Tamron 18-400mm for Birds and Wildlife Photography

[cauger61]

I intend to upgrade from my existing 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED VR nikon lens to a better and yet affordable lens for safari and photographing birds.

• Will Tamron 18-400mm be good for that purpose?
  How good is this lens for continuous autofocus?
  How does it perform at the long end of its zoom in terms of sharpness, considering f/6.3
  How much ISO needs to be bumped at its long zoom in relatively falling light.

[Manfred M]

An 18-400mm lens is unlikely to be anywhere nearly as good as the 70-300mm because of the trade-offs the lens designers have to make to support such an extreme focal length range.

By reputation (I have not used this lens myself) it is not particularly sharp at the long end and has significant, noticeable vignetting at the short end. The autofocus is said to be slow. I have heard that it can get into "seeking" problems; i.e. problematic to lock focus.

Most of the birders I know (and I know several very good ones), they have top of the line camera bodies and high end (large aperture) lenses. They often use a fixed focal length lens at the longer focal lengths; the one who is the best one has the Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR and he has shown some unbelievable bird images. His current camera is the Nikon D5.

Your question on ISO is that I believe both lenses are f/6.3 at maximum focal length, so I expect that your light performance will be very much in line with your current lens.

[Polar01]

Sanjib as you are using I believe a DX body (I maybe wrong and it is a FX body) why not the 200-500mm f/5.6 which is similar to your 70-300 as one of the best bang for you buck lens that Nikon makes. I use the 70-300 and found it was very fast to lock on to focus similar to the 200-500. The 200-500mm I use more in the winter to shoot hawks and owls and in summer when we have them air shows. If possible I would not get rid of the 70-300mm as I believe you will regret doing so.

Cheers: Allan

[cauger61]

Yes Manfred, what you have written are in line with the opinion of others in different forums. But there are contrary views as well. As I understand, the proprietary wildlife and bird photography lens for nikon is nikkor 200-500mm. The earlier nikon 80-400mm has been discontinued. Actually, from the convenience point of view considering the weight (> 2 kg!!) and minimum autofocus distance (6 ft) of nikon 200-500, I was thinking of Tamrom 18-400. And of course there is the trouble of changing lens on the go, for a different shot, say taking landscape or architecture or group photo etc. But, the issues of Tamrom, those you have pointed out, I think are more important than the price differential of the two lens. Thnx u very much for your very practical advise.

[cauger61]

Yes Allan, for nikon dx body (mine is D5300), the focal length for wildlife photography happens to be 400mm and for bird photography, it is 500mm and above. Four lenses, I find, are being commonly suggested in different forums for nikon bodies: Nikkor 200-500mm, Sigma 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm and Tamron 100-400, nikkor 80-400 being discontinued. But, those lenses are "heavy" both in terms of their weight and price tag. Thats why, I was thinking of a lens which is affordable, easy to carry around and which is at least 400mm in the long end. The performance of my existing 70-300, is quite good. But it is falling short in the long end while trying to capture birds and carrying 2/3 lenses on a safari cum holiday tour, is a bit cumbersome for an amateur like me!! Anyway, the quality matters and your suggestions are welcome from experience point of view. Thnx u very much.

[Manfred M]

Yes Manfred, what you have written are in line with the opinion of others in different forums. But there are contrary views as well. As I understand, the proprietary wildlife and bird photography lens for nikon is nikkor 200-500mm. The earlier nikon 80-400mm has been discontinued. Actually, from the convenience point of view considering the weight (> 2 kg!!) and minimum autofocus distance (6 ft) of nikon 200-500, I was thinking of Tamrom 18-400. And of course there is the trouble of changing lens on the go, for a different shot, say taking landscape or architecture or group photo etc. But, the issues of Tamrom, those you have pointed out, I think are more important than the price differential of the two lens. Thnx u very much for your very practical advise.

The additional information you have now give changes what you originally asked in #1. If you want a lens that "does it all" for travel and you are willing to sacrifice some image quality for size and weight, then your suggested trade-off might be worth it. My last big trip about 18 months ago, I used the Nikkor 28-300mm lens (I bought it specifically for the trip with my full-frame camera) because I did not have room in my backpack and wanted to keep the weight down. Yes, I got some excellent shots with it, but the images are not the quality I get out of my "pro" lenses and I can definitely see the difference in my prints.

That being said, if you are looking primarily for safari and wildlife shots, you don't need the wide angle side of the lens and something that gives less of a zoom range, you will likely end up with a more effective lens.

When I look at the Nikon website; the 80-400mm lens (the newer version) is still listed and not shown as being discontinued. I know some people that use the Nikon 200 - 500mm and their owners love it and I their images are quite strong. That being said at that those focal lengths, the serious photographers are often shooting with a sturdy tripod and a yoke.

When it comes to online reviews, I tend to be a bit careful as my experience with what the reviewers said and what I found when actually using the equipment did not always match up well with my experience, especially if the comments were from users. Someone switching from a camera phone to an interchangeable lens camera will have different expectations from someone making large format prints. What is great quality for someone posting on social media not be good enough for a fine art print maker.

[cauger61]

When it comes to online reviews, I tend to be a bit careful as my experience with what the reviewers said and what I found when actually using the equipment did not always match up well with my experience, especially if the comments were from users. Someone switching from a camera phone to an interchangeable lens camera will have different expectations from someone making large format prints. What is great quality for someone posting on social media not be good enough for a fine art print maker.

These are the most vital observations of your reply. OK — I would give a second thought to my choice. Thnx u very much.

[William W]

Your questions cover a wide range of related topics.

My views below for your consideration – some points already made.

I intend to upgrade from my existing 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED VR nikon lens to a better and yet affordable lens for safari and photographing birds.

Will Tamron 18-400mm be good for that purpose?

Not as good as the lens you have. Rationale: the only ‘advantage’ is 100mm extra FL. That relates to a mere 1000mm narrower FoV (longest edge) when the Subject is focussed at 50m (the length of an Olympic Pool), that’s not much advantage, arguably better to crop from your 300mm lens’s FoV, because in all probability the Nikkor you have will display generally better IQ across most functions at 300mm than the Tamron at 400mm, reason – because of the compromises attributable to the TAmrom having such as large Zoom Compass.

How good is this lens for continuous autofocus?

Likely not as good as the lens you have, reason – because of the compromises attributable to the Tamrom having such as large Zoom Compass.

How does it perform at the long end of its zoom in terms of sharpness, considering f/6.3.

Likely not as good as the lens you have, reason – because of the compromises attributable to the Tamrom having such as large Zoom Compass.

How much ISO needs to be bumped at its long zoom in relatively falling light.

Same as the lens you have.

As I understand, the proprietary wildlife and bird photography lens for nikon is nikkor 200-500mm. . . [and etc about weight and changing lenses]

Not sure what you mean by “proprietary”, but most ‘serious’ wildlife and bird photographers use Prime Lenses.

That’s not to dismiss the value of a Zoom Lens nor the value to Photographers owning same: in most situations it comes down to budget, even for Professionals, (which I have often argued do not need to buy expensive fast Prime Lenses, unless they are using them regularly). As an example, I have never owned a 400/2.8 or 500/4 although I used those two lenses regularly: I own a 70 to 200/2.8 as my longest lens. When I have shot with a 400mm or 500mm lens I have hired it or the Client has supplied it to me on loan.

My point in this section of my commentary, is to advise you to separate yourself from how other Photographers satisfy their needs and outcomes and concentrate only on your needs and outcomes.

If weight, size and not changing lenses, i.e. “I want a large Zoom Compass” are your key considerations, then set those as your considerations, it matters little what Nikon, or Users say is the “proprietary wildlife and bird photography lens” – that’s basically marketing hype.

You may find that a Bridge Camera with wide zoom compass fits your requirements.

You asked about ISO at F/6.3 - another useful bit of information you should consider is: the 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 you have, will be at a maximum aperture of F/6.3 at around FL = 180mm. Whereas the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 will be at a maximum aperture of F/6.3 at around FL = 100mm.

WW

[rpcrowe]

When I shot with Canon - my favorite BIF lenses were 1. the 400mm f/5.6L and 2. the 100-400mm L IS ii. When shooting larger birds in flight, I also joyed using the 300mm f/4L IS lens. Both the 400mm and the 300mm lenses are readily available on the used market at very decent prices. I always shot with the Canon 7D and later the 7D2 which are superb cameras for fast moving subjects.

With the 1.6x crop factor, the 400mm lens was an equivalent 640mm and the 300mm equaled an equivalent 480mm...

[Tom Barry]

I have and recommend the EF 400mm f/5.6L. I bought mine to use for hummingbird photography primarily. The lens is exceptionally sharp. It does not focus close, but a 25mm extension tube takes care of that. The lens is quite light compared to the large-aperture behemoths. A good used APS-C Canon DSLR and the lens does not cost a fortune and together will produce excellent results.
IMG_6349 by tombarry975, on Flickr

[cauger61]

If weight, size and not changing lenses, i.e. “I want a large Zoom Compass” are your key considerations, then set those as your considerations, it matters little what Nikon, or Users say is the “proprietary wildlife and bird photography lens” – that’s basically marketing hype.

You may find that a Bridge Camera with wide zoom compass fits your requirements.

You asked about ISO at F/6.3 - another useful bit of information you should consider is: the 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 you have, will be at a maximum aperture of F/6.3 at around FL = 180mm. Whereas the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 will be at a maximum aperture of F/6.3 at around FL = 100mm.

WW

Thnx u very much for your very practical and useful advice. Surely I shall keep them in mind on my next procurement.

[cauger61]

With the 1.6x crop factor, the 400mm lens was an equivalent 640mm and the 300mm equaled an equivalent 480mm...

Does this crop factor multiplication applies to any lens? I mean, is it true only for FX lens used on a DX body? that is because, Tamron 18-400 is designed to be used on dx cameras. Apology for my ignorance!!

[Manfred M]

Does this crop factor multiplication applies to any lens? I mean, is it true only for FX lens used on a DX body? that is because, Tamron 18-400 is designed to be used on dx cameras. Apology for my ignorance!!

Yes it does. The focal length of the lens does not change regardless of format, but the format size (in the case of digital cameras, the sensor size) does.

For example; some rough equivalents for a standard lens that gives more or less the same view. These equivalents I give are not necessarily mathematically correct, but are the most often used standard lenses for these formats.

1. Micro Four-Thirds - 25mm
2. Nikon DX - 35mm (Canon DX has a 1.6 crop factor, most other companies use a 1.5 crop factor for APS-C format)
3. Full frame - 50mm
4. Medium format - 80mm

If you were shooting an 8 x 10 medium format camera, you would be using a 300mm - 350mm standard lens.

This does not mean you can interchange lenses for these formats, however as they also have something referred to as an "image circle", which is the size of a sensor (or piece of film) that they cover. Using a larger format lens, for instance an FX lens on your DX camera works, but not the other way around.