The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II and the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II is the longer of the two lenses at 455mm. The Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD with a length of 88mm, is 367mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II also has a larger diameter of 166mm compared to the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD's 74mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD weighs 450g, 92% (5450g) lighter than the Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II's weight of 5900g.
Filter Threads
The Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a 62mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD:
Lens Mounts
The Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD is also available in Canon EF mount.
Focal Range
Nikon 600mm f4D ED-IF II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 600mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
900mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a focal range of 18-270mm and 15.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-405mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
