I’m looking to add a super telephoto lens to my gear bag for an upcoming safari, and wanted to get some feedback from the forum on lens choices. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and have narrowed it down to 3 options:
1. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II
2. Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 G2
3. Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary
Any advice, personal experience folks have with these lenses, or the necessary focal length range for shooting wildlife in Africa would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
The Canon 100-400 is an excellent lens. Both the Tamron and Sigma 150-600mm lenses are well regarded, but I think it is fair to say they aren't quite as sharp as the Canon. But, the extra reach is really useful. And, the sharpness falls off mostly at 600mm, I can speak from experience with the Tamron that it is quite good at shorter focal lengths. The flexibility offered by the 150-600mm is virtually unrivaled by any other lens, making it a solid choice. Hope this helps!
Having that extra reach is what's leading me towards the 150-600. The MTF data between the Sigma and Tamron lenses is fairly comparable. If "sharpness falls off mostly at 600mm", then your 600mm shot of the lioness is a good sign of how the other focal lengths resolve detail. I think the next step is taking the Metro North down to B&H for the "in the hands test." This has been helpful -- thanks.
Late to the party, however, I can vouch for the Sigma 150-600. The dock gives the ability to fine tune the lens at multiple apertures and lengths, as I recall. It's not difficult, though it can be time consuming. It is definitely worth it though, and what puts the Sigma above the Tamron (don't think they have that feature). I tuned the lenses a while ago, and on both mine and my husbands. I got the sport, and he has the contemporary. If I had to do it over again, I would just get the contemporary, as you are considering. The sport is much heavier, and in theory, sharper, but there really isn't a discernible difference between the sharpness of the two. The weight difference, however, is huge!
I will say that the autotune using the dock makes a huge difference in the sharpness, so if someone didn't get a chance to tune the Sigma and notices that the lens isn't that sharp, they didn't get the full benefit of the lens. For example, it makes enough difference that if I wanted to go light and use David's contemporary, I would want to borrow the his body, which the lens is tuned to.
I shoot NIkon, and wish Nikon has the dock technology to fine tune zoom lenses like that...
Happy Shooting,
Margaret