Here is a round-up of hands-on reviews and previews of the brand new Canon RF…
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Review (a game changer)
Dustin Abbott wrote an exhaustive review about the image stabilized Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD super zoom ($1069, Adorama | B&H Photo). He defines the Tamron as a “game changer” and compares the lens to the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS.
He breaks down pros and cons of his long review (with lots of sample images taken at different focal lengths).
Pros:
- A truly fantastic price/value
- Optical excellence throughout almost all the focal range
- Versatility of a 4x zoom range
- Reaches 600mm (900mm+ equiv on crop sensors)
- Sturdy, weather sealed construction
- Excellent VC
- Better than expected focus speed and accuracy
- 6 year standard warranty in North America
- Low CA and strong resistance to flare
- Excellent color rendition
- Smooth bokeh transition and highlights
- Good minimum focus distance = good maximum magnification
- Did I mention the price?
Cons:
- Slight sharpness falloff at 600mm
- Focus speed slightly slower towards longer end of zoom range
- Exhibits zoom creep
- No internal zooming means that overall length grows significantly
- Case not included
- 95mm filters will be expensive
- Maximum aperture of f/6.3 on the long end
- Fairly big and heavy
Flare resistance is very good thanks to Tamron’s new eBand coating of the lens. Color rendition is also excellent.
Be sure to check the comparison with the Canon lens. The difference in sharpness is minimal, though in favour of Canon.
The video below shows the auto-focus test of the Tamron 150-600mm.