Photos with the Tameron 150-600mm Lens
by Rhonda Robinson
March 2, 2015
May I please share with you evidence of what the Tameron 150-600mm can do. At $1300 this was by far the best deal I could find. For me, the proof is in the pudding. Please enjoy.
When I’m shooting wildlife (Canon Rebel 3Ti), I prefer to shoot TV mode at 1/1000 second. Most of these shots are at that setting. Several people told me with this size lens I would need a tripod. I think these pictures will prove differently. I found a tripod to be awkward and cumbersome and I couldn’t move the camera fast enough to get the wildlife shots I wanted, so I left it behind. The yellow-headed blackbird and eared grebe are the only ones with a tripod. The rest are all hand held. Sometimes I’d sit down and put the camera on my knees or steady it against a tree trunk, but the tripod doesn’t see much use at all.
Figure 1 Mallards are a very common duck throughout Alberta and most of North America. This male was nesting with his mate on Hall’s Lagoon just off of Cold Lake. This photo was taken in the evening of May 21, 2014. I was maybe 100-150 feet away on an observation deck on the hillside above the lagoon.
Figura 2 yellow-headed blackbird – Yellow-headed blackbirds roam most of North America but are not as common as the red-wing blackbird. This male in full mating plumage was nesting at Jesse Lake in Bonnyville. It was quite windy that day.
Figure 3. eared grebe – This eared grebe nests in northern Alberta. This one was at Jesse Lake in Bonnyville. The red eyes really stand out.
Figure 4. red-necked grebe – This family nested in a pond not far from where I lived in Cold Lake. I had the privilege of watching this family grow up. The parents are quite attentive to the young. I’m quite impressed with how attentive the male is to his mate and young. There are three young in this family.
Figure 5. baby red-necked grebe – This is one of the young from the previous pic.
Figure 6 swallow – I’m not totally sure what kind of swallow this is, perhaps a barn swallow. There were several swallows on the bridge crossing the Cold Lake River in Meadow Lake Provincial Park. It was very windy that day.
Figure 7 gull - This gull was enjoying the beach on Lac des Isles in Meadow Lake Provincial Park. I like the depth of field the long lens gives. There’s no special background for this pic. This is pretty much straight out of the camera – cropped, of course with very little other adjustments.
Figure 8 gull – This gull was flying low over the beach at Lac des Isles. I was fortunate enough to get this pic when I pointed my 600mm its direction. This is totally hand held.
Figure 9 ground squirrel – This is a common animal in Banff and Lake Louise.
Figure 10 female duck – this is a female mallard. I shot this at Bower Pond in Red Deer in the fall. She looks happy and is just having some fun.
Figure 11 female duck – Again I believe this to be a female mallard. Shot at Bower Pond in the fall. No special lighting and pretty much straight out of the camera with cropping.
Figure 12 Canada Goose – This goose was with a large gaggle of geese on Gaetz Lakes at McKenzie Trails in Red Deer in the fall. Many of them were splashing around and just having a ball. They were probably 100-150 feet out on the pond so I wasn’t sure how the pics would turn out. I’m impressed with this lens.
Figure 13 Clark’s Nutcracker – This beautiful bird was shot at Lake Louise. They will come eat out of your hand. I was nervous the first time as that beak is long and very sharp. But they are very gentle and very careful when they pick the nuts or seeds from your hand.
Figure 14 Mountain Sheep – This sheep was feeding with its family on the Ice Field Parkway. They like to lick the salts from the middle of the road. Travelers beware of sheep in the road!
Figure 15 Mountain Sheep Lamb – This has got to be one of my all-time favorites. This is a young lamb that was feeding with the herd on the Ice Field Parkway. Again, I like the depth of field that long lens gives pics like this.
Figure 16 Shovelers – This pair of male shovelers were wintering in Prescott, AZ. I shot this before 10:00 in the morning in December so the light was at a low angle.
Figure 17 Bald Eagle – This eagle and its mate frequented this dead tree over-looking Willow Lake in Prescott, AZ. This morning I climbed up the back side of the large rocks that edge the lake. That kept me out of site of the eagles till I got to the top and could look over the rock about the same height as the eagles. I laid on the rock and shot pics for 10-15 minutes. The sun was just barely coming up so the color isn’t the brilliant blue of mid-day. It was cold with frost on the ground so the eagle is sitting low on its feet to keep its feet and legs warm. This one is calling to its mate who was sitting just to the right of this pic.
Figure 18 Pintail – This beautiful duck was wintering on Willow Lake in Prescott, AZ. It was morning and the light is at a low angle.
Figure 19 Blue Heron – This blue heron was fishing in Watson Lake in Prescott, AZ, wintering in the area. This pic really shows the capability of the Tamaron lens as I was probably close to 200 feet away and no tripod. This is a hand-held shot.
Rhonda is very much an amateur photographer only shooting since June of 2012 and has had no lessons. She loves being outdoors hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing and thrills at the site of wildlife. She currently is shooting with a Canon Rebel 3Ti but would like to get a more professional camera. Her main job is with Jacobs Engineering in the Oil and Gas Industry, but photography is a treasured hobby. Currently living in Red Deer, she loves being close enough to the mountains to visit them frequently.
If you have comments or suggestions you may contact her at wydesertstar@yahoo.com
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Also read Robert Berdan's review of the Tamron 150-600 mm lens on the Canadian Nature Photographer
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