The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro and the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC 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. Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC is the longer of the two lenses at 258mm. The Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro with a length of 166mm, is 92mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC also has a larger diameter of 106mm compared to the Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro's 85mm 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 180mm f3.5 LD Macro weighs 920g, which means it is 1031g (52%) lighter than the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC which has a weight of 1951g.
Filter Threads
The Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC has a 95mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro:
And these are the 95mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC:
Lens Mounts
The Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro has the Sony Alpha lens mount whereas the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II for the Sony Alpha Mount and Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount.
Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro is also available in the Canon EF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 180mm f3.5 LD Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 180mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
270mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC has a focal range of 150-600mm and 4.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 225 - 900mm.
