Tamron 150 500mm F 5 6 7 Di III VC VXD Review | 54 Data compared

The Photography Life review deems the Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD a compact, travel-friendly super-telephoto lens offering high value, particularly for the $1,200 Nikon Z version. Key advantages include its lightweight (4.1 lbs) build, robust sharpness that peaks at 500mm, and effective vibration compensation, making it an excellent alternative to larger, pricier lenses. However, the lens lacks teleconverter compatibility, limiting its maximum reach. Other drawbacks highlighted include an external zooming design that risks dust, a sometimes awkward locking ring, and slightly slower autofocus performance compared to first-party rivals, with the value proposition decreasing on higher-priced Sony and Fujifilm mounts.

The Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 VC VXD (A057) lens for Sony FE mounts offers a highly compact, robustly weather-sealed alternative to bulky supertelephoto zooms, positioning itself neatly between the cheaper Sigma 100-400mm and the more expensive Sony 200-600mm G lens. Reviewer Dustin Abbott highlights that its standout feature is its physical design: being an externally zooming lens, it is significantly shorter (about 41% retracted) than the Sony 200-600G, making it much easier to pack, store, and travel with. Optically, the lens delivers stunning sharpness across the zoom range, excellent control of chromatic aberrations, very low vignette, and minimal pincushion distortion. Additionally, it features a unique zoom lock clutch mechanism, a highly versatile minimum focus distance with up to 0.32x magnification at 150mm for near-macro work, an Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot, and a quiet, high-torque VXD linear focus motor that manages an impressive 90% tracking keeper rate for action shots. However, the lens faces several distinct drawbacks, many of which are artificial limitations imposed by Sony on third-party manufacturers. Most notably, the lens is completely incompatible with Sony teleconverters, preventing photographers from...

Here is a specific summary of the lens review: The Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (150-500X) is a full frame lens ported to the Fujifilm X-mount system, providing a 225-750mm full frame equivalent focal range that is ideal for wildlife and sports photography. Priced at $1,299 USD, it significantly undercuts native Fujifilm competitors like the XF 100-400mm and XF 150-600mm by $600 to $700. Its robust build features excellent weather sealing, a smooth 75-degree zoom rotation that supports push/pull operation, an Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot, and a highly practical zoom ring clutch mechanism to instantly lock focal positions. Furthermore, it boasts exceptional maximum magnification capabilities (0.32x at the wide end) and highly effective lens-based Vibration Compensation (VC) that delivers up to 6 stops of stabilization when paired with Fujifilm's in-camera stabilization. The review highlights several pros and cons regarding its field performance and image quality. Pros include its quick, quiet, and accurate VXD linear autofocus motor when tracking fast action like birds in flight, its ability to maintain unthrottled burst rates up to 20FPS on premium Fuji bodies,...

The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057) offers excellent, sharp performance at the center of the frame across its focal range, coupled with fast, quiet VXD autofocus and effective 4-4.5 stop VC stabilization. Pros include high-quality bokeh, robust weather sealing, and a relatively compact design for an extreme telephoto lens. However, the lens suffers from notable field curvature and soft edge resolution at closer distances, requiring stopping down to f/11 for improved corner sharpness, while the 1,725g weight can cause fatigue during prolonged use.

The OpticalLimits Review positions the Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD as a highly capable and budget-friendly super-telephoto zoom lens, particularly valued for its travel-friendly, compact design. On the pros side, it delivers excellent sharpness in the image center at lower focal ranges and remains very good at 500mm. Its mechanical build quality is solid, featuring a smooth zoom ring, an integrated Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount, and a clever Flex Zoom Lock mechanism. Additionally, its Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) linear motor achieves exceptionally fast autofocus on modern Sony bodies, while its very short minimum focus distance enables a highly useful 1:3.1 macro-style magnification. However, the lens comes with several optical and physical cons. Optically, it suffers from heavy field curvature at 150mm that blurs flat objects in the corners at close-to-medium distances, and it exhibits corner softness when fully zoomed to 500mm. Out-of-focus highlights can look rather nervous and busy, while uncorrected RAW files reveal medium pincushion distortion and higher-than-average vignetting. Physically, the lens barrel extends when zooming, raising durability concerns since Tamron explicitly mentions moisture resistance but does...

The Fstoppers review highlights the Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD as a robust, premium super-telephoto lens that offers exceptional value for outdoor sports and nature photography. Tested on Fujifilm APS-C cameras (providing a 225-750mm full-frame equivalent), the lens is praised for its stellar image quality with pleasing bokeh, close-up focus capability down to 23.6 inches, and a highly effective three-mode Vibration Compensation (VC) image stabilization system. It features an ingenious "Flex Zoom Lock" mechanism to secure the focal length anywhere by pushing the barrel forward, alongside a fast, quiet linear autofocus motor that locked onto subjects effortlessly. Furthermore, priced at $1,299 (with an instant rebate), it serves as a highly affordable alternative to pricier native Fujifilm alternatives. On the downside, the lens's main limitations stem from its physical weight and variable aperture. Weighing 3.77 pounds, it becomes quite heavy and exhausting during extended periods of handheld shooting. Its f/5-6.7 variable aperture also restricts low-light flexibility, meaning performance significantly degrades in dimly lit environments or indoor sports venues where high ISO speeds (like 6,400 to 12,800) are required to...

The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057) is a compact, weather-sealed ultra-telephoto zoom lauded for its robust build, effective three-mode Vibration Compensation (VC), and fast VXD autofocus. It offers impressive edge-to-edge sharpness when stopped down, excellent control over aberrations, and unique close-up capabilities with a 0.6-meter minimum object distance at 150mm. Conversely, the lens features a relatively slow maximum aperture of f/6.7 at the long end and, despite its compact size, can cause fatigue due to its weight. Performance at 500mm shows a drop in contrast when wide open, and usability is slightly hindered by a friction zoom lock that can engage accidentally and a tripod collar lacking 90-degree click-stops.