Lens Lab
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF)
17–50mm · f/2.8
Overview
The Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) offers very good image quality in a compact, lightweight, and affordable package. Optical strengths include a flat blur plot at f/2.8 and excellent sharpness at f/4, though corner softness appears at 50mm wide open. Weaknesses include noisy autofocus and a VC system that can blur images if not given time to settle. Build quality is solid but plastic, with smooth zoom rings and no zoom creep (Bob Atkins). It suits APS-C DSLR owners seeking a fast, stabilized standard zoom for general, landscape, and low-light handheld photography (Bob Atkins).