B&H and Adorama both just published videos on this - but of course I am hesitant to take the reviews of stores built to sell you equipment. That being said, I guess most things online are built to sell you something...
kooshball wrote:
is there any excitement around this given where it sits price and size wise relative to sigma 100-400 and sony 200-600?
even with the good iq reviews its hard to imagine the niche fit for this. anyone buying this?
I'll probably end up with one unless something else in this range comes out soon. It makes sense to pair with my 28-200. Ideally though I would rather have a 400/f4 that is teleconverter capable. Much more portable than the 200-600.
If I knew this lens will be TC compatible at some point in future I'd pre-order it. But since there is close to zero chance this might happen I'm still considering a used 200-600 which I can find cheaper in EU than the Tammyy.
I've got time to wait, maybe in autumn we get new a7IV or a7rV and prices of the a7rIV go down so i might switch my a7rII for it and let it be the "tc" for the Tammy. 😇
Cheers, A.
kooshball wrote:
is there any excitement around this given where it sits price and size wise relative to sigma 100-400 and sony 200-600?
even with the good iq reviews its hard to imagine the niche fit for this. anyone buying this?
If the IQ and AF are up to the Sony offering it is attractive. You get 100 more reach and close to 100-400 GM close focusing ability in a smaller and lighter package than the 200-600 (close to the 100-400 in size, although not weight) at half the price of the 100-400 and 600 less than the 200-600.
I currently have the Sigma 100-400 and will likely go for the 200-600 G, but if this lens is the equal of the 200-600 I will be on the fence as it is much easier to put in a backpack and take on a plane.
Outside of IQ and AF tests - the primary interest - I would like to see some more comparisons of 500 to 600 (and 500 to 400) and the max close focusing compared to the excellent Sony 100-400
Dustin Abbott writes in the pre-amble to the picture gallery
« But now we have a more direct competitor, and with the “Tamron on Sony” advantage of having direct access to focus algorithms due to Sony having a financial stake in Tamron. My experience has been that the Tamron lenses with RXD and VXD motors focus essentially as well on Sony as native Sony lenses. That makes the Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD an interesting proposition, particularly when you consider that its price point of $1399 USD positions it about $600 cheaper than the Sony 200-600G.»
and about the Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN C
« I found in my review that focus wasn’t quite up to Sony standards during tracking, either.»
About the Sigma 100-400 focus: A couple of the early reviewers last summer noted they were working with a pre release lens and expected the tracking to improve with final firmware.
Gordon Laing of Cameralabs later wrote he felt the focus of the Sigma had been dramatically improved to no longer be at issue. I have wondered if Dustin Abbott ever revisited the lens to see if noted an improvement, too.
Reviewers typically have three weeks with a lens and then back it goes.
onthebeam wrote:
About the Sigma 100-400 focus: A couple of the early reviewers last summer noted they were working with a pre release lens and expected the tracking to improve with final firmware.
Gordon Laing of Cameralabs later wrote he felt the focus of the Sigma had been dramatically improved to no longer be at issue. I have wondered if Dustin Abbott ever revisited the lens to see if noted an improvement, too.
Reviewers typically have three weeks with a lens and then back it goes.
Good point, which I didn’t think about.
Another thing occured to me, the Sony 100-400mm is more expensive than the Sigma 100-400mm + Tamron 150-500mm combined. It’s actually hard to go wrong with the third party alternatives here. The Tamron 150-500mm has a range quite similar to the Sony 100-400mm with a 1.4 x TC attached.
I own the Sony 100-400 but not the TC so relevant . . .
Sony 100-400 with 1.4 x = 560mm f8
Tamron 150-500 = 500mm f6.7
That's a full 1/2 stop faster for only the 60 more millimeters in reach. Now I do realize that for birders, those are crucial millimeters!
Sony with TC meaningfully lighter than Tamron but quite a bit more expensive.
Very early reports seem to indicate excellent crispness for the new Tamron. This scenario head to head is worth exploring. The Tamron of course is much more compact and lighter than the 200-600 so that's its sweet spot, perhaps.
I currently own both the Sony and the Sigma 100-400 so I do have TWO DOGS IN THIS HUNT!
(The difference between f5.6 and f6.3 is only 1/2 f-stop)
The difference between f/5.6 and f/6.3 is even smaller, just 1/3 stop.
The scale in 1/3 steps goes 5.6 - 6.3 - 7.1 - 8.
The difference between f/6.7 and f/8 however is 1/2 stop.
There’s quite a bit to ponder. It’ll be interesting to see more reviews of the new Tamron 150-500mm. It looks promising so far, I agree. Hopefully some serious reviewer will do a comparison of the Sony 100-400mm + 1.4 x TC combo to the Tamron 150-500mm.
