Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical Zoom Lens for Canon EF Mount

Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 DI-II VC

Tamron

Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 DI-II VC Video #1

Adorama

Photography

Lenses

SLR Lenses

Tamron SLR Lenses

Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 DI-II VC 

Buy: Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical Zoom Lens for Canon EF Mount Color: Black

The new SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC covers the heavily-used 17-50mm focal distance range (angle of view equivalent to 26 78mm when converted to the full frame format) making it an extremely versatile, high-performance zoom lens.  Achieving sharpness and striking contrast, the lens produces beautiful images that are enhanced by the shallow depth-of-field afforded by the maximum aperture of F/2.8 and enriches the user's range of photographic expression.  The new lens is equipped with Tamron's proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) image stabilization mechanism, which provides more opportunities for hand-held photography, such as low-lit conditions like evening, night scenes and indoors, leading to a dramatically enhanced level of photographic freedom. Compatible with Canon DSLR cameras.

Great lens. I mistakenly picked the EFs instead of the EF mount but it works well on my APSc body. I also adapt it on my Lumix micro four-thirds bodies and I love the range on it.

Great value.

I got this lense as part of a two-lense replacement of my Nikon D7200.  The kit lense has a range of 18-140 and I got this lense to replace the lower half of that range.  The f2.8 aperture availability throughout the zoom range makes for wonderful possibilities because the depth of field can be controlled well and because the lense is pretty fast.  The picture clarity is was missing from the kit lense.  This Tamron lense takes excellent, sharp pictures.

Not a pro, but now I feel like one

Nice upgrade from non VR version. Being on sale at Adorama forced me to upgrade and pass down my old lens to my daughter,

Nice Lens

Excellent lens. Fast constant apatite and lens is super sharp. Can't recommend enough.TamronT

Excellent lens

I was looking for a lens that does well in low light and this is it. I have the "thrifty Nifty"but is a prime lens. Love this lens.

Great in low light

Acquiring reference images on the fly requires a dependable lens.  For someone who uses a camera for both documentary and creative needs, this Lens delivers superb possibilities. Despite its limlted zoom range, its fine optics compensates for this set back.

A SUPERB LENS

Overall verry good Stuff

I wanted a general purpose zoom lens for my Canon Eos XSi and after reading extensive reviews of various lenses I decided to try the Tamron to save a little money over the equivalent Canon lens.  I also liked the idea of the 6 year warranty that Tamron offers and the ability to shoot at f/1.8 throughout the zoom range of the Tamron lens.  In test shots I found that the focus wide open was unacceptably soft and therefore negated any benefit from having it in the first place.  The image stabilization (or VC for "vibration compensation" as Tamron calls it) mechanism is very noisy and "clunky".  It makes so much noise that at first I though it was actually broken.  You must press the shutter down half way and wait a second for the VC to do its job before you press the shutter all the way or your shots will be even worse!  I was pleased with its performance on some hand held shots indoors in low light though.  If you have the time to wait and compose your shots you can get good images handheld at 1/10s with this lens.   I finally decided to send this lens back and get the Canon 15-85mm, which I'm very happy with.  It's only a bit more expensive but the quality is better and the extra range at either end of the zoom is really nice.

OK, but not great.

This lens offered me the best bang for the buck as I am starting to do Weddings and events. I need a fast lens for low light venues and this lens does a great job. I have it paired with a Canon 7D and it has given me some clean crisp shots. I do find the focus to be a little slower than my canon lenses but it is still a very nice addition to my gear. With an indoor event I find this lens was all I needed to cover all my shots from fine table details to formal group portraits.

Wedding Photographer

My hobby has been photography and the Tamron lens is a great addition. I've used this lens several times and it has performed great in low light and outside shots. Great lens for the value. The zoom is a little stiff but you will soon get use to it either way you can't beat the price for a L lens.

What a great lens for the money

A good lens for the money

First of all, I see a lot of people saying it's not an L lens, no USM, well no kidding you should have known that when you bought it.... I find this lens a great all around lens on my Canon Digital Rebel XSI and gives me sharp images....Far superior to the kit lens. I have not had a problem with slow focus like a lot of the reviews have mentioned, I shoot mostly landscape and night scenes it delivers. If i go on a trip and have to choose a lens to take it's this one and it doesn't let me down. For the price it's a great addition to any one that want's a affordable lens.

Great Lens

Very sharp even wide open.
No discernible color aberrations.
Moderate barrel distortion at wide angle.
Neutral bokeh (out-of-focus highlights rendered as uniform circles).
Autofocus accuracy is close to Nikon's, though a bit slow.
Optical stabilization is very effective, but require a one-second delay to settle down after every half-press or flash burst.
Build quality is OK, though there's a tiny bit of play in focus and zoom rings.
Both autofocus and stabilization are acoustically noisy. The lens hood is a bit loose in its clip, so it rattles.

Overall, a wonderful low-light/indoor zoom, excellent value.

Autofocus on mine failed after 2 years (no longer acquired lock). Fixed under warranty service. Great service: no hassles, no charge, mailed back within a couple of days and in perfect condition.

Excellent optics, quirky AF and VR

This lens is truley amazing. Shooting hand held in very low light conditions with the Vibration Compensation feature on produces sharp, steady images even at wide open. The color reproduction and contrast is fantastic. Images are sharp and crisp across all apretures. The construction is solid with no lens creep. The focal length ring operates smoothly with no slop. I am very pleased and frankly amazed at the quality and perfomance of this product

Amazing Lens

This lens still needs some work. I have tried 2 of them and each has a focus problem. The lens fails to grab the outside edges of photos sharply meaning in large group shots you'll have some people in focus and others out. I like Tamron gear but this one needs more refining to help it live up to the rest of their lenses.

Decent, but still needs work

This is kinda my all-purpose lens. If I'm heading somewhere and I can't really take my whole camera bag, this is a lens I take. Great lens for much less than the equivalent Canon L lens.

Great walking-around lens

This is a decent lens if you are on a budget. If you have the money to spend I would go with the canon 17-55mm over this. I have had this lens for almost 3 years. I send it in about every 6 months to get some issue fixed. I have sent it in to fix the autofocus, to fix the lens contacts, and to get it cleaned. Dust gets behing the front element of this lens pretty easy, and sand and other elements seem to jam up the focus ring pretty easily as well. All that being said, I would say I am a lot harder on my equipment than many people out there. I shoot in rugged outdoor conditions every week. Also, Tamron has always been really good about fixing the lens free of charge under warranty, and it has a 6 year warranty! That is awesome. The fast aperture is really nice, and it is pretty sharp wide open. The vibration compensation is great too, especially for video which is what I mainly use this lens for. Autofocus on this lens for photo is mediocre at best. But if video is your game, this is a pretty good choice for a fast lens at a decent price. I would give build quality a 3 out of 5, but if they weather sealed it, I would give it a 5.

Decent lens if your on a budget

great lens for the price

I couldn't justify the L series lens especially at almost double the price.  I have shot with a L series lens.  I would have to shoot the lenses back to back to notice if their was any difference.  I have owned a couple of the Tamron lenses and have been very pleased with them.

A Very Good lens regardless of Price

Had a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 in the past and was pleased (not wow'ed) with Tamron brand lens.  Thought I would try this VC lens, used it on one (1) wedding and tried to sell it after seeing the photograph's, it took 2 months to sell, I had it to long[...].  The focus was off, tried the focus fine tune adjustment with a little luck but not enough.  I did try the lens before the wedding, on the LCD, it looked Ok, but when enlarged on computer screen, what a disappointment.  Lucked out and the couple did not want any large prints, just a album.  Focus speed was Ok, and did not think it was loud.  The lens is a good size to carry, but if it does not perform, size does not matter.  The lens did reproduce color well.

Not that great!

I really wanted to like the lens. I researched between this and the Sigma, but in my town, the Sigma was harder to find, so I went with the Tammy. My first lens didnt impress me at all. At 50mm 2.8 the images were so soft that I couldnt print out any pictures. I returned the lens for another one, and although the image quality is slightly better, anything less than F9 is very soft and not sharp. I sent the lens to Tamron to have it recalibrated and the images were not any better and there was dust within the lens, so again, its back with Tamron. I am so very disapointed with this lens. I feel that Im stuck with this lens because it is worthless in low light, but does well with good light and I bought it for use in low light. I perhaps got a bad apple out of the batch.

Not impressed with my lens

This is my first lens, and what a lens it is!

I wanted to buy something that I wouldn't have to upgrade later on, but I couldn't justify shelling out for Canon's EF-S 17-55 IS USM.

Pros: This lens is dirt cheap compared to it's image quality - fantastic. Photos are tack sharp, even wide open, with minimal CA and distortion at 24mm and above. Beautiful, creamy bokeh, good contrast... I could go on and on. The constant f/2.8 aperture is great, and the (relatively) light weight and small size means it can stay on the camera anytime, anywhere. Tamron throws in a fairly nice lens hood.

Cons: This lens has rather strong barrel distortion and vignetting at 17mm. The vignetting disappears when stopping down to about f/4. Autofocus is noisy and slow to anybody used to Canon USM lenses, but it's quieter than reviews make out. No FTM.

Small caveat: The zoom and focus rings rotate opposite to Canon lenses - the "right" direction for Nikon,  but "wrong" for Canon.

THE Walkaround Lens

I bought the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 last weekend and was highly disappointed.  The motor is loud to the point of distraction when you're in a quiet room.  The AF works SOME of the time, and the viewfinder "skips".  (Picture banging your fist on an old TV set and the picture jumps.) [...] try out the Sigma 17-50 and the 24-70.  Both of those are sharp, sharp, sharp!  Quiet motor as well.  I exchanged the Tammy for the Sigma 24-70.

Save yourself a headache, get the Sigma!

Great lens for the price.Bought it in November when it had a better rebate.This was my first Tamron although i have used 28-75 at work.Very good results on my 7d, love the bokeh. The only con is that it tends to hunt in low light, wish it had USM or HSM. My slower canon 28-135 nails the focus faster under the same lighting than the Tamron, the only reason i could think of was the USM on canon.Wonder how the Sigma 17-50 os hsm compares to this?

Love it

I bought this lens to replace the kit lens that came with my Canon XSi.  I couldn't be happier.  Very sharp, consistent focus across the photo, great color rendition, and solid construction.  Seems a real work horse.  Did forget to use the VC feature on several low light photos.  Will not do that again!  Great lens.

Great lens!

I really wanted to like this lens because of the dramatic cost savings from the Nikkor version.  After shooting several hundred photos over two weeks in various environments, I examined the photos, tweaked my camera settings, and then gave up. My photos just weren't as sharp and crisp as when I used my other lenses.  I was intending to use it for 90% of my photos (indoors, little kids, low light) but the image quality wasn't there.  I returned it.

Not very pleased...

Good lens with the price only half of the Canon lens.

I will buy it again

Outstanding Lens

My 1st lens for my Canon XSi far & away better than the kit lens. It is much more affordable than the Canon 17-55 IS. This is a good every day lens. Only downside it is a little noisy & focus is a little slow but it does not prevent me from getting the shots I want.

A good 1st lens

excellent shapness and good VC performance. It is a great bargain at the price.  So far I have used it for landscape and museum pictures.  It's imaging is a definite improvement on its non-VC predecessor, which I also owned.

Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical Zoom Lens for Canon EF Mount

Recommended Alternatives

Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD Lens for Canon RF

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Lens for Fujifilm X

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Lens for Fujifilm X w/ Essential Acc. Kit