First Looks at Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens Image Quality

Image quality results from the Canon EOS 5Ds R have been added to the Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens Review page.

I was more than a little surprised to see such a big-hit lens being replaced less than 3 years after it was introduced, but I was traveling when the G2 version lens was first announced and didn't have time to figure out why the replacement was coming. I quickly put the lens on the to-test list and would have to figure out the "Why?" question later. Well, "later" is now.

The new lens arrived and as usual, photographing it was my first priority, while it was still in pristine, dust-free condition. The new exterior design, being very modern in appearance, is very pleasing both to the eye and to the touch, but my first surprise was how extremely tight the zoom ring was. Midway through the photo session, I by-accident discovered the push/pull zoom ring lock feature (mentioned in the press release of course). Pulling back on the zoom ring made a huge, positive difference. I think I'm going to like this feature.

While my anticipation for the updated design was strong, I was most anxious to see the image quality results from this lens. While the Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens' MTF charts appear nearly identical to the original Tamron 150-600 VC's charts, these lenses do not share an identical optical design. The biggest clue to this difference is the lenses/groups count of 21/13 vs. 20/13 in the older lens along with the improved minimum focus distance. Of course, what matters most is real world performance and that is what we are looking at today.

The ultra-high resolution EOS 5Ds R was not available when the original 150-600 hit the streets, but I wanted the 150-600 VC G2 results from the highest resolution camera, so one needs to use some visualization skills to compare the Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens with its predecessor. My initial thought was that the older lens performed slightly better, but comparing again with fresh eyes shows the two lenses being nearly identical as hinted to by their MTF charts. I do see a slight G2 advantage in the 600mm comparison, easily the weakest focal length for the original lens.

Simply being compatible with extenders is a G2 advantage. I have to admit not being very optimistic about the extender feature for this lens, even though they are (at least for now) dedicated models. My low expectations were in part due to the soft performance of the original lens at 600mm, the focal length that extenders would most often be needed at. And, I have to admit being modestly impressed with the 840mm results. Although the max aperture is a narrow f/9, resulting image degradation is slightly below my expectations.

The 300-1200mm focal length range created by the 2x extender is very impressive. The image quality at 1200mm is not so impressive. Nor is the f/13 maximum aperture and the dark viewfinder that it brings.

Comparing the Tamron 150-600mm VC G2 Lens to the Canon 100-400mm L IS II Lens is interesting. Compare the Canon-with-1.4x to the Tamron also (remember to select the same apertures).

B&H has the Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens in stock.

Posted: 10/10/2016 9:47:16 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
Posted to: Canon News, Sony News    Category: Camera Gear Review News
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