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dealaddict
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Registered: Jun 11, 2009
Location: Cambodia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 22, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $225.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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cheap, sharp through-out
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Cons:
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so-so build quality, so-so focus speed
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I had a Sigma 15-30, but sold it due to lack of use. Then I am planning on a vacation and looking for a wide angle lens for my 5D again. There are no too many choices out there for a FF compatible wide angle lens. Did some research on this one, and thanks to the FM rating, this seems to be a reasonable good lens, so, decided to try it out. I find this refurbish copy on eBay with a price of $225. I used it for my trip, and the result far exceed my expectation. The focus is spot on, and it is sharp throughout the 17-35 range. It is light and small as well. I don't take landscape very often, so, I don't want to invest too much on a WA lens, but this lens really surprise me. It is better than the Sigma 15-30 I used to have. I think you can't find FF compatible WA lens cheaper and better than this.
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 Jun 22, 2010
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phatbaby
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Registered: Apr 5, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 20
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Review Date: May 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $299.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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value, weight, lens cap, fast aperture
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Cons:
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Slow AF
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For $299 I thought I'd risk it since it we far cheaper than either of Canon's wide angle zooms. This lens excels at the wide angle and pretty much wide open which is where I like to use it. There are complaints of softness at the edges and CA, but for portrait work I could care less for the former and if there's that much contrast in my image to bring out CA, I'm probably doing something wrong with respect to lighting. Anyway, I've been pleasantly surprised and have no plans on getting the L-lens equivalent any time soon (I have the 50mm, 24-105 and 70-200 L-lens for comparison). It's definitely not built as rugged, but I actually prefer the lighter weight and the fact that I could replace it twice for the same cost of comparable Canon glass. The build is at least as nice as Canon's non L prime lenses.
I have seen molasses move faster than the focus on this so I wouldn't use this frequently for toddler photography but otherwise it's great.
...one other thing I love - the front lens cap can be easily removed even with the hood on.
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May 23, 2009
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Gaspar Avila
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Registered: Sep 7, 2006
Location: Portugal
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Price
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Cons:
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Not good enough for a full-frame camera.
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I bought this lens for my 5D (MkI), but only kept it for a month.
The center of this lens is sharp and I liked the 2.8 aperture, but the corners were awful: very very soft and lots of vignetting. This lens is really not good enough for a full-frame camera. I have some friends who use it on APS-C cameras with satisfactory results.
I sold mine and bought the Canon 17-40L, which I still keep today.
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May 18, 2009
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hfasninvsn
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Registered: Jan 5, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $289.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Affordable, decently wide, color and sharpness.
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Cons:
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Slow AF, loud AF. At 35mm, widest aperture is f/4.
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This was the second lens I bought for my 300D, following a 50mm f/1.8 II. Comparatively, this lens is very slow to autofocus, and it can be very noisy when doing so as well. I notice that it hunts more in low-light than the 50mm as well. However, the wider, 17mm focal length is great. It's not as wide as a 10mm, obviously, but for the price, I'm happy with it. If you're looking for an affordable semi-Wide angle lens (on a crop body) then I'd recommend this.
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Mar 18, 2009
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metalstorm
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Registered: May 10, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 513
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Review Date: Dec 12, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $299.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Really wife on my 5D, light, sharp, f2.8
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Cons:
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focus motor, not built as nice as my Canon 24-105L
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This is one of my favorite lens and I use it a lot. It's wide enough to be a fun lens. I bought it new a couple of years ago for $299 and I've never had any issues of sharpness. I was very impressed with it early on. The edges aren't as sharp as the middle but I count it against it. I use it more at the 17mm range. Definitely a keeper. I didn't realize there were QC issues so I am lucky I guess that mine is very sharp.
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Dec 12, 2008
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Cliffee
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Registered: May 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 23, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very sharp if you can get a good one.
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Cons:
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Bad Q/A. Slow noisy motor.
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I can see I'm not the only one who suffered with Tamron's crappy Q/A. My first copy was terrible. After sending it back to Tamron twice they hand picked me another. This one is very nice. When I first saw the pics I couldn't believe the difference! Sharp and contrasty from wide open and on. I can't say how it will perform on a full frame but it works great on my 20/40D's.
If I had to due it all again I would go for the Canon 17-40L. It is built much better and the USM motor is much faster/quieter/ and more accurate. From what I read it will be a much better choice on a full frame which I will eventually have. (5DII  )Heck, I still might go that route!
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Aug 23, 2008
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ghamden
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Registered: Aug 10, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 64
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Review Date: Jun 26, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $185.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great Lens excellent IQ
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Cons:
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None so far
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Bought this lens used it is a gem
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Jun 26, 2008
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veroman
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Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2134
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Review Date: Apr 11, 2008
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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• Cost
• Range
• Build
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Cons:
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• Not at all suitable for full frame
• Serious CA issues
• Poor rendering of fine detail
• Serious edge distortions on full frame
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It's always difficult to impossible to know if one has gotten a less-than-stellar sample of a lens or if, in fact, this is the way the lens pretty much behaves in general.
I was looking for a cost-effective way to go wider than 20mm on my 5D when the situation required and decided to give this generally well-received Tamron 17-35 a try.
I found it to be riddled with problems and requested a return authorization the same day I received it.
I have no idea how it might perform on a crop camera, so I gave it a middle-of-the-road overall rating rather than a rating of "1", which is what I would give it if crop-cameras didn't exist.
Though designed for full frame, this is NOT an adequate full-frame lens. I wouldn't suggest anyone entertain that idea. If full-frame capability is what you need and you're looking to be cost-efficient, then for a couple of hundred dollars more find yourself a good, used Canon 17-40 and be done with it, which is exactly what I did.
Build quality is up to Tamron's usual high standards, and at f/8 between 20mm and 30mm, the lens does ok, but not great or even very good. Lots of CA; lots of distortion and smearing at the edges; an odd, cool color cast; an overall soft look at the edges no matter what. The center is sharp, but not as sharp as an average 17-40 or 16-35. Contrast is ok, but also not as good as the Canons. (You get what you pay for.)
Again, perhaps on a crop camera the whole story changes. I have no idea. The reviews suggest that might be the case. No matter what kind of camera you're going to put it on, if you're going to try this 17-35, purchase it from a reputable retailer who will let you exchange it or obtain a refund if things don't work out.
I have other Tamron lenses that perform superbly. To me, this one lens model seems like an oddball in Tamron's lens line-up. And, yes, maybe I got a really poor copy.
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Apr 11, 2008
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JackyFong
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Registered: Apr 27, 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 30, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp at all focal length and f-stops (Maybe I am lucky to get a sharp copy), AF quite fast even in low light, affordable price, the build looks appealing to me, not to heavy or light
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Cons:
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A bit noiser than USM but its ok to me, focusing ring in front
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I am just turned semi-professional from freelancing. For this change of status, I have decided to get a wider angle lens to replace my EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II USM kit lens for 300D and 10D. After some serious considerations between EF 17-40mm f4 L USM, Tokina's 12-24mm f4 and this Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4, I chose the latter.
I had got a used copy which is still in mint condition and the previous owner wouldn't mind selling at a cut price because he need funds for a new lens. Tested on site and felt ok. Got home and tested with some still life shots and to my astonishment, all shots at all focal length and f-stops were quite sharp, a little unsharp mask would finished the job!
Thanks to all the comments and reviews over here, I am able to choose carefully. I have never regret so far, but I will have to bring it out for assignments before commenting further.
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Jan 30, 2007
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timpdx
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Feb 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 978
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Review Date: Dec 2, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Simple, Bang for Buck. Does what it need to do at a very nice price point.
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Cons:
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A bit slow on AF, not really that much slower given this is so wide on a 5D.
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This lens is rated here on FM about right were it should be, IMO. 8.5-9.0. When I consider I got it used for under $300 than I put this closer to the 9 end. I have a decent copy, a teeny bit soft in the corners, but that is pixel peeping on a 5D-a demanding camera. It is not a nice as the 16-35L, which I have had the opportunity to try a few times, but then again, the L, even used, is 3-4 times the price I paid. It is nice a and light, and that is appreciated for I travel alot. When I can afford the L, I will probably spring for it, the 16-35L has less barrel distortion. But for now, this is staying in my bag.
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Dec 2, 2006
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GEO-hiker
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Registered: May 12, 2006
Location: China
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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price worthy,compact,manufacture quality
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Cons:
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not as sharp as "L",color is not vivid as "L" .at the price maybe the compare is unfair.
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After 2 years with my EF24-70,i suddenly have a ridiculous idea ,I thought i should sell it,and replaced it with a smaller and wider pro lens,becauce i complained the color and sharpness of the images which EF24-70 made was not as good as the EF70-200 one,what a big mistake idea!
after some compare and review reading ,i though this 17-35 is good choice ,but after some try ,i find some softness even at f5.6. By the way, I had used CANON EF17-40 for months,in the same boat with tomron 17-35 on the DLSR ,but on the film camra ,tack sharp,from this point and consider such low price,tomron 17-35 is quite good,but it didn't reach my standard. so i returned this l lens as quickly as possible.
fortunately, my EF24-70 had not sold out.because the marked price was high.
apologize for my grammer and spelling mistake.
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Nov 9, 2006
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sevan
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 118
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Review Date: Sep 8, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Lightweight....f/2.8...sharpness....price
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Cons:
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Kind of plasticky...focus ring spins when auto-focusing...slow AF
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Needed a wider-angle lens for a wedding...went to local shop to see this lens and liked it immediately. Not at all comparable build-wise to a Canon "L", for example, but okay. For me, the real thing I like about the lens is the sharpness of images...on a par with many other lenses 3 times the price. Yes, there is vignetting at edes wide open and some softness wide open...but by the time you get to f/5.6 on it is really a great lens given the online price at many places. I have since gotten a Canon 17-40 but I cannot convince myself to part with this lens...besides, it has that bulbous, protruding, yellow-reddish front element that is pretty cool!
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Sep 8, 2006
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