# How to fit your Canon 1.4X Extender to a Tamron 150-600 lens



## cyberjo (Feb 21, 2015)

Hello everyone,

I was able to find a way to fit my Canon 1.4X Extender to my Tamron 150-600. I have a full Flickr Album dedicated to this project here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/16568698096/in/set-72157650431848270

JG


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## Aichbus (Feb 22, 2015)

I didn't even know that a Canon 1.4x extender wouldn't fit on a Tamron 150-600, but a more interesting information for me would have been, if you had stated that the results you get are worth the effort, which I doubt. In other words: Do the images you get hold more information at 840 mm than the images of the bare lens at 600 mm?


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## mangobutter (Feb 27, 2015)

From what I've seen and read, this lens is really just a 150-400mm lens. 400 and beyond is soft and the Canon 400mm 5.6 upsized to 600 and even 700mm is sharper at the Tamron's native 600mm setting! For me personally I'd get the Canon 400mm. And I plan to eventually.


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## AlanF (Feb 28, 2015)

mangobutter said:


> From what I've seen and read, this lens is really just a 150-400mm lens. 400 and beyond is soft and the Canon 400mm 5.6 upsized to 600 and even 700mm is sharper at the Tamron's native 600mm setting! For me personally I'd get the Canon 400mm. And I plan to eventually.



I traded in my Tamron 150-600 and bought a 100-400mm II. The Tamron at 600mm and f/8 on the 5DIII is as sharp at the centre as the 100-400 II at 560mm with a 1.4xTC. It is true that at f/6.3 the Tamron is a bit soft but at f/8 it is very sharp throughout its whole range and supersharp from 300-400mm. If you don't believe me, look at the measurements on the 150-600mm on lenstip, ephotozine and DxOmark, and the centres on TDP. I prefer the 100-400mm II because it is a better size for travel and has lots of nice features. But, the Tamron is still a remarkable lens and the best value for money out there.


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## Aichbus (Feb 28, 2015)

AlanF said:


> The Tamron at 600mm and f/8 on the 5DIII is as sharp at the centre as the 100-400 II at 560mm with a 1.4xTC.


"at the center" is the key word here. Comparing the corners gives a completely different picture:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=929&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=5&API=2&LensComp=972&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=5&APIComp=0

The Tamron is still very good value for money ....


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## AlanF (Mar 2, 2015)

Aichbus said:


> AlanF said:
> 
> 
> > The Tamron at 600mm and f/8 on the 5DIII is as sharp at the centre as the 100-400 II at 560mm with a 1.4xTC.
> ...



I would never write "at the center".


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## bwud (Mar 2, 2015)

The way I use mine, I find a lack of edge sharpness useful. Given that I shoot my 150-600 exclusively at f/8, unless I happen to be close to my subject, the DOF is relatively wide. Having a lack of clarity at the edges can assist in subject isolation. 

Would I RATHER have a 600/4? Well, yah. But for the money, I find the Tamron to be quite compelling.


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## the blackfox (Mar 2, 2015)

try the new sigma 150-600mm sport and you,ll soon realise that the tammy is totally outclassed . 8)


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## the blackfox (Mar 2, 2015)

oh and BTW the sigma takes a canon 1.4 tc without having to butcher the lens in the process ,and a/f's just fine on the right bodies


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## 3kramd5 (Mar 2, 2015)

the blackfox said:


> try the new sigma 150-600mm sport and you,ll soon realise that the tammy is totally outclassed . 8)



It better outclass the tamron at twice the price.


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## Plainsman (Mar 2, 2015)

3kramd5 said:


> the blackfox said:
> 
> 
> > try the new sigma 150-600mm sport and you,ll soon realise that the tammy is totally outclassed . 8)
> ...



....also the Sigma is a heavyweight lens - a kg heavier than the Tam - which takes the fun out of long lens photography and then you have to contend with poor Sigma QC.....


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## Plainsman (Mar 2, 2015)

cyberjo said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I was able to find a way to fit my Canon 1.4X Extender to my Tamron 150-600. I have a full Flickr Album dedicated to this project here:
> 
> ...



Crazy idea to put a TC on the big Tam - TCs just don't work well with zooms.

If you want to get more out of it get the upcoming hi- res 750 or 760D.


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## AlanF (Mar 2, 2015)

You might get less out of it, not more. The Tamron isn't so good with the smaller pixels of crop.


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## candc (Mar 2, 2015)

I really like the tamron but trying to use it with a tc is a waste of time. It works with the kenko but the af is about useless and your not going to gain anything optically.


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## underjammer (Mar 3, 2015)

candc said:


> I really like the tamron but trying to use it with a tc is a waste of time. It works with the kenko but the af is about useless and your not going to gain anything optically.



I have the tamron and a kenko 1.4, and if you limit the focus to 15m - infinity, it focuses just fine with the TC on. If you have the focus limiter on full, it just hunts all over the place. I'm not saying it's necessarily worth using the TC (I'm just going to sit neutrally in the middle on that decision), but it can focus fine.


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## kirbyzhou (Mar 3, 2015)

cyberjo said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I was able to find a way to fit my Canon 1.4X Extender to my Tamron 150-600. I have a full Flickr Album dedicated to this project here:
> 
> ...



I see you take a 6D to shot with 150-600 + 1.4X, but why not just buy a 70D/760D to do this?
You can get a 1.6X extra zoom and without the lose of AF.


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## TexPhoto (Mar 3, 2015)

Oh lord, so much love and support here! 

I think what you did is very cool. And the photos look good. I would suggest you take some with and without the extender of something detailed, like a news paper at 250 feet or something and see if you are getting more detail with the 1.4X. I just googled "lens test" and found bunches of test patterns you could print and photograph.

But regardless, doing this is cool, a little experimentation is how we figure things out. And by all means let's see some cool bird photos or other cool tele pictures.


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