Tamron, makers of aftermarket lenses, has announced a new lens that may be of interest to bird photographers on a budget. The SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD packs a lot of power for the price (around US $1000) , approaching a buck per mm equivalent if you shoot on a crop-frame body. I know that a grand for a lens is a pretty major investment for most of us, but compared to similar Canon & Nikon glass this is really a steal. A Sony-mount model is available in addition to Canon & Nikon mounts. The lens is currently available for pre-order but should be shipping soon. I’d expect it to give the “Bigma” (Sigma’s 50-500mm or 150-500mm lens) a serious run for the money.
The lens is too new to have many reviews yet, but I found this one from Dustin Abbott to be realistic and informative. I’d encourage folks who are considering giving the lens a whirl to read through it- Dustin is most thorough in addressing aspects of the lens of interest to wildlife & bird photographers. Does anyone out there have a lead on this lens? Opinions & reviews if you’ve seen or used one would be most welcomed, leave a comment or drop me a line!
For now my only input is to humbly suggest a nickname for this lens. If Sigma gets the “Bigma”, how about Tamalong? Ha ha.