Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non-VC

[carguy]

Thoughts on this lens? Thinking of picking up a clean used copy locally for my D7100.

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] AF016NII-700

Thanks.

Tapp'n on the go

 

[kamaccord]

I would consider the Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 lens. I posted information about the sigma in the link below that may be informative.

http://nikonites.com/d7100/23312-sigma-tamron-2.html#post317020

 

[carguy]

If buying new, maybe. For under $300?

 

[kamaccord]

You can purchase new on EBay from Japan for about $350.

 

[Toddinlou]

Is there a reason to avoid the VC version? There seems to be some pretty good deals on the VC from reputable retailers.

 

[carguy]

Was not avoiding VC. A local lens showed up for sale that sparked the conversation is all.

Tapp'n on the go

 

[kamaccord]

There is a good lens review and comparison on youtube located in the link below that may be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3UfbsdfUu8

 

[ShootRaw]

Get the Sigma version.. Better glass IMO

 

[grandpaw]

I would like to add that I have the Sigma 17-50 F2.8 OS That I use on my D7000 and would give it an extremely high rating. You can see some of my pictures taken with this lens HERE. Almost all of these pictures in my gallery at Walt Disney World were taken with this lens and the D7000. A lot of these pictures were taken late at night and several around midnight and all were taken hand held without any support. I very highly recommend the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens.

 

[Rick M]

Interesting thing about this lens is that it out performs the newer VC version. Read the verdict on this site.

Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 SP XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] (Nikon) - Review / Test Report - Sample Shots & Verdict

 

[kamaccord]

Below is another review of the [h=1]Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD lens[/h]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPv8RJ6U-DM

 

[SpikeyLemon]

I got this lens used from Japan for around us$240, pretty good. A bit soft wide open but by f4 is great. Haven't got any image as I am on mobile but will try to post something when I get home.

If Ken Rockwell is to be believed, VC has some strange behaviors and it doesn't settled fast enough and you might get motion blur from the VC mechanism.

 

[kamaccord]

I came across another review for the old Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC lens and it seems to out perform all in its class. I wonder why they stopped production of the lens.

Tamron 17-50 Review - Best Fast Standard Zoom Alternative?

 

[mathom33]

I had the chance to shoot with the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non VC and by no means was I impressed. It was as sharp as a marble wide open. I did a focusing test on it and no matter what setting I did for fine tune focus on my D7100, it always seemed to front focus about 7mm when shooting wide open. Once I got down to f4 it began to correctly focus and the images looked sharper. I ended up buying a sigma based on a recommendation given by someone on the forum and I am impressed by the quality it produces. See if you can test the Tamron out for a few days before purchasing.

Search online for any front and back focusing problems with the lens. I had to sift through a lot of garbage, but what I did find was that some lenses have focusing issues (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, etc) and had to be sent in to Tamron to have the firmware updated and then checked to make sure the calibration was correct. If not under warranty you're looking at a minimum of $130 to have them do the update.

Hope this info helps!