Nelcansan

Anyone have experience with the Tamron 200-500 lens and how does it compare to the Tanron 150-600 in picture quality?

RowdyRay Loc: MN

Not sure what you plan to use it with. Google reviews on it. Some have had good luck on certain systems.

I had one for my Canon system. Was not very pleased with it. Back focusing issues. Couldn't adjust it with the T2i. Even after getting the 80D, micro adjusting never corrected it. Luckily I didn't pay much and only lost 40.00 trading it in on a used Tamron 150-600mm G1. Much better lens.

If money is an issue, I still can't say enough about the Sigma 150-500mm. Surprisingly sharp, and half the weight of my Sigma Sport.

Nelcansan

Using it on a D500 and a D3s.

Nelcansan

Using it on a D500 and a D3s.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

It's a very old, low quality lens with extremely slow autofocus. Compared to the 150-600 G2 lens it's pretty much junk. Lack of stabilization literally destroyed any value it might have had. The 150-600 FIRST generation made it obsolete overnight.

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

Agreed. I love my 150-600mm G2.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Then you need the Nikon 200-500 5.6 lens. Trust me on this, it is a super lens that will give you years of great service.
I will be listing mine later today on this site. Look for it. Mint with the box, it will make a great lens for you.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5.6 lens is quite old. It was introduced in 1984 and discontinued in 1992.. almost 30 years ago. It's manual focus only, Adaptall2 lens, which means it can be fitted to almost any 35mm SLR or DSLR thanks to that interchangeable mount system. Adaptall2 mounts are still being made in China, even for modern systems that didn't exist back when Tamron was building those lenses. I've got a macro lens with Adaptall mounts to use it on a half dozen different film camera systems, as well as modern Canon DSLRs and mirrorless. On most modern cameras this lens will not only be manual focus, it will also be manual aperture only. It replaced the previous 200-500mm f/6.3.

It was said to be a good lens in it's day (while I used several other Tamron Adaptall2 lenses, never this one).... But it's a good bet a modern zoom like the Tamron 150-600mm "G2" is sharper. You can rest assured the modern lens is also much, much faster to shoot with, thanks to ultrasonic drive AF and direct electronic aperture control that allows all auto exposure modes to be used.

EDIT: I just Googled and found that there also was an AF version of the Tamron 200-500mm in Canon, Nikon and Sony A-mount (Minolta). It has a variable aperture (f/5 to f/6.3). It also uses a removable lens hood, where the above manual version had a built in hood. Online reviews of the Tamron 200-500mm AF are fairly positive, though most are 12 to 15 years old.

On a DX camera like D500 a 500mm or 600mm lens is an extremely powerful telephoto. Difficult to hold steady, so image stabilization might be a real help. Still might want a tripod a lot of the time. Tamron also makes a 100-400mm that seems pretty good and is considerably smaller and lighter. It doesn't come with a tripod collar, but one is sold separately, if wanted (I'd definitely get it).

Yes, the Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 is certainly worth considering, too. The image quality actually seems pretty similar comparing the Tamron 150-600mm and Nikkor 200-500mm at the focal lengths they share. See for yourself here: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=1079&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=4&API=0&LensComp=1035&CameraComp=614&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=3&APIComp=0 Note: unfortunately, the test shots done at that site were with Canon cameras for the Tamron and, of course, Nikon cameras for the Nikkor. The 1Ds Mark III and D3X test shots should be similar, though... since they are fairly similar resolution, full frame DSLRs. On your D500 the center and midframe test shots are relevant, while the corner test shots would be cropped away by a DX camera. A few differences that might be important: The Nikkor is presently almost $200 more expensive and it comes with a 1 year warranty, where the Tamron is warranted for 6 years. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Nikon_AF-S_NIKKOR_200-500mm_f_5.6E_ED_VR_Lens_vs_Tamron_SP_150-600mm_f_5-6.3_Di_VC_USD_G2_for_Nikon_F_vs_Tamron_100-400mm_f_4.5-6.3_Di_VC_USD_Lens_for_Nikon_F/BHitems/1175034-REG_1277357-REG_1362803-REG

pahtspix

I've had my Nikon D500 mated to a Tamron 150-600mm G2 since November of 2016..No "ISSUES" with either!! A marriage made in Heaven!! (AND I STILL HAVE ANOTHER 1.5 YEARS WARRANTY ON MY Tamron!!) Most testers have compared the image quality on par with the Nikon 200-500, but it was too "heavy" for me to handle, so I got the Tamron!!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I have no experience with it but I have investigated it heavily .....it is quite light in weight, but physically long- there are some GOOD user reviews out there ....if you are careful with proper support, I would not let the lack of stabilization deter me from trying it at The $400 level .....yes, the AF is relatively slow - so not the best for BIF I am sure. It is a decent option IMO.

The Sigma 150-500 came from a time when Sigma's QC was quite suspect - I am sure there are good ones - but also a few not so good
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Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I've found that fast focusing is not critical for birds in flight, unless the bird is coming at you directly (or flying away which would make a terrible shot anyway). Most of the time the bird is moving across the field of view, and the changes in distance can usually be handled by lenses with modest focusing speed.

I agree with you, I like the Tamron better than the Sigma here.

The only risk with either is age and mfgr support - after a while they just don't make parts for them anymore.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Here is the Dyxum reviews of the Tamron 200-500 - https://www.dyxum.com/reviews/lenses/Tamron-SP-AF-200-500mm-F5-6.3-Di-LD-IF_review116.html