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.

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.

In one day after placing the order i realized that the UV filter i chose was wrong. They replaced it with a right one (which was more expensive) and did not charge me additionally! The camera and lenses were in brand new condition. Delivery was fast. The price was amazing.

Very fast and flexible

I bought this lens in Edmonton from the new Vistek store in August this year. I thought that I would try it out first. The bench test reports are true to their words. This is an excellent lens and it only cost a fraction of the Canon brand. I realise the Canon lens has IS.

The Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 SP XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] is a very serious performer capable to deliver very sharp images at all focal lengths. Vignetting and distortion are about average for a lens in this class. CAs are a bit on the high side towards the short end of the focal range.

Designed for APS-C cameras but with a pro-spec build quality, this sub-£500 optic is a good update to an already popular lens

A fast aperture standard zoom with Vibration Compensation for Nikon or Canon APS-C sensor digital SLR cameras.

Excellent resolution in the centre at most apertures and focal lengths; Vibration Compensation is very effective; Good value for money

Falloff in resolution at 50mm and f/2.8; Flare control

There are many similarities between the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR zoom and Sigma's 18-50mm f/2.8 EX, not least because both use professional-grade optics. Deeper under the skin, they share a seven-blade iris and have almost the same dimensions and mass.

Compact and keenly priced

Slight stiffness on zoom ring

When I first started searching for a wide angle multipurpose zoom lens, I shortlisted Canon 18-200mm IS, Canon 18-55mm IS, Canon 17-50mm F2.8 USM, Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 & Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. I read various expert reviews, user reviews and lens comparisons on the internet.

Very sharp in outdoor settings; very good from f3.5/24mm onwards

soft at f2.8; difficult to focus in low light conditions; slow auto focus