Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 VC USD review – Introduction
In the same way that all little boys want to be astronauts, all budding photographers dream of long lenses. Right? Well, perhaps not all, but the super-long lens is surely on the wish list of many who have yet to realise that they won’t actually need one.
Those, however, who become interested in sport or wildlife, or any other subject that is difficult to get close to, will rightly want a long lens to facilitate a hobby that simply can’t be successfully enjoyed without one.
The problem with long fixed-focal-length lenses is that they also tend to have long price tags of the type that exclude all but those who can earn money from ownership, those who are simply well-off, and those who are prepared to sacrifice holidays, mortgage payments and a new car to get one.
Even the cheaper of the two fixed 600mm lenses on the market retails for more the £7,000, and unless you are happy to gain the same reach from the £350 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 bridge camera, there are not too many choices available.
For some time, Sigma has produced a very popular 150-500mm f/5-6.3 lens, and has enjoyed something of an exclusive in the independent lens market for those going on a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime safari, but now that position is challenged by a lens that reaches just that much further.
The questions that remain are just how much of a compromise are we making when we buy one of these super-telephoto zooms, and how practical are they to use?
