Thoughts on Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Lens?

[John Vincent]

From what I've read, it looks to be a very good bang for the buck wide angle lens (even more so now b/c there's a $45 rebate on it).... Anyone here use it for the T2?

One other question - If I upgrade to the Mark II, will this lens fit?

Digital Picture's take:
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF Lens Review

Thanks for any help....

john

[Steve Oakley]

optically great lens, nice bokeh

the bad.

focuses backwards, and its a 45 deg rotation making it super easy to knock out while shooting.

zooming extends the lens front forwards as it zooms in, making it more tricky to use with a matte box - you have to get it perfectly centered.

the wide part is really nice, but I find 50mm to short for a head & shoulders shot at 10-15ft, which is where I like to be when shooting interviews. if you work close, it will be fine.

its a APS-C size lens, so it will vingette on a 5D. never saw it mounted on one, so hard to say how much it does so

I might be selling mine in a few days..... maybe

[Terry Lee]

Hey John, This lens won't work on the 5D unfortunately. Always check to make sure what sensor size these lenses are qualified for. This lens is APS-C and the 5D is a full frame sensor.


If you are going to get this for the T2i it would be great. But get the one with VC. Its the same price, around $600.

[Terry Gray]

I use mine all the time, and it's become my "go to" video lens for local commercial work (ie - furniture stores, auto dealerships, sporting goods stores, etc). I have several primes, but I shoot in a lot of locations where space is at a premium, making zooming (instead of moving the tripod) necessary.

I agree with all of the "bad" points listed above - I've run into all of them, but it's a great lens.

I love my Canon 50mm 1.4, but so far, I've used that only for music videos and interviews. The Tamron is mounted 90% of the time.

Terry

[Forrest Burger]

Definitely a great walk around lens. I've been very happy with it and use it all the time with my T2i. Get the VC version for sure...does a good job of stabilizing shots.

Forrest

[John Vincent]

Thanks guys...

Steve. PM me if'n you want to sell.

john

[David Quakenbush]

I have a Tamron 28-70 f/2.8, which rarely leaves my camera. It doesn't age as well as other glass, perhaps, but if you're not shooting in extreme environments I think Tamron is an amazing value.

[Luke Gates]

VC version has a $70 rebate. Just got one with my T2i, it puts the kit lens to shame.

Focus could be faster and the IS is a bit loud, but not worth the extra $520 for the canon

[Richard D. George]

Get the Canon 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS. A very high quality lens, and in demand. If you move to full-frame, the high demand for this lens should yield you a good price. If you stick with the really good ef-s lenses, you should have no problems selling them if you decide to move to full frame. Check the forum threads and posts regarding the quality of the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS zoom lens.

[Taky Cheung]

I wouildn't get any Tamron because the zoom rotation direction is opposite to Canon. I will get disoriented.. and easily miss critical moment as I dial the zoom in the wrong direction.

[John Vincent]

Got it today. All I can say is "Nice." Much wider then the kit lens (even though only 1mm apart on the bottom end), this sucker feels like a "real" lens. Well built, it's heavy w/o being too heavy. Seems like it will be able to suck up some abuse, which is good b/c I don't lead a gentle life.

The autofocus works well, and I didn't think it was too loud (a common complaint w/ this lens), and the manual focusing was fast, smooth, and accurate.

But the thing that impressed me the most was how much sharper the lens felt - very crisp all through the focus range. And it's fast - inside on a cloudy day, I could shoot ISO 200 no problem.

All in all, it's clearly a big step up from the kit lens, but that's how it should be - it retails right now (including the rebate that's going on right now) for about $300 more. And it's worth it. Love it already and I've only had it a day.

B&H - $415 after $45 rebate from Tamron:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/423714-REG/Tamron_AF016C700_17_50mm_f_2_8_XR_Di.html

[Brett Sherman]

This will probably be my next lens over the Canon 18-55 for primarily these reasons: 1. Size and weight. This is my B-Camera with my EX1, and I don't have much room in the camera bag. It is WAY smaller than the Canon lens. 2. Price. A lot cheaper than the Canon lens.

The backwards zoom would be annoying. But the zoom range is not great to begin with, so I'll probably be at the extremes anyways. Full time manual with USM on the Canon would be nice though.

[John Vincent]

I've had it month and it's come off only once (for a telephoto lens to shoot the moon a few days back).

For the price, one of the true bargains out there.

[Brett Sherman]

Can anyone tell me how loud the VC is compared to the Canon lens. I like to be able to use the ambient audio in a pinch.

[Luke Gates]

if you're in a pinch, turn the IS off. Its quieter than the autofocus on a non usm lens