diff --git a/test/test-suite/test_foreign.py b/test/test-suite/test_foreign.py
index 0e51bdbd..e4f847ba 100644
--- a/test/test-suite/test_foreign.py
+++ b/test/test-suite/test_foreign.py
@@ -374,10 +374,7 @@ class TestForeign:
 
         self.file_loader("tiffload", TIF4_FILE, tiff4_valid)
 
-        if pyvips.at_least_libvips(8, 5):
-            self.save_load_buffer("tiffsave_buffer",
-                                  "tiffload_buffer",
-                                  self.colour)
+        self.save_load_buffer("tiffsave_buffer", "tiffload_buffer", self.colour)
         self.save_load("%s.tif", self.mono)
         self.save_load("%s.tif", self.colour)
         self.save_load("%s.tif", self.cmyk)
@@ -510,14 +507,14 @@ class TestForeign:
         assert a.height == b.height
         assert a.avg() == b.avg()
 
-        x = pyvips.Image.new_from_file(TIF_FILE)
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True, region_shrink="mean")
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True, region_shrink="mode")
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True, region_shrink="median")
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True, region_shrink="max")
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True, region_shrink="min")
-        buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(tile=True, pyramid=True,
-                                region_shrink="nearest")
+        # just 0/255 in each band, shrink with mode and all pixels should be 0
+        # or 255 in layer 1
+        x = pyvips.Image.new_from_file(TIF_FILE) > 128
+        for shrink in ["mode", "median", "max", "min"]:
+            buf = x.tiffsave_buffer(pyramid=True, region_shrink=shrink)
+            y = pyvips.Image.new_from_buffer(buf, "", page=1)
+            z = y.hist_find(band=0)
+            assert z(0, 0)[0] + z(255, 0)[0] == y.width * y.height
 
     @skip_if_no("magickload")
     def test_magickload(self):