Our Recommendation
The Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is a fascinating lens – a superzoom with an 8x zoom range, covering everything from normal to supertelephoto focal lengths. It isn’t the first telephoto zoom to start at a normal focal length (we’ve seen 50-500mm and 60-600mm lenses before), but it’s one of the few available natively for mirrorless cameras. The weight of this lens is also kept surprisingly reasonable, and the performance – though not perfect – is pretty good throughout the zoom range.
I wouldn’t recommend the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-5.6 if your goal above all else is maximum image quality. Even at a lower price, you’d get better sharpness with Tamron’s own 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 in the shared zoom range – and at 400mm, the king is always going to be a prime. But there is a big reason why the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-5.6 may be the perfect lens for you: versatility.
The ability to shoot at both 50mm and 400mm without too many sacrifices is addictive. And beyond that, the Tamron 50-400mm pairs extremely well with wider lenses if you want a lightweight, versatile kit. For example, what about combining this lens with something like the Sony 16-35mm f/4 or Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4? By doing so, you’d cover everything from ultra-wide to supertelephoto in just two lenses, and your bag wouldn’t weigh very much. It’s difficult to achieve that any other way, apart from something like the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 that comes with more serious image quality and maximum aperture tradeoffs.
Here’s how I’d sum up the pros and cons.
Pros:
- No major optical faults – even the worst sharpness, CA, vignetting, etc., are still reasonable
- Exceptional versatility given the zoom range
- Good build quality with effective weather sealing
- Extensive controls and handling-related features
- USB-C port allows for future firmware updates
- Lighter than most 100-400mm lenses, despite the 50mm capability
- Excellent close-focus capabilities, up to 1:2 at 50mm and 1:4 at 400mm
- Great value at $1300
Cons:
- Loses some sharpness as you zoom into 200mm and beyond
- Vignetting and chromatic aberration, though never awful, are below average among telephotos
- External zoom design can be a little less durable over time
It’s a much longer list of pros! Photographers seeking maximum image quality in the telephoto focal lengths may be tempted to look elsewhere, but I think Tamron did an excellent job balancing considerations like price, weight, focal lengths, and optical performance with the 50-400mm f/4.5-5.6.
Personally, I’m strongly considering replacing my Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 with this lens. The two lenses have very comparable image quality, and both are good pairs for my Z 14-30mm f/4 S. The potential gap between 30mm and 50mm doesn’t bother me, although I do like the lighter weight of the 24-200mm (and would like to avoid the expense of switching). It’s a question of how much I expect to use those longer focal lengths as a landscape photographer. Check in with me in a few months – maybe I’ll have made the switch!
In any case, I think you can see I’m a fan of the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-5.6. Although it’s not a perfect lens, that wasn’t the target Tamron was trying to hit in the first place. Instead, it simply needed to be capable at every focal length, and it definitely clears that bar. I’d say that this lens is tied with Nikon’s 24-200mm f/4-6.3 as the best superzoom we’ve tested yet.
Conclusion
The Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 is available for $1299 through any of our affiliates:
- Tamron 50-400mm at B&H – Check Sony E and Nikon Z prices and sales
- For Sony and for Nikon at Adorama
- For Sony and for Nikon at Amazon
- Used: Check prices and availability at KEH
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The next page of this review has some more sample photos from the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3, followed by reader comments on the final page. Use the Table of Contents below the star rating to jump to the section you want.
Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3
- Build Quality and Handling
- Size and Weight
- Sharpness Performance
- Other Image Quality
- Value
Photography Life Overall Rating
Table of Contents