Versatile, sturdy, nice for sports activities, wildlife and even aircraft recognizing.
Execs
- Very versatile optical vary — full body equal of 225-750mm
- Moderately priced for what it’s
- Superb picture high quality — not superior, however superb
- Strong climate sealed development
- Zoom ring has a novel locking mechanism
- 3 Modes of Picture stabilization
- Quick, silent and fairly correct autofocus
- Arca Swiss mount tripod collar included
Cons
- Nice focal vary comes with compromises
- Widest aperture is f/5
- Variable aperture will be problematic on the lengthy finish except you’re taking pictures in good gentle
- Not for low gentle taking pictures with out massively upping ISO to get a quick sufficient shutter pace for a pointy picture
- It’s actually heavy!
- Although constructed effectively and with good optics, the worth tag could also be too steep for some
Tamron 150-500mm for Fujifilm X — Technical specs
- Focal size: 150-500mm (225-750mm full body subject of view)
- Aperture vary: f/5 to six.7-f/22-f/32
- Aperture blades: 7, rounded
- Parts / teams: 25 / 16
- Dimensions: 3.7 x 8.3″ / 93 x 209.9 mm
- Weight: 3.77 lb / 1.71 kg
- Angle of view: 16° 25′ to 4° 57′
Tamron 150-500mm for Fujifilm X — Construct high quality
The very first thing that struck me in regards to the 150-500mm is that this can be a massive, imposing lens. I haven’t felt this impressed by a lenses physicality because the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 “S.” That lens was merely a behemoth! The Tamron is prefer it’s little brother. Massive, heavy, climate sealed and able to do battle within the components. Coming in at almost 4lbs, I do know the Tamron has nice stabilization, however I extremely advocate a tripod or monopod to insure stability when taking pictures. Your mileage might differ, however as I’m getting older, I’m discovering it harder handy maintain a lens like this and anticipate a pointy picture.
The barrel is made out of a stable, metal-like materials and arduous plastics. The standard of the supplies feels good within the fingers. The zoom ring is giant, tactile and simple to seek out in case your eyes are glued to the view finder. It’s very agency to rotate and Tamron has included a sliding locking machinist that’ll lock the zoom ring in place. The included Arca Swiss tripod collar is nice should you’re like me and you utilize Actually Proper Stuff ball heads. There’s no want to purchase one other accent. Proper out of the field, the Tamron snaps proper into my private pictures ecosystem.
The switches for vibration compensation, focus limiting and vibration compensation modes are constructed effectively and click on into place securely. The lens hood and caps are constructed to a really excessive customary as effectively.
All in, construct high quality doesn’t get a lot better than this.
Tamron 150-500mm for Fujifilm X — Autofocus pace and accuracy
Tamron has outfitted the lens with their VXD Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive linear motor, which I have to say does ship quick, silent and largely correct autofocus efficiency.
As a facet be aware, I used to be testing the 150-500mm on a Fuji XH-1, which admittedly just isn’t Fuji’s newest and best digital camera physique. However despite that reality, I discovered AF pace to be remarkably fast, silent, and as correct as promised in Tamron’s literature. Not good, however definitely not missing. Lots of the missed pictures could possibly be chalked as much as photographer error.
Monitoring
Autofocus monitoring of a topic coming straight at you, is superb with the Tamon. However talking for myself, panning and managing to maintain my topic contained in such a small subject of view is a problem with any extremely telephoto lens, the 150-500mm isn’t any exception. I used to be performing some aircraft recognizing and the perfect place I might get was perpendicular to the flight path, which means I used to be panning to seize the planes. These should not erratic flying objects like birds. Planes, by and enormous, fly in a straight line and I used to be nonetheless having problem capturing the planes within the body at 150mm and at a good distance. Despite this inherent problem, I nonetheless managed to seize a good variety of sharp photographs.
Static Topics
Subsequent, I walked by way of a nature path in north Naples, FL and amazingly, the one birds I noticed have been much like those I usually see in my yard — only a few, okay, no exotics on my nature stroll. However the few birds I did see, I used to be in a position to seize them, shortly, silently and precisely with the Tamron.
The 150-500mm vary permits you the photographer to maintain your distance and never scare your topics away. I’ve seen birds bolt after they hear the autofocus verify beep. I used to be grateful for the silence of the general operation of this lens.
Backside line, AF pace is silent, fast and really correct. An incredible efficiency that’s important on this focal vary.
Tamron 150-500mm for Fujifilm X — Within the subject
It’s massive and heavy, so a secure tripod or monopod is solely a should! I discovered that slinging the digital camera and the lens over my shoulder mounted to a tripod labored fairly effectively on lengthy hikes or walks on nature trails. You can stroll with the digital camera connected to a pleasant strap, however I think it’ll put on you down pretty shortly. Much less again ache is achieved once I’m utilizing a tripod.
The quick, silent focusing capacity of the lens permits me to seize wildlife with out stirring up the animals as its potential to be discrete. They barely discover me. The uber lengthy focal lengths permit me to seize topics at a far distance. At instances, I felt like I used to be photographing with a telescope.
Focal Vary
The lens extends outward fairly a bit at 500mm, making the already imposing beast, that rather more formidable. I discovered that once I was strolling by way of crowded areas, folks would actually clear a path for me like I used to be parting the Crimson Sea. It’s a critical piece of equipment that garners lots of gawkers and lens envy.
The flexibility of getting the choice to zoom that far out is good, right here’s an instance of a billboard from 150mm then once more at 500mm to show how a lot this lens can zoom.
Tamron 150-500mm for Fujifilm X — Optical high quality
Given the quick time period we get with these lenses and the restricted variety of alternatives to seize a fowl flying straight within the path of your lens. On condition that we’re not all the time going to luck out like that, a short while with the lens could make it tough to tug off each scenario you’d wish to encounter. As reviewers, we exit into the wild and see what we are able to get. Typically we get fortunate, more often than not we find yourself taking pretty pedestrian photographs to point out off a lenses optical high quality. I used to be in a position to seize some birds within the woods and a few planes touchdown. Along with another static topics that present how the lens performs wide-open at 150mm and 500mm.
General, I’m impressed. Given the lens’s widest apertures aren’t all that large (f/5), taking pictures in good gentle is a necessity. I discovered that in even reasonably low gentle, I used to be amping up the ISO simply to get a quick sufficient shutter pace to freeze movement and offset digital camera shake. Most of the time, hand-holding with such a lens will be taxing, I extremely advocate a secure, sturdy tripod and stable tripod head to keep away from shake — and fatigue!
Sharpness
Middle sharpness is solely wonderful, as long as focus is nailed the shutter pace is quick sufficient to offset any potential shake. Edge efficiency doesn’t fall off that a lot — which is sensible provided that this lens was initially designed for full body cameras. The picture circle of the APS-C sized sensor is roofed over by a number of glass! One of many massive benefits of utilizing full body lenses on smaller sensor digital camera our bodies is healthier picture edge high quality.
Picture sharpness and distinction fall off a bit at longer focal lengths and stopped down. That is to be anticipated as diffraction will kick in. I bought my greatest outcomes wide-open and stopped down 1 cease from there — relying on the focal size as this can be a variable aperture lens.
Bokeh
One of many nice issues about lengthy tele foto lenses is that we don’t essentially must have a large aperture to get respectable bokeh. Even at nice distances, the 150-500mm does an important job separating the topic from the background. Background particulars are easy and never too busy. Bokeh high quality is extremely subjective stuff, however the 150-500mm does an important job of smoothing out backgrounds.
