Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC at DVinfo.net

Tariq Peter · September 11th, 2011, 02:25 PM

I am having real trouble deciding which is the better lense for videography

a) Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC Di II LD Aspherical (IF) (Canon Mount)
b) Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) (Canon Mount)

I understand that if I am walking with my 600D the VC will be more stable but apart from that am I getting anything extra for the £80 extra?

Brett Sherman · September 11th, 2011, 02:34 PM

I don't think there is any other difference than the VC. However, I'd strongly encourage you to get the VC. I also ultimately went with the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 because of the manual focus override in auto. So I can hold the shutter down halfway to do an auto focus or I can manually adjust without having to flip a switch. I find it exceedingly handy to be able to do both.

Tariq Peter · September 11th, 2011, 02:50 PM

Wow the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 is an expensive lens but I guess it is 100% worth the investment. I am really new to the world of lenses and never used a DSLR before, videography is my main business so would you say that I should dip into my savings a bit further to purchase the Canon lens as in the long term it will make my life a lot easier.

Brett Sherman · September 11th, 2011, 03:06 PM

I think it depends on whether you think you'd ever use the auto focus. Remember you really can't use the footage while auto-focusing as it will cause the exposure to change. That being said it's faster than stopping the recording, using the zoom feature to manually adjust and starting again. I don't have an external monitor and often don't use a "viewfinder" like LCDEV so I like being able to check focus with it without having to have a real good view of the LCD. But, if I were looking to save money I think I probably could live without it.

Tariq Peter · September 11th, 2011, 03:14 PM

Would the Tamron work on the 5DMK2 if I were to ever upgrade from the reaserch I have done it will but I have been told that I will see a vignette effect.

Kin Lau · September 11th, 2011, 10:09 PM

The Tamron 17-50 _will_ vignette on a 5d.

John Wiley · September 12th, 2011, 06:42 AM

The Tamron's will mount of the 5dmkII but the image will not cover the whole sensor. The Canon 17-55 will not mount on the 5d because it has the EF-S mount.

Between the Tamron's, the non VC version is sharper. There is also a significant size difference - I was quite surprised the first time I saw them side by side - so that might be something for you to take into account.

As for the Canon, it is certainly the best lens in this class but is not a necessity. The AF on the Tamron's is minutely slower but seems a lot slower because of the loud noises it makes when focusing. Don't be fooled by this - it's actually still very fast. The Canon is extremely sharp but my Tamron is pretty darn good too, even wide open at f/2.8. The Canon has a slight edge in pretty much every department but that takes nothing away from the Tamron's which are a pair of over-achievers. Whether you think the minor upgrades are worth a significantly larger investment is a decision you'll have to make yourself.

Nigel Barker · September 12th, 2011, 10:53 AM

When I bought my 600D I went cheap & bought this Tamron. It was so horrible that I returned it the next day & bought the Canon EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 which is much more expensive but is a great lens & really worth it. There were several things that bugged me about the Tamron. The AF really is slow & noisy. The image stabilisation is really noisy. You have to flip a switch from AF to MF to manually focus or you are fighting the lens gears. Finally the zoom & focus rings turn the wrong way for Canon i.e. the Nikon way which was ultimately too confusing given that all my other lenses are Canon & I use a 5DII as well as the 600D. I can understand if you really cannot afford the Canon lens but I would have hated the Tamron every time that I used it & kicked myself for not buying a decent lens in the first place.

Jon Rule · September 13th, 2011, 01:38 AM

If you are ever going to use it handheld you would be better off with the VC, it's easy worth the extra. I've got the lens and its OK, there isn't an alternative at that price. I'm sure the Canon is much better but I couldn't justify it, if you are doing this for a living I expect the Canon is worth the stretch. The main downside of the Tamron is the autofocus in liveview it's almost unusable at times. But I'm sure you do this properly and don't use it!

Nigel Barker · September 14th, 2011, 03:01 AM

The Tamron AF is slow taking still photographs compared to the Canon. The Live AF is too slow to use whatever lens you use but we use the Quick AF feature all the time to nail focus before starting recording and then obviously manual while shooting.

September 11th, 2011, 02:25 PM	#1
Tariq Peter Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manchester England Posts: 435	Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC I am having real trouble deciding which is the better lense for videography a) Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC Di II LD Aspherical (IF) (Canon Mount) b) Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) (Canon Mount) I understand that if I am walking with my 600D the VC will be more stable but apart from that am I getting anything extra for the £80 extra?

September 11th, 2011, 02:34 PM	#2
Brett Sherman Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mount Rainier, MD Posts: 428	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC I don't think there is any other difference than the VC. However, I'd strongly encourage you to get the VC. I also ultimately went with the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 because of the manual focus override in auto. So I can hold the shutter down halfway to do an auto focus or I can manually adjust without having to flip a switch. I find it exceedingly handy to be able to do both.

September 11th, 2011, 02:50 PM	#3
Tariq Peter Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manchester England Posts: 435	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC Wow the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 is an expensive lens but I guess it is 100% worth the investment. I am really new to the world of lenses and never used a DSLR before, videography is my main business so would you say that I should dip into my savings a bit further to purchase the Canon lens as in the long term it will make my life a lot easier.

September 11th, 2011, 03:06 PM	#4
Brett Sherman Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mount Rainier, MD Posts: 428	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC I think it depends on whether you think you'd ever use the auto focus. Remember you really can't use the footage while auto-focusing as it will cause the exposure to change. That being said it's faster than stopping the recording, using the zoom feature to manually adjust and starting again. I don't have an external monitor and often don't use a "viewfinder" like LCDEV so I like being able to check focus with it without having to have a real good view of the LCD. But, if I were looking to save money I think I probably could live without it.

September 11th, 2011, 03:14 PM	#5
Tariq Peter Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manchester England Posts: 435	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC Would the Tamron work on the 5DMK2 if I were to ever upgrade from the reaserch I have done it will but I have been told that I will see a vignette effect.

September 11th, 2011, 10:09 PM	#6
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC The Tamron 17-50 _will_ vignette on a 5d.

September 12th, 2011, 06:42 AM	#7
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC The Tamron's will mount of the 5dmkII but the image will not cover the whole sensor. The Canon 17-55 will not mount on the 5d because it has the EF-S mount. Between the Tamron's, the non VC version is sharper. There is also a significant size difference - I was quite surprised the first time I saw them side by side - so that might be something for you to take into account. As for the Canon, it is certainly the best lens in this class but is not a necessity. The AF on the Tamron's is minutely slower but seems a lot slower because of the loud noises it makes when focusing. Don't be fooled by this - it's actually still very fast. The Canon is extremely sharp but my Tamron is pretty darn good too, even wide open at f/2.8. The Canon has a slight edge in pretty much every department but that takes nothing away from the Tamron's which are a pair of over-achievers. Whether you think the minor upgrades are worth a significantly larger investment is a decision you'll have to make yourself.

September 12th, 2011, 10:53 AM	#8
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC When I bought my 600D I went cheap & bought this Tamron. It was so horrible that I returned it the next day & bought the Canon EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 which is much more expensive but is a great lens & really worth it. There were several things that bugged me about the Tamron. The AF really is slow & noisy. The image stabilisation is really noisy. You have to flip a switch from AF to MF to manually focus or you are fighting the lens gears. Finally the zoom & focus rings turn the wrong way for Canon i.e. the Nikon way which was ultimately too confusing given that all my other lenses are Canon & I use a 5DII as well as the 600D. I can understand if you really cannot afford the Canon lens but I would have hated the Tamron every time that I used it & kicked myself for not buying a decent lens in the first place.

September 13th, 2011, 01:38 AM	#9
Jon Rule Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UK Posts: 37	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC If you are ever going to use it handheld you would be better off with the VC, it's easy worth the extra. I've got the lens and its OK, there isn't an alternative at that price. I'm sure the Canon is much better but I couldn't justify it, if you are doing this for a living I expect the Canon is worth the stretch. The main downside of the Tamron is the autofocus in liveview it's almost unusable at times. But I'm sure you do this properly and don't use it!

September 14th, 2011, 03:01 AM	#10
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC The Tamron AF is slow taking still photographs compared to the Canon. The Live AF is too slow to use whatever lens you use but we use the Quick AF feature all the time to nail focus before starting recording and then obviously manual while shooting.