Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II

[HikingMike]

Anyone have any experiance with the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II ? I would prefer the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS but I just have to think of cost if I want to upgrade to a 7D as well. It gets good reviews on the-digital-picture.com. I'm also kicking around the idea of the Canon 17-40L but I really want an f/2.8

Thanks

[Trevor Harris]

I use it all the time and am happy with it. It's my primary lens. My limited time right now doesn't allow for a detailed review, so I'll just give you a thumbs up. 4 stars out of 5. The price is right too

[HikingMike]

Cool, thanks. That's what I was looking for.

[Arthur Dent]

Mike, I'd basically repeat what Trevor has to say about the lens.
I upgraded to this from the kit lens and now it's my primary lens. I have found the f2.8 very useful for indoor work, although this makes the lens quite a bit larger and heavier than the original kit zoom, but I don't find this to be an issue.
So far, the only thing I have found is that it would have been nice to go to 70mm (as per the Sigma, but then you lose the constant f2., but let's face it, you could always do with more!
Bottom line, I like mine, it's always on my camera and it was a noticeable step up from the kit lens.

[Woor]

Actually I have quite the opposite experience with the Tamron, I use the nikon version on my d7000 and find the corners to be extremely soft. Especially at the wide end wide open. If you want I can post a few examples. Might be I have a bad copy, but I've seen the same results on a lot of samples on the internet with the same problem.

My sister has a Canon 7D + 17-55 IS 2.8. And I have to say this is the best combo I have ever used. The autofocus is EXTREMELY fast, I cant say much about the picture quality since i've never done post on the pics, but from a purely mechanical standpoints it's great. The pictures I have seen are very good, I couldn't see any problems. If you can spare the money I'd definitely go for this combo. I wish nikon had a lens like that in their line up.

[Woor]

Just wanted to post an update on my copy since I've taken it to the local certified Tamron service centre. I described the problem as a focus shift and they took it in no questions asked. I even showed them some pics i took.
Yesterday, 5 weeks later, i get the lens back and behold, the problems are WORSE than before...
I can't recommend this lens unless you can try it out before you buy it to make sure you have an ok sample.