Is This the Only Camera Lens You'll Ever Need? Fstoppers Reviews the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD

With recent advances in third-party lens tech and glass quality, Tamron’s new 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLDsuperzoom lens with its small form factor and incredible versatility just might be the best travel and walk around lens for APS-C cameras to date. With a price of $650, this could easily replace two or even three lenses for some users. But who exactly is this lens for?

This lens is specifically made for APS-C Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras and pairs well with the smaller lighter form factor of these cameras. The wide range of versatile shooting conditions this lens is capable of combined with the small form factor for such a long zoom range is what makes this such a contender for the only lens you need. 

How I Got The Shot: A Spontaneous Misadventure

Personal projects often take a lot of planning and persistence to pull off. They are passion driven assignments which is a big part of why they are so important to evolve as a photographer. However, sometimes opportunity and timing don't line up so you have to make the best of a poor situation. This is when experience and determination make or break an idea. 

This is exactly what happened to photographer Michael Calabro last October on Lake Michigan. An outdoor lifestyle photographer based out of Chicago, Calabro has worked with all kinds of great clients from Nike, Red Bull, and Victory Motorcycles to Outside, and Surfer magazine just to name a few. His commercial and editorial work has taken him all around the world but it's his personal project documenting the little known Chicago surf scene that has gotten him some recent attention. "Yep, you can surf on a lake and it actually gets good if the conditions are just perfect, " said Calabro. Surf is at its best on the lakes going into the winter when the weather gets bad. Winds traveling over the length of the lakes can produce some pretty impressive swells and on a good day, quite a few surfers can be seen out in the cold. This particular day, however, was not your average Chicago October day and there weren't any waves on the lake. When the weather is nice the community has turned to a newer water sport called wake surfing. 

What It Takes to Photograph an Extreme Event Like the Marathon Des Sables Peru

In the world of adventure sports photography being in the right location isn't always enough. Often times you have to match the athleticism of the athletes you are photographing to get those really amazing shots. that means hanging off the side of a cliff hundreds of feet above the ground alongside a rock climber. Or swimming a couple feet above a coral reef in twenty-foot plus surf. In this case, it means spending a week in the desert running up and down sand dunes. 

Both the original Marathon des Sables in Morocco and its new sister event in Peru are what are called Ultra Running races. These are extreme marathon races that push the abilities and endurance of runners to their absolute limits. This winter marked the first edition for the South American version and, like its namesake, the Marathon des Sables Peru was just as grueling of an adventure. Three hundred runners race across 250km of dry arid desert and huge sand dunes between the Pacific Ocean and Andes Mountains. Divided up into 6 stages spread across 7 days, the runners must carry everything they will need for the duration with them, except for water and a tent. Obviously in a race where endurance and speed matter, limiting as much carrying weight as possible is very important. Do you carry less food and clothing or skimp on the comforts of a sleeping bag and pad?