DennisC
Member
Looking at this lens to purchase and was wondering if any of you in the BGF are using this lens. Sure would appreciate any thoughts or feedback on the lens. Thank you in advance and Happy Holidays!!
Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens
- Thread starter DennisC
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Strodav
Well-known member
There are many very good reviews out there on this lens. I trust pcmag.com and here is their review of the G2 https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/tamron-sp-150-600mm-f5-63-di-vc-usd-g2 , which they rate as 4 out of 5 or excellent. I own one and have gotten very good results with it on a D500 body and have used it with my D850. AF is fairly fast and it doesn't get confused to often - about the same as the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6, which I also own. I would not necessarily recommend it for a FX body as it does get a bit softer in the corners compared to Nikon 200-500mm. The other issue I have is that it isn't a true 600mm lens, more like a 560mm lens. I did have to tune it to get good results. You can use a 1.4x teleconverter with the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6, which takes to f/8, which is the limit of the AF system on the D500 and then only near the center of the frame and AF is a bit slower with the teleconterter. I do not recommend using a teleconverter with the G2 unless you plan on going to manual focus at about 350mm with a darker viewfinder.
Would I recommend it to someone? Depends on how much they are willing to spend and if weight and bulk are an issue. On a budget and weight conscious, it's a good value and will give good results after tuning. I would recommend the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 before the G2, but it is heavier. The next step up would be the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sport, but it's heavier than both the G2 and Nikon. If you have the budget for it, the 500mm f/5.6 would be the way to go IMHO as most of my shots with zooms are at the full zoom.
Would I recommend it to someone? Depends on how much they are willing to spend and if weight and bulk are an issue. On a budget and weight conscious, it's a good value and will give good results after tuning. I would recommend the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 before the G2, but it is heavier. The next step up would be the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sport, but it's heavier than both the G2 and Nikon. If you have the budget for it, the 500mm f/5.6 would be the way to go IMHO as most of my shots with zooms are at the full zoom.
@Strodav, what you replied to the op is what I have generally seen as consistent regarding comparison to the 200-500mm. With this statement are you suggesting the sigma sport an upgrade when compared to the nikon? I like my 200-500 but that extra reach is considerable with some subjects.
FB101
Well-known member
Yes the Sigma Sport is an upgrade but only if you are shooting on full frame and if you don't mind the significantly higher weight. My pick was to go to the 500 f:5.6 PF - a much bigger step in image quality and a reduction in weight at the expense of being a fixed focal. I just hiked for 2 hours with the D500 and 500PF up and down hills and the weight gain versus my Tamron G2 was noticeable.
FB101
Well-known member
I truly enjoy my Tamron G2, nice sharpness and contrast, especially at mid-distances (a bit softer at infinity) and not too bad at minimum focusing distance, I use it a lot of butterfly close-ups- but compared to the Nikon 200-500 I found the Nikon to have a nicer bokeh - my copy of the Tamron has a pretty nervous bokeh but I have seen pictures on this site with much smoother backgrounds than what I typically get. I went with the Tamron because at the time it was a solid $300 cheaper on sale than the Nikon but at comparable prices I would have grabbed the Nikon as the focal length difference is minor and focus is a bit more reliable on the Nikon too (I find).
I had to jump to the 500 PF to find something worth upgrading for and that's what I just did.
Strodav
Well-known member
Reach is where the debate starts. The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 turns into a 280 to 700 f/8 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter at the expense of slower AF and a darker viewfinder. I do not recommend using a teleconverter with the G2 because you cross the f/8 AF barrier (at least with my D500 and D850) around 350mm. So, one can argue you get an extra 100mm with the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6. IMHO, the Sigma Sport is a step up in IQ , but you are at $1850 new and $1200 used in E condition give or take at 101 oz. I do not recommend using a teleconverter with the Sport. The Tamron is $1200 new and about $900 used in E condition (if you can find one) at 70oz.
FWIW, I tend to hike in for about 4 hrs at a time carrying a D500 with 200-500mm f/5.6 over my shoulder and a Nikon 600mm f/4G along with a 1.4x teleconverter, 60mm f/2.8 micro lens a tripod and assorted junk in my backpack including spare batteries, filters, lens cleaning kit and a couple of bottles of water. Total weight is about 25 lbs to 30 lbs depending. It helps keep me in shape at 68.
I had the Tamron 150-600 G2 and recent sold it. I am now using the Nikon 200-500. I found that the Tamron was snappier to focus, faster then the Nikon, but wasn't as accurate as the Nikon. I am getting many more keepers with the Nikon. I spent many hours fine tuning the Tamron with Tamron's Tap-in console and software . I found it sharp when it hits focus and got even better results when I stopped down. The Nikon seems to be sharper wide open. The Tamron has a built in Arca mount on the foot, The Nikon doesn't. I tried the TC 14 lll on the Nikon and it seem to work ok. The reach of the Tamron is a little more and It gets a little wider. They both sell for a similar price. The Nikon is F5.6 straight through. The Tamron goes from F5 at 150mm, but quickly jumps up to f6.3 when you get up to 450mm. The Nikon is a bit heavier, almost not noticeable. Tamron has a 6 year warrantee. Nikon's is 5 years. It's a hard call. If you want to stay in that price range I'd go with the Nikon.
DennisC
Member
Thank you all for your comments and recommendations. A lot to think about for this ol’ senior.
I'll just add my 2 cents. I used the Tamron G2 for over a year, and had to send it to Tamron twice for autofocus problems, and a constant problem with the lens simply freezing until I turned the camera off and back on. Tamron was a great company to work with, their customer service is very good. The local rep even offered to overnight his personal copy of the lens to me so I could use it while my lens was in for repair. Finally, they sent me a brand new lens. At that point I decided to try the Nikon 200-500, and I sold my Tamron shortly after. My copy of the Nikon is noticeably sharper, has never frozen, and if there is a difference in autofocus speed, I haven't noticed it in the field.
All that said, my 200-500 did have complete autofocus failure after a little over a year, though, and had to be sent in for warranty repair.
All that said, my 200-500 did have complete autofocus failure after a little over a year, though, and had to be sent in for warranty repair.
I shot hundreds of shots on a boat today with my Tamrom G2( after an year or so ) since my Nikon 500 PF developed some issues yesterday
While I did not face much of an issue I missed my 500 PF and don't want to use Tamrom G2 once issues with my 500 PF get fixed .The zoom was
useful when shooting a crocodile fro pretty close .
How ever 500 PF is much lighter and focuses better when shooting small birds in bushes and most important it is tack sharp
While I did not face much of an issue I missed my 500 PF and don't want to use Tamrom G2 once issues with my 500 PF get fixed .The zoom was
useful when shooting a crocodile fro pretty close .
How ever 500 PF is much lighter and focuses better when shooting small birds in bushes and most important it is tack sharp
SeanT
Member
I've loved mine. It was great on my D750, D850, and Z6 too. I recommend it highly. I much prefer it to the Nikon 200-500.
I'm selling mine, just in case you're interested, as I have the 500 PF as a Christmas present to myself.
I like how the Tamron allows you to program your own focus limiter brackets inc overlaps.
And its ability to AF fine-tune at multiple focal lengths.
The Nikkor 200-500 doesn't have those features.
And its ability to AF fine-tune at multiple focal lengths.
The Nikkor 200-500 doesn't have those features.
jijir
Well-known member
For me best ratio quality/price
Dennis...what will you use this lens for? Consider if you really need a zoom for what you are doing or will use it mostly at the long end. Since I shoot mostly birds, I use the long end. I have had the Tamron G1 when it was new, the Nikon 200-500. For me the 500mm f5.6 PF really goes the distance for holdability, hiking, better in low light and IQ. Good luck with your decision.
pochito
Active member
I agree with what Kim says. In my case I prefer the zoom because it helps me to arrange other elements in the composition. It's not always "as near as it goes" in my photography.
Notabene: I am a novice in re "wildlife". In my case practising with shorter lengths first was a bonus to my learning curve. The 150/600 was the adequate lens for that
Notabene: I am a novice in re "wildlife". In my case practising with shorter lengths first was a bonus to my learning curve. The 150/600 was the adequate lens for that
I have one...and it’s pretty good...especially after doing AF fine tuning. That said...it’s too long a FPS heavy to handhold...which is why I’m getting a Nikon 500PF to supplement it.
When I got my 150-600 I was deciding between the Tamron G2 and the Sigma Sport. I spent a lot of time not only looking at reviews but also looking at forums to see real-world and longer time veiws from people just like us. I have no doubt that the IQ with either lens would have been perfectly acceptable and the Tamron was lighter. However I found myself being drawn to the Sigma Sport so that is what I got, abd I'm pleased with it.
A well-known wildlife photographer over here in the UK has Nikon running in his blood and used (among other lenses) a Nikkor 500mm f4. After testing the Tamron 150-600 G2 he sold the Nikon lens! He said that pixel peeping showed differences, but for all practical purposes, for his photography it was a no brainer.
A well-known wildlife photographer over here in the UK has Nikon running in his blood and used (among other lenses) a Nikkor 500mm f4. After testing the Tamron 150-600 G2 he sold the Nikon lens! He said that pixel peeping showed differences, but for all practical purposes, for his photography it was a no brainer.
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Craig McGowan
Active member
Hi Denis, when I bought my G2 lens the online reviews of the Sigma 150-600, Nikon 200-500 and the Tamron 150-600 G2 were broadly speaking, similar. Each lens had its noteworthy points. But what settled the decision for me was Tamron through its retailers here in Australia offered awesome savings. I’ve used mine for 2+ years now with my D850 and are very happy with the results.
Good luck with your decision.
Good luck with your decision.
D
Deleted member 115
Guest
If I could go back I would buy the G2 over my Nikon 200-500mm
I bought the Nikon to replace my old beat up Tamron AO11N when the 500 PF wasn’t happening. The Nikon 200-500 I received is just worse at autofocus speed without enough clarity to be worth giving up the extra magnification.
Price was not a consideration between this class of lens as they are within 200 bucks(Nikon being less)
I bought the Nikon to replace my old beat up Tamron AO11N when the 500 PF wasn’t happening. The Nikon 200-500 I received is just worse at autofocus speed without enough clarity to be worth giving up the extra magnification.
Price was not a consideration between this class of lens as they are within 200 bucks(Nikon being less)
Capelle Ch
Member
sigma 150-600mm c
O
Well-known member
Assuming you shooting Nikon,
Its a very nice lens, and frankly it and te Sigma do a dine job, however my colleague who loves the Tamron, and be it a sample difference or not, conceded when we compared it in the field and on computer side by side to the 200-500 Nikon, the Nikon seemed to edge it out overall. Birders in our club say the same about the Sigma is also excellent but again they lean to the Nikon.
The Tamron 150-600 has a magnification of 4 to 1 the Nikon 200-500 has 2.5 to 1, also the colour is a little more synergistically nicer on the 200-500 when on a D850.
Ok.....……. as mentioned in the forum, if the Tamron is only 560mm then its a 3.73 to I magnification ratio.
The birders in our club say the same, they lean to the Nikon over the Tamron and Sigma.
I believe, if your using a camera that reveals very well like the D850 or Z7 then Nikon on Nikon is best, same with Canon on Canon, and I found when using the A9 and Sony glass, Sony on Sony was best, especially on super high res sensors, if your on a D7000 D7100 etc its not going to matter as much if you know what I mean.
The true cost of photography is not so much the gear but the time and effort and cost put into getting the photo, don't be feeling your left behind if you don't have the best, My Mantra is and always has been what Steve said, 20% of the photo is the gear, 80% is the person using it.
Only and Opinion OZ down under
I
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I've been using the G2 since 2017 without any problems, and am for the most part very satisfied. Since I've never used the Nikon 500 I can't compare. The G2s weight is manageable - I'm 76 and mostly hand hold because I can be quicker for BIF though I use a monopod upon occasion for far shots such as at the coast. I think sharpness is very satisfactory particularly for close and intermediate range shots. As someone mentioned earlier it gets a little soft at 600mm at a distance. 600mm is sharp for frame filling shots. AF is usually very quick. Low light and poor contrast is sometimes trickier. Sometimes I back off 600mm and AF works better in those situations. At times I shoot landscapes when I'm out birding and having a 150mm at the low end is useful because I don't usually carry a 2nd lens. My website is at mrtk.sugmug.com You can see numerous examples.
@DennisC I am late to the party. I am 72 and hand hold 99% of the time. Most of my photography is birds and birds in flight. I currently use 2 Nikon D500's and a Nikon D850. I currently have a Tamron 150-600 G2, a Sigma 60-600 Sport and a Nkon 500 PF f/5.6. I previously owned a Nikon 200-500 and a Sigma 150-600 Sport. Tamron offers a special service on any non gray market lens still in warranty that I took advantage of as soon as I got the lens. If you send them your lens and the body you will be using it on they will tune the lens to fit the body not AF tune the body to the lens. It is amazingly sharp. I also clean the contacts on my camera and lenses regularly. I have had friends tell me their lens or camera was broken and needed to be sent in for repairs. 2 minutes later I had the contacts cleaned and all worked great. Just the electric charge going between the contacts can cause a residue that needs to be cleaned off periodically. I learned this from a camera store owner pro photographer who could have sold me the new lens I thought I needed and instead fixed it better than new in seconds. He told me that he recommends cleaning the contacts when the lens and camera body are brand new to clean off manufacturing residue that he sees on many new lenses and cameras. I use the Tamron 150-600 G2 on my D500 the majority of the time, the Nikon 500pf on the D850 the majority of the time and occassionally the Sigma 60-600 on the D850 if I want that much focal lenght range and will not be lugging that beast around for hours in rough terrain. I had to send the Sigma in about a month after I bought it when it just stopped focusing turned out the "mother board" was bad and Sigma replaced the lens. I sent my Nikon 200-500 to Nikon 3 times (last time on a recall for fixing panning issues with the vibration reduction) it was a nice lens but I sold it because I preferred the Tamron 150-600 G2. The sharpest fastest focusing lens I own is a Tamron 70-200 G2 and it looses no speed with a 1.4 Tamron teleconverter ... I shot it against my Nikon 300 PF and sold the Nikon 300 PF again that lens was sent in to be tuned for my Nikon D500 (I have a battery grip on that 500 with the big D5 battery). My grab and go set up for running out the door and for following my chukar hunting buddies around in nasty steep terrain is a Nikon D500 without a battery grip and a Tamron 18-400 it flat out works for those purposes.
O
Well-known member
I have no issues with Tamron or Sigma zoom lenses.
Myself, I have luckly a good sample 200-500 that I got Nikon to tune and tweak, it needed no alteration, how lucky is that.
I look for the image Keeper rate.
Focusing accuracy and consistency.
Colour accuracy.
Oz Down under
Myself, I have luckly a good sample 200-500 that I got Nikon to tune and tweak, it needed no alteration, how lucky is that.
I look for the image Keeper rate.
Focusing accuracy and consistency.
Colour accuracy.
Oz Down under