Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD for Canon DSLR Cameras (Tamron 6 Year Limited USA Warranty)

I have the Canon 100-400mm L, and I was looking for a lens that gets me that better reach without having to pay $14,000. Once I heard about this lens and the previous reviews, I decided to give it a shot as its anyway cheaper than my 100-400. I got the lens a couple of days back. From the first look, the lens looked solid and well built, and I could actually see the quality of the optics once I removed the lens cap. The zoom ring is very well sized to the extent that you cant ever miss. I also liked the lock feature at 150mm which is much easier than the lock ring mechanism at the 100-400. I got the chance to take some test shots against my 100-400 and this Tamron was surprisingly sharper than the Canon 100-400mm L in the same settings. Im attaching here a comparison shot, both shots were taken at F/8.0 using a tripod and a gimbal head at ISO 100. Focus was fast and accurate, at least for the still objects I tested. At 600mm, the lens goes just a bit softer, which was actually expected to me. However, the photos at 600mm are pretty much usable since I was prepared to sacrifice some little IQ for a better reach. Overall, Im so far happy with this lens and looking forward to take it out for some bird and wildlife shots. For this price tag, you cant go wrong with this one. UPDATE: I took the lens for a test shot in the field and got some nice birds. I uploaded some of the photos I took that day here on Amazon. My initial review is still as is. The lens performed very well in the field and actually better than my Canon 100-400mm. Fast focus, very good image stabilization handheld "VC" (Although its not that easy to keep using it handheld due to the weight), and most importantly a very good IQ and sharpness even at 600mm. The one best thing I could easily see in comparison to the 100-400 is the contrast, a very beautiful contrast and color reproduction. The best money I have spent this year is on this lens.

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Great lens for the price. This lens really reaches out and on a camera with a hi res sensor gets some amazing results. The first image, for example, is the ISS passing straight overhead. While not great, the fact that it shows this much detail in an object ~250 miles away is incredible. The next is an airliner at 38,000 feet. Both images were hand held; the VR works extremely well if you pan smoothly. It also works well for more Earth-bound subjects as this woodpecker.

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I photograph wildlife, mostly birds and have been using Canon "L" lenses for years, the 400 f/5.6 & 300 f/4 IS primes, plus the 70-200 f/4 IS, all purchased here at Amazon. I love these lenses and have nothing but good things to say about them, but I needed more reach. I couldnt afford 10k or more for a super telephoto, so the Tamron 150-600 certainly peaked my interest. Every major online camera store had this lens backordered forever, so I was fortunate to find one at a local camera shop. The first shots with this lens were stunning, for the price I couldnt believe the clarity of the shots. I shoot a Canon 7D and at one point almost declined purchasing it, because of the negative reviews of this lens vs. full frame and the 7D. I am in the forest most every day photographing wildlife and am exclusively using the Tamron 150-600. Much of my work is done in heavy canopy and it is often void of good light. I hand hold when photographing wildlife, unless I can use a nearby tree for support, and this lens with its VC stabilization is stellar. I have hand held shots at 1/80 that have turned out very nice. As strictly a wildlife photographer, the number one reason I love this lens is the type of detail it produces. If you want a long range lens that produces an over sharpened or "etched" look, the Tamron isnt for you, as its images are sharp, but with a natural looking detail... birds feathers look like the real thing. (An example of an Indigo Bunting in the Customer Images) I dont know if if am just lucky with this particular "copy" and my 7D, but I am very happy with the majority of the outcomes. If you are looking for an affordable lens with versatility in the field and its awesome telephoto capability, this is the one for you.

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Excellent budget long range zoom. I take photos as a hobby and wanted something that wouldnt break the bank and was reasonably sharp. I have had this lens since 2016 and have used it only a few times a year but I have had excellent results. First it doesnt weigh an excessive amount and can be hand held for long periods of time. I took all of the attached photos hand held with VC on. And, I carried it at the Airshow for up to an hour at at time with breaks in between. Second it is very sharp from 150 - 500 and reasonably sharp at 600mm. Third autofocus is also very quick on a Canon 70d although accuracy can be off at times. A picture is worth a thousand words so I have attached a few. The Hummingbird photos are at 1/2000 shutter speed wide open at 600mm ISO 400 in broad daylight. Hummingbirds seem to love century plants when the blossom. The propeller plane photos are at 1/250 or 1/125 shutter speed. The jets are at 1/1000 or 1/1250.

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Excellent for what it is. No, its not a $14,000 equivalent, but it didnt cost that sort of money. The paradox is that its best on a full-frame camera; I own both a 7D and 5d3 and the latter produces better images. Youd think not, since the crop sensor fills less of the image circle on the lens, but it doesnt work that way with this one. VC (image stabilization) works well, just turn it off when on a tripod. Focus is reasonably-fast in most cases with a decent hit rate in servo mode, provided your camera is set up correctly (make sure "focus drive when impossible" is turned ON.) Hand-holding this lens is possible in good light but you need a fast shutter, even with VC. Kept in perspective as to what it costs and what it is if you need this sort of reach theres nothing that comes close at well over double the price.

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Quite frankly the best VFM telephoto lens you can buy for presently at ~$1100. Ie tried this on my 6D as well as my 500D bodies; and in my opinion, a high ISO and full frame camera will bring you more bang for your buck on this lens. Feels very good in the hand, only the mount is probably metal with the rest being plastic. However, this feels like a very sturdy lens. There is a LOCK switch to negate any barrel creep, but unfortunately this works only at 150mm. The zoom ring has rubberized ribbing and is wide enough for usability. The manual focus ring is very well damped. Front element is massive at 95mm, and this just pulls in light and if you have the sun around, the flare and ghosting is pretty evident - so would help to keep the hood on always. The lens cap can be removed with the hood on though! Autofocus slows down considerably at the 600 end. The focus limiter switch (from 15 meters to infinity) helps improve the autofocus speed at the long end. It is however quite fast at the 150 end. Sharpness is probably best at the 400-450 range, however between choosing to crop from a 400mm shot and a 600mm shot, I would probably still go with shooting at the 600mm range. Shooting between f/9 to f/11 gives you the best sharpness on this lens. Background bokeh is beautiful when shooting at shallow depth of field. The 9 blade circular diaphragm retains a nearly circular shape even at two stops down from its maximum aperture. Canon EF users might have to get acquainted with the zoom direction which is the opposite of what Canon usually has. I would advise folks to at least use a monopod, hand holding this is a task and at 600mm, the number of photos you keep will very well depend on how stable your setup is. For enthusiasts looking for a great balance between performance, price, and size - this lens cannot be beat.

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This is just a preliminary report, since I have only had the Tamron 150-600 for a few weeks and have only had the opportunity to use the lens a few times. This is an impressive lens. I was surprised by the weight. It is difficult to picture just how heavy an item will feel from the figures quoted. Be prepared to handle a very weighty camera setup once you attach this lens. That said, the weight is worth the heft in the field. Get a carrying case for this lens so that you can carry it comfortably when not attached to your camera. I bought the JJC DLP-7 Deluxe Lens Pouch, which is padded and fits the lens perfectly, even with the hood attached in reverse to the lens. I extended the shoulder strap to fit comfortably in the field. The performace of this lens is excellent. Without getting into comparisons, I can honestly say that I have several Tamron lenses, along with many Canon lenses, and I have never been disappointed in the performance of a Tamron lens (or a Canon lens, for that matter). The Tamron at full extension to 600mm will do a descent job at f/6.3 with reasonable light. Focusing is quick, since it has fast motors. The ability to switch from near to 45+ feet helps achieve fast focus when needed. I had no trouble zooming and focusing on birds in flight at the Savannah Wildlife Refuge during several trips. The images were sharp at all focal lengths and the color rendition was very impressive. I was very surprised at the impressive colors delivered. That said, be prepared to track your prey with this lens because birds in flight, or any moving target, will require you to be prepared in time to let the auto-focus do its work to deliver a great photo. The focal length is as advertised on my Canon 5D Mk II full-frame DSLR but if you are shooting with an APS-C size chip you will be astonished at the 960mm equivalent focal length when extended (1.6x mag factor). The lens construction is solid and zooming and focusing are smooth. With the lens attached to your camera, the tripod mounting clamp serves as a great handle when carrying the combo. But, like all long lenses, the quality of what you produce depends on what you put into the photograph. The VC does a great job but at 600mm I always use a high shutter speed when hand-held. My preference at 600mm is 1/1200 of a second shutter speed, which means I use auto-iso much of the time. If you buy one of these Tamron super-zooms you will find your own optimal setting to achieve good results. As always, "for the price" there is nothing on the market that will touch this lens. 5 Stars and highly recommended.

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I got tired of waiting for the 18-400mm. Decided to purchase this instead. Great lens for the price. Much sharper than I expected. Keep in mind they did do an upgrade for this model. I couldnt afford the upgrade so I got this model. Works perfect with my Canon T5i. Only con is that its kinda heavy. You can use it for hand held shots, but not too many as your arms will get tired quickly. Not a big deal because it works best on a tripod anyway...not to mention than my tripod cost about 300 bucks so might as well use that sucker. For my type of amateur photography this lens perfect.

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This is by far the longest lens I have owned. My other telephoto lens is a 80-200mm F2.8 AF-D with a 1.4 teleconverter. That gave me around 420mm when you take the crop factor of the D7000 into account. This lens more than doubles that. On a Nikon crop sensor (i.e. D3xxx, D5xxx, D7xxx) it goes all the way to 900mm. That is a monster zoom! You can zoom into things that you cant make out with your eyes. It is really good stuff. Now how does the sharpness hold up? It is very good. As you probably know the limitation of this lens is the slow speed. At 600mm you have a aperture of F6.3. I would say to just stop it down to F8 and increase the ISO. Your hit rate for sharp pictures will improve. Matter of fact I suggest turning on auto ISO + aperture priority. Set the auto ISO to turn on if the shutter goes under 1/250. That seems to work for me. YMMV. If you are steady you can probably go below 1/250. If you are not I would say to increase to 1/320-1/500. I need to play around with it more but with the slow speed of the lens you will need to adjust the ISO more often than you will with a shorter lens. Obviously 1/250 isnt a good shutter speed at 900mm.... unless you have some good vibration reduction. The lens did a nice job here. Yep it works and works well. You can hand hold this lens but be prepared for a workout and a reduced number of sharp pictures. Bring a tripod for when you need to rest your poor arms. This beast is heavy but not terribly. It wasnt so bad for me since I was used to the 80-200mm which weighs in about 3.5lbs but *if* you havent used a heavy lens before be prepared for some adjustments. Alternatively you can tame this beast with a monpod. Something I need to pick up. Attached is one of the first pictures I took with this lens. It is handheld at 600mm. Only cropped slightly into the rule of thirds.

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If you are just starting out and want a great telephoto lens, this is it. Some people are commenting about how this lens isnt very sharp and I have to say, compared to what? If you mean less sharp than a $9,000.00 professional lens, then you are correct. But this lens is also 8K less expensive and with the release of the G2 version I assume it will only drop further in price. Less sharp than other comparable lenses like the Sigma? Maybe but if you are looking for a lens at this price point, you either cannot afford to be that discerning or are just starting out and anything more expensive would likely not benefit you at this time. You need to use this lens on a tripod or have absolutely perfect technique when hand holding or you are going to get motion blur, just as you would any telephoto lens. When I first purchased this lens and took it out I couldnt hold it up for more than a few seconds and thought I had made a terrible mistake. After practice you will find you can hand hold but it is better on a tripod. Yes it has a variable aperture and it doesnt open up any wider than f/5 and it does physically extend when zoomed so air get sucked into the lens, but it is also several thousand dollars less than a lens that doesnt. I do notice lots of dust inside on the elements but do not notice any degradation in photo quality. I do not know how much I trust the weather sealing and havent really used it out in the elements but I did get caught in a rainstorm and the lens held up just fine although I dont recommend trying.

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