First Use

Yesterday i rented a Tamron 150-600mm lens as i'm considering purchasing one. The reviews are pretty good and the price is within the range i can realistically save for. So, i rented one to see how i like it, how well it does and is it practically in terms of using without a tripod. Whew! its big and heavy. It does a pretty good job of shooting sharply and quickly.

This set is of the humming bird feeder hanging in the tree in the back yard:

150mm

300mm

400mm

500mm

600mm

The only thing done to the photos after importing is a slight contrast, otherwise they are as shot. I think it does a good job ... i didn't know there was a fly on the right top side of the lid until i looked at the 400mm photo. While the 600mm is certainly softer then then 300mm and 400mm, it certainly is very usable.

Lightly cropped and sharpened - 500mm

The primary reason for considering purchasing this lens is to photograph birds and that it seems to be doing well:

An Eastern Bluejay ... i'm pretty happy with the results.

And then there was this:

I had just received the lens and put it on the camera, Canon 7D Mk ll, and had only the vaguest idea how to use it, stepped out the back door and there was this bird circling some ways away. My initial thought was that it was an eagle as it was much too big to be a hawk or at least any hawk i've seen but all those were west coast hawks. The image is not too sharp nor clear but i'm happy it even worked. Now i'm thinking it is a juvenile Golden Eagle which take 3-5 years to get all their eagle feathers and color. 

If you are reading this and know what this is, i'd be happy to hear from you. Click on the images and they will enlarge and  you can see the feather strips, etc.

Digging thru the literature and photographs of Golden Eagles, i no longer think this is one of them ... i just don't know what this bird is.