Tamron 150-500 mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD review - Summary

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Tamron 150-500 mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

19 July 2024

Maciej Latałło

11. Summary

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Pros:

very good image quality in the frame centre across the whole focal range,
good image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,
negligible longitudinal chromatic aberration,
slight lateral chromatic aberration,
imperceptible spherical aberration,
moderate astigmatism,
sensible coma correction,
silent and quite quick autofocus,
slight vignetting on the APS-C sensor,
very good price/performance ratio.

Cons:

too weak image quality on the edge of full frame at the maximum focal length,
too high pincushion distortion in the middle of the focal range,
distinct vignetting on full frame,
significant "breathing".

The Tamron 150-500 mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is a really well-put-together lens. Everything fits here, with a truly universal focal range that allows you to 'outperform' in the area of amateur nature or planes photography. At the same time the quality of the offered images is as good as only the parameters allow it and the price is chosen quite well too, not exceeding a level of $1200.

I don't doubt that the tested lens complements the market offer quite well, especially if you don't need the 600 mm focal length. Instead you get noticeably lower weight and dimensions. You can also save several hundreds $, not a trifle.

Update. A new version of firmware 3.0 has been released, improving AF operation.