I was happy that I managed to get a shot of this tiny butterfly perched low in the vegetation at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday. I think it may be a Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea), although the butterfly never opened its wings, so I was not able to confirm that the wings were tipped with orange.
I was a bit shocked that I was able to capture so much detail of this tiny creature, given that I was shooting with my Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens fully extended to 600mm. When I bought this lens in November 2014, I remember reading reviews about the lens that stated that it was soft at 600m. That has not really been my experience. If I pay attention to my techniques and use a monopod for additional stability (as I was doing for this shot), I can shots that are acceptably sharp to my eye.
For those of you who are especially geeky, for this shot I was shooting with a Canon 7D at f/8, 1/400 sec, and ISO 800 with an exposure compensation value of minus 1.33 stops. More important than the settings, though, is the fact that I like the image that I managed to capture—that is always my number one priority.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very nice photograph of a very nice find, Mike!
Thanks, Wally. At first I was sure this was a moth, but when I looked through a butterfly guide, I became convinced that it was in fact a butterfly.
That’s sharp!
Nice result, that’s for sure !
Amazing shot!
I, too, have an older Tamron 150-600 zoom (mine is for Sony a-mount) that I have been surprisingly pleased with, even at the long end. Of course it has nothing on a super-expensive prime long lens I’m sure but I got it used and am happy with it for my needs. Nice pic, enjoy the weekend.
When people ask me for advice on camera gear, I usually tell them to use what they have. In doing so, they will become really familiar with its capabilities. I think that a lot of the marketing for camera gear tries to convince us that we will magically become better photographers if we buy a certain new camera or new lens. The reality, in my opinion, is that the “secret” to taking better photos is spending lots of time with your camera and taking lots of photos.
My point was just that — having a tele-zoom does get one closer shots that just aren’t possible with other lenses — getting used gear that may not be super top of the line can really work well for hobbyists like myself….and that my issue of the lens you described was even better than I had hoped. But, yes, gear isn’t what makes a good pic, generally speaking. I totally agree.