Welcome Tamron's New Ultra-Telephoto ZoomIan Plant test-drives the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC USD lens in Yellowstone National Park. |
Article by Jenn Gidman |
Photographers have a new ultra-telephoto zoom to add to their lens arsenal. With its astounding focal-length range, advanced technological features, and rugged yet lightweight construction, the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC USD lens is ideal for capturing wildlife, sports, and other distant subjects. |
Ian Plant has been one of the first photographers to put the 150-600 through its motions and is impressed with its cutting-edge features and performance. He gave the lens a test run at Yellowstone National Park in late October. "It's the beginning of winter at that time of year in Yellowstone," he says. "The weather was just beginning to turn cold and snowy, but the 150-600 handled all that in stride. I was looking to take pictures of the park's 'megafauna,' including bears, elk, and bison. I only saw two bears, but I saw plenty of bison and elk." |
The 150-600's stylish design, with a tungsten silver finish and elegant brand ring, belies its sturdy, moisture-proof yet lightweight construction. "My first reaction to the lens was that it was a hefty piece of glass," Ian says. "It's built big and solid. Considering its range, though, it's a lot more compact than fixed-length telephoto lenses in the same range, so overall it's smaller and more lightweight relative to more expensive options." |
The 4x ultra-telephoto zoom adds 50mm to the wide-angle end of the focal length range of the Tamron A08 (200mm-500mm) model, and 100mm to the telephoto end. Mounted on APS-C DLSR cameras, its equivalent range is 233mm to 930mm. "This lens is great for wildlife, since it offers photographers this unrivaled range," Ian explains. "Landscape photographers looking to zoom in on intimate details will find this lens appealing as well. I did both types of photography in Yellowstone, finding the long perspective especially refreshing for when I was taking pictures of landscapes. I'm normally a wide-angle shooter, but it was fun to find and photograph intimate details using this longer lens." |
The 150-600 allowed Ian to take portraits of the wildlife in Yellowstone, as well as show the animals interacting with their natural surroundings. "The lens was perfect for zooming in for close-up images of wildlife, or for zooming out to include more of the surrounding landscape to show the animals in the context of their environment," he says. "I was able to capture a lot of variation with this lens - if I had been working with a fixed focal-length telephoto lens, I would have come away with only a bunch of tight portraits." |
The long zoom range also helped Ian find subjects in his viewfinder. "You can zoom out, find and center your subject, then zoom back in for a tight shot," he explains. "Too often I've aimed a long lens at a wildlife subject, only to have difficulty finding it in my viewfinder." |
The Technology Behind the Telephoto |
The new eBAND Coating and BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) Coating on the 150-600mm add to the stellar image quality by helping to control reflection, flare, and ghosting. "The lens handles shooting into the light really well," Ian says. "I shoot backlighting a lot, and using the 150-600, I didn't see much evidence of lens flare." |
The nine-blade circular diaphragm incorporated in the 150-600 allows users to create beautiful background blur - the diaphragm retains a nearly circular shape even 2 stops down from the maximum aperture. "Out-of-focus highlights assume a pleasing shape with the 150-600," Ian says. "At 600mm, you're using an extreme telephoto, so your background will usually look good, but I was pleasantly surprised at the bokeh quality with this lens." |
The 150-600 also comes with Tamron's proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) image stabilization system: Three driving coils activate the shake-compensating VC lens group electromagnetically using three ceramic ball bearings, achieving smooth movement with little friction. Although the preproduction lens Ian used in Yellowstone didn't have VC, the version he's currently using does. "When shooting handheld, especially at the longer end of the 150-600's range, the VC proves very useful," he says. "When I'm shooting on a tripod and moving the lens to track moving subjects, the VC helps reduce the vibrations that occur whenever you're handling a long lens. I get sharp pictures every time with the VC on." |
The 150-600's Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) ensures fast, accurate autofocus response with very low noise. Plus, the full-time manual focus mechanism allows photographers to make fine manual-focus adjustments even when AF is engaged. "The 150-600's operation is so quiet and smooth," Ian says. |
The lens comes with SILKYPIX Developer Studio, RAW image-processing software that can develop high-quality images from RAW data according to the photographer's preference. In combination with the SP 150-600mm, the software enables photographers to adjust the white balance, color, sharpness, and tonal curves, as well as correct aberrations, to exact specifications. |
The 150-600 will remain a vital part of Ian's gearbag for years to come. "All in all, the 150-600 is a well-built lens, perfect for photographers (especially wildlife photographers) on a budget or photographers who are looking for an all-in-one solution instead of having to carry a bunch of bulky, expensive telephoto lenses," he says. |
To see more of Ian Plant's photography, go to www.ianplant.com. |