BIG Problems with my Tamron 150-600mm G2 super zoom lens for Aviation Photography 

I own the Tamron 150-600 G2 (about two years now) and have had nothing but great results using the 6D Mark II or 90D bodies. I did spend a good deal of time initially calibrating the lens at various focal lengths using the TAP-IN Console that I got with the lens, and found the results to be excellent. I have recently gotten the EOS R5 and am even happier with the lens as it focuses faster and has the additional eye-tracking features which are wonderful for wildlife. I do some airshows and have found the results to be excellent again. I bought the 1.4 Tamron teleconverter but found it to be useless on the DSLR bodies - slow or nonexistent autofocus and very much subject to vibration but using it with the mirrorless R5 is like a whole different set-up. The internal stabilization works great and the autofocus is fast and reliable.

Many thanks Stuart for your review and I was so pleased to see that I'm not the only one. I have had the same Tamron G2 lens for about 18 months and went through the same experience, trying all the settings but I didn't get it calibrated or sent back to Tamron. I have a 7D MkII and a 5D MkIV and tried it on both camera bodies but it was the same. I found that birds weren't too bad at close distance but at the longer distance and also in flight when panning it was soft and just not sharp at all. I have a Tamron 28-300mm lens which is fantastic and sharp and have used this on both bodies without any problems. I took this 28-300mm lens to RAF Valley on Anglesey and got some really great shots of the aircraft and also in the Mach Loop. I took the Tamron 150-600mm G2 to RAF Valley and my shots of the aircraft were just awful; easy shots but not sharp at all. I persevered for a very long time with this lens and had enough of it and I have just bought the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. This is an incredible lens, so sharp and so quick at focusing. I just couldn't believe it and it has totally restored my interest in photography. I have never taken so many shots with a lens as the results are just fantastic and the only problem now is, it takes a long time to decide what is the bad shot! I am certainly looking forward to testing this Canon lens out at RAF Valley and the Mach Loop!

Thank you for the honest lens review.

I had the first Tamron 150-600mm lens, which I was extremely happy with as it produced some great aviation images for me, however, I have recently sold it as it was rather heavy and after 6-7 hours at an air show my arms would ache. So I had a look at the G2, if it was lighter, but it is almost identical in weight and a friend had already advised me that it was not as good as he thought it ought to be, describing identical issues you mention in your very informative video. He still has the original lens. I made the choice to go for a lighter and inevitably smaller lens for Nikon and results are very pleasing so far even in marginal condition at Lakenheath in poor light. So ended my relationship with the Tamron 150-600, which by the way was perfect for landscape photography using a strong tripod to support its weight. With my impending visit to Oshkosh next week I am very happy with the change

I looked at the Canon 100-400 mk2 and the 150-600 G2 and like you went for the extra reach and reading the reviews of the G2 and it was very hit and miss, I had the tap in console, and Focal and tried firmware updates, one day it was good the next it wasnt, after a while of thinking it was poor technique I bit the bullet and brought a 2nd hand 100-400 mk2 and the difference was huge at the Midlands air festival, Swansea air show tomorrow with a 1.4 extender for the reach and feeling more confident now. Hope that you resolve your problems

I got the point that somehow over time the focus for long focus lenghts shifts. However I am not sure whether you got a front or back focus then or something else. My G2 had a front focus and I readjusted that with the tap-in console. If you want an almost worryless gear, I'd recommend the r7 plus the rf 100-500. But don't shoot w 30pics/s as the sensor is too slow.

Have this lens which I use on my 90D. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Some days I get some decent images with it and then other days all my images are useless. If I could afford to change it I definately would - but I cant so i'll stick with it for now.

I have always struggled with third party lens and as a result have kept mostly to Nikon ones. 600mm sure would be a nice focal length for those one plane demos that you seem to never get close enough to. I've been hoping they would release their 200-600 before airshow season starts here in New England here in States but not holding my breath. I'm going to use the 100-400 with a TC to get close to that range, although at slower f8. It will be interesting to see which lens you decide to go with. I really enjoy seeing your aviation photography.

I'm using this lens on a canon r6 and r7 and I am struggling with it. So much so that at the EAA Airventure last year I stopped shooting with it and just used the Tamron 70-200 2.8 G2. The 70-200 I haven't had any issues with at all, but the 150-600 has been nothing but trouble. Saving to buy the RF 100-500. Going to sell off the 150-600

Hi. I got tamron 150 600 G2 with D500 or D90. Got some issue with the focus as well. I just notice that the problem comes from the pins and fixation of the lens. There is not only little play but some pin spring seems not sufficient causing bad contacts. I think I gonna contact Tamron for aftersales service.

I have to ask - if you wanted the extra range but knew there would be a dropoff in image quality, what stopped you from just buying a 1.4x teleconverter for the 100-400mm canon lens?

Sorry to hear you have a problem with the tamron G2 150-600mm as i think its a fine lens. I have this lens for 3 years now and am very happy with image quality and focus. Used on canon 5d mk4, 7dmk2, 1dmk4, 1dx mk2, R6. Not as good as canon 100 400 mk2 but very close and my go to lens for wildlife photography. I also use the 800mm f11 lens which is very good but tamron better.. I had the sigma c version but wasn't happy with it. It does seem strange your lens started off as a good one, must be very frustrating. I had 2 versions of tamron 100 400 but auto focus problems forced me to reluctantly sell as loved the colours and contrast which why I tried to make it work. Once you lose confidence in a lens or camera it has to go. Good luck with your next lens camera combo. Will watch your channel to see what happens next. Keep enjoying your photography.

I have the Tamron 150 to 600 mm G2 lens on my Canon R7 with a two times teleconverter Japan optics on it and My R7 just loves that setup, the focus is rocket fast and pinpoint accurate I bought the lens used couple weeks ago I'm very happy with it...

I just got the same lens, and having soft images as well with planes. Using 80D. Did you ever get yours sorted?

On paper the G2 looks quite good, but after viewing some samples around the web, I'm not so sure. IQ and AF standards for third party lenses (especially in the "budget" price range) are almost always going to be lower than that of the OEMs (even their budget lines in most cases) for cost and price reasons (they're trying to hit a certain target market -- ie. the budget market in this case). So some compromises and QC issues may arise or be higher than you'd find with even the same class of lens from the OEM.

Hi Stuart Its just like the sigma 150-600 the results are almost terrible and I will sell my sigma 150-600mm contemporary ASAP. It seems that the Tamron and sigma suffering with both the same problem and you made a wise decision using canon lenses. Looking forward to getting my canon 400mm this week. Thanks Stuart

I have this lens and am having issues similar to this. I shoot birds and even with good lighting and right setting my photos aren't sharp anymore either and I'm having issues with the autofocus "bouncing" off of my subject even in manual focus. I'm actually considering just getting the canon 100-400 or the Sigma 150-600.

D500 with G2 - it has been hit and miss for me in the past but I put this largely down to poor technique. I think my copy is good although I mostly seem to be at 300-450 which is where it is particularly sharp. I reckon it is a really versatile lens and not too heavy. Had it for over 5 years now. I still haven't found anything I would rather use instead.

Hi Stuart, I had to watch this video again. I have been thinking about buying a new lens. I already have a Nikon 200-500mm lens. But I'm curious about the Tamron again. I know what it's like to have a lens that does not perform well. The hours, days, and weeks of trying to figure out what is going wrong. Then I have some Nikon lenses that are perfect and there is never a problem with their performance. I have learned not to struggle for too long with a dysfunctional camera lens.

Hi Stuart.. My goto is Nikon D500 and G2 150-600mm And I do Airshow too. What I’m thinking is what you are guessing. Bad copy, like the Nikon 500mm F4. That lens has a copy issue to if the buyer has some bad luck with it. But, when I’m setting my lens G2 to 550mm the lens is much sharper then 600mm. But still, I’m thinking you have a bad copy.

The great thing about canon mirrorless cameras is the focus is sorted by the camera sensor.

I shot some birds for the first time when I got this lens and the results were absolutely stunning, then I tested it on people and they were very soft and way less sharp. Shot a spots event and the images were sharp and few blurry. I wonder if buying the tap-in console would make a difference.

I am seeing the same issue with my Sigma 150-600 (C). Really stumped as to the problem causing this. Going to calibrate mine using the Sigma dock and a calibration target see what happens.

couple off tips: get a tap-in console and periodically calibrate it yourself Also try calibrating the micro adjustments on your camera bodies you may be amazed !

Sorry to hear this, doubly so as I recently purchased one, not tested extensively yet though.

Hi I've got the V1 of this lens for Nikon using nikon D610. I must explain that the only time I could use it was when I went on Holiday, and because I GOT MY OWN BUSINESS , IT WAS NOT VERY OFTEN. I love wildlife and also aviation, and used the lens for wildlife once in 2015 with great results. then I did not use it until 2018 where my problems started not long after I started shooting in one of our parks in South Africa. Needless to say, I did my holiday using manual focus only because the lens focus system was hunting all the time and battled to focus. When I got home , I send it in for repair thinking that I had a 5 year warrenty just to find out that we in South Africa only got a 3 year warrenty whereas the rest of the world got a 5 year.....unacceptable to me to be quite frank. After bringing it up to tamron SA they did however give me a discount on parts they had to replace, but the lens has never been the same as when I used it on my first outing on a wildlife expedition. lens was never dropped and is still like new, and yes it is a small bit better after the repair, but because of the bad experience with tamron service here in SA, I will rather buy the Sigma or geniune lense for the system I am using. I since changed to Canon because Nikon AF system was not good on the z7II system, and when the Z9 got launched, the only time they became readely available was nearly 2 tears after the launch here in SA. Seemed like only the ambassadors for Nikon got bodies.

I have stuggled with the same lens. I frist used it on a Canon 5D Mark II and the Mark II had issues focusing, I tried a Canon 5D Mark IV and the focusing worked better. But it is not as sharp as my Canon 150-400. I will probably stsy with the Canon lens. I shoot mostly landscape and started to shoot wildlife.

I'm having similar issues with mine. Very disappointed in the autofocus. I'm about to sell it, but honestly don't know what else to purchase in its place

I have D500 and a brand new 150-600 G2 , and also the images come out very soft, shooting at birds that are 5-10 meters away, the feathers and details are soft , and when zooming in there is a grain in the image as if the ISO where quite high…. Also tried at different focal lengths and have the same issue. I beleive good light hitting the object improves the situation…. But in general I think I’m going to get rid of the lens….

So I had one of these mated to a D810. The only issue I’ve had with the G2 series lenses was that once in a great while, the AF would just go full possessed. It would blow right by the sharp stop and circle back missing the focus point again. Out of shooting a full marathon, it would probably happen once or so. Had it for two years and tried the switch to mirrorless (to which I immediately regretted). Resolved it by turning off the camera, re-attaching the lens and it would be fine for the rest of the event. If Tamron could firm up their QA/QC on this kind of stuff, they could SERIOUSLY contend with brand name glass.

All these tips are great. At the end of the day you shouldn’t have to do anything to get sharp photos. The lens is bad.

Hi, I have the G2 and the previous version. I use my G2, not for aircraft, but birds. My bodies are 7D2, 5Dsr and R6. I have to use the micro adjust on my EF bodies and redo them about annually. The amount of adjustment needed is surprisingly high; my 5Dsr is curranty set at +16 for 600mm. I worked with microfilm equipment during my working days (now close to 80years old) so focus and resolution are second nature. I'm getting crackingly sharp images 90% of the time. I use a monopod steadied on my disability scooter. I've compared the G2 with my RF600 and I prefer the G2 rather than be stuck at f11.

I've never been a Tamron lover. No matter what lens I use, Chromatic Abberation, the rubbers on zooms, all a problem for me. Whereas with Sigma or Nikkor, for me at least, never a problem. I have the Sigma 60-600mm Sport f mount, attached to a D5. It's fantastic. I have the ftz adapters so I can mount it on my Z6/Z7s.

I "upgraded" from a Sigma 100-400 that takes very sharp shots after I calibrated it myself using their USB dock and software. The Tamron has not given me a single good shot out of hundreds of bird shots. I bought their USB Dock and tried to calibrate this lens myself after doing it for my Sigma and found basically no improvement. I have sharper images by shooting with my 100-400 and cropping to the same size as the Tamron. I'll be selling mine shortly 😒. I'm shooting on a 80D for reference.

You replacing that with Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary?

Hi Stuart, sorry to hear of this misfortune with the Tamron G2 150-600. With my set up, I use the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary, and I must say for £800+ that I paid for it, I’m impressed with it. My only issue with the Sigma lens is the aperture, and with it being only 6.3, is not that great in low light, so when photographing fast jets, it becomes an utter nightmare, because obviously you need a fast shutter speed to get sharp shots, but then with a faster shutter speed in poor light, the image in turn becomes under exposed. The cameras I use is the Canon 4000D and the Canon 5D MkIII. Both cameras are great and I’d be more inclined to use the 5D in low light situations, with it having more megapixels than the 4000D. The 4000D on the Sigma 150-600 however is great for contrail spotting, that’s depending of course that the sky’s plenty clear enough with no haze. If I was a millionaire, then I’d treat myself to the Canon 600mm F4 lens or the Sigma 500mm F4 Sports lens, but with lenses like that at £13-£15,000 is just not justifiable haha I hope you find the best replacement for what you need 😎📸✈️

Did you consider getting an R7?

I have the same issue.

I had the Mk1 Tamron 150-600mm for my Nikon D800, and it was great, i then chopped it in for the Sigma 150-600mm and the results were much better. If it was me id rent out a sigma and maybe a canon party lens and do a comparison between the 2. Great work keep it up 👍👍

I'll say the same comment you did at the end that based on the number of reviews that say this is an excellent lens when compared against others and then I find ones like yours, I have to believe their manufacturing process is not reliable.

I'm Stewart I got a good used 150 to 600 from a camera vendor in Texas and I try not to lunch yesterday with a Canon EOS R3 and it was nothing but trouble I tried with my R7 it was a little bit better tried it on my 1dx work better on the digital SLR then it did on the mirrorless cameras a my conclusion on this lens is I'm sending it back I've tried the Canon 100 to 500 I wasn't happy with that lens whatsoever the big problem with that lens is when you attach a teleconverter you cannot use the entire focal length on that lens it will only be used when it goes from 300 to 500 mm what is the use of having a zoom if you cannot leave a teleconverter on all the time , Canon like Nikon should have their own 200 to 600 or in Nikon's case they have a 180 - 600 . I personally am more disappointed with Canon then I am the aftermarket lens manufacturers because Canon will not allow them to make the RF lenses to work with a mirrorless bodies .

My opinion may be worth less than your lens but I had that lens for only a single airshow as I rented it and it seemed to do FINE. Not amazing just fine. Video was also a fine and to be honest I didn’t even think to rent a pro prime. I have heard others say to get the G2 as it’s a great lens and the only other that trumps it is the Sigam 150-600 sport

many people have experienced back and front focusing issues . micro adjustments or even sending the lens into tamron has not solved the issues as well as I know a youtuber who has had 2 copys and still no joy in the end sold it and went the canon 500mm f4 route. your not the only person to have problems. I tested this lens vs the sigma and my testing showed the sigma was way better. sharper. quicker. some youtubers have tested the tamron and claim its sharper over the sigma but these tests were at infinity. you can never test a lens at big distances.and compare it to another because atmoshere plays a big role. you must test both lens in a lab enviroment .

Same issue+1

I use mine with the Canon R5 and get much better results than I did with the DSLR perhaps I’ve just been lucky.

I have the other version of this lens and love it for the money but it is important to realize what you are buying. These are the cheapest usable 600mm lenses out there. A pro level 600mm lens costs at least $14,000 before tax and shipping. Two of the many advantages of pro models are vastly superior low light performance and autofocus speed and accuracy. The lens you have is excellent considering how incredibly inexpensive it is but it will never have the sharpness, af speed, low light performance, build quality, and reliability of a high end lens. I have been able to get some beautiful wildlife shots with mine but miss many of them due to the incredibly slow autofocus of these cheap 600mm lenses. Good for what I payed though. I believe Sigma makes a higher end 500mm lens for $26,000 before taxes and shipping but most people would probably just rent it for a day.

Remove the UV filter. Everything will be as fine as before.

The Sony 200-600mm G Master Lens is a great option for me because of its great and fast autofocus tracking, but sadly you're using a Canon camera.

Third party budget lenses just dont track very well. Its just a fact.

Could it be... a camera body problem???...

I have repaired more than a few lenses in my time..Tamron are a junk brand and it's only when you open them ,then you realise what junk is .The internal plastic is hard but brittle ,so brittle one bump and misalignment is inevitable There's no adjusting screws for lens centering just alufoil shims .Not designed for long term use and an absolute no no to buy used.

That lens doesn’t work well with a crop sensor…..that is what I’ve learned with numerous other photographers on this venue….save it for the RF system…

I have a G1 and it works well. The reviews for the G2 are terrible.

No problems at all with this lens using a Nikon Z6

Heck no, used to work in Aviation, I would only pointed my 600mm on vintage planes. Newer models (commercial or military) have a tendency to break my gear if you believe that kinda thing :-) From the free world I probably can shoot Russian planes without side effect I think :-)

1500 photos and all but 14 were unusable? Sounds like a you problem bro. When you mentioned back button and shutter release as is the focusing method makes ANY difference. This screams amateur. Get a better technique and calibrate the lens yourself. You cannot have someone else “professionally calibrate” your lens for you. Calibrations are not just model specific, they’re camera specific.