Tamron 150-600 VS Canon 400mm F5.6L SHOOTOUT!!!
Update! April 18, 2015
Latest update: Here is an interesting update for those considering this Tamron super telephoto zoom with the newly released Sigma 150-600 "C" series.
http://lenswork.tistory.com/entry/Sigma-150600mm-f563-C-vs-Tamron-150600mm-f563-VC-600mm
TAMRON 150-600mm F5-6.3 VS Canon 400mm F5.6L
Will the Tamron herald in the era of quality budget super telephoto lenses?
NOTE: VIEWERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EXAMINE PICTURES AT 100% CROP TO DRAW THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
LATEST UPDATE (May 13th, 2014): PLEASE SEE MY LATEST GALLERY COMMENTS REGARDING THE AF ISSUE.
ANNOUNCEMENT: ALL-NEW SIGMA 150-600mm/F5-6.3 JUST RELEASED (Sept 6, 2014). SEE: http://chewyenfook.smugmug.com/Photography/Sigma-150-600mm-F5-63/44158865_kBrc7N#!i=3516189441&k=R5TbvVQ
When Tamron announced the all-new budget 150-600, few raised their eyebrows. Many thought it would be just another one of the lenses that will be forgotten before too long. I was one of the skeptics. But it appears this may not be the case. After a few reviews, people became interested in what they were seeing; some (like me) even got excited. It does seem that this "little" budget super telephoto has got something special.
There were a number of websites that provided in depth technical information on this lens and tons more can be easily googled. Some of these sites are listed at the end of this article. I shall not dwell on the technical aspects and jump straight into real world photography. Hands on approach!
Judging from the reactions of folks in many of the major popular photography websites, it does looks like this new super telephoto has created a spark. Where it will lead to, no one can be certain. But this must surely be the start of the advent of quality "budget conscious lenses".
My curiousity has led me to scour the internet for more information on this "little" budget superphoto. I managed to obtain some enticing information, particularly from Chinese and Japanese translated websites.
The Event
The dealer (新高光) in China organized a telephoto lens testing outing for Sigma and the Tamron lenses on Saturday, Jan 18, 2014. The day was overcast with temperature at about 5 C, so it was pretty cold. A group of 160 enthusiastic amateurs (mostly) turned out at Dongtan Bird Sanctuary in four coaches, located in the outskirts of Shanghai. I requested specifically for that only one Tammy 150-600 and my wish was granted. That said, by now the lens is readily available at the shops.
IS THIS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE?
One of the things that perhaps dwell in one's mind is whether this Tamron can replace either the Canon 400 f5.6 prime or the Canon 100-400, if one was looking for a lighter, handholdable all-in-one option for wildlife safaris (birds, animals even sceneries).
The rationale is that if this Tamron zoom is at least close, as good or better than the two Canons at 400 in terms of AF ability, IQ and reliability, and with an extra bonus of a 500 and a 600 focal lengths, it would be an ideal all-in-one lens in the camera bag.
Field Test
A field test was done with a Canon 5D MK3. I have my trusted Canon 400 5.6L for field comparisons at the 400 range to test against the Tamron 150-600. This is NOT a detailed scientific test and does not pretend to be one, just a hands-on field approach as in real world photographic situations. No charts were used. No tripods were used, all shots taken hand held.
I had this lens for a couple of hours wandering around the park, looking for subjects. Unfortunately, there weren't many birds ... only a pair of captive black swans, two free flying herons in the sky and hundreds of people.
All pictures were taken in raw with camera set at NEUTRAL. NO SHARPENING were applied and all raw files were converted into JPGs for easy loading purposes. There was no post processing at all. No manual focussing, all shots were taken with the camera AF. Most shots were taken by the 5D MK3, a few with the Canon 70D.
There were four things in my mind when I had my hands on on this Tamron 150-600mm F5-6.3 VC :
1) Image Quality*
2) AF reliability and tracking capability
3) Image stabilisation
4) Built quality
*I encourage you to view the files at 100% crop. Make your own judgement. Micro adjustment is available for the Tamron 150-600 on the Canon 5D mk3 body. In my hands on field test, both the Canon 400/5.6 and Tamron 150-600 were set to "0". I did not manually focus.
Tamron 150-600 (Sample piece)
The Tamron is fairly good optically which is unusual for a lens of this zoom range. At the 400 range, it is only slightly less sharp than the Canon 400 prime which in real world situation is virtually unnoticeable unless one really pixel peeped. At 600, a one-stop down gives better IQ. But that said, a little PP at 600 wide open might help a lot to improve the image. So it’s very usable. No comparisons were done with a canon 600mm f4 because there wasn't one available. But I believe it wouldn't be a very fair contest in any case.
Portable and Very Handholdable
It is also very handhold-able at 1.9kg. The VC (image stabilization) doesn’t appear very effective for speeds at 1/125 in the 400-600 range, I have that feeling that it's an older system, understandably so at slightly over 1,000 bucks. But, hey, it is better than nothing even if it was one-and-a half to two stops of IS at the longer telephoto end!
With the sample that I was trying out, I must say that it certainly cannot compare, for example, with the image stabilizations found in the Canon 70-300L or Canon 500/F4, which in my mind, are absolutely SUPERB.
I have no issues with the solid plastic construction. It feels firm and secure in the hands. I like it. I hope in future companies will invest in glass and use good, strong plastic to keep cost down and make them more affordable.
AF TRACKING IS GREAT WITH SINGLE POINT. PLEASE SEE TRACKING SEQUENCES IN THE PHOTO SECTION
IN THAT SHORT TIME I PLAYED WITH THE TAMRON 150-600, I THOUGHT IT DID FEEL LIKE THE AF TRACKING SPEED WAS SIMILAR TO THE CANON PRIME 400. BUT DON'TJUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, PERHAPS OTHERS WHO HAVE USED BOTH CAN SHARE THEIR OPINION.
BUT ...
AF INCONSISTENCY
The Tamron AF system on this *sample piece* is inconsistent and often stalls at between focal lengths from 250-600 in the field. I found it impossible to lock a bird in flight in the sky. Both my Canons did not have focus issues with the Canon 400mm F5.6L that I carried along. Setting the camera at the 15m limiter didn't help either. There were odd occasions when it did work - but only in a flash. The AF sort of leaps forward and retracts backwards, and then stalls.
The tracking did work well when a subject is nailed in focus. Because of its frequent inability (this sample copy) to lock onto subject at the 250-600 end, a subject moving toward the camera was manually overridden until it is in focus and with the AF on the camera pressed. That way, the AF tracking works. "To kick start it" so as speak and to wake it up from its sleep. That way, tracking works. By itself, the lens' AF at these focal lengths would very often freeze.
AF LOST DURING ZOOMING
Inability to maintain focus while zooming. When I AF a heron in the sky at 150mm then start to zoom in, all AF was lost.
CENTER POINT AF
In my sample copy, the AF works consistently only with the center point (both 5D MK3 and 70D). Using zone focus out in the field appears to throw the AF into confusion and stalls the lens.
Interestingly, in indoor situations, the focus is consistent at all focal lengths with the single point AF. It didn't have any issues locking into peoples' faces when I was in a large hall that could contain over 300 people. Strange....
IF A GREAT MOMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHY COMES BUT ONCE IN A LIFETIME, YOU WANT TO BE SURE THAT YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL NOT FAIL YOU AT THE CRUCIAL MOMENT.
But regarding the inconsistent AF, I was not able to establish whether this was due to a faulty copy of the Tamron sample or if this issue is found in all copies.
The Canon 400mm F5.6, on the other hand, feels reliable and gives confidence. You know that the AF will work. With the Tamron, the security is not there as you have the worry that the AF might just stalls at the crucial moment. These problems need to be clarified whether it is just an isolated case or something that is present in current models, the question therefore arises if a firmware might be able to resolve if it was the latter. We shall wait and see.
Issue Taken Note
I could not establish whether this AF focus issue was due to a faulty copy of the Tamron sample or if this problem is inherent in all copies. And if indeed this issue is present in the current batch; whether it could be resolved with a firmware update. The matter was brought to the attention of the two Tamron representatives present and they have said that this problem will be reported back to Tamron in Japan.
On that note, I should also add that I am waiting impatiently to see the debut of the new Canon 100-400 II. Nikon has had theirs. The question is : when will it appear? During the Winter Olympics in Russia?
Websites for further reference. Lots of other information available in the net.
1) http://www.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trinitylumberton.org%2Fcategory29%2F&sandbox=1
(Japanese site translated into English)
2) http://digi.hsw.cn/system/2014/01/08/051834615_04.shtml
2) http://it.wyswig.com/2014/01/02/review-tamron-sp-150-600mm-f5-6-3-di-vc-usd-english-review/
NOTE: My experience as with regard to the AF inconsistency is only with this single Tamron 150-600 sample copy (on Jan 18) made available to me, and may NOT be representative of other copies.
PHOTO NAVIGATION HINT : Choose what suits best for you. A good way of viewing the photos is to go to "style" at the top bar and choose "journal". It is more smooth flowing. You can still view the pictures at their various file sizes at anytime by just clicking on the picture. If you want to view some embedded file information, use Smugmug style.
Read MoreLatest update: Here is an interesting update for those considering this Tamron super telephoto zoom with the newly released Sigma 150-600 "C" series.
http://lenswork.tistory.com/entry/Sigma-150600mm-f563-C-vs-Tamron-150600mm-f563-VC-600mm
TAMRON 150-600mm F5-6.3 VS Canon 400mm F5.6L
Will the Tamron herald in the era of quality budget super telephoto lenses?
NOTE: VIEWERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EXAMINE PICTURES AT 100% CROP TO DRAW THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
LATEST UPDATE (May 13th, 2014): PLEASE SEE MY LATEST GALLERY COMMENTS REGARDING THE AF ISSUE.
ANNOUNCEMENT: ALL-NEW SIGMA 150-600mm/F5-6.3 JUST RELEASED (Sept 6, 2014). SEE: http://chewyenfook.smugmug.com/Photography/Sigma-150-600mm-F5-63/44158865_kBrc7N#!i=3516189441&k=R5TbvVQ
When Tamron announced the all-new budget 150-600, few raised their eyebrows. Many thought it would be just another one of the lenses that will be forgotten before too long. I was one of the skeptics. But it appears this may not be the case. After a few reviews, people became interested in what they were seeing; some (like me) even got excited. It does seem that this "little" budget super telephoto has got something special.
There were a number of websites that provided in depth technical information on this lens and tons more can be easily googled. Some of these sites are listed at the end of this article. I shall not dwell on the technical aspects and jump straight into real world photography. Hands on approach!
Judging from the reactions of folks in many of the major popular photography websites, it does looks like this new super telephoto has created a spark. Where it will lead to, no one can be certain. But this must surely be the start of the advent of quality "budget conscious lenses".
My curiousity has led me to scour the internet for more information on this "little" budget superphoto. I managed to obtain some enticing information, particularly from Chinese and Japanese translated websites.
The Event
The dealer (新高光) in China organized a telephoto lens testing outing for Sigma and the Tamron lenses on Saturday, Jan 18, 2014. The day was overcast with temperature at about 5 C, so it was pretty cold. A group of 160 enthusiastic amateurs (mostly) turned out at Dongtan Bird Sanctuary in four coaches, located in the outskirts of Shanghai. I requested specifically for that only one Tammy 150-600 and my wish was granted. That said, by now the lens is readily available at the shops.
IS THIS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE?
One of the things that perhaps dwell in one's mind is whether this Tamron can replace either the Canon 400 f5.6 prime or the Canon 100-400, if one was looking for a lighter, handholdable all-in-one option for wildlife safaris (birds, animals even sceneries).
The rationale is that if this Tamron zoom is at least close, as good or better than the two Canons at 400 in terms of AF ability, IQ and reliability, and with an extra bonus of a 500 and a 600 focal lengths, it would be an ideal all-in-one lens in the camera bag.
Field Test
A field test was done with a Canon 5D MK3. I have my trusted Canon 400 5.6L for field comparisons at the 400 range to test against the Tamron 150-600. This is NOT a detailed scientific test and does not pretend to be one, just a hands-on field approach as in real world photographic situations. No charts were used. No tripods were used, all shots taken hand held.
I had this lens for a couple of hours wandering around the park, looking for subjects. Unfortunately, there weren't many birds ... only a pair of captive black swans, two free flying herons in the sky and hundreds of people.
All pictures were taken in raw with camera set at NEUTRAL. NO SHARPENING were applied and all raw files were converted into JPGs for easy loading purposes. There was no post processing at all. No manual focussing, all shots were taken with the camera AF. Most shots were taken by the 5D MK3, a few with the Canon 70D.
There were four things in my mind when I had my hands on on this Tamron 150-600mm F5-6.3 VC :
1) Image Quality*
2) AF reliability and tracking capability
3) Image stabilisation
4) Built quality
*I encourage you to view the files at 100% crop. Make your own judgement. Micro adjustment is available for the Tamron 150-600 on the Canon 5D mk3 body. In my hands on field test, both the Canon 400/5.6 and Tamron 150-600 were set to "0". I did not manually focus.
Tamron 150-600 (Sample piece)
The Tamron is fairly good optically which is unusual for a lens of this zoom range. At the 400 range, it is only slightly less sharp than the Canon 400 prime which in real world situation is virtually unnoticeable unless one really pixel peeped. At 600, a one-stop down gives better IQ. But that said, a little PP at 600 wide open might help a lot to improve the image. So it’s very usable. No comparisons were done with a canon 600mm f4 because there wasn't one available. But I believe it wouldn't be a very fair contest in any case.
Portable and Very Handholdable
It is also very handhold-able at 1.9kg. The VC (image stabilization) doesn’t appear very effective for speeds at 1/125 in the 400-600 range, I have that feeling that it's an older system, understandably so at slightly over 1,000 bucks. But, hey, it is better than nothing even if it was one-and-a half to two stops of IS at the longer telephoto end!
With the sample that I was trying out, I must say that it certainly cannot compare, for example, with the image stabilizations found in the Canon 70-300L or Canon 500/F4, which in my mind, are absolutely SUPERB.
I have no issues with the solid plastic construction. It feels firm and secure in the hands. I like it. I hope in future companies will invest in glass and use good, strong plastic to keep cost down and make them more affordable.
AF TRACKING IS GREAT WITH SINGLE POINT. PLEASE SEE TRACKING SEQUENCES IN THE PHOTO SECTION
IN THAT SHORT TIME I PLAYED WITH THE TAMRON 150-600, I THOUGHT IT DID FEEL LIKE THE AF TRACKING SPEED WAS SIMILAR TO THE CANON PRIME 400. BUT DON'TJUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, PERHAPS OTHERS WHO HAVE USED BOTH CAN SHARE THEIR OPINION.
BUT ...
AF INCONSISTENCY
The Tamron AF system on this *sample piece* is inconsistent and often stalls at between focal lengths from 250-600 in the field. I found it impossible to lock a bird in flight in the sky. Both my Canons did not have focus issues with the Canon 400mm F5.6L that I carried along. Setting the camera at the 15m limiter didn't help either. There were odd occasions when it did work - but only in a flash. The AF sort of leaps forward and retracts backwards, and then stalls.
The tracking did work well when a subject is nailed in focus. Because of its frequent inability (this sample copy) to lock onto subject at the 250-600 end, a subject moving toward the camera was manually overridden until it is in focus and with the AF on the camera pressed. That way, the AF tracking works. "To kick start it" so as speak and to wake it up from its sleep. That way, tracking works. By itself, the lens' AF at these focal lengths would very often freeze.
AF LOST DURING ZOOMING
Inability to maintain focus while zooming. When I AF a heron in the sky at 150mm then start to zoom in, all AF was lost.
CENTER POINT AF
In my sample copy, the AF works consistently only with the center point (both 5D MK3 and 70D). Using zone focus out in the field appears to throw the AF into confusion and stalls the lens.
Interestingly, in indoor situations, the focus is consistent at all focal lengths with the single point AF. It didn't have any issues locking into peoples' faces when I was in a large hall that could contain over 300 people. Strange....
IF A GREAT MOMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHY COMES BUT ONCE IN A LIFETIME, YOU WANT TO BE SURE THAT YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL NOT FAIL YOU AT THE CRUCIAL MOMENT.
But regarding the inconsistent AF, I was not able to establish whether this was due to a faulty copy of the Tamron sample or if this issue is found in all copies.
The Canon 400mm F5.6, on the other hand, feels reliable and gives confidence. You know that the AF will work. With the Tamron, the security is not there as you have the worry that the AF might just stalls at the crucial moment. These problems need to be clarified whether it is just an isolated case or something that is present in current models, the question therefore arises if a firmware might be able to resolve if it was the latter. We shall wait and see.
Issue Taken Note
I could not establish whether this AF focus issue was due to a faulty copy of the Tamron sample or if this problem is inherent in all copies. And if indeed this issue is present in the current batch; whether it could be resolved with a firmware update. The matter was brought to the attention of the two Tamron representatives present and they have said that this problem will be reported back to Tamron in Japan.
On that note, I should also add that I am waiting impatiently to see the debut of the new Canon 100-400 II. Nikon has had theirs. The question is : when will it appear? During the Winter Olympics in Russia?
Websites for further reference. Lots of other information available in the net.
1) http://www.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trinitylumberton.org%2Fcategory29%2F&sandbox=1
(Japanese site translated into English)
2) http://digi.hsw.cn/system/2014/01/08/051834615_04.shtml
2) http://it.wyswig.com/2014/01/02/review-tamron-sp-150-600mm-f5-6-3-di-vc-usd-english-review/
NOTE: My experience as with regard to the AF inconsistency is only with this single Tamron 150-600 sample copy (on Jan 18) made available to me, and may NOT be representative of other copies.
PHOTO NAVIGATION HINT : Choose what suits best for you. A good way of viewing the photos is to go to "style" at the top bar and choose "journal". It is more smooth flowing. You can still view the pictures at their various file sizes at anytime by just clicking on the picture. If you want to view some embedded file information, use Smugmug style.
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