Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL For Nikon Review

The Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] is one of the most attractive offers in the standard zoom lens market for APS-C DSLRs. We did already check it out in some other mounts but for the sake of interest we're having a look at the Sony version here as well. You may excuse that most of the existing articles have been copied here - after all there're only marginal differences compared to the Nikon variant. Tamron has categorized the 17-50mm as a SP (Super Performance) lens which is Tamron's professional grade product league similar to the Sony G lineup. As indicated by the Di II the lens provides a reduced image circle so it is only compatible to APS-C DSLR (tested on the Alpha 700). Its field-of-view is equivalent to ~25.5-75mm (1.5x crop) on full frame cameras. The lens may be a "pro spec f/2.8" lens but at a price of around 350€/US$ the Tamron is almost a budget item.

The build quality is very decent but typical for most Tamron lenses there's a little too much plastic in there. Nonetheless it is still one of the better implementations in Tamron land. Both the zoom and focus control rings operate pretty smooth. Unfortunately the latter does rotate during AF operations which is a bit dated by now. As you can see in the product shot above the lens extends when zooming towards the long end of the zoom range and the supplied petal-shaped hood adds a little extra length on top. Thanks to internal focusing the front element does not rotate so using a polarizer remains easily possible.

The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera. However, due to a very short focus path (about 45 degrees) the the AF is very fast. The AF accuracy is reasonably good - at least on the Alpha 700. FWIW, the tested sample has been serviced by Tamron due to a centering defect.

Verdict

The Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] is a very serious performer and an obvious alternative if you can't get warm with the Sony standard zoom lenses. In terms of resolution it is easily able to match the Zeiss ZA 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 DT for instance - that is technically. Unfortunately the lens suffers from strong field curvature at 17mm which may push the corner portions out-of-focus. The level of distortions is about average in this class whereas vignetting and lateral CAs could be somewhat better. Mechanically the lens isn't top notch but it compares very well to other lenses in this price class. All-in-all it's an attractive offer and surely worth a deeper look when shopping for a quality standard zoom lens that does not require a 2nd mortgage.

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Source: Photozone.de (http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/47-sony-alpha-aps-c/386-tamron_1750_28_sony)