Gary Wolstenholme reviews this new ultra telephoto zoom lens from Tamron, with a massive 600mm telephoto zoom.

Very good centre sharpness throughout the range; Effective Vibration Compensation system; Good value; Good build quality; Extremely low CA; Low distortion; Resistant to flare and retains good contrast shooting into the light

No claims made about weather resistance

The focus is faster than the other telephoto zooms I tested before buying. I am impressed with the quality of the hand-held shots even when extended to the full 600mm focal length. Low light doesn't seem to be challenge as I used the moon for some shots and got excellent results.

Wildlife and sports photographers immediately recognize the attractiveness of the telephoto zoom focal length range of this lens. Lenses that include 150mm in their focal length range are plentiful (and very useful), but no big brand name zoom lenses as of this review date include 600mm (other than...

The Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD is an excellent ultra-telephoto zoom lens, offering good image quality with smooth bokeh and sharpness, an effective built-in image stabilisation system which makes it possible to hand-hold and still get sharp results, and a price that certainly won't break...

The Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD , ( buy from Amazon ) ( review ) is Tamron's latest (and longest) telephoto zoom. It will presumably replace the Tamron 200-500/5-6.3, since the two are close in price and the 150-600 is better in just about every respect.

With some imagination, you have a lens that can be used for a variety of creative projects. The Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 is a reasonably priced lens that really delivers. It's not a cheap doorstop telephoto lens. While it is f5-6.3, make no mistake: this lens is phenomenal.

Tamron's new ultra-zoom lens, the SP 150-600MM F/5-6.3 Di VC USD, is a large and powerful zoom lens for anyone that is looking to get up close and personal with their subjects. This large lens can be used with either Full-Frame or APS-C sized image sensors, although with an APS-C sensor you are...

Amazing zoom range; perfect for shooting from a distance; Vibration Correction adds up to 4 stops of correction when shooting handheld; Although large; it is compact for this class of lens; Smooth; easy rotating rings for zoom and focus; Weather-sealed for shooting in all conditions; Affordable...

Problems with the AF system on the cameras when using this lens; Slight amount of give when the lens is attached to a camera body

In the same way that all little boys want to be astronauts, all budding photographers dream of long lenses. Right? Well, perhaps not all, but the super-long lens is surely on the wish list of many who have yet to realise that they won't actually need one.

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD would rate recommendation on the basis of its price alone, all other factors being equal. Its closest competitor is Sigma's 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM, which has a similar AF drive mechanism and optical stabilisation.

You might conclude from this list of cons, and some of the criticism, that the Tamron 150-600mm is not exceptional, but that would be very wrong. There are very few perfect lenses and the issues should be taken under consideration based on their significance for type of photographer who will use...