For each shot I provide the details with the shot.

Please note, that this is not meant to be a systematic comparison of both lenses, it just represents practical experience I made.

Tamron 150-600 –  ¹/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 @ 380 mm
[Shot made from safari vehicle with bean bag]

100% Crops

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 3200 @ 600 mm
[Shot practically made out of hand; Used the back of chair to stabilize the cam]

100% crop

Tamron 150-600 –  ¹/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 3200 @ 600 mm
[Shot made out of hand]

¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 @ 460 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 @ 240 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

The 100% crops show the softness to the edges.
Focus point…

100 % Crops

This crop should be in the focus plane..

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 @ 380mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Focus point not really on head…

100% Crop

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 @ 600 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

100% Crop

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/125 sec, f/8, ISO 250 @ 200 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/160 sec, f/8, ISO 250 @ 210 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 @ 300 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/160 sec, f/6, ISO 100 @ 350 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

Tamron 150-600 – ¹/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500 @ 300 mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

And now two images shot with the combo D800 & Nikon 300/2.8

Nikon 300/2.8 – ¹/640 sec, f/3.2, ISO 100 @ 300mm
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

100% Crop

Nikon 300/2.8 – ¹/60 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 @ 300mm 
[Image created from Safari vehicle using a bean bag]

100% Crop

This crop shows what kind of quality the 300/2.8 is able to deliver. However, I did not manage to achieve that on a regular basis  in the field conditions I were in.

Given the price and the comparable low weight, I did not regret having purchased the Tamron.