Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 G2 | FULL REVIEW
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ค. 2021
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@Paul May and @Jeet Dutta...and everyone else curious about how the lens managed to shoot at F/5.6 while at 600mm. I heard back from Tamron and at first they thought the lens was possibly defective but that wasn't the case. On closer investigation on their end they learned that if the camera is set to display 1/2 stops and not 1/3 stops then the lens will register as F/5.6 at 600mm. Now, this begs the question about what aperture is the lens actually shooting in this situation. I would assume it would HAVE TO BE F/6.3 but seeing as I no longer have the lens in actual possession I'm unable to verify. If anyone has this lens on hand I'd love to know if all this checks out!
Hi Adam! Well I picked up a new copy of the lens last week and took it through its paces. I got some stunning images of birds when used with a Nikon Z6. I had the lens for a full week and decided it was not for pure hand holding (which is what I prefer). I am somewhat fit and handholding a long lens had never been a problem before. The stabilization on the Tamron is quite good too. Granted I am moving up from a Fuji 100-400 which is quite light in comparison. So I returned the Tamron and ordered a Nikon 500 PF that will be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait.
@@thirdson2441 That's awesome about your PF! I've never been a Nikon digital shooter but I've heard great things. I'm actually testing out the 150-500mm E-mount as we speak. It's much shorter than the 150-600mm but it's still got some heft. Weirdly dense if that makes sense. I'm also curious, how did the 150-600mm perform with your Z6? That's not an area where I hear a lot of feedback with aftermarket lenses.
@@AdamWelch Hi Adam. The 150-600mm did OK and I was pleased that Tamron did such a nice job with this lens. Autofocus on the Z6 was sluggish especially in lower light. While the images were sharp, the resolution just wasn't there. I have progressed to the point in my photography where my technique has gotten really good and I am asking more from my gear. The 500mm PF puts it at another level for me. Simply stunning.
I have the tamron 150-600g2 and i use it with an R5, and i can confirm everything you said. Im pretty sure the maximum aperture is 6.3, there is no change at all in the image exposure of course, if you shoot at maximum aperture, no matter if the camera says 5.6 or 6.3. And is an amazing lens, totally recomended
@@GalacticoUC Honestly I'm still surprised just how well it performs. Absolutely fantastic tele.
Nice job Adam. I just got my Canon R6 mkll and paired it with the Tamron 150-600 G2. Going out to shoot tomorrow. Too much snow today. Looking forward to seeing the result for BIF. Thanks.
How has the lens performed for you?
I love the sharpness and performance of the Tamron. It was my first Tamron G2 and now I have the whole series SP15-30mm G2, SP24-70mm G2, SP70-200 G2.
The 150-600mm G2 caused problems with the 7dII at 600mm. That's why I stopped at 550mm. And the large rotation angle when zooming. from 150 to 600mm is annoying. The sharpness was sometimes better with the 7dII, sometimes with the 5dIII. But what takes me to the next level is the combination with the R6II: phenomenal!
Now I'm thinking about a TC-X20 or TC-X14 teleconverter designed exactly for this lens.
Great video
Thank you, my friend. It's crazy thinking back at the first time I used this lens...and now Tamron has just released a 150-500mm in Sony mount ha
Wow, absolutely stunning photos. Do you know if 95mm-82mm step down ring would work on the lens for screw on ND's and CPL's? Thanks.
Hey thanks a lot. I wasn't able to making it back out there last year but hopefully this year. As to your question, I may be misunderstanding you but no, the lens needs a 95mm circular filter; meaning you couldn't use anything LESS than a 95mm circular filter. If you were using square filters you would need a 95mm adapter ring for your filter holder and make sure the filter would at least be large enough to cover the entire front element of the lens (including the barrel). Let me know if that answers your question.
Adam, I always enjoy your reviews, and this is a lens I've been considering. BTW, you briefly reference the Tamron 35-150, a lens I picked up about two years ago, and absolutely love. I know your review of that lens influenced my purchase, so thanks for that. As a long-time Nikon shooter, I'm finding Tamron to be my go-to brand for a lot of my work, having also picked up the 17-35 and the stellar 35 f1.4. Seems like this lens would very nicely round out a Tamron kit. Oh, and what lens would the 150-600 be replacing? I have a circa 1983 400mm f3.5 MF, an imbalanced beast of the lens, just over 6 pounds, but never disappointing at any aperture. Thanks again for your vids. You're a trust-worthy voice for the photography community.
Hey Eric it's great to hear from you. I appreciate your kind words and yes, I've never heard of anyone being disappointed with that 35-150mm. When you ask about the 150-600mm replacing another lens are you referring to the 1st generation of Tamron's 150-600mm? Oh and the 400mm F/3.5 you reference, is that the Nikkor Ai-s 400mm? If so, I actually remember handling one of those and from what I recall it was an absolute beast! It felt so well-built that it could double as a hammer haha
@@AdamWelch The 150-600 G2 would replace the 400mm f3.5 Nikkor AI-s. When I was barely out of my teens in the early '80s, the Nikkor 400 f3.5 was about $4k, which was big money in those days. I ended buying mine, used, on ebay, from a private investigator. What that lens might have seen. Got the lens for cheap ($600), cuz it has a small chip in the front element. I knew that a small chip won't ever show on images, esp, since it's off-center and I always use a hood. Anyway, sorry for the totally off-topic indulgence, and nice to hear from you, too!
@@ericdelmar2618 Ha very interesting story about the origins of your 400mm! And I checked on eBay and those are still going for around $800-$900. Good glass remains good glass I suppose.
Very nice review!
I have had this lens a couple of years with my D7500 and it drives me nuts from time to time and I see that a lot of other users feel the same. Sometimes it just doesn't focus properly. Sometimes I can blame it on light, my photographing-skills, camerashake, shutterspeed,, heatwaves and so on but there are so many times when it should have focused right but it doesn't. Very close distances are more seldom a problem though if I should search for a pattern. I have tried a Nikon 200-500 which is much more consistent with the focusing. Just the other day I took bursts of a bird about 10m away sitting still on a branch and all photos were out of focus. I had good stability and shutterspeed of 1/800. Nothing was in focus. I don't have these problems with other lenses I have. I see someone has upgraded from a D7500 to a D500 and that did improve but it's too much money just to try. I have mostly tried VC1. The contacts are cleaned.
It sounds like your experience mirrors mine with my 7D MK1 vs 5D MK3. Your D7500 has 51 AF points and the D500 tripled that, with 153 points. Even though the D7500 is a slightly newer camera the AF just doesn't compare. Btw, my 5D MK3 only has 61 AF points haha Other than that I have no idea what could be happening if your other lenses worked well. I wouldn't hesitate to contact Tamron about the issue however just in case it might be a technical issue with the lens you have.
Great video and shots Mr. Welch. I have had this lens for a few years and I really enjoy it. I do have a question if you answer them: how in God's name did you get your lens to open to f5.6 at 600mm? Mine always stops down to f6.3 at the long end.
Hey David I appreciate the kind words! This topic has been an ongoing oddity so I've pinned the in-depth explanation at the top of the comments. But in short, it was a simple matter of having my camera set to display half stops instead of 1/3 stop increments.
@@AdamWelch Gotcha, so the mechanical limits of the lens still apply and the lens aperture is 6.3 while the camera reads 5.6 until another f-stop click is applied to the dial which will allow the next f-stop to appear in the readout. That's an interesting little quirk.
@@ponderingnugget It truly was and while although simple, it was a circumstance that even had the Tamron folks thinking it was a defect in the lens. It's further interesting to note that the F/5.6 was actually IN THE EXIF DATA for the images; meaning that in Lightroom they showed as "'ISO1000, F/5.6, 1/2000th sec" ect. Ironically enough, I've actually got the 150-600mm on hand again as we speak (which I didn't after the quirk was noticed) so I may do a bit of experimentation to really end this once and for all.
Finally! Someone not shooting with ISO Jesus Christ is that even a number
Was starting to wonder if you HAD to shoot in ISO 3200+
Hi Adam. Just purchased one of the Tamron bad boy 150-600 G2 lenses. Its going on my Canon D90. So far so good. I know im getting used to it, but watched your mustang video and looked at the quality of the pics as well as the ISO settings and speed. I was just out test shooting, and to get anywhere near 1/1000th second speed, the ISO was up near 1000 a lot of the time, and even then i dont think the lens is as sharp as you found. Any comments or thoughts as to setup, what am i missing etc?
First of all congrats on the lens! That's a toughy, though. Your D90 is packing in a considerable amount more resolution than my 5D3, even with the APS-C sensor. I only mention this because I noticed an INCREDIBLE difference between my use of the 150-600mm between my 7D1 and the 5D3 in terms of sharpness and overall performance between the cropped and full frame sensor, which really was likely due more to the sheer advancement in tech between the two bodies. I feel like I'm saying a lot just to say that the sensor size is likely the only consideration I could think of outside of any sort of operational differences; meaning camera motion which is likely the robber of sharpness. Keep in mind that the crop factor of the Canon APS-C sensor (you likely know this) is around 1.6x, so the 150-600mm becomes a 240-960mm as soon as it's used with your D90. At 960mm the 1/1000th shutter should still be generally fast enough according to the reciprocal rule to compensate for camera shake especially with the VC switched on but not a lot of wiggle room. Something else I'll add just as a general caveat for a lot of videos; not all the images were tack sharp all the time, due to camera movement. In most cases where I shoot this type of lens handheld I usually "double tap" each shot to help the chances of a shake free capture. Of course, that's just me, and it's far from the spray and pray mentality of some, but it definitely helps your chances. There's also of course the possibility that the lens could need a microfocusing adjustment in order to reach optimal sharpness. Along those same lines, if you happen to shoot primarily with the optical viewfinder as I do, don't overlook the possibility your diopter could need a tweak. Aside from all these considerations, and I've tried to list all I can think of, if you still feel like the lens is underperforming I'd definitely reach out to Tamron to see what they say. It's not outside the realm of possibility to have something going in with the lens itself. Anyway, apologies for the unexpected novel ha Keep me updated on how it goes if you don't mind.
@@AdamWelch Hi Adam - thanks for the in-depth reply. I thought i had cracked it as my autofocus mode was not in single point focus, rather than a wider focus option. But upon looking at a few shots this morning, i still don't think that things are quite right. was going to send you a picture for you to have a look at, but obviously cannot attach to a message. The image was taken on tripod with a remote release so there cannot be anything wobbly going on there. So i'm stumped unless as you say i reach out to Tamron, or i do the fine adjustments as per youtube videos. By the way, im puzzled, you talked about changing the diopter as i am using the optical viewfinder, but that wont affect the image on the card will it? its only a live view as it were. The taken image should be crystal clear irrespective of the diopter wouldnt it? Any advice to be offered gratefully received. cheers. Andrew in NZ
@@andrewfawcett6637 Oh no trouble at all, I love this sort of thing. Feel free to shoot me a DM over on Instagram with the image @adamwelch.photographist if you happen to be on there, or if not let me know and I'll get you an email address to send the picture. As far as the diopter goes, it doesn't effect the outcome of the photo aside from the way you perceive the focus of the image prior to capture: meaning that if the optical viewfinder isn't accurate to your vision, the picture you see prior to capture could be inaccurate, leading to improper focus. But as you said, if you're shooting in Live View with the LCD that likely isn't an issue.
It’s because the APS-C. You can not use all potential of the lens
At 16:05 how does this lens go f/5.6 @600mm? Just curious. Nice overview of this lens.
Hey Paul, you're not the first to notice this! There's a bit more information on it further down in the comments but the short of it is "I don't know". I've emailed my contact at Tamron and I'm waiting to hear their thoughts on the matter. I've opened the files in two separate programs, checked the actual EXIF of the RAW and I even have a video the camera set at F/5.6 while at 600mm. So as far as I can tell the lens and camera at least THOUGHT they were shooting at F/5.6. I'll pin an update in the comments if I find out anything.
@@AdamWelch Hey Adam.... Thanks for the reply. I ordered the lens today for my nikon Z6/FTZ. I will be getting it on Friday.... Just in time for the weekend ;-)
I just heard back from Tamron on this. I pinned a comment with the info up top.
Whats your thoughts about action shots cars, sports, birds flying, wildlife on the move? would this lens be good ?
Sorry I don't know how I looked over this comment. The stabilization on this works extremely well, so for panning, especially with a good pan head, would be no problem at all. As far as the actual tracking ability of the lens, that would vary greatly with the camera body being used. I've used this with a Canon 7D MK1 and a 5D MK3 and the difference between the two was quite noticeable in terms of how the AF performed. All this to say I think it would work great for all the things you mentioned.
Tamron is doing this with all their lenses these days. The stabilization and sharpness are INCREDIBLE, and the price point for those two factors in a weather proof lens is setting the benchmark for other manufacturers. I have 2 Tamrons in my bag for Nikon full frame, and wish Tamron had more focal length options (135 mm or 105 mm). The 85 mm and the 70 mm - 300 mm are both superb.
I agree about the quality vs cost factors on many lenses these days. The stabilization on some of these is just mind blowing. It's a great time to be making photos. I hope things just keep improving and it appears that's the case. Lot's of other lens manufactures seem to be stepping up lately with some incredibly impressive glass!
I am thinking about this lens for my Nikon D750. Seems the best lens for a price about 1000€.
I would be inclined to agree with you. To date, this is the longest lens I've used/tested and the next was the 100-400mm from both Tamron and Sigma with my personal preference bein the Tamron. Here's a link to both of those reviews (before I was on TH-cam) should you be interested.
contrastly.com/review-of-the-tamron-100-400mm-f-4-5-6-3-di-vc-usd-telephoto-lens/
digital-photography-school.com/review-sigma-100-400mm-f5-6-3-dg-os-hsm-contemporary-lens/
Hi Adam. Does it work on system canon camera’s?
Yes, this was being used with a Canon EF mount camera. It is also available in Nikon F mount as well.
Nikkor 200-500 or g2 which is better (specially autofocus speed ) ?
My body - nikon d5600
Anurag, I've never personally used the Nikkor but here's a link to a comparison between it and the Tamron. cameradecision.com/lenses/compare/Nikon-AF-S-Nikkor-200-500mm-F5.6E-ED-VR-vs-Tamron-SP-150-600mm-F5-6.3-Di-VC-USD-G2-Nikon-F-FX
I bought one and sent it back, it was terribly out of focus. I’ve seen other reviews stating the same problem. Perhaps if I would have calibrated it, I might have liked it. I bought the Nikon 200-500.
The maximum aperture is f/6.3 beyond 482mm. How can you get f5.6 at 500, 600mm 😳
Uhhhhh...I just happened to be in LR at the moment when this comment popped up and at first I thought "I bet I misspoke" which happens a lot...but I just looked through a few of those photos and apparently that's what at LR thinks some of these were shot at in terms of focal length and aperture. I've already sent the lens back so I can't actually do a camera check but I do know that I had the lens racked out to 600MM most of the time. I feel like I've said a lot to say I don't know but in this case I really am at a loss. This is going to bother me. I may actually ask my contact at Tamron about whether this was a just some sort of metadata glitch or if this was some sort of one-off.
And the plot thickens.... I just went into the drive where the RAW files are stored and actually looked at the details of some of the files. Sure enough, it shows the same F/5.6 on the 600mm focal lengths. So weird. If I find out any more information I'll definitely update it here.
I would be glad to know if its f/5.6 at 600mm 😆
@@stripes_in_raw Honestly so would I.... I'm going to shoot an email over to Tamron.
@@stripes_in_raw And just to add a bit more information, I'm currently working on a review for another photo editor and the exif in that software also shows the aperture as F/5.6 at 600mm....
Focus? Sharpness? Not with my 150-600mm. Had it calibrated to my Nikon D7000, shot on tripod using remote control, full range of mms and f/stops and guess what? Focus? Huh!! I don't think so. Photos where so soft that couldn't photoshop them to usability. Paying this much money for a lens that is never in focus, I would be ashamed to put it in the marketplace. Anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate it.
Hmmm, aside of course a possible defect in the lens, the reduction in sharpness and focus ability could be due to the camera. As I mentioned in the video, the performance of the 150-600mm was IMMENSELY improved in all areas when tested on my full-frame Canon 5D MKIII compared to my APS-C 7D MKI I had used in my original review. Since the D7000 was released in 2010 and my 7D in 2009, there have been enormous advances in AF and sensor tech. Did you bring the issue to Tamron? What was their response?