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

[ortega]

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

for those who want to know, I did some tests shots and post them here
make your own conclusions about the quality

All images taken using a Nikon D80, ISO 100, Aperture priority



Resized full frame @ f8 and f2.8 (tripod mounted)
note the vignetting on the f2.8 image

now at 50mm uncropped images



next some 100% crop images

[ortega]

100% Crop Center from the 17mm shot

[ortega]

100% Crop top right hand Corner from the 17mm shot



note vignetting and softness of f2.8 image

[ortega]

Next, CA tests at different aperture settings

All images taken with the same exposure using manual mode


Full frame image

100% crops of top right hand corner to show CA





note that the CA becomes better as you stop down the lens

[ortega]

Magnification - manual focus set to minimum
for greatest magnification at maxumum focal lenght

image resized to 700px wide

Bokeh

set to get minimum dof and maximum oof of background
image resized to 700px wide

[ortega]

I have also at the same time done the same test for the

Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC (not the new macro version)

and the

Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G

[nikkie]

cool! show the other tests please!

[sentinel_006]

I wonder if the Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 has the same vignette issue ... but then again, the price for the Tamron, as well as the weight really makes it an attractive buy.

[ortega]

Originally Posted by nikkie cool! show the other tests please!

akan datang, maybe tomorrow
me need to sleep now

I also have not done the magnification and bokeh test yet

[humanTORCH]

anyway thanks ortega for the hard work

[StrifeYun]

wow, thanks.

how about the ef-s 17-55 ? hee

[ortega]

glad to be of help
Just hope you find it useful and informative

in regards to the Canon ef-s 17-55, i am sorry but I am a nikon user, so no way for me to test.

[harmony]

Hi ortega, thank you for the review

Btw, what's your thought on the the lens' AF performance and accuracy?

[ortega]

Originally Posted by harmony Hi ortega, thank you for the review Btw, what's your thought on the the lens' AF performance and accuracy?

this lens is the screw drive and is dependant on the camera body for speed
so i really can't judge as it can be fast on my camera and slower on yours.
also the target point must have some contrast for it to lock on.

but IMO it is fast enough,

as for accuracy, if you know where to aim and there is enough light for the AF sensor of the camera body to detect, then it is accurate.

normally i use my eyes to check focus before i fully depress the shutter, so for me it is accurate. it is just a habit that i picked up during the film days.

[theveed]

THANKS for posting this

[tltan]

Originally Posted by ortega this lens is the screw drive and is dependant on the camera body for speed so i really can't judge as it can be fast on my camera and slower on yours. also the target point must have some contrast for it to lock on. but IMO it is fast enough, as for accuracy, if you know where to aim and there is enough light for the AF sensor of the camera body to detect, then it is accurate. normally i use my eyes to check focus before i fully depress the shutter, so for me it is accurate. it is just a habit that i picked up during the film days.

Bro, great work here. thinking of upgrading my D70s kit lens as well to something f2.8. the 18-70 is good for me but the lust for a 2.8 is neverending. Thanks alot for taking time to do this.

Regards,
tltan

[ortega]

ok, tonight (maybe) i will post the shots for thhe Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G
after that i will post a side by side shootout

then you can decide if which lens is the one for you.

[E-silo]

Great test ortega, my opinion both lenses have their pro and cons.
by comparing pictures taken by both lens, I still prefer sharpness & details
which the nikon delivers best.
I bet my last dollar the 17-55mm Nikon lens is more than something compared
to tamron, apart from the price.

[glay78]

Originally Posted by ortega ok, tonight (maybe) i will post the shots for thhe Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G after that i will post a side by side shootout then you can decide if which lens is the one for you.

Great work bro..I'm waiting for the comparison of Nikon 18-70mm vs Tamron 17-50mm. I'm now using 18-70mm but wasn't satisfied with the sharpness so thinking of getting Tamron 17-50mm which Nikon 17-55mm is way above my budget.

[tbh0083]

Hi glay78,

From my experience, the best Aperture setting for 18-70 is f5.6 and f8. I always use f5.6 and managed to get the sharpest image from my D50 + 18-70.