Whatever your genre of choice, choosing a lens that fits both your needs and budget is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make. If you want to specialize in wildlife photography, for example, you’ll need a reliable and fast lens in the ultra telephoto range. This will give you the reach that you need while keeping a comfortable distance from your subjects. A perfect choice for Sony E mount photographers would be the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3. It carries all the features that are useful for capturing wildlife subjects yet versatile enough for many other genres.
Most telephoto lenses are typically big, bulky and heavy, which makes them inconvenient to carry around. The award-winning Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3, however, is a more compact option that is perfect for on-the-go photographers. So, whether you’re looking for your first wildlife photography lens or thinking of making the switch, here’s a bunch of other reasons why this Tamron offering is worth your consideration.
In case you missed it, make sure to also check out our Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 review to learn more about this lens.
Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored post.
It’s compact and lightweight.
In our review, we found the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 one of the most compact and lightweight telephoto options for Sony E mount. This is important when you’re doing a lot of walking around for travel photography or spending the whole day changing locations for wildlife photography.
It combines a unique focal range with features designed for versatility.
While primarily geared for capturing wildlife, sports and groups, this lens boasts a broad range of focal lengths and 8x zoom ratio for various scenes and subjects. Its minimum focus distance of 9.8 inches will allow you to get close enough for nature or travel photography. In addition, it works great for zooming in on stunning details for macro photography with its 1:2 macro reproduction.
It’s fully weather-sealed.
Wildlife and nature photography will often require you to shoot in challenging conditions and inclement weather. As such, it’s important that your photography gear is fully weather-sealed for optimum performance. We found the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 to be just that, with its weather sealing at both the barrel and mount (and the USB-C port on the side), performing well in inclement weather.
Its high-speed and high-precision AF will make sure you never miss a shot.
This Tamron lens performed well in our autofocus tests, even for capturing swift subjects like birds, butterflies and horses. Its high-speed, high-precision AF works well from minimum focus distance to infinity, thanks to the renowned VXD linear motor focus mechanism. Impressive focus tracking performance also ensures sharp capture of fast-moving subjects and action-packed scenes.
It has a “Focus Limiter” function that limits the autofocus search range.
Through the TAMRON Lens Utility Software, you can select the “Focus Limiter” function for the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3. This function shortens the time taken to refocus when a subject slips out of focus. It also prevents focusing on obstacles in front of a subject. The function can be instantly toggled using the Focus Set Button, so you never miss an unexpected opportunity to make a great capture.
