Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] Review

Conclusions

The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] is a good lens. It's pretty sharp at all focal lengths, even wide open, but contrast does go up a notch when stopped down from f2.8 to f4. Chromatic aberration and distortion are generally well controlled, though there is noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom range. Chromatic aberration is worst at 17mm, though you can see from the test image above that even at 17mm in the corners of the frame it's pretty good. At longer focal lengths you'd need to look quite hard to see any problems.

The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 did exhibit some flaring with the front element in direct sunlight or the sun in the frame, but that's a pretty severe test. Under normal conditions, with the sun out of the frame and using the supplied lens hood, flare seemed well controlled.

At $450 it's quite reasonably priced, especially if you compare it with the Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM ($1200). Of course it doesn't have Image Stabilization, but it is $750 cheaper! It's closer in price to the EF-S 17-85/4-5.6 IS USM ($550). Optically the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] is better than the Canon EF-S 17-85/4-5.6 IS, and though 1-2 stops faster, it lacks IS and the zoom range is smaller. I haven't yet had a chance to look at the Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM, but at $1200 it would have to be really good to justify the price.

As usual the decision about which lens to buy is a matter of compromise. You can have good, fast, optics, you can have IS, you can have a lens for about $500, but you can't have all of them in a single lens! If you're after high optical quality, a fast lens which can blur backgrounds and stop action but you don't want to spend more than about $500, the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] is a lens you could be very happy with.

Where to Buy

The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II is available from Amazon.com for around $450. Currently they offer free shipping on this lens, plus a 30-day return policy.