Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 DI IF VC USD

Just to touch on what I wrote over in the bird forum :-



"Wanted to test it some more before I sent it off to possibly be re-calibrated / f/w updated.

I left the AF Fine tune off all of the time.

If I focused on something at the other side of the pond (at infinity) at 600mm and f6.3, the result was that the subject was blurry. Stopping it down to f8 or f9 made it ever so slightly sharper.

However, when I kept it at 500mm or shorter the results were a hell of a lot sharper. And, with a budget lens such as this, I would be happy if at 600mm, it was the same as at 500mm but I knew before I purchased this lens that it was meant to be soft at the long end.

When the lens was on my D7100 and D600, 600mm was slightly softer than at 500mm and a quick bit of sharpening in PP sorted it out.

BUT, I reckon that the D810 is accentuating the long end of the focal range and making it look a lot worse than it is, due to the 36mp resolution.

Maybe this is why they require a firmware update to counteract this problem.

Fingers crossed."


@snerkler - I've noticed that your furthest shots with that lens are at 550mm and f8. Is it because yours is like I describe at the 600mm end of my lens?

Lovely shot btw
 
wezza13 said:
@snerkler - I've noticed that your furthest shots with that lens are at 550mm and f8. Is it because yours is like I describe at the 600mm end of my lens?

Lovely shot btw
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Thanks. I've found that 550mm and f8 it's at its sharpest so try to keep it at this if I can. It does get slightly softer at 600mm but not much. In reality the different between 550mm and 600mm is negligible in terms of framing.
 
I can't decide on this (Tamron) lens or the Sigma version, but from the images I've seen from the Tamron I'm mega impressed. Anyone use this lens with a D810 ?
 
macvisual said:
I can't decide on this (Tamron) lens or the Sigma version, but from the images I've seen from the Tamron I'm mega impressed. Anyone use this lens with a D810 ?
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Used previously when I had d810. Great lens with excellent VC. Preferred it over the sigma c too
 
The Sigma version of this lens is a better lens and you can use the USB dock to fine tune it and adjust settings on it as well as update the firmware. I use the Sigma 150-600mm 3.5 6.3 sport model and love it even on a D810.
 
macvisual said:
I can't decide on this (Tamron) lens or the Sigma version, but from the images I've seen from the Tamron I'm mega impressed. Anyone use this lens with a D810 ?
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I use it on a D810 but, tbh, I am very interested to see what the Sigma version is like at the long end, wide-open.

I have tested this lens on my D810 extensively the last few weeks and also used FoCal Pro to AF fine-tune the lens. I've also tested it countless times with the AF fine-tune turned off.

It's unusable at 600mm at f6.3. The pictures don't just lose a bit of sharpness, they're simply ones for the recycle bin. Haven't kept a single one.

However, I've had to limit myself to using it at 500mm at f8, as anything past that looks dreadful.

And, yes, I know with the high resolution of the D810 that you should use it at least double the shutter speed of the focal length but it just doesn't have it!

I've also found that it isn't the best in poor light. In good light, it produces some nice images.

I'll also add that when I used it on my D7100 and D600, it didn't look as bad as it did on the D810. I also saw some pics recently where someone had it on a D500 and it looks good wide-open ( http://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/d500-w-tamron-150-600mm-sp.400831/)

We were discussing it in this section here, from post #75 : https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/wezs-d810-thread.623052/page-2

So, it's a bit annoying that I've now lost 100mm on it, which on a FF camera hurts, but I really want to test the Sigma C and Sport versions.

It does sharpen up a little at f10 or f11 but, as I use it mainly for birding/wildlife, with the weather in the UK, it's just not feasible out in the field!

Of course, this is a budget lens and there will be compromises but if I paid for 600mm I expect to use up to 600mm and not 500mm.

Hope this helps.

Wez
 
The trouble is that when you are limited to AF fine tune, you get very limited results and cannot tune to each focal length independently so you have to compromise and pick one ald lose the rest.
With the Sigma dock you can tune every marked focal length independently as well as changing what buttons do.
Its a much better system and the sport lens is even better for the field than the c is but at double the cost and added weight.
 
macvisual said:
I can't decide on this (Tamron) lens or the Sigma version, but from the images I've seen from the Tamron I'm mega impressed. Anyone use this lens with a D810 ?
Click to expand...
The Sigma is the best of the two, the Tamron has some issues as demonstrated here.

The Sigma I can't fault (I now have the C variant).

At 600mm wide open its very sharp indeed.
 
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Shameless plug, but mines in the classifieds if anyone is after one at the moment
 
macvisual said:
I can't decide on this (Tamron) lens or the Sigma version, but from the images I've seen from the Tamron I'm mega impressed. Anyone use this lens with a D810 ?
Click to expand...
From several tests I've read the Tamron is sharper at the long end, and sharper across the frame than the Nikon 200-500mm IF you get a good copy. It seems that Tamron's QC isn't the greatest and there's a lot of sample variation. I'm lucky to have one of the good ones and can get perfectly useable images at 600mm f6.3. That being said it's sharpest at 550mm f8 so I use it at this. If I was buying now though I'd buy the Sigma no question just because of the dock, and I believe there's less QC issues (although still some) At the time I bought mine the Tammy was £200 cheaper so a no brainer, as they are the same price now I'd opt for the Sigma if it played nice with your camera (my camera doesn't seem to like Sigma lenses :()
 
Thought id add one photo from my Tamron 150-600mm i dont use it that often really but for the reach and money its not bad :)

 
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