Lenses Tested at 400 mm

[Mike Farley]

LensRental's Roger Cicala has been testing various lenses to see how they perform at 400 mm. As his summary says, the tests have confirmed what many already know from using these lenses in the field. So the Canon 100-400 IS II which is popular here has a good set of results, as does the Nikon 200-500. In fact, the latter seems to be something of a bargain.* I had the opportunity to use the Tamron 150-600 a while back and can confirm it is sharp, but the AF was not quite as snappy as I would have liked. For the price, though, it is good value. While it is a pity that the Sigma 150-600 Sport could not be tested, what this report does show is that the reputation any lens garners among users is likely to be justified, good or bad.

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/0 ... -shootout/

* I don't believe it. I have said something good about Nikon.

[davidc]

What camera did you use with the Tamron 150-600?

[Mike Farley]

What camera did you use with the Tamron 150-600?

It was my 7D Mk 1. I spoke to the pro who was supporting the event and he agreed that AF was where some corners had been cut to contain costs.

[Mike Farley]

What camera did you use with the Tamron 150-600?

I thought you might like to see the blog post about my experience with the Tamron and one of the shots I obtained with it - http://lightintotheshadows.proimageblog ... te-centre/.

[davidc]

I'm surprised you had such an issue with the AF, perhaps it's due to the older AF driver on the 7D? I know that the Tamrons can have AF issues due to their AF routines being reverse engineered but I've tested it on a ton of Canons and with good technique never found it to be a problem - except in live view mode on the 5DS/5DSR where it flat out refused to work at all

Maybe I'm slightly biased because I own one but I find it to be reliable and the image quality great, especially at the price point. Expect to see plenty of nature photos in the next season's competition


How did you learn about the event that Tamron were hosting? Is it something the camera company ran or Tamron themselves? Must admit, never heard of Ffordes!

[Mike Farley]

I'm surprised you had such an issue with the AF, perhaps it's due to the older AF driver on the 7D? I know that the Tamrons can have AF issues due to their AF routines being reverse engineered but I've tested it on a ton of Canons and with good technique never found it to be a problem - except in live view mode on the 5DS/5DSR where it flat out refused to work at all

Don't get me wrong, the AF is not that bad, just that it is not as good as a Canon lens. At the event I was shooting for some of the time with my Canon 300 F/4 L, with and without the Mk II 1.4 extender, and the Tamron was not quite as snappy. That was why I checked with the pro who was there, to make sure it was the lens and not the older AF of the 7D. The issue was exacerbated as the birds were moving quite quickly. Had they been more static, I might not have noticed. On the flip side, the Canon lens is much more expensive and would be expected to do better.

Maybe I'm slightly biased because I own one but I find it to be reliable and the image quality great, especially at the price point. Expect to see plenty of nature photos in the next season's competition

I agree about the image quality and the value for money. The lens is capable of delivering great results, as I hope my sample image demonstrates.

How did you learn about the event that Tamron were hosting? Is it something the camera company ran or Tamron themselves? Must admit, never heard of Ffordes!

Ffordes is one of the largest camera dealers in the country! They used to be based in Essex many years ago before relocating to just outside Inverness. At present, the company occupies two floors of a former church, which is the second premises in the area after they outgrew their original site. As well as new gear, they stock a lot of secondhand stuff which is often reasonably priced. Last year I picked up a fabulous Leica 80-200 f/4 R from them which came boxed in its case and was much less expensive than I have seen at Leica dealers.

I am on their e-mail list and is how I found out about the event, which they organised in conjunction with Tamron. I only went as I happened to to be in the Wester Ross area, which I can recommend as a stunning landscape location. The Tollie Red Kite Centre is too far away for it to have been worthwhile making the journey just for that alone.

[Mike Farley]

...... except in live view mode on the 5DS/5DSR where it flat out refused to work at all

That's one of the issues with buying a third party lens, where the interface between lens and body might not have been fully implemented due to patent reasons. If a new camera comes out and uses a feature which is not supported by the lens, disposing of it and buying a new one might work out more expensive in the long run. I had that experience many years ago when I bought a Sigma zoom which required a new chip when I upgraded to a digital camera. Sigma would have fitted one, except that they did not have any stock of the chips required for that particular lens, although there was availability for just about everything else they produced at the time. I have not bought a Sigma lens since, neither would I purchase any third party lens without an assurance that it could be upgraded in the future if the need arose.

[davidc]

Tamron have already released a firmware update for the affected lenses but still, long term it does make you wonder if they will still be viable. Then again, long term, will I still be using the same kit I have now or will I have moved onto something else?

[Mike Farley]

Tamron have already released a firmware update for the affected lenses but still, long term it does make you wonder if they will still be viable.

Back when I had the issue with my Sigma lens, a few years ago now, lens firmware could not be updated and a new chip was the opnly option. Things have moved on since then, but manufacturers might decide not to support lenses which are out of production. That would be a penny pinching mistake, so hopefully it will not come to that.

[Mike Farley]

Tamron has just announced an update to the 150-600 lens I tried and I note that AF speed and accuracy are among the improvements introduced.

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/la ... hoto-94192