Sony 70-350 or Tamron 70-300

[FowlersFreeTime]

Found a good place to set up a tripod for the moon, with a bit of light reflecting from a man-made pond. It was quite windy however.
Pardon the subpar jpgs straight from camera...

• ILCE-6700
• E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
• 43.0 mm
• ƒ/5
• 1/50 sec
• ISO 6400

• ILCE-6700
• E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
• 59.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 10/16 sec
• ISO 100

As I suspected, using clear image zoom does NOT turn a kit lens into a superzoom.

• ILCE-6700
• 135.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/100 sec
• ISO 100

I have previously gotten better results without CIZ and the same lens, maybe I will try again tonight in another spot which is sheltered from the wind. Bottom line is though, I really want a proper zoom lens, and I have my eyes set on the Sony 70-350mm some time this year.

 

[Brownie]

Found a good place to set up a tripod for the moon, with a bit of light reflecting from a man-made pond. It was quite windy however.
Pardon the subpar jpgs straight from camera...
View attachment 56132
View attachment 56131
As I suspected, using clear image zoom does NOT turn a kit lens into a superzoom.
View attachment 56133

I have previously gotten better results without CIZ and the same lens, maybe I will try again tonight in another spot which is sheltered from the wind. Bottom line is though, I really want a proper zoom lens, and I have my eyes set on the Sony 70-350mm some time this year.

Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Autofocus APS-C Lens for E-Mount, Black {67} SEL70350G

www.keh.com

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/sony-e-70-350mm-f-4-5-6-3-g-oss

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Autofocus APS-C Lens for E-Mount, Black {67} SEL70350G

www.keh.com

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/sony-e-70-350mm-f-4-5-6-3-g-oss

Tempting...

 

[Brownie]

Tempting...

How does the Tamron 70-300 bear out? I've never investigated either lens, but Tamron has that 6-year warranty that's tough to ignore.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

How does the Tamron 70-300 bear out? I've never investigated either lens, but Tamron has that 6-year warranty that's tough to ignore.

The Tamron is lighter and cheaper, but lacks the extra reach and OSS of the Sony. I do like that its a full-frame lens, as I should really stop investing in APSC lenses. I'll watch some reviews and get back to you.

 

[Brownie]

I wouldn't worry about the 50mm at the long end too much.

The Tamron is a larger lens, but it's fairly compact for FF, and it's very affordable.

 

[Richard A]

I was recommended the Tamron 50-400 by a few guys on the Sony forum on DP Review. I have never owned a Tamron lens before. It's a beautifully made lens, gets great reviews and in my limited experience so far I am really happy with it.

 

[evacguy]

I was recommended the Tamron 50-400 by a few guys on the Sony forum on DP Review. I have never owned a Tamron lens before. It's a beautifully made lens, gets great reviews and in my limited experience so far I am really happy with it.

Does the Tamron 50-400 work with the 2.0x TC? Do the Sony TC’s work with any other FE lens apart from a Sony Lens?

 

[Brownie]

I was recommended the Tamron 50-400 by a few guys on the Sony forum on DP Review. I have never owned a Tamron lens before. It's a beautifully made lens, gets great reviews and in my limited experience so far I am really happy with it.

I bought the Tamron 50-400 last year in mid-season. I'd been using the Sigma 100-400 as a matter of course, but I wanted the 50mm at the short end to allow me closer shots when needed. It lets me pan on cars in the far lane, something the Sigma wouldn't do with the short end at 100mm. It's also sharper than the Sigma and much faster to AF with Tamron's new linear motors, and close focusing is 1:0.5 'macro'. I didn't know about the 6-year warranty until after I bought it, so icing on the cake! It's smaller, lighter, and 1/2 the cost of Sony's 100-400.

However, it's bigger, quite a bit heavier, and more expensive than the 70-300.

Does the Tamron 50-400 work with the 2.0x TC? Do the Sony TC’s work with any other FE lens apart from a Sony Lens?

No third party E-Mount lens works with a TC, and no third party E-Mount lens will shoot faster than 15 frames per second. You can thank Sony for that, they limit third party manufacturers on purpose. For my use, neither one matters.

 

[Richard A]

I bought the Tamron 50-400 last year in mid-season.

Have you set up the custom switch on yours? if so, I'd be interested what you have set it too.

Also, I agree, the close focusing at 50mm is certainly a big bonus and the focusing is very fast.

 

[Brownie]

Have you set up the custom switch on yours? if so, I'd be interested what you have set it too.

Also, I agree, the close focusing at 50mm is certainly a big bonus and the focusing is very fast.

No. I use the IS switch to turn it off or switch to pan mode, but that's about it. To be honest, I forgot it even had one!

When I had the Sigma I set the focus hold (I never use it for that, I use half-press) to shoot APS-C thinking it would be a nice convenience. I accidently pushed it and ended shooting half of an event in APS-C before I realized it. The end result was me disabling the button so it does nothing.

 

[Richard A]

Yeah, I've never had a lens with buttons before. This camera has enough buttons for me. I still can't remember what I have some of them set too!

 

[Brownie]

The Tamron is lighter and cheaper, but lacks the extra reach and OSS of the Sony. I do like that its a full-frame lens, as I should really stop investing in APSC lenses. I'll watch some reviews and get back to you.

Chris, slowly and quietly moving toward full frame...

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Chris, slowly and quietly moving toward full frame...

View attachment 56233

in another 3-5 yrs...