Tamron 150-600mm Review - and how to use it for Wildlife Photography
Are you considering getting the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2 lens? In the video above, I share my thoughts and experience about the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2.
I have had this lens for a couple of years and have used it extensively for wildlife photography. Be sure to watch this video to the very end, as I will also share my tips about using the lens in the best way to get the most out of it for wildlife photography.
For wildlife, photography focal length is pretty important, and this is one of the huge attractions of this lens.
Getting as close as 600mm while still being flexible so you can also shoot subjects closer to you at 150mm is a huge advantage.
But especially, the reach of 600mm is very valuable when you can't get closer to your subject for different reasons.
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Build Quality and Handling
The build quality feels good, and the lens seems well-balanced. I have used it on a Nikon Z6 II with the FTZ mount adaptor and the Nikon D810. The lens barrel is made from metal, which makes it feel quite solid.
The only issue I have had with the build quality is with the lens collar, which doesn't rotate as smoothly as you could expect, but it is a matter of habit and muscle memory.
The G1 suffered from autofocus freeze-up issues, which have been fixed in the G2 model. Another upgrade Tamron made was adding weather sealing.
Together with the optical performance and good image stabilization, this lens is definitely useable for wildlife photography.
Because of the relatively low weight, you can take it with you, where you would normally leave a long and heavy lens behind, to avoid carrying it.
Button Placement
When carrying the lens down the side, my leg sometimes flicks the autofocus switch, so the lens is sometimes in manual focus mode when I pick it up to capture, for instance, a bird in flight.
This is quite annoying. One day I will have to tape it up. But it is just something to be aware of so you don't miss any shots on that account.
Using the zoom ring is even throughout the entire range.
Be aware of the zoom ring lock mechanism.
If you push the zoom ring away from you, then you lock the zoom and cannot adjust it before unlocking it.
There is also a zoom lock button that works only at 150mm, keeping the lens there while you carry it.
Image stabilization
The Tamron 150-600mm G2 has three image stabilization modes.
Mode 1 is the standard mode, which gives a good balance between stabilizing the image and also giving you a stable image in the viewfinder. I believe it is around 4 stops of image stabilization.
I have used this method the most, and I have had great results with this for handheld shooting.
Mode 2 is for panning, and mode 3 doesn't give you any vibration compensation in the viewfinder, as it is only activated just before the image is taken.
It should be able to give you up to 4.5 stops of image stabilization, according to Tamron.
Focus
The lens hunts for focus from time to time, so I suggest that if you know the range where your subject will be, then use the focus limiter switch, as this limits how much the lens hunts for focus.
The lens focuses fast in good light but is a bit sluggish in low light due largely to its maximum aperture.
Particularly when shooting at 600mm, the lens can be slow when shooting in dim conditions, and this is also where you will experience the most focus hunting.
If you zoom out to 500mm, the focusing experience will be much better.
The more familiar you get with the lens, the less you will experience focus hunting.
In good light, the focus is quite fast, even for birds in flight.
Sharpness
The lens is generally sharpest at f8.
If you shoot with the Tamron 150-600mm G2 wide open, it is not an extremely sharp lens, but still quite good.
However, let's get some context here.
The lens has a huge zoom range of 150 to 600mm focal length at a price of around US$1,400.
So you can't expect it to compete with high-end prime lenses with the same focal lengths or even with high-end zoom lenses with a shorter focal range.
However, when you stop the lens down, it gets quite impressive.
At 150mm, the lens is sharp right to the edge of the frame when stopped down.
Most photographers would buy this lens for the long focal range.
And this is likely where you will use it the most. In the case of wildlife photography, you want to get as close as possible.
At 600mm, the corner sharpness falls off quite a bit at 600mm f/6.3, and the center sharpness is also lower than if you shoot 300mm.
However, if you stop the lens down to f8, the sharpness improves quite a lot, but corner sharpness remains a bit low.
If you can get close enough to your subject and don't need to shoot at 600mm, but you still need to shoot wide open to get enough light, you should consider shooting at 400-500mm.
How to Get the Most out of the Tamron 150-600mm for Wildlife Photography
So let us talk about: How to Get the Most out of the Tamron 150-600mm for Wildlife Photography.
Get Down Low
To get the most sharpness out of this lens, you will have to shoot at f/8 instead of the wide-open aperture of f/6.3 at 600mm.
This also means that you should ensure that you get a good separation between your subject and the background.
The easiest way to do this is to get down to the eye level of your subject.
Let us say that you are capturing waterfowl.
If you stand up and point your lens downwards toward the subject, the water becomes the background, and at f/8, then you can't get that smooth background.
However, if you lie down, the background will likely be the other shore or at least the water further behind your subject, and therefore it will look buttery smooth and blurred out, making your subject stand out much more.
Get Closer to Your Subject
To get the best image quality, it is still important to get as close to your subject as possible. You will be able to capture much more details if you do so.
Even though the lens has a reach of 600mm, trying to capture an eagle a mile away won't give you any keepers.
Instead, with a 600mm, you still need to be within 20-30 meters of larger birds of prey to get an awesome shot.
For waterfowl like great crested grebes or Eurasian coots, you still need to get within maybe a distance of 10 meters to resolve feather details.
Shoot When You Have Enough Light
Since the maximum aperture is f6.3 at the long end of this lens, and you will likely stop it down to get sharper photos, you also need plenty of light.
I get the best shots with this lens at the later part of the golden hour in the morning and the first part of the golden hour in the evening.
Overall this Tamron 150-600mm has given me plenty of shots that I couldn't have gotten without the reach of this lens.
The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 is a great lens for the money.
It's sharp throughout its range when stopped down, has effective image stabilization and quick autofocus, and is relatively light and handholdable for a lens of its focal length.
What more can you ask for for the price?
If you have any questions about this lens, feel free to drop me a comment.
