Reportage photos in Mongolia by Jun Matsuo with TAMRON 150-500mm F5-6.7 (Model A057) for Nikon Z mount

Hello, I’m Jun Matsuo, a professional photographer. On this occasion, I set out to Mongolia, where I have been shooting in recent years with TAMRON’s new ultra-telephoto zoom lens, the 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057) for Nikon Z mount.

The first photo：　Focal length:500mm　Exposure:F6.7　1/2500sec　ISO 400　Camera:Nikon Z 9

Usually when I am operating in the field, I am in remote areas of the world without established lifelines, and that means I have to carry a lot of baggage along on trips in addition to camera gear. That’s why I need to reduce the volume of equipment as much as possible, and for that reason I have not used an ultra-telephoto lens in this environment before. But when I tried out this lens, the first things that surprised me were its size and weight. Despite being an ultra-telephoto lens sporting a 500mm focal length at the telephoto end, its compact size makes it feel like a fast-aperture 70-200mm zoom.
With this lens complete with lens hood attached to the Nikon Z 9, a large camera, I could still get it to fit easily into my 40L camera bag. This compact size not only enables quick maneuvering but also reduces the risk of dust and other particles getting in when you attach and detach lenses, because you can get by without having to swap lenses even in adverse conditions.

I usually use lenses with focal lengths that range from ultra-wide to 200mm, but the 150-500mm focal length allowed me to close in on subjects in a unique way to capture subtle expressions like never before, and especially around the 500mm ultra-telephoto end, I was able to discover beauty in the details that was not visible to the naked eye. The impact of compression effects in the background, and the soft bokeh in front of and behind the point of focus are enthralling.

I was holding the lens firmly in my grip paying attention to framing while shooting in continuous mode handheld, but thanks to the VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism, I didn’t need to crop in post, so I was able to retain the desired composition of each shot.

My shooting style involves closely following people about in their daily lives, and that makes indoor shooting a must. One of the things that impressed me with this lens was the MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of just 0.6m (23.6 in) at the 150mm wide end. During shooting, I was able to move from outdoor to indoor environments and seize upon shooting opportunities at the moment they presented themselves without needing to swap lenses.

When working in remote areas, you often exert a lot of physical effort on things other than photography, so not being stressed about your equipment frees your mind, and I think that impacts the images you create. For example, when you are tracking a subject and swivel your position to keep it in frame, sometimes the lens barrel of a heavy zoom lens can extend under its own weight. But as this lens features a FLEX ZOOM LOCK mechanism that lets you instantly lock and unlock the lens barrel at any zoom position, I was free to reposition without stress. In addition, the zoom ring has a 75-degree rotational angle. This lets you quickly go from the wide end to a telephoto focal length with a single turn for stress-free operation.
The tip of the lens hood features a rubber construction to reduce the impact when the lens bumps into something. I felt this was especially beneficial since this shooting assignment involved a lot of travel on rough roads, and I gained an appreciation for the detailed consideration TAMRON gave to the feelings of photographers when designing this lens.

Until now, I’d been convinced that an ultra-telephoto zoom lens was not suitable to documentary style shooting that involves following people closely, but I found the TAMRON 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057) a lens suitable for use in various field scenarios. It has shattered my preconceptions.