Tamron SP 150 600mm F 5 6 3 Di VC USD Review | 54 Data compared

Based on the provided review, the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD is a "game-changing" ultra-telephoto zoom lens that defies expectations by offering an expansive 4x zoom range at a highly affordable preorder price of $1,069. Tested on a full-frame Canon body, the lens features a robust, weather-sealed construction with a modern brushed aluminum ring, a metal bayonet mount, and a highly useful removable tripod collar. It handles smoothly with dedicated focus and zoom rings, alongside a minimum focus distance of 2.7 metres that provides an impressive 1:5 maximum magnification factor. Optically, the lens delivers incredible sharpness throughout nearly its entire focal range, accurate and fast autofocus via its Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) motor, and excellent color rendition. Furthermore, its built-in Vibration Compensation (VC) system proves indispensable for handheld shooting by effectively stabilizing the viewfinder at extreme focal lengths, while the eBand coating ensures strong resistance to flare and ghosting. Despite its standout performance, the review highlights several distinct compromises inherent to its design. On the downside, the lens is notably big and heavy, weighing 4.3 pounds (1,951g) and...

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD is a highly capable and affordable telephoto zoom lens tailored for wildlife and sports photographers looking for massive focal range without an astronomical price tag. Retailing at £949 ($1,149 USD), the lens is impressively compact and well-balanced, fitting easily into standard camera bags even when attached to a camera body. In terms of performance, the lens features a fast, quiet autofocus system and a highly effective four-stop Vibration Control (VC) image stabilization system that performs remarkably well for handheld shooting. Image quality and resolution are standout pros; the optic captures fine details beautifully, controls chromatic aberration effectively, and shows excellent sharpness, especially when the variable aperture is stopped down to f/8 or f/10. However, the lens does require some real-world compromises to meet its budget-friendly price point. Its variable aperture drops quickly from f/5 to f/6.3 at the 600mm end, which limits low-light performance and makes it harder to achieve a shallow depth of field. Handling presents a few distinct cons: the lens barrel suffers from "lens creep," slowly extending out to...

The DPReview field test indicates the Tamron SP 150-600mm F5.0-6.3 Di VC USD is a capable, high-value ultra-telephoto zoom lens offering excellent, sharp image quality across most of its range, along with effective Vibration Compensation (VC) and quick autofocus in bright light. It is noted for its versatile range and solid construction, making long-distance photography accessible. However, the lens's f/5.0-6.3 aperture limits low-light, high-speed shooting compared to faster primes, and it can be affected by wind stability issues, particularly at the 600mm end. Additionally, the long, slow zoom throw can make tracking fast action difficult, requiring technique to master handheld, long-focal-length shooting.

The Photography Life review of the Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens for bird photography highlights its exceptional value, providing significant telephoto reach and capable Vibration Compensation (VC) for handheld shooting at an affordable price. The autofocus system performs well in good light for tracking fast-moving subjects, provided the photographer maintains precise focus point control. Conversely, the lens experiences notable drawbacks, including potential autofocus freeze-up issues on certain Nikon bodies and an external zoom design that acts as a "dust pump". The reviewer notes that capturing birds in flight requires significant technique and patience, particularly as teleconverters degrade performance and disable autofocus beyond 300mm.

In a 24-hour field test, the Photography Life review of the original Tamron 150-600mm lens on Nikon D4s and D810 bodies highlights impressive sharpness, particularly at f/8, alongside fast, quiet autofocus and effective vibration reduction. The lens is described as a budget-friendly, well-balanced option for wildlife photography, offering a manageable weight for its extensive focal range. Photography Life

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD is a surprisingly affordable super-telephoto zoom lens, costing under 1,000 USD/EUR, that offers impressive reach up to 600mm. Built with a robust combination of metal and plastic, it boasts very good construction quality, partial weather sealing, and a smooth-operating focus ring. The inner lens tube remains stable without wobbling even when fully extended, and it includes a practical transport lock to prevent potential zoom creeping over time. Performance-wise, the lens features a fast, virtually silent Ultrasonic AF (USD) system that maintains good speed despite the narrow maximum aperture, alongside advanced eBAND and BBAR coatings designed to minimize flare and ghosting in challenging light. However, the lens does come with some notable drawbacks, starting with its slow maximum variable aperture of f/5-6.3. The lens group mechanics make the zoom ring action slightly stiff, and the physical size becomes quite massive when fully extended with its deep lens hood attached. Furthermore, while the built-in Vibration Control (VC) provides an effective 3-stop advantage up to 500mm, it struggles and "jumps" at the 600mm focal length...

The ePHOTOzine review of the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD highlights it as a high-value, solidly built lens offering impressive center sharpness and low distortion for telephoto shooters. Key advantages include effective VC (Vibration Compensation) for handheld shooting and eBAND coating that maintains contrast, though edge sharpness, particularly at 600mm, is weaker. Despite excellent center performance, the lens faces limitations with slower aperture ranges (f/5-6.3) in low-light situations.

The Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD lens (Model A011) emerges as a highly capable super-telephoto zoom lens, specifically built for wildlife, bird, and action photographers. On a full-frame camera like the Canon EOS 5D Mk III, it delivers impressive overall image quality, achieving a DxOMark score of 17 points and outperforming both the rival Sigma 150-500mm and the pricier Canon 100-400mm lens. Key advantages include an extensive focal range, built-in Vibration Compensation (VC) stabilization, an ultrasonic autofocus motor, and advanced eBAND coatings to heavily reduce flare and ghosting. Furthermore, it boasts excellent sharpness uniformity across the frame at 400mm and displays well-controlled chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting at most focal lengths.

The Photography Life review of the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD (Gen 1) highlights it as an affordable, game-changing super-telephoto lens, offering excellent central sharpness, effective Vibration Compensation (VC), and fast autofocus, particularly beneficial for wildlife and sports. However, the review notes significant drawbacks, including soft image quality at 600mm, lack of robust weather sealing leading to dust accumulation, heavy weight, and slower, less consistent autofocus in low-light conditions, especially on older camera bodies.

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD is a highly praised super-telephoto zoom lens that Dustin Abbott describes as a true "game-changer" for its balance of incredible reach and affordability. Tested on a full-frame Canon body, the lens features a 4x zoom range that remains very sharp throughout most focal lengths, matching the performance of higher-end Canon glass at identical settings. Its build quality is robust, utilizing a mixture of high-strength engineered plastics and metal, complete with dust and moisture resistance and a subtle brushed aluminum ring replacing Tamron's old gold accent. The lens excels with an impressive Vibration Compensation (VC) system that makes steady handholding at 600mm possible, smooth bokeh rendering via nine curved blades, and a fast, accurate Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) focus motor that avoids annoying final hunting. However, the lens is not without some notable limitations. While its image quality is excellent, it suffers from a minor sharpness falloff at the maximum 600mm focal length when shot wide open, though stopping down to f/8 easily corrects this. Its physical nature also presents challenges: it is...

The Tamron SP 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD lens delivers impressive image resolution performance in the centre of the frame, showing very good results at short focal lengths and remaining fully useful even wide open at 600 mm. When tested on a Canon EOS 1Ds MkIII, its 300-450 mm range matches or slightly outperforms the Canon 100-400L lens, which is remarkable given the Tamron's wider focal range, lower price tag, and effective optical stabilisation. On APS-C/DX sensors, the lens maintains high quality, beating comparable Sigma models and closely trailing the Canon, though users need to stop down to f/8.0 at the longer focal lengths to achieve complete image sharpness across the edge. However, the lens struggles significantly when it comes to full-frame edge resolution, which is noted as its primary drawback. It fails to maintain sharpness at the outer edges of a full-frame sensor when wide open, as it was not optically designed to deliver perfect edge-to-edge sharpness across such a massive focal range. To counter this con and get acceptable corner images, photographers must stop the lens down...

The DPReview lab test of the Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD identifies it as a highly appealing, portable supertelephoto option for full-frame SLRs, boasting excellent reach and solid, effective image stabilization. Its primary advantages include strong optical performance with high sharpness and low aberration at 300mm, alongside minimal vignetting at the wide end. However, the review notes significant limitations, specifically a progression to soft images at the maximum 600mm focal length (unless stopped down to F8) and prominent red-cyan chromatic aberration at that same focal length. Furthermore, the lens shows consistent pincushion distortion around -1.5%, which, along with the corner fringing, may require post-processing correction on certain camera systems. AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses