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Tamron 100-400mm lens
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Jun 26, 2018 11:53:05   #
rosjan
 
I'm going to be photographing wildlife in Africa next year and am thinking of purchasing a Tamron 100-400mm lens to use on a Nikon D7200. I've read and watched a number of reviews and it appears to be a good lens for my purpose. Am I correct in that assessment? I have a limited amount of money to spend on the new lens.

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Jun 26, 2018 11:59:06   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
rosjan wrote:
I'm going to be photographing wildlife in Africa next year and am thinking of purchasing a Tamron 100-400mm lens to use on a Nikon D7200. I've read and watched a number of reviews and it appears to be a good lens for my purpose. Am I correct in that assessment? I have a limited amount of money to spend on the new lens.


I didn't know that Tamron has a 100-400 lens. So I'll be watching this to see what is said.

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Jun 26, 2018 12:29:49   #
rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA
 
rosjan wrote:
I'm going to be photographing wildlife in Africa next year and am thinking of purchasing a Tamron 100-400mm lens to use on a Nikon D7200. I've read and watched a number of reviews and it appears to be a good lens for my purpose. Am I correct in that assessment? I have a limited amount of money to spend on the new lens.


In that case, why don't you rent one from lensrentals or borrowlenses.com? Lensrentals has a Tamron 150 - 600 which is $84 for 7 days, Borrowlenses is $70/7 days. I know they both have insurance available if you travel abroad.

I know a lot of travel photographers who rent long lenses just for African trips.

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Jun 26, 2018 12:49:42   #
snapshot18
 
rosjan:

All of my lenses are Tamron SP (that stands for 'Special Performance') except a super wide 11-16mm f2.8 Tokina ATX. It beat the Tamron 10-20 by a bit.
I do have a 17-35 2.8, a 28-105 2.8, and a 70-210 2.8; I used to have a 20-40 2.8 but sold it when I got the 17-35. Never disappointed with any. And like most other lenses that are sharpest at f16, maybe f11 . . . the Tamrons are just as sharp from f8 on down- I checked at every aperture to f4.

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Jun 26, 2018 12:50:16   #
Sunnely Loc: Wisconsin
 
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
In that case, why don't you rent one from lensrentals or borrowlenses.com? Lensrentals has a Tamron 150 - 600 which is $84 for 7 days, Borrowlenses is $70/7 days. I know they both have insurance available if you travel abroad.

I know a lot of travel photographers who rent long lenses just for African trips.


I own tamron 18-400 mm and D7200 which I took with me to Alaska. It has good reach but I still wished I had an extra stretch especially in wild life areas we visited. Otherwise, great for daily routine photography.

I concur with rgrenaderphoto to rent a longer reach since you'd be traveling to Africa.

Just my 2 cents.

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Jun 26, 2018 12:56:49   #
NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
 
rosjan wrote:
I'm going to be photographing wildlife in Africa next year and am thinking of purchasing a Tamron 100-400mm lens to use on a Nikon D7200. I've read and watched a number of reviews and it appears to be a good lens for my purpose. Am I correct in that assessment? I have a limited amount of money to spend on the new lens.


Have you thought about maybe another camera like the Nikon CoolPix P900? https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/compact-digital-cameras/coolpix-p900.html It's about the same cost as the Tamron lens, gets terrific reviews and has an unbelievable zoom. It would give you even more reach than the D7200 with the 100-400 and also be your backup if you have a problem with the D7200.

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Jun 26, 2018 12:58:51   #
Lagoonguy Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL
 
I purchased this lens a few months back but have not used it much. I have it currently on a D7100 and it is very light and well balanced. It appears to be well made. The stabilization works well. The photos are crisp and the colors are true. I have not had to use the Tap In for fine tuning. Dawn & dusk could be problematic with f/6.3 max but overall my photos of birds in daylight are very good. The weight factor took me away from larger lenses and I think the Tamron 100-400 will be fine for air travel and hiking. I am very pleased with my copy. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

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Jun 26, 2018 13:04:28   #
rosjan
 
Regrettably, the Coolpix isn't weatherproof. I nearly lost a camera to dust the last time I was in Africa. It's the reason I picked up the D7200.

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Jun 26, 2018 16:17:39   #
whwiden
 
600mm is a minimum FF equivalent. I use a Tamron 150-600mm in Africa on a d7200. I do not like to lug it around but the extra reach is needed in some locations, particularly when you must stay on the road. Read up on recommendations for your intended destinations.

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Jun 27, 2018 06:40:12   #
CO
 
I rented Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 G2 lens a few weeks ago from LensRentals.com. I thought it was a good lens. At 1100 grams it's light for a 100-400mm lens. Its autofocus is fast and seemed reliable. CameraLabs tested the lens and found that its autofocus was not consistent.

https://www.cameralabs.com/tamron-100-400mm-f4-5-6-3-vc-review/

Focus accuracy and repeatability is critical to consistently produce sharp shots. Repeatability (the accuracy of focus on the same subject after repeated focus-acquisition) of this lens at standard settings and 400mm focal length was not up there with the competition: it measured only 91.1% in Reikan FoCal and produced 5 mild outliers over a series of 40 shots. Plus there is some performance variation whether the lens focuses from infinity or from a closer distance. This variability also showed up in real life and led me to inspect every shot for pinpoint focus accuracy: not good! By comparison the Nikon 80-400/4.5-5.6G VR has a repeatability of 98.6%, and had no outliers in 40 shots under the same test conditions.

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Jun 27, 2018 08:00:49   #
OllieFCR
 
Rent or buy the Nikon 200-500. It is sharper, has better reach, better AF, and better image stabilization. You will never regret buying this lens. If you can afford Africa, why not get the best lens to get images from the trip?

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Jun 27, 2018 09:23:33   #
Ira
 
I have the !00-400 Tamron and the D7200. Its a great combination (See the attached shots). It is the equivalent to a 150-600mm on the D7200 - crop sensor camera. I also have the 150-600mm Tamron G2. If I were you, I would try to get the 150-600mm lens, If you can't by one, rent it for the trip. I think the reach will serve you better. They are both very sharp lenses. The 100-400 does not come with a tripod collar. It is a $100 option. The 100-400mm is smaller and lighter, if that's a concern. Also, both lenses work great on my D750.

Shot with theNikon D7200 and the Tamron 100-400mm
Shot with theNikon D7200 and the Tamron 100-400mm...
(Download)

Shot with theNikon D7200 and the Tamron 100-400mm
Shot with theNikon D7200 and the Tamron 100-400mm...
(Download)

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Jun 27, 2018 09:40:37   #
Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast
 
rosjan wrote:
I'm going to be photographing wildlife in Africa next year and am thinking of purchasing a Tamron 100-400mm lens to use on a Nikon D7200. I've read and watched a number of reviews and it appears to be a good lens for my purpose. Am I correct in that assessment? I have a limited amount of money to spend on the new lens.


Not endorsing ANY business or guides but there are sites with recommendations on what to bring from clothes to equipment. Might check the specific area you're going to see what they recommend. Just a thought....

https://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/best-safari-lens.html

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Jun 27, 2018 10:45:53   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
I purchased this lens for my daughter for use on her D7500 and it's a good lens, sharp even at 400mm. You may want to look at a used Sigma 50-500mm, however. I have a fb friend who has used this lens in Kenya, Namibia, Costa Rica and other parts of the world with great success.

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Jun 27, 2018 11:01:28   #
NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
 
You might want to look into renting the Sigma 150-600 contemporary with 1.4 Tele. Fantastic lens! On your 7200 it will be effective 225-900 and even further with the tele. It has a tripod collar.

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