Build
Quality
The
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC feels solid in your hand. While plastic, it
has a premium weight to it with a solid grip and great feel. While
not quite up to par with Canon L lenses, we doubt anyone will have a
problem with the construction. On a canon 60D, Nikon D7000, or other
mid range body, the lens feels great. It may be a little heavy and
large for some on the smallest camera bodies, but it will not
overpower the camera. The lens comes with a hood which seemed to work
well at controlling sun flare in most cases, as well as protect the
front of the lens from most elements.
In
the field
This
is where the Tamron 17-50 began to show some weakness. While
adequately sharp at shorter focal distances, the Tamron lost
sharpness quickly when zooming in. Soft picture were a common
occurrence when taking portraits or other photographs with large
amounts of detail. Focusing was also a mixed bag when mounted on the
Canon 60D for most of the focus points. The Canon 60D, as well as
most other cropped bodies, does not allow for front/back focus
adjustment either leaving you with the default results. The focusing
motor seamed slow in practice but this may be largely due to the
volume of the focusing motor. While not defining, it is easily heard
above other camera operations and will take some time to get used to.
There was also a significant amount of volume for the image
stabilizer, and a noticeable feel and movement of the lens when the
operation kicked in. The stabilizer did however work as advertised
and great results were achieved at relatively show shutters. Under
most conditions, you will see a 3 stop advantage with the stabilizer
on. Other advantages resulted from the camera specs itself. With an
f/2.8 constant aperture, low light capabilities were enhanced, and
smooth bokeh could be seen, especially at 50mm. Of course, with less
than stunning results from a sharpness standpoint, the full results
were still disappointing.
Pros:
- great sharpness in the middle of the frame at all focal lengths and diaphragm ranges
- very good picture quality on the edge of the frame (except f2.8)
- small astigmatism
- good performance against bright light
- good autofocus work
- good build quality
- small size
Cons:
- visible chromatic aberration
- vignetting at the whole focal length range (although the vignetting is even bigger for competitors at the same price range,)
- visible coma at f/2.8
Just
looking at the Pros and Cons comparison we can see that the Tamron
17-50 mm is a very good lens. However, the camera that you own may
determine the decision about buying the Tamron. Canon owners may not
find a better substitute for a kit lens in this price range so for
them the Tamron 17-50 mm has a great chance to repeat the success of
the 28-75 mm model. For Nikon system owners the situation might be
different. First of all, the Sigma lens autofocus works better with
the Nikon than with the Canon so the Tamron has to compete with the
very good position of the Sigma 17-70 and 18-50 mm. Tamron has a lot
to offer, so the competition looks quite even. On the other hand, the
Nikon has its own Nikkor 18-70 mm, which is a very good lens.
Although the Tamron is better with its vignetting and distortion, the
picture resolutions are similar, the aberration is much lower and the
focal length range is larger. The Nikkor’s big advantage is the
presence of the SWM motor, which makes its autofocus work more
quickly and quietly than Tamron’s.
We
are also impatiently awaiting the appearance of the new Tokina 16-50
mm f/2.8. The battle between Tokina, Tamron and Sigma not only
interesting, but might even result in a price reduction for all the
lenses in this segment. And that’s what I hope for all of us.
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