Tamron has released some mightily impressive lenses in the last years, including some that push the boundaries of design, such as the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD. The company recently announced the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD, which offers a huge range of focal lengths all in one package. What sort of performance and image quality can you expect from it? This great first look video takes a look.
Coming to you from Bobby Tonelli, this great video review looks at the new Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD lens. With an 8x zoom range that runs well into supertelephoto territory, the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 can cover a huge range of needs and scenarios, and when you add in its 1:2 macro capabilities at the short end, it becomes all the more versatile. Certainly, with such a wide focal length range, you should not expect prime-like sharpness out of the lens, but I was quite impressed by the shots Tonelli got from the lens, and it looks like if you do not need a wide aperture, you are likely to be pleased. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Tonelli.
This is a decent option for wildlife photographers but I wonder if 6.3 is too slow for many events.
Not just for wildlife. There are many events held during daytime. Bicycle racing, offroad and track racing events, marathons, touristing, etc.
I don't know to any photographers that would bring a 400mm to corporate events, receptions, birthday parties, etc.
f6.3 in events ain't no big deal because it would be irresponsible for a photographer to not bring lights knowing they could be shooting at such apertures. I shoot f5.6 to f8 when doing groups shoots.
"Events" covers a lot of ground, but in my indoor corporate events, I rarely feel the need for more than 200mm. My solution is a bright 135mm and 18MP Crop Mode on my 42MP a7RIII. This lets me shoot with available stage lighting.
Eddie's right: for longer focal lengths, flash lighting is the right approach for event work. I certainly wouldn't want to lug a 400/2.8, and I probably wouldn't get the required shutter speed with available light in any case, even at f2.8. A couple of speedlights on stands, with the heads zoomed to cover just the stage, could let me work with a lens like this or my 70-300.
I don't think of either of these as event lenses. To me, they're lenses for walking about outdoors during the day.
Curious about edge sharpness at the wide end. Dustin Abbot's review indicates the Tamron 70-300 (which I bought but have not yet tested) is pretty soft from 70mm to around 90mm, which makes for good pairing with my 24-105 but not my 28-60.