Considering its pairing with mirrorless cameras, TAMRON pursued a compact size that allows handheld shooting while developing the 150-500mm F5-6.7 (a full-frame equivalent of 225-750mm on APS-C cameras)1. With a length of 209.6mm (8.3in)2 and maximum diameter of 93mm, the 150-500mm F5-6.7 is astonishingly compact for a 500mm-class ultra-telephoto zoom lens. Even when extended to the 500mm telephoto end, the lens has a length of around 283mm (11.1in)2. Another distinctive feature is that the arc of rotation of the zoom ring is small—only 75°—which enables swift adjustment to the desired focal length with minimal movement.
1 When a full-frame camera is used, focal length is 150-500mm. When an APS-C camera is used, the focal length is 225-750mm (full-frame equivalent).
2 Length is based on the Sony-mount lens.
In addition to covering a broad range of focal lengths, the 150-500mm F5-6.7 has high resolving power with excellent image-rendering performance across the entire zoom range. The optical construction features 25 elements in 16 groups. The effective placement of special lens elements—including one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion), five LD (Low Dispersion) and two hybrid aspherical lens elements—enables the 150-500mm F5-6.7 to produce clear images while controlling chromatic aberrations. BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating is used to suppress ghosting and flare, which commonly occur under backlit conditions. These features allow the lens to produce finely detailed images of a wide variety of subjects including wild animals, birds, nature, and sports, while producing soft and beautiful bokeh effects.
The 150-500mm F5-6.7 zoom’s AF drive system is equipped with the VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism. VXD delivers extreme high-speed and high-precision movement and ensures exceptionally responsive performance. Focus tracking performance is also very high. The linear motor also suppresses drive noise and vibrations during focusing, making it ideal for shooting both still photos and video in environments that demand quietness.
When shooting in the ultra-telephoto range, even the smallest vibrations can lead to loss of image clarity. The 150-500mm F5-6.7 is equipped with VC (Vibration Compensation)3 functionality to support sharp images despite unavoidable camera shake. VC delivers powerful support for handheld shooting of scenes with low light levels, such as evening scenes and indoor shots, without the use of a tripod.
The 150-500mm F5-6.7 lets users freely enjoy telephoto macro shooting of subjects at close-up distances. The lens has an MOD of 0.6m (23.6in) at the 150mm end, and 1.8m (70.9in) at the 500mm end. More remarkably, the maximum magnification ratio at the 150mm end is 1:3.1, offering excellent close-up shooting capabilities for an ultra-telephoto zoom lens. In addition to capturing dynamic shots by getting close to the subject, it enables tele-macro photography at close range, something that is not possible with conventional ultra-telephoto zoom lenses. The 150-500mm F5-6.7 can be used in a wide range of situations from plants to insects to tabletop photography.
The Nikon Z mount version of this lens features a Linear/Non-Linear switch to change the response of the focus ring when using the manual focusing setting. This allows you to shoot according to your intention, depending on the shooting scene, such as focusing precisely on subjects in the distance or video recording.
- Non-Linear: The rotation speed of the focus ring changes the amount of focus movement.
- Linear: The rotation angle of the focus ring changes the amount of focus movement.
