bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

being a sony man, some of those mega zooms don't fit my camera. my solution is a sony 70-200 G lens ,their 2x tc, and a asp-c camera. I get the equiv. of 200-600mm at f 5.6. I spent a day the zoo and got some great images to show for it.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

You do not mention the camera you are using. I had a Tamron 150-600 for my Nikon d7200 and sold it to buy the Nikon 200-500 and I am glad I did. the Nikon is much better in picture quality. I have not tried the sigma, so I cannot comment on this lens. you may want to try to rent the lenses to see which lens will meet your demands.

bigwolf40 Loc: Effort, Pa.

You are the only one that can answer your own question by using the lens. Every one will give you their own personal answer in the way they use the lens. My self I'm pushing 83 and use the Tamron 105/600 lens and I use it hand held. I find using a tripod a pain in the neck. Wildlife moves so your not shooting at still targets so you won't have time to set up a tripod and even a monopod can be difficult to use when your subject is moving. Have you ever seen a hunter use a tripod when they go hunting? I don't think so for the simple reason you never no when the animal will pop up and in which direction it will go. I set my camera on auto ISO at F 6.3 and the shutter speed around 800 to 1000. I then take care of the noise in Topaz DeNoise 6. The camera I use is the Canon 7D. Like I said it is only you that can answer your question....Rich

Psergel Loc: New Mexico

I have the Tamron 150-600 and I have a real love hate relationship with the thing.

I've become addicted to that long reach and find myself photographing birds more than any other subject these days.

Using a lens that performs best at f/8 in early morning light on skittish subjects means that you are going to have to get used to ISO 3200 and even 6400.

While it is possible to get decent images at these ISOs there is absolutely no question that you lose some of the fine feather or fur detail that can make a really high quality wildlife image so satisfying.. The combination of high ISO and low light just makes for noisier images.
I use my Tamron mostly with the Canon 7DII and I've simply had to get used to a higher level of noise than I was seeing from my 6D. There are those on this forum that will tell you that they get excellent images on a crop sensor body at 12800 ISO and as my eyes continue to age I may agree with them.

Good noise reduction software helps as does a full frame camera but.......if you use a FF you lose some of the "reach" that attracted you to the long lens in the first place.


All of that being said, Ive had a lot of fun with the Tamron and gotten many images that I'm very happy with. (I've also gotten literally thousands of images that don't make it past the "import" stage. If we were still using film I'd have long ago gone bankrupt)

Spending the $1000 bucks for the long lens also means spending something in the neighborhood of $1000 for a very sturdy tripod AND most likely another $500 or so on a gimbal head.
Then lots of practice.

The alternative is to spend the $10K to buy the 600 f/4 and even heavier tripod and head.

stillducky

I have to use a tripod, monopod or prop myself against something at max zoom. This is an example of noise and noise reduction at a very high iso and higher shutter speed. Also, remember that some cameras are able to handle noise better than others. View full size to compare.

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camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I guess it is clear to you now that hand holding a long lens with VR is always possible IF the ISO speed is cranked up so that you could work with a higher shutter speed.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Just reinforcing previous posters. I'm 73 and shoot with the Tamron long lens. My monopod is a great walking stick and has a "Y" on top. I can set the lens on the "Y" to steady it while having the monopod for a walking stick. Attaching the lens directly to the monopod doesn't work well unless you have a ball-head or similar on the monopod.

sholland98 Loc: Benbrook, Texas

Will agree with Stansoper. I'm also 72 and rarely use my tripod with my C version. Keep it on my D750 most of the time. Shutter speed is key. Truly enjoy the lense. Very sharp and mine will usually capture focus @ f16.

Toby

You can determine this for yourself. Take your present lens and set it to f8 then push the speed and ISO as high as possible and see if you are satisfied. As for camera shake use a monopod.

Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.

The Y on top of your monopod sounds interesting. I have never seen one of these. Could you post a picture of it?

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

I use the Tamron 150-600 on my D7100, mostly for photographing birds. I am a few years younger than you, with arthritis, but am able to hand hold this combination for short periods of time. I am pleased with the results.

I am in the process of post-processing hundreds of photos taken yesterday, under cloudy skies, at Lake Morton in Lakeland. Hopefully, I will get some posted later today. You will be able to read the EXIF data if you have the appropriate software.

Let me know what you think.

spphoto Loc: Long Island,N.Y.

I have the tamron 150-600 and use hand held to take a lot of bird pictures .I am a little older than you,85 and with image stabilization can get great shots

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

Got the Tamron on Feb., 9th 2014 from a local camera store (Schiller's here in Saint Louis, Missouri). I find that this lens works really good - Usually I have the lens set at f-8 ... Auto-ISO ... Aperture Priority ... And to 'fire' the shutter on "multi". I usually hand-hold the camera and lens in the usual manner (right-hand on button -- left-hand under the lens, where I may zoom in or out depending on the need). I have gotten good shots of deer as well as birds hand-holding = the auto-focus is fast and the "image stabilization" is really good (I have a little Parkinson's) and the images are usually very sharp. I have used this lens on a tripod as well.. i.e. = shooting the moon at half-phase, as well as eagles, and other large birds.

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spphoto Loc: Long Island,N.Y.

hand held

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DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

It'll work OK. A related question - are you OK with lugging the camera, lens, and tripod?