Tamron announces new 150-600mm zoom with IS!

Holy smokes! ; This could give the Sigmonster a run for its money... especially if its anywhere near as sharp.
 
Uh oh - that's darned tempting! ; Having used the good old 200-500mm for years, and always finding it a solid performer, that extra reach especially on the long end could be really sweet. ; And just when I was thinking of picking up a 70-400mm...if this thing can be close to the sharpness level and have 200mm more reach, I'm definitely interested.
 
OK folks! ; This lens is now almost here - Jan 17 rumored release for Canon & Sony mount, Nikon just behind. ; All of the tests seem to be bearing out that this is quite sharp and nice even at 600mm wide open. ; What's more, the price is not all that different than the Tammy 200-500mm price was 5 years ago - $1,069!


I've officially traded my Tamron 200-500mm lens for the new 150-600mm F5-6.3 lens...it just makes all the sense in the world. ; I can still use my faithful 300mm F4 prime and TC while I wait, and the 150-600mm lens would have rendered my 200-500mm nothing more than emergency backup duty...so no sense holding onto it. ; I can still get $500 or so for the 200-500, which cuts the price of the new lens in half. ; And the new lens adds 50mm on the wide end, 100mm on the long end, USD silent focus drive rather than screwdrive, new coatings, focus limiter switch that the old one didn't have, AF/MF switch which the old one didn't have, and even moisture-resistant construction for minor encounters with light rain or mist...all in nearly the same footprint as the old lens, just a bit heavier for all that extra range.


Now, I just need to see when the 150-500 will actually ship. ; The initial rumor had Canon mount at Jan 17, and the Sony and Nikon mounts to be delayed to Spring. ; But several sites with preorders have placed the Sony mount availability as Jan 17 too, and a few calls to them reveal that they are confident about it - so fingers-crossed, it may actually come out when promised...and if not, I won't be too surprised. ; I'm only waiting to put the new order in for a few more days until I can confirm what I get for my 200-500 - and I'll decide if I want to order from Amazon or B&H (and I'll use the TMIP click-through this time!).
 
I won't be buying one, but I'm sure planning on renting one this summer. ; I can't wait to see what the real-world performance is like.
 
That's a very slow lens. ; You'll need a nice day to get the best results which has been my experience with the Nikon 80-400VR f/4-5.6 and shoot with a fast shutter.
 
Exactly - VC (IS, SS, etc) is built into the Nikon and Canon versions. ; The Sony version doesn't get the VC since the Sony bodies have it built in (though it seems a bit of a ripoff to not include it and charge the same amount...I'm used to that though!).


Scott - it is indeed not a super fast lens - but then again we're talking 600mm for $1,000! ; Luckily living here in Florida, we have abundant sunshine and even an F8 lens is plenty fast for 1/2000 shutter speeds on flying birds at ISO100. ; Rarely is lack of light a problem down here except the stormiest of days...so this lens will suit fine. ; My previous experience with the 200-500mm F6.3 was excellent, so getting another 100mm of reach at the same aperture will serve me very well.
 
"zackiedawg" said:
Scott - it is indeed not a super fast lens - but then again we're talking 600mm for $1,000! ; Luckily living here in Florida, we have abundant sunshine and even an F8 lens is plenty fast for 1/2000 shutter speeds on flying birds at ISO100. ; Rarely is lack of light a problem down here except the stormiest of days...so this lens will suit fine. ; My previous experience with the 200-500mm F6.3 was excellent, so getting another 100mm of reach at the same aperture will serve me very well.
Click to expand...

Sadly, I don't have enough of the kind of weather needed for this lens to be viable for me. ; Looking forward to seeing what you capture with it. ; The less cropping in a photo, the better!

Still waiting for a nice sunny weekend day up here to go out and photograph the Snowy Owls around here this year. ; With the D7100 in 1.3x crop mode, it turns my 400mm into an 800mm f/5.6 lens.
 
Unfortunately, as expected but wishful thinking hoped against, the lens shipments to US have been pushed back for all but Canon mount. ; Nikon and Sony mounts now have no expected date and just say 'preorder'...the 'jan 17, 2014' has been removed. ; So I won't be getting my hands on it for a while. ; I've still preordered it, so it's mine as soon as they decide to send some Sony mounts here. ; Until then, the 300mm F4 + 1.4x TC are going to get all the heavy lifting work, since my Tamron 200-500 is officially gone, and $577 is officially in my pocket for it!
 
I'm really looking forward to it - though might be a few months out. ; Rumors seem to point to March 31 for Nikon mount now, and Sony mount will usually follow a few weeks behind that. ; Hopefully things will change and it'll come in early.
 
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