Besides the motor being rather loud, I really can't complain about this lens. The price is great for the quality. I have this lens on my camera 70% of the time and I am definitely impressed with how well it works in low light.

Easy To Use

Loud motor

Tamron's 17-50mm F/2.8 lens is a good upgrade if you own an entry-level or middle-of-the-pack camera, as it can provide a noticeable jump in image quality, as well as better performance when shooting in dim lighting conditions.

F/2.8 aperture; Good upgrade for entry- and mid-level camera bodies

A little bit pricey

The Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II VC is a standard zoom lens designed for primary shooting duties. The lens aims to stand out for its f/2.8 designation, which is a fast, open aperture designed for low light shooting.

Perfect for large aperture.

Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Strong Construction

Heavy

"I've been borrowing my friend's TAMRON 17-50 (VC model) frequently over the past year and its great for what I do with my T3i. I do photography at a camp and this lens is super fast and sharp especially for the application.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD ASPH (IF) is one of the first 3rd-party standard zoom lenses designed for the APS-C size bodies. Prices at about US$370 (as of October 2007) the lens is quite affordable for the mainstream consumers.

The Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 SP XR Di II VC is an optically stabilized version of Tamron's 17-50/2.8 Di II, though the two lenses do not share exactly the same optical design. The "VC" version has one less XR glass element, but one more LD and one more aspherical element.

Because of the increasing popularity of digital SLR cameras, Tamron has been upgrading their line of lenses to the "Digitally integrated" (Di) standard, employing methods discussed in our Technology sidebar.

The Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XS is a great lens with stunning image quality and a fixed aperture at 2.8. The build quality is very decent, but the lens isn't very light. 2.8 is a large aperture, it is fixed throughout the range, which is great for handheld photos and low light situations.

Originally posted 2006-06-26 on Optyczne.pl In February 2006 Tamron introduced three new lenses. Of these, the Tamron SP AF 17-50 mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD ASPHERICAL [IF] looked especially interesting, which like all Tamrons models, could easily compete in a long name contest.

visible chromatic aberration; vignetting at the whole focal length range (although the vignetting is even bigger for competitors at the same price range,; visible coma at f/2.8