Tamron 150-600mm G2 Review - The AFFORDABLE Wildlife Lens - Can You Take Nice Shots? 

Thanks Duade for this review! I love taking photos of our birds at the feeders and this lens has made a wonderful difference. It is heavy and I’m handholding it but consistently happy with the photos. Once the weather warms up I will take it out with my tripod.

I like the way you show the raw file and post processing right through from it.

Absolute great review. I've been looking at this lens and trying to compare to other lens in the same focal range. Every review I read goes in depth on laboratory results and pixels at the edges and other areas that quite frankly most of us won't really notice. I really needed an in the field review to talk and show how good it is at capturing photos. Thank you. Going to look at some of your other reviews on lens within the same focal length (the sigma lenses) and decide which to purchase.

You are awesome and amazingly knowledgable! Thank you so much for taking the time to post these videos.

Always heart warming to see you come up with your sincere review. Thanks 😊

I have used the 150-600 G2 lense on my Canon 5d IV for some time with great results, the only thing I think it's a bit slow at focusing when doing birds in flight. I now have the EOS R5 and did some comparison tests with the 150-600 G2 and the Canon 100-500. The result were quite pleasing. The Canon lense was slightly better than the Tamron lense but all shots were taken of objects which were static. I think the Tamron lense is fantastic for the price.

Nice review Duade, thanks for taking the time to do it. It certainly gives a bloke something think about. Aall the best, Brian.

Another great review, you put a lot of effort into them. Thanks.

I love your review, you covered the APS-C cameras and pointed out the 'imperfection' of the lens which many other reviews don't.

Really enjoy ure videos and info! Thank u so much ! Cheers

Thank you for your presentation, lots of valuable info : )

Awesome review. Nearing 1 year with mine. Your earlier video on IQ is what put me on to stopping it down to f8 or 9 and made a big impact with this lens! Most days, my 90D and the Tamron are on the same page with AF, especially using 9 point. There are times where it’ll go full cycle trying to hunt for focus and will pass up the subject. Sometimes I’ll switch it’s focus range to combat that if it’s doing that cycle too much. Overall, I enjoy it!

I am so glad I found your review, I have been beating myself up, blaming my camera and gettting really ticked off with soft images. Your explanation of the focus issues is on point, thank you. Time to change

Great video and Review going to by an used one one of this days!! Best regards from Norway :)

Good Feedback Duade ! Appreciate the time you take out to do these comparison series, wish Sigma heard you and you can do another Sigma-Tamron Comparison series as well.

Great video. I’ve used a Sigma 150-500 mm for about 10 years, I guess the older generation of this kind of lens and I can get results I’m happy with. I reckon these lenses are a great option for budget and portability reasons and the image quality is good enough for many people. The zoom flexibity and minimum focal distances are plus points.

Very good review with out fancy explanations .. thanks

I recently got this lens to use on my Fuji X-T5. I took comparison shot with my Fuji 100-400 w/1.4TC and the Tamrom set at 560 to make them roughly equivalent. Shots at F8 (minimum for thFuji), 125sec, ISO 640. When pixel peeping at 300% I surprisingly found the Tamron sharper. And I didn't have to squint to see the difference. I used the Tamron for Canon with the Fringer EF ll Pro adapter.

Probably my next lens. Impressed with the results.

I bought the G1 version a couple of years ago and it really is my go to lens for both birding and land mammal photography. I have been consistently impressed with the quality of the photographs. I also use an old Tokina 300 f2.8, so the weight of the Tamron was actually a relief to me after lugging that Tokina around. I just ordered a Tamron G2 version after trying the Nikon 200-500mm for a few weeks this summer. You are trading a stop of light for a longer reach, but I really thought the Tamron did a better job of rendering the images on my D500 and D800 cameras. My daily carry will still keep both the Tamron 90mm macro and the Nikon 70-300 close at hand, but the lens on the camera is the Tamron 150-600mm when I am either in a hide or wandering about. I found it to be razor sharp on a good tripod and very good handheld w/VC if the light is available. Mostly I set it at f8-f11, but even wide open it will do the job nicely.

I think this was a pretty honest review and matches what I’ve found with the lens. I’ve rented the 100-500 from Canon and absolutely loved it not only because of quality but also because of weight. I’m retired and the weight is getting to be a bigger factor. The only problem is that its been backordered for some time so I still use the Tamron while I wait for the Canon.

Thanks for the very nice review. I use my Tamron on a Nikon Z6 ii and have the same focus problems, where it jumps from sharp to soft and back again within same seconds of shooting. It drives me crazy, but when the focus is correct I’m very satisfied with the picture quality. I also like the build quality and weather sealing.

Thanks for your review was wondering how it worked on birds in flight. Have been looking at this lense. Love your show

Informative 😊😊 Thanks...

This video was packed full of good information. Thanks for the honest real world review.

Hi Duade, Just another great review. :-) I own a eos 5DMKIV with the tamron 150-600 G2 and after some microadjustments on the lens and some AF settings on my 5dmkiv I got it to work sooooo much better. These things made my combo work so much better :-). The EF 500mm f/4 L IS have to wait a while longer ;-)

Greetings from southern Arizona, an outstanding birding location year around. I am not an expert at this, but I use my Tamron 150-600 a little differently on my Canon 5D Mark IV. I often use the Canon 1.5x or 2.0x extender, put the lens on manual focus and take multiple shots (yes, same issues with soft focus AF or not without extender). And, I only use this lens in the 9am - 3pm time frame when the sun is the brightest here. I use with and without tripod and Wimberly Gimbal. Works well in this scenario since birds aren’t moving around so much anyway. I need the distance and the image quality is acceptable. Canon 100-400 IS II is my most used lens however, with and without extenders, because AF makes a huge difference for sharp details. Duade, you’re the best. Thank you so much for your great videos and teaching. 5 stars!

Morning from the UK. I have the same issue with the Tamron on DSLR and mirrorless, great video thank you.

Thanks for your time and effort, I am lucky enough to have the RF100-500

I have had the lens for 12 months, and thought it was me with the auto focus jumping out. Now I understand the lens does it at full 600 sometimes. I have started using it again in the past week, and will continue to. I am a hobby photographer and $ where a consideration when I purchased it. Thanks once again.

Very nice review Duade. Thank you. :) I have Tamron 15-600 G2 and as you have already mentioned, I face the same issue of moving focus points within the same shots with my Canon 7D Mark II. As a workaround, I always take a couple of shots at a time.

Good review. Having used it earlier, all I can say in good light it's a good deal, really suffers in low light and also the weight is on the heavier side. However, when it comes down to the money, this is very worthy contender, especially for the ones on tight budget and hobbyist photographers.

Nice and very good review. I have this lense and its a value for money.

Thanks for the great video.

Thank you for very good review 👌🏼 Do you know if there is some video or other advices how to calibrate the focus?

Duane, Great review. I have had both Tamron 150-600mm. I still own the G2 model I love it! I also take a lot of bird photos as well as other wildlife. I had some of these soft focus issues. I took the lens and one of my Canon 6D’s had had the lens calibrated. Made a big difference. I like your idea of higher ISO like 400. Still have my old film habits trying to use the lowest ISO. I found I have better results using ISO 400 or 800. Again thanks for the review.

As always, a very nice and honest video Duade! Thank you! I can confirm the focus issues with my Sigma 150-600 C, but if you spray and pray (especially in silent 20fps) you get a lot of good and sharp images. I also used mine to shoot some birds in flight and it struggles a lot when you activate the IS. So my advice would be to keep it either in mode 2 (panning) or deactivate it all together for best results. But considering, I only payed 550 Euros for mine on the used market, it is working pretty good and was definitely a bargain. It produces very pretty and stunning images and with the R6 my keeper rate is very good, especially compared to my old and trusty 6D. I am looking forward for a R7 with 32Mpix and the AF of the R6 and this would be a very cool combo. Cheers Ralf

Excellent review! This review justified the need for me to be patient and wait for the Canon RF100-500mm lens I ordered. I hope I get it soon. It has been a month since I ordered it. Thanks!🙏🏼😊

This is exactly why I just bought the RF 100-500 and the 1.4x. The Tamrons AF seems to slow to keep up with my R6. I instantly noticed how much better the AF was with the native lens. I also got aaaaalot of soft out of focus pics with the Tamron. If ive seen this video before i purchased the RF 100-500 this would have been the nail in the coffin for the Tamron. But this video just confirmes that I was right. Thanks for a great channel Duade!

Excellent review. Very helpful in regard to focusing issues. I've had the lens for a couple of years and used it primarily with my Canon 5DMark1V and had the focusing problems you covered. Using it on the Canon R, many more focusing troubles. I used the Tamron TAP-in Console for calibration. I might have made some wrong selection criteria; wasn't happy with the results.

Thanks for the review ... just bought the Tamron 150-600 and will try soon on Canon Eos R5 ... Warm Regards from Jakarta Indonesia

Great review again Duade! As far my experience goes, for Tamron and Sigma C 150-600 variants and Nikon 200-500, it is best not to get lower than f8, coz the image quality is noticeably better at f8 than the lower values. Shouldn’t be a problem, because that's the sweet spot IMO in terms of depth of field for bird photography. I've witnessed the focus jumping as well, more with beginner level bodies. In terms of bird photography on a budget, I agree with your opinion of investing on a first party prime, even used. By the way, congratulations on your new 100-500!

Thanks for review! I have a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens and have same issue with soft focus on over 50% of my shots. It is frustrating. I’m glad you named problem. I’m using the R6 which does give me more good shots. Focus was better with my Sigma lens, but I dropped it and had it repaired last fall. The number of sharp photos was better with my 70D and 5D iii before lens was dropped. On a side note for other Sigma 150-600 C users the Wimberley P-30 Arca-Swiss quick release plate works well for me with the Whimberley MonoGimbal Head (MH-100). It is a good monopod system.

First off, great review. I love the real-world review over technical reviews. I have this lens running on an old 60D crop sensor.. Prior to this lens, I was using the kit lens 17-200 the difference is night and day.. I did notice some soft photos thought it was me, I will have to watch for this issue. If you could do one of these real world reviews between yhe R5 & R6 that would be great.. One of them will be my next purchase nit sure which one yet..

Hello from France, I discovered your channel today. I watch the videos about photo lenses for wildlife photography. The Nikon 200-500mm must be very good, I just regret the shorter focal length and the fact that it is not "tropicalized" but you can not have everything. I'll subscribe to your channel and watch your well-detailed videos, great job.

Hi Duade, First of all, thank you for a good down to earth review; I did shoot this lens on the Canon 5D IV and liked the 600 mm and sharpness; Took it to Africa and got some keepers; 600 mm a big plus, and zoom a plus; nowadays I shoot Canon R5 and Canon 100-500 and this combo is, as you said, very good, very sharp and lighter. Some images are absolutely great, and from 45 MP I can crop anytime to get to what the 600 used to give me in terms of size of image on screen. Agree with all your points.

Have been using Tamron 150-600mm G2 on Nikon D7500 extensively over the last 2.5 yrs. Your field review resonates perfectly with my experience with this lens. Focussing is extremely erratic. However, when it does lock focus accurately, the sharpness is excellent. Have missed lot of shots due to the erratic nature of the focus. Also, my lens got affected by fungus in just 2.5 yrs. A lot of nonsensical reviews have been made on this lens but you hit the nail on the head.

I have had mine about 2 years and teamed up with a 5D iv and love it, mine was front focusing very slightly but once calibrated I've not had any real issues regards focusing.

Thanks for the quick review I too faced similar focussing issues on the lens , I improved my technique and also gave the lens to service where they did a firmware upgrade ( that's what they told me) and a calibration done. Seems it's holding up as of now ...

Thank you for the review. I love your videos because you show the Un-cropped raw files and not just the post-processed files. I have a Canon 600 f4, and bought this Tamron lens after hiking 4 miles with the 600 f4 attached to a Wimberley and 3-Series Gitzo tripod. Portability and the ability to shoot handheld were the key qualities I was looking for. Yes, the 600 prime IQ is better, but there are hikes where I no longer want to take all that weight into the field, especially when I’m new to an area and I’m just scouting it out. I love being able to walk around without a tripod and still be able to reach out with 600 mm when the need arises.

Duade, as expected another great video. I can tell that you are one of the professional that I´m follow closely. I do appreciate your style, your clear language and above all on this video, your honesty. At the moment I have a Canon 90D paired with this Tamron. As I had the opportunity to already share my frustration with your friend Jan. All my photos are soft and either in front or at the back of the subject and I don´t remember to get a single photo which I can say is sharp. I´m a professional beginner so I have to assume that for some phots I´m the root cause of those mistakes but not even single sharp picture?!! I have asked some of friends of mine to try it and they got similar results. I´m leaving in Norway and for a significant number of days the light is not what I would like to have to photograph small birds. That being said and with your experience is my odd experience is this a sign that I might have a significant calibration issue? My apologies for the long message and looking forward to hearing from you. Keep the good work and keep transparency and clear language. Thank you. José Neves

Great information Sir 👍

Great review, if I didnt already have this lens then I would go and buy it. Great for a hobbyist like myself. Used on canon 5d mk4, 90d and 7d, best results with 5d. Very pleased with image quality sometimes hard to tell much difference between canon 100-400 mk2 image quality, but not as good focus. However no problems taking bird in flight pictures, I find this my go to lens with 5d for birds, if I require max reach I use apsc camera. I had the sigma contemporary 150-600 a few years ago for awhile but found image and focus inconsistent, so I was reluctant to go back to this type of lens. Glad I did, thoroughly recommended.

I agree with you on the focus issues. Sometimes I'm happy with it, other times I'm not. Thanks for confirming my thoughts but it's worth for the money like you said. I'm a birder First and photographer Second, so I'm fine with it and will keep it I'm sure. Come on down to SE Texas sometime now.....ya 'hear!

Very Nice Video, i have been using this from past two years and i also struggle same issue that happened with the bird jacky winter bird with you

Nice review! I have the Sigma 150-600mm that I’m using with the R6. It seems quite similar to your experience with the Tamron. It misses focus occasionally as well. I do think it my copy may be a little sharper at 6.3 than the Tamron you had. Hard to say on RU-vid. I may eventually buy the Canon 100-500mm but the Sigma is hard to beat for $900 USD. I do a fair amount of BIFs and it works pretty well for that. It may be a little slower to grab focus than a native lens but I have no complaints at all for the price. I seriously considered buying the 60-600mm and I actually rented both lenses for a week. The 60-600mm was just too heavy for me to handhold comfortably and to be honest 95% of my photos are at 600mm anyway. So I am really happy with it. Too bad Sigma wouldn’t send you one to try. I have been a M43 shooter for a while and and got a deal on an R6 so I have been trying it out a month or so. I had an f11 Canon initially (it came bundled with the camera) and I got some good shots with it but it was not good at golden hour. The Sigma is a lot better. Focus is similar. I feel it is sharper and the limited focus area on the f11 lens was annoying. I have not tried the Tamron but it sounds extremely similar to the Sigma. I would absolutely recommend the the Sigma though. It may not be the last lens you’ll ever buy but it’s a very nice bird lens for most people.

Great review

Hey Duade, New to your channel! Great content! Just found this video. I use this lens myself and find it takes good images with the limiting factor being the missed focus. It is currently attached to a Nikon D500 and works quite well. I have to agree about the auto focus issues though. A friend of mine has a Nikon 200-500 and in my observations, both lenses take comparable quality images most of which I am quite happy with. The Tamron works fairly well in low speed shots but the Nikon shines when things get quicker! The biggest, very noticeable difference, is that the Nikon 200-500 has faster reacting auto focus capabilities. It grabs focus much faster and doesn't lose it as often. (at least on my D500) At literally the same price point and with very similar image quality as the Tamron, I feel the Nikon would be a better choice. My next purchase is going to be the Nikon 200-500......right after I sell the Tamron! As much as I would love a prime, the budget says no for now! Enjoying your channel! Cheers from Alberta Canada! Craig.

Thanks for making this video. I recently added a Canon R5 to my kit of mostly older EF lenses, including a Tamron 150-600mm, and have been SO frustrated with the focus issues. I thought perhaps I had some setting wrong on the R5, but after months of struggling and tons of missed shots listening to my Tamron pulse in and out and not find the focus, I have decided I really need to get another lens. I am going to look at either a 1.4 converter on my Canon 100-400 or the Canon RF 100-500 lens. I need to research which of those with the R5 would result in better resolution and AI focus. It just feels so much better to know I am not alone!

I've owned the Tamron zoom for several years. It's pretty good, especially for the money. But I must agree with all the points you mentioned. In the last year, I've upgraded to Canon mirrorless bodies and started a RU-vid channel. The Tamron's very jumpy VC makes it almost unusable for video. If the Canon RF 100-500 is a lot smoother as you say, that's just one more reason to move along. Funny, my own first birding lens was also the 400mm F/5.6L. I traded it in for the Tamron to get length and VC, but I still miss it.

Thank you. I want to buy such a lens.

Thank you for the video!How it works this lense in crop dslrs?Autofocus is normal?

I have never used Canon cameras but I can comment on using this lens on a Nikon DSLR. I use a Nikon D500 with my Tamron 150-600 G2. Before I bought the Tamron I used a Nikkor 70-300mm but wanted more reach so over a period of time I rented a Nikon 200-500mm lens. I really loved the lens. It focused accurately and the image quality was real good. It was a bit slow in focusing though which was my only real complaint. My other concern was a lack of weather seals. Not so much for rain concerns but for dust intrusion as these zooms can be real air pumps as you zoom in and out. I have had other photographers complain that over time the Nikkor does gather internal dust. I rented the Tamron 150-600 G2 and found that it definitely focused faster than the Nikkor 200-500. It was slightly lighter and the lens diameter was smaller which for me meant it was easier to hold. The image quality was identical when I examined them or at least so close I couldn’t determine a difference. Both lenses tracked well and with the Tamron I didn’t experience the focus issues on my D500 that you describe. I honestly really liked both lenses but I decided on the Tamron for a few reasons. The weather sealing was important to me plus the 600mm reach over 500mm meant a lot on my DX camera(750mm on Nikkor to 900mm on Tamron). I have had the Tamron for quite some time and you can see how far the lens extends when extended to 600mm so my concern over it pumping dust meant a lot. I haven’t had an internal dust issues yet at all plus I have used the lens in wet conditions without issue either. I wish Nikon had sealed the 200-500. I also like the Arca Swiss lens foot. I sometimes use a tripod but often use my Benro SupaDupa Pro monopod which has an Arca Swiss mount. This is a real plus being able to directly mount the foot to the monopod or tripod. Here is one last plus for many of these lenses. I bought mine barely used because the selling party was switching to mirrorless and selling off their Nikon gear. I am a hobbyist and for the price I can’t justify a higher priced 500 or 600 prime. Anyway I agree to check your lens calibration which I did. My Tamron came with the Tap in Consul that helps in calibrating the lens to your DSLR. In my case I was fortunate in that the match was spot on with my D500. Lucky I guess. I hope this answers any concerns on the Tamron at least for anyone considering using this lens on a Nikon D500. It is well matched to this camera.

Great review Duade, Thanks for putting in the effort. I shoot with a Sigma 120-400dg and often find I have lens envy. 600mm would be great! And the Tamron 150-600 often seems very appealing. Then I have a good day with my "un-prime un-Canon" lens and I wonder if jumping to the Tamron 150-600 would be great,,, for just a little while and I would be back to dreaming of a big prime. The "issues" you mentioned are the same ones I have learned to live with and try to work around with my Sigma. Faster and better focus are key, for me. More reach would be great BUT more reach without better AF ,,,, not so great. Keep up the great content. Bill

Love this lens, but also notice the same occasional soft focusing issues compared to my Canon Zoom (using on Cropped DSLR). Thanks for another great video.

I've used the Tamron 150-600mm G2, as well as their first generation lens of the model, and both the old Sigma 150-500mm and their new 150-600mm contemporary lens, on a Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 5DSR, and a Canon EOS 1DX Mk II, and out of the bunch I prefer the Tamron 150-600mm G2. What I don't like about the lens, and that goes for all the lenses I listed, is that they all don't produce decent pictures with tele extenders/converters which is the definite advantage with the faster Canon primes. Enjoyed your review, most of all your pictures of different kinds of birds, different from what we have here in the Rockies of North America.

Thanks for the excellent review Duade. Not sure if you still have the lens, but I've heard that turning the VC off for images over 1/500 will help with that inconsistent focusing issue. I've read, but not tested that VC on images over 1/500 doesn't really help. Though with VC-On it looks better in the viewfinder and video.. Especially with the IS that you have in the R6. FWIW- I have this lens on a R6, and I get a lot of soft images, but I'm sure it's my technique (hand holding, walking in parks in low light etc.) as when I get good light with a and subject it can make a great image. If I slowed down, used a tripod and got in good light and subject I'm sure I could get better results way more than a more expensive lens, which I think you were saying too.

Hi duade. What would you prefer the sigma 1500-600 or the Tamron 150-600 on mirrorless camera?? I have the canon r10 I watched your video on the sigma having really bad af. Thanks in advance and love all of your videos. Thanks mate

Cheers for this review Duade. I have the exact Tamron on my EOS R, and love it. I got intrigued with more expensive glass, so i got a Canon 300mm f2.8 L mk1 to compare to with a Canon 2x iii tc, and did some testing at 600mm on both against each other and actually found the Tamron to be a smidge sharper. Without the TC comparing 300mm wide open, and the Tamron, the tamron needed to be at least f8 to match the Canon. It was a very interesting test, but actually sold the Canon to keep the tamron. I love the 600mm length of the Tammy, and didnt find the canon to impress too much with TC attached, hence the sale. I do also experience the issue you mentioned about missing focus occasionally, however its not too often for me 😜 Have to mention Lilydale Lake in your video, i love that spot, it's literally 5min from home and its where i tested the 300mm during sunrise a few weeks ago! Gotta love local 🙂 Cheers again and stay safe mate ✌️

You make amazing videos. I have this lens and have the “focus jump” issues every time I go shoot and it renders over half my photos soft. Disappointing, but the rest of the lens is fantastic for the price

Hi Duade, your real world reviews are awesome. Did you already had the chance to get hands on the Sigma EF 60-600 4.5-6.3 Sports? Does it, adapted to RF, have the same issues with focusing in AF Servo mode as the 150-600 - even the G2 - has? For sure you know Sigma just released a DN DG version of the 60-600, unfortunately only for E-mount, L-mount alliance and not yet for RF- and Z-mount. If the EG version of the 60-600 has not (!) that soft/sharp jumping issue, it would be very tempting to get a EF mount one at a far better price as the new DG DN. I'm using the EF 600 F4 III and the RF 100-500 on a R3 and R6II, but the f/7.1 on the 500mm range of the zoom lens and its design flaw of limiting it to the 300-500 range with an extender are quite annoying. The 60-600 would perfectly fit in, well even replace the 100-500. FYC: Zero issues with the adapted EF 600 F4 III

I bought the lens last month, I have Canon 80D with the Tamron 150-600mm g2, have lots of issue with the autofocus, mainly back/front focusing... Did some AF microadjustment and still doesn't help. I really love this lens, and for its price its a great lens for value! But these issues don't need to happen, you pay 1000$+ for it and you would excpect for the best from the factory. I'll send it to be issued at thr local tamron dealer hope they will fix it. Great video bud you helped me alot, thanks!

I have this lens and use it on a Canon 6D MII and a 77D. It lens seems to prefer the 77D for whatever reason or it could be me. For me as a hobbyist it is a nice lens. I have noticed the jumpy auto focus you mentioned. Nice review. Thanks

I have both the Tamron 150-600 and the RF 100-500. My observations are generally consistent with yours. The Tamron often gives soft results. Since I shoot almost exclusively in the early morning, I almost always shoot wide open. The Canon lens is definitely better, though as you correctly point out, it should be, at more than twice the price. The Tamron is a nice lens, but does suffer by comparison.

I´ve got this lens and I shoot it on a Nikon D500 and a Z6. I´m am very pleased with it and have taken many great shots with it! I also shoot it at f/8 for the extra sharpness and it´s very sharp att 600mm. I can find two things that could be improved with it though. The buttons for AF, AF-limit and VC constantly gets bumped causing the lens to end up in the wrong settings. I have solved this by putting on rubber armbands over the buttons. And they could have made the zoom go all the way from 150 to 600 with a shorter throw. Sometimes I have to let go and turn it again to go all the way to the other end. Now I can´t compare it to the Nikon or Sigma variants, because I haven´t tried them, but I would say that at that cost it´s really worth it:-) The G1 version not so much.

I couldn’t agree more with what you said. This is a fair review and you did it justice. I have a few remarks, this would be a good option for an amateur who wants to go out have fun and come back with a few good pictures. Not everybody can afford to buy the big primes so this is a good deal. Also weight wise it is easy to carry around. The pros with the big primes often end up carrying their gear in specialized carts because of their weight. Also people should remember that this is a third party lens. Of course it won’t be the same as the big dedicated lenses. One final remark is that I have heard but have not tested personally is that the Nikon version is better than the Canon one. I am looking forward to getting this one as it fits my needs. 😀

Hi Duade, I was nearly seduced by this lens after watching countless reviews including yours but was concerned by the number of comments from people relating to the "hit and miss" quality of the lens it seems that it rests on the flip of a coin as to getiing a good one or troublesome one with soft focus issues with a 50/50 split. In the end I watched your other videos and have settled on a second hand Canon 400mm prime lens. I noted with interest your closing comment regarding buying the Tamron or saving for a better lens and I think, I have followed that advice. Thanks for yet another informative and intelligent video

I have used the Tammy for 5 years plus wirh the 77D and the 80D. Calibration is needed (with 80D possible) and it was good both at static subjects and BIF. However the 100-400 being a bit lighter was better at BIF. Never had any issues in focusing as well as low light. Yes, it is sharpest at f8 for me. With the mirrorless, it worked flawlessly with the R after the firmware upgrade (lens). However I had the focus missing issues with the R5 initially. Also the R5 used to freeze. However somehow this has disappeared now with the latest FW and some configuration changes (for freezing issue). I have decided to hold on to the 100-500 spending as am managing with my EF zooms till then.. This lens is a favorite with bird photographers getting to the world of DSLRs and mostly with Canon. Not everyone can afford the Canon zooms and primes..

You will never print as much as the images are zoomed in this video. This is a very good video.

yes - - I have the focus issue - just a hobby with me but I have gotten some really excellent bird pics...mine is an older model - and I'm just using it on a Rebel T6i - but I am happy with the shots

Thank you for your informative review. I purchased this lens to pair with my Nikon D850. I really tried to like it but I just didn’t. I agree that you have to shoot at f/8 or higher. Anything I shot below that was terrible. Your review confirms the downsides I found in this lens. For me, I wasn’t willing to put up with focus issues and f8 limitations. Also, I have arthritis and the size of the Tamron is just too much for my small hands. It took me 2 and a half turns to fully extend the lens to 600mm. I’m sure some of my issues could be user error on my part but I did use a tripod to help stabilize my shots. I think this lens will work for most, especially as an entry level long telephoto. Again it probably comes down to personal preferences but I just couldn’t bring myself to keep it. I’ll save up several hundred dollars more to get a Nikon lens.

I use canon 6d mark 2 . I struggled a lot with focus but after calibration i have no issue no more ... i calibrated it like four times until it was satisfying to shoot with this lens. I am no professional but i am very happy that now maybe 2 or 3 images out of 15 are soft ...

I've only owned this lens for a few days and I'm already in love with it. 😊

Hello Bro I have a question please Does this Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens work on the Canon R7 camera or not? Does it also work on the Canon T6i camera released 2016 or not? And thank you very much

I have the Tamron 150 -600mm. I use it on a 5D MK III and an EOS R. The Tap in Console helped me to sort out my auto focus problem. My copy of the lens seems to be either in focus or out of focus, it doesn't seem to be inconsistent. If you get a chance to try this lens after calibration, I think you might like it a lot more. The Tap-in console is a MUST for any g2 Tamron lens. I think it's their solution to tricky autofocus algorithms and variation between camera bodies. I use this lens for surf video as well. The VC is, IN MY EXPERIENCE, the best that I've ever used. The 3rd mode works amazingly well for panning and I'm able to maintain focus with the subject against spraying waves and foam. AND THANK YOU for posting your photos with settings. I'm so used to shooting with short fast lenses and stopping down to about 5.6 or 6.3 to get the sharpest images. I have to keep in mind that I'm going to be sitting around f 11 on this lens.

I've been using my Tamron for almost a year now. Shifting focus is definitely a thing. Definitely not a dealbreaker, as I'm always shooting in bursts. It's just annoying when I examine photos and realise that for 1-2 pictures out of 10 focus moved slightly for whatever reason. Overall I'm really happy with my Tamron. It really helped me take another step into wildlife photography. I simply couldn't afford anything more expensive, since the prices in Poland for most of the photography equipment are just sick. I really like it with my 90D. They work really well together. As mentioned in the videos - shoot at f/8 and ideally in good light. That makes the biggest difference.

Great review!!! if i was using Canon R system i would save money and get 100-500 , surprisingly sharp

I use this lens with Canon 7D mark ii from Nov 2020 and feel happy for its performance.

Thanks for the time you spent is reviewing this lens. One thing you could add to the photos is roughly how far you were from the bird. I have the first version of the Tamron 150/600. I can get sharp bird shots as long as I am very close to the bird. But if you shoot 600mm at 25 yards or more the focus falls off to where the images are useless. I sent the lens in to Tamron and even though it was over 5 years old they repaired it no charge. Unfortunately it didn't.t help with the longer distance focus. Perhaps my expectations are too high for a lens at this price point. I am shooting with a Nikon D810 on a tripod with a shutter release. Any guidance you could provide will be appreciated.

I have used this lens on a Nikon D7200 for a couple of years now and have had the same problem with the auto focus being hit and miss. Thanks for clarifying that it is not my shooting style. Would like to add that as frustrating as it can be with soft images I have learnt to recompose and shoot lots of images to maximise the chances of nailing the shot. Using on a crop sensor I have the range of 225-900 which is fantastic

Nice review sir. I had faced the same focusing issue. But I did manage to take some beautiful shots from this lens. For sharpness I had to drop my F-stop to F/8. It is a nice lens for a guy who cannot afford the expensive prime lenses from Sony/Canon/Nikon and who has just got into birding. I am enjoying with this lens.

Oh that’s nice the built in mounting foot. I own the Sigma Contemporary and it’s a stubby 1/4-20 single port foot. With a gimbal I need a fairly long ASwiss adapter. A shame Sigma won’t cooperate. I’ve been toying over upgrading to the Sport or possibly Tamrons version. Then again I’m starting to realize I rarely use zoom and likely I’m giving up quality to multiple unnecessary lens elements.

Yep, I have the Tamron 150-600 G2 connected via EF-RF converter to an EOS R, also experience the same focus issues consistently. If the subject is stationary enough I even swap to manual focus at times to try to improve it.

Duane, I’ve purchased an R5 about a month ago and am patiently waiting for my 100-500. I was lucky enough to score a 600mm f/11 at the same time. I have been doing a lot of lens research while waiting and your reviews have been so helpful and are so informative. Thank you for all the work you do and for the excellent presentation of your work. Your videos are excellent. Regarding the 600mm f/11.... it’s a great lens for what it is. I too have found it to be inconsistent in regards to focusing. From all I can gather the 100-500 will do fine for me if I can be patient enough to wait for it. Yes, the 500mm f/4 will beat it but I can neither afford it nor can I be comfortable lugging it around at my age. I’m curious though, have you tested the 400mm f/5.6 with the R5 and a teleconverter? Should I just be patient or consider that combination? Again, thanks for your work. Stay safe and God bless.

Good morning. I send you greetings from Mexico and first of all I admire your work very much. For this reason, I ask you to please give me some advice, how can I achieve this approach and for that I ask you? When it is supported on the tripod, it disconnects the VC mode? Or do you leave it in position 1 when you are facing the bird? Thank you very much, I look forward to your kind advice. Antonio

Hey Duade, one of the other videos I watched on this lens (Tony and Chelsea Northrup) mentioned that the stabilisation would ruin shots if not switched off when on a tripod (unlike native lenses which detected they were on a tripod). I wonder if that wasn’t the reason for the focus issues? I have the G1 version of this lens, but if I get the Canon R6, I’ll probably get the G2 just to step things up. Great channel.

1:43 haha that was a good laugh, imaging if that was a real owl looking like that haha.

I have it with a 5DM4 and it is a keeper lens. You'll get a few less hits than the more expensive lenses but you get the reach. It is a compromise. I am buying an R7 and if I get more hits than I am getting on the 5DM4 I will be more than happy. Image quality is amazing even at the far end and I had some really great shots even with birds in flight.

Dan Walters on Instagram uses theTamron G2 lens and he gets a lot of quality shots with the R6 combo, I've seen a few of his shots get published. I experienced the bird disappearing when close problem today and I missed a few shots with my R5 because of it. I did check & my lens was set for close shots and not infinity. Thanks for reminding us to refocus on the ground then try it, i forgot about that trick. I was using a 600mm f/4 with a 1.4x so that may have been part of my issue as well. possibly just too close for that setup.

Hello, thank you very much for the excellent description of this lens, I am a fan and I am buying this Tamron G2 lens or the Sigma 150-600 contemporary, please give me your recommendation is for use in a Canor R6, thank you very much a big hug from Chile.