Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical A-mount lens review by chuck1856
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 3.9 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Min 28-85 |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | range fast focus |
negative: | sharpness away from center |
comment: | I was looking for something approaching prime quality to use for indoor, available-light photos around the house. I like the wide end of this lens and the f/2.8, which is quiet bright but not so much so that the DOF is too shallow for snapshots. Perhaps b/c of the limited zoom range (vs 24-70) this focuses fast indoor, even on my slightly out-dated Sony A100. The feel, build quality, and weight seem appropriate for a mid-range lens such as this. I've been slightly disappointed with the sharpness away from center, especially at widest zoom and aperture. When set this way to capture the scene of people in a room, the people on the outside edges were so soft I thought the lens might have been dirty. But that's probably a worst case scenario for such a lens, and I'll even take that performance as opposed to giving up the wide angle range or f/2.8 in some settings. Better to have the ability to make a choice. Lastly I wish it had a little more reach on the long end for outdoors but obviously knew what I was was getting before I purchased it. I think this limits its ability as a total "walk-around" lens. |
rating summary

- total reviews: 214
- sharpness: 4.59
- color: 4.45
- build: 4.14
- distortion: 4.16
- flare control: 4.45
- overall: 4.36