The Tamron SP 150-600mm F/v-vi.iii Di VC USD is one of a select group of supertelephoto zooms for full frame SLRs that reaches or exceeds 400mm focal length, while nonetheless existence reasonably portable. This type of lens is the tool of choice for small or distant subjects when large heavy primes are impractical, ranging from birds and wildlife, through sports, to aircraft and the like. The Tamron'south trump carte du jour over its closest competition (the Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM and the diverse 400mm telezooms from the camera makers) lies in its longer focal length - at 600mm full zoom, it'll let you get your subjects that bit larger in the frame.

Tamron announced the lens at the end of 2013, which means information technology's the most modernistic in its class, and therefore, in principle, has the nigh upwardly-to-appointment optics. Information technology includes several features that are more than-or-less essential to this type of lens - optical image stabilization (which Tamron calls Vibration Compensation, or VC for short) and an UltraSonic Drive motor for fast, silent autofocus (hence USD). Information technology also comes with a collar for attachment to a tripod or monopod; at nearly 2kg (4.3lb) in weight, you're probably not going to want to shoot it hand-held for long.

I point worth noting is that the lens has a incomparably wearisome maximum aperture, starting at F5 and dropping to F6.three at full telephoto. This is the price yous pay for getting such a long zoom range at all; Sigma's 150-500mm offers the same discontinuity range, and the camera manufacturers' closest equivalents tend to max out at 400mm F5.vi. However with the loftier-ISO adequacy of modernistic sensors, this is no longer and then limiting every bit it might have been just a few years agone.

The Tamron isn't just for total frame cameras: it tin likewise exist used on APS-C SLRs, on which if offers a huge 225-900mm equivalent range. If you're thinking of going on safari, or even just to your nearest airshow, this makes it a hugely tempting prospect. Of grade this long zoom comes at a price - at effectually £950 / $1070, it'south notably more expensive than the older Sigma. Still it starts to look like a bargain when you realize how much Catechism, Nikon or Sony are asking for their 400mm telezooms.

Headline features

  • 150-600mm focal length (225-900mm equivalent on APS-C)
  • F5-6.iii maximum aperture
  • 'Vibration Correction' optical image stabilization
  • 'UltraSonic Bulldoze' autofocus motor
  • Available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony Alpha mounts

The competition

The Tamron'due south 600mm focal length is the longest in its class, then if it'due south absolute accomplish you're after, information technology has a clear advantage over other lenses currently on the market. The Sigma comes closest, with the photographic camera manufacturers all offering 400mm instead. Canon's 100-400mm is at present looking distinctly long-in-the-tooth, while Nikon and Sony have both recently updated their contenders. Click the links for full details on each lens.

  • Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD - £950 / $1070 (announced November 2013)
  • Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG Bone HSM - £740 / $ 870 (announced Jan 2008)
  • Canon EF 100-400mm f/iv.v-v.6L IS USM - £1255 / $1700 (appear November 1998)
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-five.6G ED VR - £1950 / $2700 (announced March 2013)
  • Sony seventy-400mm F4-5.vi G SSM Two - £1600 / $2000 (announced Feb 2013)

All of these lenses offering ultrasonic focus motors, and the Catechism, Nikon and Sigma also have optical stabilization. Sony'southward excellent 70-400mm doesn't, as the company'southward Alpha mount SLRs use in-torso sensor-shift image stabilization instead.

Click here for a detailed specification comparison between these lenses

Lens test data (APS-C)

We recollect the Tamron is just as likely to be used on college-end APS-C cameras like the Canon EOS 70D, Nikon D7100 and Sony SLT-A77 2 as it is on total frame, and then in this report we'll exist looking at how information technology performs in lab testing on both formats. It doesn't do too badly on APS-C, simply is somewhat weak at the long stop, with relatively low sharpness and quite high levels of lateral chromatic aberration.

Sharpness Sharpness is highest at 150mm, and progressively decreases as you zoom in; past 600mm the lens isn't particularly sharp at all. In general you'll become the all-time results on stopping down to F8, light permitting. In context though, the Tamron's operation isn't too unlike to the other lenses of this type aside from the Sony 70-400mm, which is unusually good at the telephoto end.
Chromatic Aberration Chromatic abnormality is distinctly loftier at 600mm, with strong blood-red-cyan fringing at the edges and corners of the frame. It'southward not then bad at shorter focal lengths, and is very low indeed at 300mm. Annotation that while nigh Nikon SLRs will compensate for this in their JPEG processing, Canon and Sony cameras won't.
Vignetting Vignetting is very depression, equally usual for a total frame lens used on APS-C.
Baloney Baloney is low, which again is normal for a total frame lens on APS-C. There's a little pincushion distortion at all focal lengths, but information technology'due south unlikely always to be a trouble.

While the Tamron may not be at its best at 600mm, none of the other lenses we're looking at reach that long at all. So to make a fair comparison, we take to expect at how they match up beyond their shared focal length range. For example, in these tests the Sigma 150-500mm F5-half dozen.3 DG OS HSM is no sharper at 500mm than the Tamron is at 600mm. Meanwhile Catechism's ageing EF 100-400mm f/iv.5-5.6L IS USM simply tin can't keep pace with the Tamron'southward far more modern optics; it'southward simply non as abrupt when compared similar-for-like on the EOS 7D.

Compared to the recently-appear Nikon AF-Due south Nikkor eighty-400mm f/four.5-5.6G ED VR, the Tamron manages to go along pace optically beyond the shared zoom range - at that place are some small differences in measured sharpness here and there, and the Tamron has slightly higher CA at 400mm, but overall the lenses are more similar than different. The only lens that comes out noticeably alee in any way, in fact, is the Sony seventy-400mm F4-five.6 G SSM 2, which offers spectacular sharpness wide-open at 400mm.


This lens review uses DxOMark data thanks to a partnership between dpreview.com and DxO Labs (read more about DxOMark and our partnership with DxO Labs). DxOMark is the trusted industry standard for independent image quality measurements and ratings. DxOMark has established this reputation with its rigorous hardware testing, manufacture-grade laboratory tools, and database of thousands of photographic camera, lens and mobile test results. Full test results for this lens tin be establish at www.dxomark.com.