Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500: In-Depth Comparison and Guide

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Sony is one of the oldest lens manufacturers in the camera market. The major Japanese manufacturer has a very good reputation worldwide. 

Tamron is a lens manufacturer based in Europe. Their journey is not too long compared to Sony. They provide high-quality camera lenses for all types of cameras. Their lenses are marked by weather sealing, quiet autofocus, and vibration adjustment.

In this article, I will compare Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500. I will talk about every subtle thing to notice and which one to choose finally. 

Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500: Quick comparison table 

Here are some key difference of tamron 150-600mm vs g2:

What is the key difference between Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500?

Here I will be talking about the key difference and which one is better in terms of features.

The Price: 

There is a major difference in price between the two lenses. 

The Sony 100-400mm costs you around $2450. This 5-year-old lens is still one of the best telephoto lenses photographers use. 

Whereas the Tamron 150-500mm is comparatively new in the market. And Costs around $1400. 

So if you are on a very tight budget and looking for a good telephoto lens, The Tamron 150-500mm is the clear winner here. 

Design and IO: 

Both cameras are really good sports camera lenses. And they have very good weather protection. But Sony has better build quality.

Sony 100-400mm has a premium finish on the lens. The lens hood is very accessible. Sony put a window on the hood to adjust the polarizing filter (If you use it during shooting). 

And you can lock the lens hood.

The Tamron 150-500mm doesn’t have a window. Also, the finishes in the Tamron don’t feel premium. And Tamron doesn’t come with the locking lens hood. 

Sony 100-400mm lens comes with a 77mm filter but Tamron 150-500mm doesn’t.

Sony has custom buttons that give you options to make the lens more versatile. 

You don’t have this option in the Tamron.

But Tamron has the focus and zoom lock button that allows you to lock the lens and makes you travel easier with the lens. 

Sony missed the feature in their lenses. The lens barrel annoyingly pulls out if you travel with it.

So If I break down the overall build quality and design the Sony 100-400mm is way ahead of the Tamron 150-500mm. 

Here the winner is Sony 100-400mm. 

The Mount: 

Sony 100-400 has the standard tripod mount they use on every lens. 

But the Tamron has a built-in arc swiss compatible lens foot. Which allows the lens to slap onto an arc swiss head and start shooting. 

But the Sony doesn’t come with the arca swiss compatible lens foot. 

The lens foot of Sony 100-400mm is removable but only the foot comes out. But the Tamron 150-500mm lens allows you to remove the whole mount ring very easily.

So in terms of mounting options and versatility, The Tamron 150-500mm wins against the Sony 100-400mm.

The Size:

If I talk about size, The Tamron 150-500mm is a bit larger and heavier than Sony 100-400mm. 

Because Tamron 150-500mm has a larger telephoto capacity and gains some weight for its mount ring.

If weight is an issue for you or if you use these lenses with a small camera The Sony 100-400mm would do better. 

The Sony 100-400mm is the winner. 

Real in the Field Experience: 

So, the most important part of the comparison is, which one is good Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500 in the field.

Sony is amazingly way ahead of its time. Sony shoots photos at 30 frames per second. This is very important and useful if you shoot sports or motion. 

Sony does a better job of focusing on the subject while it’s moving. The AI on the camera is good at tracking subjects. 

But Tamron is lagged here. It shoots 15 frames per second and loses the focus on the subject. Gives you a blurry image sometimes. 

So based on the real-life experience Sony 100-400mm wins the major points here. 

Sony 100-400mm vs Tamron 150-500mm: Which One To Choose? 

To me, Tamron did very Okay in every aspect of the comparison. Nothing spectacular to mention. 

But for Sony, it is way ahead of its competitor. 

If you consider having a good sports lens you can undoubtedly go for the Sony 100-400mm. If I avoid the pricing of the lenses, the Sony 100-400mm beats the Tamron 150-500mm everywhere. 

The mounting option is a subtle thing to address because it is a very upgrade to have an Arca Swiss compatible lens foot. And If you are to use multiple lenses you have to have the additional accessorize one of which is the arc swiss lens foot. 

So it is not a big deal of having the arc swiss lens foot in the Tamron 150-500mm lens in my opinion. 

So if I sum up everything, the Sony 100-400mm is the lens to choose between them. 

To know more about Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150-500, Check this. 

Pros and Cons of Sony 100-400mm 

Sony 100-400mm is a solid performer. As it doesn’t come at a cheap price it has a spectacular real-world experience.

I have already discussed in what terms the Sony 100-400mm is a good lens. I am addressing some of the pros that I didn’t talk about,

Pros: 

• Adjustable Zoom tension 
• In Lens stabilization
• Compact Lightweight
• Good telephoto Zoom range

Cons: 

• Dim corners
• Extends easily when zoomed
• Not that bright aperture
• Pricier than other 100-500mm lenses

Pros and Cons of Tamron 150-500mm 

Pros:

• Small in size
• Handy telephoto shooting
• Great color 
• Weather sealing
• Cheap

Cons: 

• Soft corners
• Misses focus on moving subjects
• Slow autofocus compared to the other lenses

Final Words

I hope you know everything about Sony 100-400 vs Tamron 150 now. I have tried to cover the major things that differentiate the two lenses. 

Sony knows what it’s doing. The Sony 100-400mm is a five-year-old lens and is still very demanding in the market. Most sports photographers use this lens for shooting. 

Tamron 150-500mm is not a bad lens overall. But Tamron needs to improve its processor and make it more user-friendly.

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