TAMRON 100-400MM F4.5-6.3 DI VC USD

Here’s yet another impressive telephoto zoom from Tamron

the 100-400mm has powerful telephoto reach but is refreshingly compact and lightweight. Indeed, it’s marginally lighter than the sigma 100-400mm but, this time, an optional tripod mounting ring is available. Conveniently, the mount has an Arca-swiss compatible foot but it’s typically pricey at around £110/$129.

whereas all of the other lenses on test have 20 or 21 elements in their optical path, the tamron shrinks the total count to

17. these include three LD (Low Dispersion) elements to boost sharpness and reduce colour fringing, along with conventional and nano-structure coatings to reduce ghosting and flare. the ring-type ultrasonic AF system is similarly fast as in the competing lenses, but lacks the choice of auto/manual-priority override featured in the Nikon and sigma.

the four-stop vC (vibration Compensation) optical stabilisation system works very well for static shots and has switchable static and panning modes. In our tests, however, stabilisation during panning proved slightly less effective than in the other lenses.

Like in the sigma lens, the aperture is electromagnetically controlled, in the Nikonfit edition as well as the Canon version. this makes aperture control impossible with some older Nikon cameras. the tamron beats the sigma for weather-resistance, with a more comprehensive set of environmental seals.

Centre sharpness is every bit as good as from the Nikon lens throughout the entire zoom range but, compared with other lenses in the group, sharpness drops off more towards the edges and corners of the frame, especially when shooting with a full-frame. In terms of good control over distortions and colour fringing, there’s practically nothing to choose between the tamron and sigma, and they both edge ahead of the Canon lens.

BelowAN ACTION-PACKED TELEPHOTO with its full set of weather seals, the tamron is well suited to action sports and wildlife photography, even in adverse conditions, but the controls are more basic than in the sigma

Right top100mm at f4.5 Centre sharpness is superb at 100mm even at the widest available aperture, although the tamron is relatively soft in the corners

Right bottom 400mm at f6.3 even at wide apertures, centre sharpness remains excellent throughout the entire zoom range, but edges and corners still lag behind