Lens question: I'm almost tired of the reviews and thought I'd get boots on the ground opinions. I have been contemplating Trading in my 5 year old Sigma 150-600 C for a Tamron...

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

I'm almost tired of the reviews and thought I'd get boots on the ground opinions. I have been contemplating Trading in my 5 year old Sigma 150-600 C for a Tamron 150-600 G2. I already have 4 other Tamrons and love the IQ and build quality. I value other hoggers opinions and want to make a good choice. Thanks in advance for your advice.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

starlifter wrote:

I'm almost tired of the reviews and thought I'd get boots on the ground opinions. I have been contemplating Trading in my 5 year old Sigma 150-600 C for a Tamron 150-600 G2. I already have 4 other Tamrons and love the IQ and build quality. I value other hoggers opinions and want to make a good choice. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Not sure what you would hope to gain .....Optically they are so close as to be of no practical consequence - with sample variation being the largest separator - This is according to the objective Imatest scores I see. They are the same size and weight and the same cost ......and are both focus tuneable. You may see a tiny difference in AF depending on the exact body you are using .
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starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

imagemeister wrote:

Not sure what you would hope to gain .....Optically they are so close as to be of no practical consequence - with sample variation being the largest separator - This is according to the objective Imatest scores I see. They are the same size and weight and the same cost ......and are both focus tuneable. You may see a tiny difference in AF depending on the exact body you are using .
.

I'll be using it on a D850. I also just remembered the Tamron has weather sealing.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

starlifter wrote:

I'll be using it on a D850. I also just remembered the Tamron has weather sealing.

Do you go out in bad weather ?? Is there anything you think is wrong with the Sigma ??
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starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

imagemeister wrote:

Do you go out in bad weather ?? Is there anything you think is wrong with the Sigma ??
.

Nothing wrong with the Sigma. I'll have about 7/8 of the cost with some tradins. The weather sealing while not necessary is nice.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I own one and shoot with it on my D850. I owned the old Sigma 150-500 and it is a vast improvement over that lens as far as focus speed. Image quality is also better but not by a ton. Weather sealing is a definite plus and I feel image quality and focus speed will improve over your current Sigma. Enough to justify the purchase? Only you can decide.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

kpmac wrote:

I own one and shoot with it on my D850. I owned the old Sigma 150-500 and it is a vast improvement over that lens as far as focus speed. Image quality is also better but not by a ton. Weather sealing is a definite plus and I feel image quality and focus speed will improve over your current Sigma. Enough to justify the purchase? Only you can decide.

Thanks. That's the kind of info I'm looking for.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

starlifter wrote:

I'll be using it on a D850. I also just remembered the Tamron has weather sealing.

Of the 3, the best weather sealing is the Sigma Sport, but it is much heavier and more expensive.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

PHRubin wrote:

Of the 3, the best weather sealing is the Sigma Sport, but it is much heavier and more expensive.

I was going to say the same. I own a Sigma 150-600 Sport with Canon mount and a Contemporary with Nikon mount. A friend and shooting buddy owns the Tamron lens. We have compared photos taken with all 3 and there is little to no difference in the quality of the images. My personal preference is the Sigma Sport.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Mainly use my Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 G2 on a D500. It's a fine lens and it has served me well. What I have learned over the years is that the glass is important, but that's not what's hurting my keeper rate. The biggest factors for me are 1) camera shake or subject blur, both of which are impacted by poor choice of shutter speed, but mostly just me, 2) blown out highlights or buried shadows especially with white or dark colored water birds by not adjusting compensation as needed, 3) poor choice of exposure settings, which results in 1) or 2) or too much noise, 3) poor composition like not blurring the background enough so my subject doesn't stand out or cutting off part of the animal, or just not tracking BIF well. I also learned I can fix some of my screw ups in LightroomCC, PhotoShop and with Topaz apps (especially DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI).

So the moral of the story is don't worry about upgrading your reasonably good gear, which won't make you a better photographer, until mastering camera techniques and PP skills, which will make your a better photographer.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

PHRubin wrote:

Of the 3, the best weather sealing is the Sigma Sport, but it is much heavier and more expensive.

Money is not the issue (Nikon not with standing,) I prefer Tamron .

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

PHRubin wrote:

Of the 3, the best weather sealing is the Sigma Sport, but it is much heavier and more expensive.

Prefer Tamron.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

rmorrison1116 wrote:

I was going to say the same. I own a Sigma 150-600 Sport with Canon mount and a Contemporary with Nikon mount. A friend and shooting buddy owns the Tamron lens. We have compared photos taken with all 3 and there is little to no difference in the quality of the images. My personal preference is the Sigma Sport.

Thanks

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

starlifter wrote:

I'm almost tired of the reviews and thought I'd get boots on the ground opinions. I have been contemplating Trading in my 5 year old Sigma 150-600 C for a Tamron 150-600 G2. I already have 4 other Tamrons and love the IQ and build quality. I value other hoggers opinions and want to make a good choice. Thanks in advance for your advice.

After using (for a week back in 2016) a borrowed C, I found it almost as good as a Nikkor 200-500, but no match for the Sigma Sport version which I ended up buying. The Tamron G2 came out after I purchased my Sigma, and based on a borrowed copy, I can say without hesitation, the image quality is equal to the Sigma at 600mm, and slightly better at shorter focal lengths. The build quality is adequate, compared to the tank-like build of the Sigma, but it does make it 2 lbs lighter and it is adequate. Weather sealing is similar. So if you want to pull the trigger, you will likely pick up another 20% improvement in overall image quality. This is purely anecdotal, and your mileage may differ, but the G2 will be a noticeable improvement over the C. You didn't mention what camera you are using. If you have a full frame and at least 36 mp, you will see more of a difference than if you have a crop camera and just 20 mp. You'll see even more improvement if you have a 45 mp camera.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

Gene51 wrote:

After using (for a week back in 2016) a borrowed C... (show quote)

I'm using a D850