Yeah, that bird shot isn't too sharp. It looks like bad technique, not the lens. He states he took a second shot. It looks sharper at even a lower shutter speed 1/500.
hand held, vc on. the 1st three were in the early bright morning light and i think it made getting good images tougher as i was metering off of the head to get the eye sharp.
1, 3 & 4 are @ f/8. #2 is @f/6.3. all are at 600mm. sometimes i am getting really nice images, sometimes i am not. for the money it's a great lens. i will be writing more thorough info in the coming weeks/months for those who are interested.
Big Country, what camera was used, and AI servo or single shot.. single point, expanded ?.. Reason I ask, read reports by several saying that the AF is the week link with this lens for BIF, stationary static subjects is fine.
Perhaps the question should be, what settings did you find best for BIF at this early amount of time with lens.
big country wrote:
hand held, vc on. the 1st three were in the early bright morning light and i think it made getting good images tougher as i was metering off of the head to get the eye sharp.
1, 3 & 4 are @ f/8. #2 is @f/6.3. all are at 600mm. sometimes i am getting really nice images, sometimes i am not. for the money it's a great lens. i will be writing more thorough info in the coming weeks/months for those who are interested.
I think a lot of us are interested in your impressions and we appreciate the testing. "For the money it's a great lens" is encouragement enough I think. Thanks again…
-Cam
The exif data is there . I have it in the dock on my Mac . [ EXIF Summary 1/4000s f/8.0 ISO1000 600mm ] Flying eagle
Nice shots of the Eagle . I had already decided to get the lens . I guess my standards are lower and what others complain about , looks good to me .
Been waiting for an upgrade to the 100-400 - wait is kind of over - less money and more reach .
One of the things I will be looking for is flare / ghosting - most other questions have been answered .
My subjective initial impression of the new Tamron 150-600mm:
I went out today and took about 150 or so images. Bitter cold, windy, and with bright sun and glare off the snow made the conditions harsh. My keeper rate was low, and only a very few were sharp. Much of this had to do with the conditions and limited opportunities, not to mention my handholding ability!
My initial impression is that the lens is well-made, moderately sharp, and the VC's effectiveness is similar to Canon's early IS system. It's limited, so I needed to keep the shutter speed way up. Anyone handholding Canon's latest telephoto lenses with their superb new IS may be spoiled, as I am.
BIF were a wash, but on the 1D Mark IV body this was similar to what I get with a 2x attached to a bare Canon tele like the 300mm 2.8. Maybe the 5d Mk III or 1DX would be a little better. No surprise here. I need to try again with larger birds and in better conditions.
I don't like how easily the focal length can be adjusted. One slight movement of your hand will send it from 600mm to 300 or 400mm without you even realizing it. It's very loose and easily moved. Some may like that, but I don't. It will take some getting used to.
I still think that for the money, this is an outstanding buy--a tremendous bargain at this price. I can see already it is a versatile and capable option under most conditions, as long as your expectations are realistic.
Here are a few of the better ones, downsized and processed (minimally) for web display.
brimull wrote:
My subjective initial impression of the new Tamron 150-600mm:
I went out today and took about 150 or so images. Bitter cold, windy, and with bright sun and glare off the snow made the conditions harsh. My keeper rate was low, and only a very few were sharp. Much of this had to do with the conditions and limited opportunities, not to mention my handholding ability!
My initial impression is that the lens is well-made, moderately sharp, and the VC's effectiveness is similar to Canon's early IS system. It's limited, so I needed to keep the shutter speed way up. Anyone handholding Canon's latest telephoto lenses with their superb new IS may be spoiled, as I am.
BIF were a wash, but on the 1D Mark IV body this was similar to what I get with a 2x attached to a bare Canon tele like the 300mm 2.8. Maybe the 5d Mk III or 1DX would be a little better. No surprise here. I need to try again with larger birds and in better conditions.
I don't like how easily the focal length can be adjusted. One slight movement of your hand will send it from 600mm to 300 or 400mm without you even realizing it. It's very loose and easily moved. Some may like that, but I don't. It will take some getting used to.
I still think that for the money, this is an outstanding buy--a tremendous bargain at this price. I can see already it is a versatile and capable option under most conditions, as long as your expectations are realistic.
Here are a few of the better ones, downsized and processed (minimally) for web display.
Brian M. ...Show more →
Hi Brian,
The shots look very good to me, especially considering just learning the lens. If the conditions are anything like this location it gets hard just to feel your fingers no less the buttons on the camera, making it that much more difficult to shoot. It doesn't sound like we should be expecting miracles from our lens since you're at least the second person to relay it.
The question I have for you is, doesn't the lens zoom lock work and hold the zoom where you want it to be? At least I thought there was one from me reading about the lens.
The shots look very good to me, especially considering just learning the lens. If the conditions are anything like this location it gets hard just to feel your fingers no less the buttons on the camera, making it that much more difficult to shoot. It doesn't sound like we should be expecting miracles from our lens since you're at least the second person to relay it.
The question I have for you is, doesn't the lens zoom lock work and hold the zoom where you want it to be? At least I thought there was one from me reading about the lens.
It locks at the short end, 150mm, but not anywhere else. The focal adjustment collar is near where I place my support hand when handholding, and if you're moving often as I often am, it's easily turned. It's not a defect in the lens, it's just not to my liking. To some it may be fine the way it is. I'm not used to it.
brimull wrote:
It locks at the short end, 150mm, but not anywhere else. The focal adjustment collar is near where I place my support hand when handholding, and if you're moving often as I often am, it's easily turned. It's not a defect in the lens, it's just not to my liking. To some it may be fine the way it is. I'm not used to it.
Brian M.
This is a favorite feature of the 100-400L IS that is seldom emphasized: that it locks at any focal length. I find this handy at times, besides locking it down for compact size to transport.
Gunzorro wrote:
This is a favorite feature of the 100-400L IS that is seldom emphasized: that it locks at any focal length. I find this handy at times, besides locking it down for compact size to transport.
brimull wrote:
It locks at the short end, 150mm, but not anywhere else. The focal adjustment collar is near where I place my support hand when handholding, and if you're moving often as I often am, it's easily turned. It's not a defect in the lens, it's just not to my liking. To some it may be fine the way it is. I'm not used to it.
Brian M.
I agree, it doesn't make sense. Why limit the locking to only the 150mm and not the entire zoom range? Poor design decision IMO. I hope that I can get used to it but it does sound disappointing. That's for the heads up.
a small "carrier fee" will of course apply 
It doesn't sound like we should be expecting miracles from our lens since you're at least the second person to relay it.