In summary
The 100-400mm zoom range is ideal for sports and wildlife photography and the comparatively light weight of this lens and its 4-stop stabilisation make hand-held shooting possible, although a lens of this type usually fares better when tripod-mounted. The robust construction should appeal to photographers who work extensively in outdoor locations.
The shorter focal lengths could also work for head-and-shoulders portraiture or environmental portraiture when there’s sufficient distance between the subject and the (blurred) background. The f/4.5-6.3 maximum aperture range, which is similar to that of competing lenses, provides some flexibility for shooting in low light levels as well as control over depth of field. This can be handy when shooting close-ups at wide lens apertures.
With respect to size, price and value, the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD lens is highly competitive with its current rivals.
Full review
Announced in October 2017, the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD lens was released roughly six months after Sigma launched its slower and heavier 100-400mm f/5-6.3 OS Contemporary lens covering the same zoom range. Both lenses are designed for cameras with ‘full-frame’ sensors and both are available in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts. The barrel of the Tamron lens is made primarily of magnesium, enabling it to be claimed as the lightest in its class.
Side view of the 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD lens without the end caps or lens hood. (Source: Tamron.)
Canon produces a competing EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II lens that is almost 500 grams heavier and more than double the price of the Tamron lens. Nikon’s nearest competitor is the AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED lens (which is even more expensive).
The optical design of this lens contains 17 elements in 11 groups and includes three LD (low dispersion) elements, which are used to suppress colour fringing and chromatic aberrations. Their positions are shown in the diagram below.
The optical design of the 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD lens showing the positions of the LD elements. (Source: Tamron.)
Tamron’s proprietary eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) Coating has been applied to some surfaces to suppress internal reflections.
Fluorine Coating on the front surface of the lens resists dirt, dust, moisture and fingerprints, making it easy to keep clean. The lens is built to resist dust and moisture, with seals around all places that could admit contaminants. (The diagram below shows their positions.)
This diagram shows the positions of the main seals that exclude moisture and dust. (Source: Tamron.)
Focusing is internal, although zooming from 100mm to 400mm extends the inner barrel by almost 70 mm, rotating the front of the lens through approximately 45 degrees. Zooming in to the MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 1.5 metres results in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.6.
Autofocusing is driven by a USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor, which is fast, quiet and precise. At 400mm, the constant f/6.3 maximum aperture can produces attractive bokeh in close-up shots. The iris diaphragm remains almost perfectly circular up to two stops down from maximum aperture.
Tamron’s Dual MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) system, which is also used in the 70-210mm f/4 lens, dedicates one microprocessor to lens system control (including AF), and the other for vibration compensation processing. The proprietary VC system is CIPA rated for four f-stops of shake compensation.
The lens is supplied with front and end caps plus a deep, cylindrical lens hood that adds roughly 70 mm to the shooting length and reverses over the lens barrel for storage. An optional tripod mount (Model: A035TM) compatible with Arca-Swiss style quick release plates is available for an RRP of AU$199. However, we could only find a couple of local re-sellers who stocked it.
Other accessories include the Tamron TAP-in Console which provides a USB connection to a computer for installing firmware updates and customising fine adjustments to autofocusing and VC controls. A 1.4x tele-converter, which matches the optics of the 100-400mm lens, extends the zoom range to 140-560mm.
Who’s it For?
The 100-400mm zoom range is ideal for sports and wildlife photography and the comparatively light weight of this lens and its 4-stop stabilisation make hand-held shooting possible, although a lens of this type usually fares better when tripod-mounted. The robust construction should appeal to photographers who work extensively in outdoor locations.
Dust and moisture resistant sealing, robust construction and light weight make the Tamron 100-400mm zoom ideal for shooting outdoors in challenging conditions. (Source: Tamron.)
The shorter focal lengths could also work for head-and-shoulders portraiture or environmental portraiture when there’s sufficient distance between the subject and the (blurred) background. The f/4.5-6.3 maximum aperture range, which is similar to that of competing lenses, provides some flexibility for shooting in low light levels as well as control over depth of field. This can be handy when shooting close-ups at wide lens apertures.
This lens is only available with two mounts: Canon EF and Nikon F. Nikon DLSR owners should note that it features an electromagnetic diaphragm system, which has been a standard feature for Canon-mount lenses. This provides more precise diaphragm and aperture control because the diaphragm blades are driven and controlled by a built-in motor through electronic pulse signals. However, it means the lens is only compatible with the following cameras: D5, D4s, D4, D3X, Df, D850, D810, D810A, D800, D800E, D750, D600, D610, D300S, D500, D7500, D7200, D7100, D7000, D5600, D5500, D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3400, D3300, D3200 and D3100.
Even though this lens is designed for ‘full-frame’ cameras, it can be also be used on cameras with cropped (APS-C) sensors (some of which are included in the above list). But bear in mind it needs a relatively substantial camera body to provide balance.
On Canon’s APS-C DSLRs, it would cover a focal length range of 160-640 mm, whereas on a Nikon DSLR, the zoom range would be 150-600mm. With either lens, the cropped sensor would exclude much of the sections of the frame darkened by vignetting at wide apertures, although this problem is easily corrected in modern cameras or, alternatively with post-capture processing.
Build and Ergonomics
According to Tamron, the barrel of the 100-400mm lens is made ‘primarily of magnesium’, which is relatively light compared with other materials that are often used in lens construction. The company claims this lens ‘boasts the lightest weight in its class, making it ideal for handheld shooting’.
The outer barrel has the same smooth, low-slip black finish as the 70-210mm lens and its mounting plate is solid chromed metal that attaches firmly to the camera body.
The barrel for the Canon lens we received is 199 mm long. Fitting the lens hood extends it to 262 mm. (Lenses with the Nikon mount are slightly shorter and lighter in weight.) The inner surface of the hood is finely ridged to minimise reflections.
The zoom ring is approximately 60 mm wide and starts 20 mm back from the front of the filter ring, which is threaded to accept 67 mm diameter filters. A finely-ridged, rubber-like coating over the middle 42 mm of this ring provides a non-slip grip surface.
The trailing edge of the zoom ring carries four focal length settings: 100mm, 135mm, 200mm, 300mm and 400mm. These are aligned with a white mark on the fixed, 15 mm wide section of the barrel that separates the zoom and focusing rings.
Zooming from 100mm to 400mm extends the inner barrel of the lens by roughly 70 mm. The front of the lens rotates through approximately 45 degrees as the focal length changes, which means angle-critical filters will need re-adjustment when the focal length is changed.
Behind this section of the barrel is a 15 mm wide fixed band containing the zoom lock. The focusing ring lies aft of this band, It’s approximately 30 mm wide and entirely covered in ridging, which is finer and shallower than the ridges on the zoom ring. It turns through about 60 degrees with soft stops at either end.
Behind this section of the barrel is a 24 mm wide area that carries the distance scale, which is marked in metres and feet from 1.5 metres to infinity. To the left of the distance scale are the AF/MF and VC sliders, the latter having three positions: VC Mode/1, 2 and OFF. Further around the barrel is a ‘Designed in Japan’ label. (Like the 70-210mm lens, this lens is made in Vietnam.)
The barrel steps inwards by roughly a millimetre to provide a 20 mm wide mounting for the optional tripod collar before proceeding for a further 22mm to the 5 mm wide metal band that marks the edge of the lens mount. Rubber seals protrude from below this band to keep out moisture and dust.
Performance
We were unable to test the full focal length range of this lens because of space limitations in our testing area but we managed to run Imatest tests for the 100mm, 135mm and 200mm focal length settings. Imatest showed the best performance was with the 135mm focal length at f/7.1, although resolution was acceptably high between f/5.6 and f/8 for this focal length and from f/6.3 to f/8 with the 100mm setting. Lower performance was recorded at 200mm, as shown in the graph of our test results below.
Both centre and edge softening were found at the widest apertures for all three focal lengths, although the softening was greater at 100mm and 135mm. Diffraction began to take effect from about f/9 on, although the decline in resolution was less than we found with the 70-210mm lens.
Lateral chromatic aberration hovered around the border between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA for the 100mm and 135mm focal lengths but was effectively negligible at 200mm. We found no coloured fringing is test shots taken with the review lens. In the graph of our results below, the red line marks the boundary between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA.
Autofocusing speeds depended on having sufficient light on the subject and hard edges to focus upon as well as a usable camera-to-subject distance. The focus mode and AF points selected in the camera could also play a role in focusing speed and accuracy.
When close attention was paid to setting the appropriate AF mode and ensuring the active AF sensors were correctly positioned, almost all shots were sharp in the required places. However, leaving the camera’s system to handle mode and area selection resulted in a lot of frames where focusing was slightly (and, occasionally, grossly) off.
The camera would also hunt aggressively for focus in such situations and switching to manual focus was usually necessary for acquiring focus reasonably quickly. You need to be confident of your camera’s performance and know which AF settings to choose for different situations to get the most from this lens.
To test vignetting and distortion we had to disable the corrections in our EOS 5D II camera and use raw files for assessments. When photographs were taken with the camera’s peripheral illumination correction function disabled, vignetting could be seen at the widest apertures for all focal lengths.
We found the same gradual increase in corner darkening with increasing focal length as we found with the 70-210mm lens, particularly from 200mm on. Vignetting at all focal lengths was largely resolved with two stops of aperture contraction.
Rectilinear distortion was low across the zoom range and mostly confined to slight pincushion distortion, which was barely visible at 100mm but quite noticeable at 200mm and beyond. Such distortion would be easily corrected with in-camera settings or with editing software.
Bokeh at wide apertures was quite smooth and generally attractive, although we noticed a slight tendency to produce ‘hard’ or outlined highlights in contrasty back-lighting. With low-contrast backgrounds, highlights were usually smoothly rendered. The 300mm and 400mm focal lengths are well suited to photographing flowers and small animals (as well as being ideal for sports and wildlife shots).
The deep, cylindrical lens hood made it difficult to force this lens to flare, even when the sun intruded into the image frame. None of the backlit shots we took was flare-affected.
Conclusion
Despite having the ‘lightest weight in its class’, Tamron’s 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is a large and bulky lens that adds just over a kilogram to the weight of the gear you carry. It also takes up quite a lot of space in your camera bag so if you’re planning to take this lens on long walks, these factors should be taken into account.
That said, we found Tamron’s claim that using this lens to shoot hand-held was perfectly feasible, although the length of time you could hold camera and lens to your eye will vary with different people’s physical capabilities. We spent about 20 minutes tracking a football game and had to take a couple of short breaks during that period. However, we had few problems with holding the lens steady enough for the excellent IS system to enable us to rely on steady viewfinder images and acceptable sharp shots (in most cases).
The lens was also easy to keep steady when taking close-ups, although autofocusing was often difficult when the maximum aperture was used at the closest focusing distance. We had to swap to manual focusing for a couple of the close-up shots taken with longer focal lengths.
With respect to size, price and value, the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD lens is highly competitive with its current rivals. Its nearest equivalent is the Sigma AF 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS ‘Contemporary’ lens, which is a little cheaper but slower at shorter focal lengths and lacks a tripod collar.
Canon’s EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II is more than double the price of the Tamron lens and just over 500 grams heavier but faster at longer focal lengths and comes with a tripod collar included. Nikon’s closest equivalent is the AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, which is marginally lighter than the Canon lens but roughly three times the price of the Tamron 100-400mm lens.
Shopping around could enable you to save at least AU$100 on the RRP and a few re-sellers are bundling the tripod collar with the lens. It’s not worth shopping off-shore for this lens because by the time you’ve included shipping costs and GST the price will be higher than the most expensive local price.
SPECS
Picture angle: 24 degrees 24 minutes to 6 degrees 12 minutes (full-frame format)
Minimum aperture: f/32-45
Lens construction: 17 elements in 11 groups (including 3 LD elements)
Lens mounts: Canon EF and Nikon F
Diaphragm Blades: 9 (circular aperture)
Focus drive: USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor
Stabilisation: Built-in; 4 stops correction (CIPA)
Minimum focus: 1.5 metres
Maximum magnification: 1:3.6
Filter size: 67 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 86.2 x 199 mm (Canon version); 86.2 x 196.5mm (Nikon version)
Weight: 1135 grams (Canon version); 1115 grams (Nikon version) without caps and hood
Standard Accessories: Lens front and end caps, lens hood
Distributor: Blonde Robot; blonde-robot.com.au; (03) 9023 9777
TESTS
Based on JPEG files from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera.
SAMPLES
Vignetting at 100mm, f/4.5.
Vignetting at 135mm, f/2.8.
Vignetting at 200mm, f/2.8.
Vignetting at 300mm, f/2.8.
Vignetting at 400mm, f/2.8.
Rectilinear distortion at 100mm.
Rectilinear distortion at 135mm.
Rectilinear distortion at 200mm.
Rectilinear distortion at 300mm.
Rectilinear distortion at 400mm.
100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/11.
135mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/8.
200mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/8.
300mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/8.
400mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/8.
Close-up at 100mm; ISO 200, 1/2500 second at f/5.6.
Close-up at 135mm; ISO 200, 1/2000 second at f/5.6.
Close-up at 200mm; ISO 200, 1/3200 second at f/5.6.
Close-up at 300mm; ISO 200, 1/2000 second at f/6.3.
Close-up at 400mm; ISO 200, 1/2000 second at f/6.3.
Close-up at 400mm; ISO 200, 1/2500 second at f/6.3.
400mm; ISO 320, 1/200 second at f/7.1.
Bokeh with evenly-lit background; 400mm focal length, ISO 1250, 1/400 second at f/6.3.
Backlit subject; 400mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/1000 second at f/6.3.
Choppy bokeh with contre-jour lighting;100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/1600 second at f/4.5.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/800 second at f/11.
200mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/9.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/800 second at f/10.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/1000 second at f/6.3.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/1600 second at f/6.3.
281mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/1600 second at f/6.3.
Autofocusing through net; 200mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/2500 second at f/6.3.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/9.
300mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/800 second at f/10.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/8.
347mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/8.
400mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/9.
329mm focal length; ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/9.
Rating
RRP: AU$1299; US$799
- Build: 8.8
- Handling: 8.8
- Image quality: 8.7
- Versatility: 8.6