Lens consolidation : Tam70-180, Tam150-500 to gm100-400

Skary · Jan 8, 2023

Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

photofan1986 · Jan 8, 2023

It depends on what you're after. I used the Sony 100-400 for a few days, and sold it because to me it was too large and not very adapted to my shooting style. I got the Tamron 70-180 and I love it, except for the dust ingress problem…

Malling · Jan 8, 2023

Skary said:
Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

If you already find 1.7kg to much, I’m not convinced getting a 1.4kg lens is going to change it, especially not with a 1.4TC that add almost 170g

poipoipoi_2016 · Jan 8, 2023

Skary said:
Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

The 100-400 is still also huge.

For travel, I don't even bother bringing it, I just cap myself out at 105mm on the 24-105. 16-35 + 24-105 is a very nice two-lens zoom kit.

Dylan10 · Jan 8, 2023

Skary said:
Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

Another option is the Tamron 50-400, this will pair nicely with the 24-70? Again its not super light and doesn't support tele converters but its a great range and 400 to 500 is croppable?

TomV1 · Jan 8, 2023

Dylan10 said:
Skary said:

Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

Click to expand...

Another option is the Tamron 50-400, this will pair nicely with the 24-70? Again its not super light and doesn't support tele converters but its a great range and 400 to 500 is croppable?

I like Tamron lenses. This appears to be a good choice to reduce size a bit. I have the 17-28 and 28-200. Also the Sony 100-400 for my longer work (birding) because of its slighty larger aperture and faster AF. The 50-400 reviews very well on B&H and Adorama.

UncleVanya · Jan 8, 2023

Skary said:
Hey Folks ,

i am not happy Traveling with my lenses. I have 16-28, 24-70, 70-180 and 150-500

i am shooting Landscapes and Architecture and Street.

I barely use 70-180 but more often 150-500 in Wildparks and Zoo.

but it is Heavy and huuuuge.

so plan now : Sell 70,180 and 150-500 and buy a 100-400 with 1.4 TC

good Idea ?

Have you considered selling the 70-180 and 150-500 and acquiring the 70-200 GM II and a 2x tc? The iq with the 2x is not quite as good as the 100-400 but it is pretty close from all the comparisons I’ve seen. The weight is considerably lower and more travel friendly.

The 50-400 is another option.

travelinbri_74 · Jan 8, 2023

The Sony 100-400 GM is a phenomenal lens that is on my camera constantly. That being said, - as I expect this lens to be upgraded in the next 2 years - what exactly would you get from the 100-400 that you do not from the 150-500 (which is also a very well reviewed lens)?

Skary · Jan 9, 2023

travelinbri_74 said:
The Sony 100-400 GM is a phenomenal lens that is on my camera constantly. That being said, - as I expect this lens to be upgraded in the next 2 years - what exactly would you get from the 100-400 that you do not from the 150-500 (which is also a very well reviewed lens)?

Hi, the 150-500 is not the issue itself, it is the combination of 70-180 and 150-500 carrying around. That's why i thought to switch both lenses to one (70180 and 150-500 to one 100-400)

To all: Thanks for the reply.

The 70-200 GMII is a beast of a lens, but also a beast in cost

I can get a used 100-400 for 1.5K € while the GMII is around 3200€

So , yes 1.4 Kg vs 1.7Kg is not a big difference but the 100-400 takes less space and weighs less then my combi of tamron 70-180 and 150-500, that's why i consider a swap

Malling · Jan 9, 2023

Skary said:
travelinbri_74 said:

The Sony 100-400 GM is a phenomenal lens that is on my camera constantly. That being said, - as I expect this lens to be upgraded in the next 2 years - what exactly would you get from the 100-400 that you do not from the 150-500 (which is also a very well reviewed lens)?

Click to expand...

Hi, the 150-500 is not the issue itself, it is the combination of 70-180 and 150-500 carrying around. That's why i thought to switch both lenses to one (70180 and 150-500 to one 100-400)
To all: Thanks for the reply.

The 70-200 GMII is a beast of a lens, but also a beast in cost I can get a used 100-400 for 1.5K € while the GMII is around 3200€

So , yes 1.4 Kg vs 1.7Kg is not a big difference but the 100-400 takes less space and weighs less then my combi of tamron 70-180 and 150-500, that's why i consider a swap

Now that makes better sense, Yeah in that case a 100-400mm could work with TC1.4

I personally don’t care all that much about the 51-99mm range unless shooting portrait but otherwise you can toss a much lighter 65 or 85 prime into the bag.

Impulses · Jan 9, 2023

I waffled between all of them, and ended up with the 50-400, heh... I'm not shooting much wildlife tho, makes for nice two zoom combo with the 17-28 for most landscape purposes IMO.

Desh Wasi · Jan 9, 2023

Impulses said:
I waffled between all of them, and ended up with the 50-400, heh... I'm not shooting much wildlife tho, makes for nice two zoom combo with the 17-28 for most landscape purposes IMO.

Exactly what I am thinking of doing with the 20-40mm. How do you like the 50-400mm sharpness and handling? Do you find it's size manageable? I have the 70-300mm right now that I am thinking of swapping for the 50-400. Not sure if it's worth the exercise

Skary · Jan 9, 2023

Impulses said:
I waffled between all of them, and ended up with the 50-400,.

Hmm a Lens i should take into my considerations , especially with a R Camera to Crop

UncleVanya · Jan 9, 2023

Skary said:
travelinbri_74 said:

The Sony 100-400 GM is a phenomenal lens that is on my camera constantly. That being said, - as I expect this lens to be upgraded in the next 2 years - what exactly would you get from the 100-400 that you do not from the 150-500 (which is also a very well reviewed lens)?

Click to expand...

Hi, the 150-500 is not the issue itself, it is the combination of 70-180 and 150-500 carrying around. That's why i thought to switch both lenses to one (70180 and 150-500 to one 100-400)
To all: Thanks for the reply.

The 70-200 GMII is a beast of a lens, but also a beast in cost I can get a used 100-400 for 1.5K € while the GMII is around 3200€

So , yes 1.4 Kg vs 1.7Kg is not a big difference but the 100-400 takes less space and weighs less then my combi of tamron 70-180 and 150-500, that's why i consider a swap

I realize the GM II is crazy expensive. Over here in the USA the used price isn't quite as high. (Typically around $2500 USD, some lower). The difference in size and weight is pretty large. I personally still have the older GM - and I use it with the 1.4x but it is not the same level as the GM II. I don't typically shoot much wildlife that I would require a 500+mm lens to use.

Seeing that you plan to use the 100-400 w/1.4x I'm curious why you feel the need for the 100mm end enough to not just sell the 70-180 and keep the 150-500.

UncleVanya · Jan 9, 2023

Skary said:
Impulses said:

I waffled between all of them, and ended up with the 50-400,.

Click to expand...

Hmm a Lens i should take into my considerations , especially with a R Camera to Crop

I mentioned that lens earlier also but after rereading your replies I thought you felt the extra focal length of was needed since the 1.4x TC was in your plan. If you can live without the 400+ range that's a way to get a lot more flexible lens that isn't super heavy. The review by Dustin Abbott was pretty strong: https://dustinabbott.net/2022/09/tamron-50-400mm-f4-5-6-3-vc-vxd-review-a067/

The Ryantist · Jan 9, 2023

Skary said:
travelinbri_74 said:

The Sony 100-400 GM is a phenomenal lens that is on my camera constantly. That being said, - as I expect this lens to be upgraded in the next 2 years - what exactly would you get from the 100-400 that you do not from the 150-500 (which is also a very well reviewed lens)?

Click to expand...

Hi, the 150-500 is not the issue itself, it is the combination of 70-180 and 150-500 carrying around. That's why i thought to switch both lenses to one (70180 and 150-500 to one 100-400)
To all: Thanks for the reply.

The 70-200 GMII is a beast of a lens, but also a beast in cost I can get a used 100-400 for 1.5K € while the GMII is around 3200€

So , yes 1.4 Kg vs 1.7Kg is not a big difference but the 100-400 takes less space and weighs less then my combi of tamron 70-180 and 150-500, that's why i consider a swap

I held the 150-500 and 100-400 in a store for a few minutes. For me, the 1.4 kg is just about the limit of what I want to carry, and 1.7 kg is too much.

I really love the 100-400 GM, it's a fantastic lens. The only thing that bugs me is that the lens creeps and extends when you're walking around because there's no locking feature.

I initially had the same idea as you and bought the 1.4 TC, but I later sold the TC for a couple of reasons. First, installing & removing the TC in the field is almost more difficult than a lens change because you have the lens, the camera, the TC, and two lens caps in your hands all at the same time. So I would either leave the TC on or off for a whole shoot sometimes. Second, I felt that I could get just as good image quality with using Lightroom AI enhance detail as the TC (this was on a 24 MP A7C body, YMMV). So I didn't really need to keep it.

If you ever shoot portraits, or want a small short telephoto, I would not sell the 70-180 right away. Maybe you don't have to bring it with you all the time? When I got the 100-400, I sold my 70-300 right away. But after about 6 months I bought another 70-300 because sometimes I wanted a decent telephoto which was lighter weight (850 grams).

travelinbri_74 · Jan 9, 2023

The Ryantist said:
When I got the 100-400, I sold my 70-300 right away. But after about 6 months I bought another 70-300 because sometimes I wanted a decent telephoto which was lighter weight (850 grams).

If a high quality lightweight 70-300, or even 100-300, were to come out, I would jump on it as well for exactly this reason. a 20-70/70-350 (FF) combo would be a versatile lightweight walk around kit.

maltmoose · Jan 10, 2023

travelinbri_74 said:
The Ryantist said:

When I got the 100-400, I sold my 70-300 right away. But after about 6 months I bought another 70-300 because sometimes I wanted a decent telephoto which was lighter weight (850 grams).

Click to expand...

If a high quality lightweight 70-300, or even 100-300, were to come out, I would jump on it as well for exactly this reason. a 20-70/70-350 (FF) combo would be a versatile lightweight walk around kit.

UncleVanya · Jan 11, 2023

maltmoose said:
travelinbri_74 said:

The Ryantist said:

When I got the 100-400, I sold my 70-300 right away. But after about 6 months I bought another 70-300 because sometimes I wanted a decent telephoto which was lighter weight (850 grams).

Click to expand...

If a high quality lightweight 70-300, or even 100-300, were to come out, I would jump on it as well for exactly this reason. a 20-70/70-350 (FF) combo would be a versatile lightweight walk around kit.

Click to expand...

Tamron 70 300 is good cheap small and lightweight. I thougt it be worse but im really happy with it. Replaced my sigma 100 400.

Id be interested to test the tamron 50 400 though.

Agree. I got rid of my two a mount 70-300 lenses including a Tamron SP and a Sony. The Tamron RXD is light and sharp.

Skary · Jan 16, 2023

So thank you all for the input.

I already sold my lenses for a very good course and the Tamron 50-400 is already here. Next Holiday Trip is coming soon

Lens consolidation : Tam70-180, Tam150-500 to gm100-400

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