Tamron 150-600mm Lens At The Zoo

Image © David Pritchard 

Recently, David Pritchard decided to visit a local wildlife park to see how the Tamron 150-600mm lens copes with photographing animals at a variety of distances.

The zoo is a great place to gat images of more exotic animals, and the long lens allows you to get up close and personal with them, without invading their space and making them feel uncomfortable.  

"The most salient point of the day is that every image that I took that day was hand held. For a lens with a maximum focal length of 600mm, this is kind of a big deal. Yes, it’s weighty, but I managed to use it all day, unsupported. Without the Vibration Compensation feature built in to this lens, I couldn’t even have considered leaving the house without a tripod", says David. 

Image © David Pritchard 

The lens produces crisp images at 350-480mm, allowing for some fantastic shots of the animals, with no bars or fences in the way. This particular wildlife park has enclosures allowing you to walk among animals like lemurs and wallabies, allowing the photographer to get some candid images of them without bars and fences spoiling the shot. Where there are fences, there are viewing points above many of the enclosures, allowing you to get a different viewpoint. 

David believes there is a strong argument for having this lens as part of your kit. "It resolves well enough to keep up with the D800’s detail-packing sensor, and it’s a long-range wildlife lens that you can carry. Which makes it perfect for days out with the kids, without depleting their college funds. It’s certainly whetted my appetite for wildlife photography.", he enthuses. 

Tamron lenses are available in the UK through Intro2020.