About 5 years ago when I was curious about the gimbal heads...wanting to try one but didn't even want to spend $500+. I then looked at the other extreme...a Beike BK-45...a Chinese cheapie sold under a dozen or so different brand names for $25 to $50.The reviews said it was pretty much junk out of the box...but others said with a bit of tinkering they work fine. I checked out a few You Tube videos on how to improve the BK-45. I ordered one from Ebay for $26. Probably disassembled it 3 times over the first 6 months till I have it functioning the way it should. Is it as pretty as the $600 model? No. Does it function as well? Real close!

I went to local air show/fly-in a couple of years ago. I had my D7100 with a 200-500...met up with another photographer who was shooting with a D500 and Tammy 150-600 G2. We did some equipment swapping and experimenting. He went home and traded his Tammy G2 for the Nikon 200-500. I went home and ordered the D500.

If I was looking for a super zoom today...I'd look real close at the Sigma 60-600 Sport. I used to have one of the original Bigma 50-500 with no OS...loved the range...just didn't work well with the newer bodies.

I don't think I will ever tire of looking at this photo!!!

Bad part about paying $50...sometimes it'll last several months...other times it might last one outing.

But the camera has only one adjustment...not the 16 or so of the tap-in. I've read some adjust the lens to one body...then use the in camera adjustment for other bodies. I haven't tried that approach yet...might work??

I sent several requests to Tamron Customer Service for Tap-in infinity distances...that is the only reply I received. She also said the formula isn't official...just was what they were recommending. Guess that's why I haven't done the infinity adjustment yet.

My first experience with the tap-in was with the D500 and the 18-400. My thoughts were with the focusing of the D500 and the capability of fine tuning the 18-400 I should have a great combination. It was definitely a learning experience and test of my patience and frustrations. One of the main lessons learned was not to have the tripod an thick carpet while doing the setup...probably common sense for most...but I learned it the hard way.

The biggest problem with the tap-in...Tamron did not provide a decent set of instructions. It told how to input the settings...but nothing on the best way get the proper numbers. Also they provided no info as to distances for infinity adjustments. At the time there wasn't much information on line to help out. I wound up sending the 18-400 back...mostly because the VC wasn't strong enough for my 75 year old hands.

Recently I purchased the 70-200 G2 and with much more info on the internet...had pretty good results in setting up the focus fine tuning. Still haven't done the infinity adjustments...just haven't found a good target to use at the recommended distances provided by Tamron customer services:
(900 X focal length / 25.4 = inches / 12 = feet)

Maybe red eye reduction is enabled?

If you want to do a test on your patience, religion, and mental stability...get a Tamron super zoom like the 18-400 with the Tap-in-console...then proceed to fine tune the lens. It would be lot less frustrating if Tamron would include a decent set of instructions. I believe Sigma has a similar system but haven't tried it. Results are usually a improvement...not sure if it's worth the effort.

I was wondering the same...guess it's all relative. Compare it to my D50 of several years back...it probably is.

Reminds me of the time I was kayaking the shore around Coleto Lake which I have done many times. This particular time I decided to leave my camera in the truck and just do a leisurely paddle. As I entered this one cove...water was flying all over the place...I paddled up to within 10 feet of all the commotion. After about 15 seconds watching this the action stopped...a bobcat with a nutria in its mouth was staring at me for about another 15 seconds. The bobcat then dropped the nutria and ran off...the nutria then swam off. Figured I saved that nutria's life that day. Around the next bend a eagle was perched in a tree.

On a recent vacation...one of our stops was the Colorado National Monument. Stopped at one of the outlooks to take some scenic photos of the canyon. A guy next to me asked if I seen the couple climbing Independence Monument way off in the distance. All I could see was a couple of specs of color. Got my 200-500 out of the car and spent the next hour photographing them. Some cool shots of them hanging on their ropes and finally sitting on the peak enjoying the view. Sure was happy I had my 200-500 with me.

Probably good advice...if you never take your camera outside your home.

I drove 95 miles to check out the Tamron 18-400 at a brick and mortar, was willing to pay the extra sales tax. Asked about their return policy...10 days for store credit only. Went home and ordered from Adorama...had it for about 6 weeks (Christmas returns policy) to try out the lens and fine tune it...decided it wasn't what I needed. Returned it for a full refund, no questions asked.

My first real (SLR) camera was the Pentax K1000. The only electronics it has was a + to - meter and a small battery which was turned off by putting the lens cap on. The battery lasted years. When I finally went digital...I longed for a camera just like the K1000, but just digital. What was I thinking...