My observations and thoughts on the Tamron 150-600mm
Some of my observations about the Tamron 150-600mm lens
Auto focus seems to be fast and accurate. A few times I could not get the lens to focus at all because I was shooting with the range limiter switch on that is located on the barrel of the lens and was too close to the subject for the lens to focus. As soon as I set it to full range to focus it popped right in focus. My fault. When shooting at longer distances you can turn on the focus limiting switch on the barrel of the lens and it will speed up the focus by eliminating the closer distances for the lens to travel while obtains focus
I have very good results shooting handheld but they are even better using a tripod. Remember when using a tripod to turn OFF the VC and also you need to remember to turn it back on after removing it from the tripod.
I am a fairly big guy and have good shooting technique which is required for any longer lens. I will say that I have been very impressed with the "VC" or vibration control that this lens has and I think it works very well. I have taken shots at the full 600mm, hand held, at 1/30 sec. and even took one at 1/5 sec but I do have very steady hands with good shooting technique that allows me to shoot at the longer focal lengths. Your results will vary a lot from what I get.
By having the longer focal length I do not need to crop near as much in Photoshop because I am able to fill my frame more in camera with the longer lens. By having this ability of not having to crop as much in PhotoShop more of the file is maintained and not lost due to being cropped. I have sold many 2ft by 3ft canvas prints and have also had a few made into the triple canvases where one image is split into three canvas prints covering a 3ft by 6ft area and displayed on a single wall. Having the larger files with less cropping really helps here. It doesn't matter how many megapixels your camera has if you have to crop parts of your picture away to get what you need to print, you are loosing all those megapixels that you paid money for when purchasing your camera.
When shooting handheld I find that setting the ISO to 500 usually allows for fast enough shutter speeds when shooting handheld.
When shooting a longer focal length the longer in length you shoot the less the depth of field you will have, also the closer you are to the subject decreases the depth of field..
This lens does not come with a case but I have found that the Lowpro 13x32 cm case is a perfect fit. It can be found HERE.
This is the UV filter that I purchased to go on my Tamron. It takes a 95mm filter and this is the one I purchased to go on mine. Look HERE
I am VERY HAPPY with this lens and would highly recommend it to anyone that may be considering a similar lens. I think it is worth every penny that it costs and more. Remember if you get one to make sure it has a Nikon mount or whatever type your camera will need. I find this lens to be sharp and to produce very good pictures.
These are random thoughts about this lens and I will be adding other observations as they come up. Jeff
I would like to add that when I was doing research on this lens before buying it I looked at many pictures on the web. Either there were very sharp pictures or soft ones. After looking at the EXIF data on the pictures I came to the conclusion that the soft pictures were due to poor technique or just inexperience on what settings to use for longer focal lengths. This lens will produce great pictures if you set your camera correctly and have good shooting technique. Basically, in my opinion, the lens will deliver a great image if the person using it has the know how and ability to use a longer focal length lens.
Some of my observations about the Tamron 150-600mm lens
Auto focus seems to be fast and accurate. A few times I could not get the lens to focus at all because I was shooting with the range limiter switch on that is located on the barrel of the lens and was too close to the subject for the lens to focus. As soon as I set it to full range to focus it popped right in focus. My fault. When shooting at longer distances you can turn on the focus limiting switch on the barrel of the lens and it will speed up the focus by eliminating the closer distances for the lens to travel while obtains focus
I have very good results shooting handheld but they are even better using a tripod. Remember when using a tripod to turn OFF the VC and also you need to remember to turn it back on after removing it from the tripod.
I am a fairly big guy and have good shooting technique which is required for any longer lens. I will say that I have been very impressed with the "VC" or vibration control that this lens has and I think it works very well. I have taken shots at the full 600mm, hand held, at 1/30 sec. and even took one at 1/5 sec but I do have very steady hands with good shooting technique that allows me to shoot at the longer focal lengths. Your results will vary a lot from what I get.
By having the longer focal length I do not need to crop near as much in Photoshop because I am able to fill my frame more in camera with the longer lens. By having this ability of not having to crop as much in PhotoShop more of the file is maintained and not lost due to being cropped. I have sold many 2ft by 3ft canvas prints and have also had a few made into the triple canvases where one image is split into three canvas prints covering a 3ft by 6ft area and displayed on a single wall. Having the larger files with less cropping really helps here. It doesn't matter how many megapixels your camera has if you have to crop parts of your picture away to get what you need to print, you are loosing all those megapixels that you paid money for when purchasing your camera.
When shooting handheld I find that setting the ISO to 500 usually allows for fast enough shutter speeds when shooting handheld.
When shooting a longer focal length the longer in length you shoot the less the depth of field you will have, also the closer you are to the subject decreases the depth of field..
This lens does not come with a case but I have found that the Lowpro 13x32 cm case is a perfect fit. It can be found HERE.
This is the UV filter that I purchased to go on my Tamron. It takes a 95mm filter and this is the one I purchased to go on mine. Look HERE
I am VERY HAPPY with this lens and would highly recommend it to anyone that may be considering a similar lens. I think it is worth every penny that it costs and more. Remember if you get one to make sure it has a Nikon mount or whatever type your camera will need. I find this lens to be sharp and to produce very good pictures.
These are random thoughts about this lens and I will be adding other observations as they come up. Jeff
I would like to add that when I was doing research on this lens before buying it I looked at many pictures on the web. Either there were very sharp pictures or soft ones. After looking at the EXIF data on the pictures I came to the conclusion that the soft pictures were due to poor technique or just inexperience on what settings to use for longer focal lengths. This lens will produce great pictures if you set your camera correctly and have good shooting technique. Basically, in my opinion, the lens will deliver a great image if the person using it has the know how and ability to use a longer focal length lens.
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