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17-40L vs Tamron 17-35 on FF...

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Bigpikle

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Loads of people are asking similar questions but when I see samples of the Tamron in particular, they all seem to be taken on a 1.6x crop camera.

This is probably going to be my least used focal length and I want to supplement a 24-105 and 70-200, and while it would be great to have the 'L's throughout, I can get the Tamron for almost half the Canon....

I want to get more serious with wide angle, and landscapes in particular, its likely to be stopped down to f8-f11+, so is there any difference? I read so much about soft corners on the 17-40 anyway.

Can anybody share experiences with the Tamron on a 5D or 1D please.

Thanks for your comments.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
 
I´m sharing the same thoughts as you do since one week.

I´m looking for a wide angle for my 5D, trying to avoid the 17-40, because for FF, it´s too soft in the corners.

Just want to repeat: the only reason is, that the 17-40 is too soft, it´s NOT because it´s too expensive.
There is nearly NO picture available, showing a Tamron 17-35 with a 5D.

The Tamron is recommended over the Canon and the Sigma, so for my own choice, I will go for the Tamron.
Check this helpful website :

http://www.whichlens.com/index.php?blog=5&title=canon_17_40mm_f_4l_usm_vs_sigma_17_35mm&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Regards, Joerg
 
and I have no what I just experienced....

I shot a series of images in RAW inside a store, and then realising the store had no RAW converter on its demo PC, I reshot them as jpegs. Well, the RAW files dont look too bad, although they are still soft in the corners, but the jpeg files are totally soft throughout, like it completely mis-focused on every shot and nothing at all was in focus on EVERY shot from f4-f11!

It wasnt a scientific test but leaves me wondering what on earth just happened? The store has 3 lenses so I could try another but for that price I'm not impressed. I havent found a store with the Tamron available to view and I dont like the idea of buying without at least trying one out....

I may go for the Tamron as it found it for £290 vs best of £520 for the L!!!!
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
 
Sold my 17-40 and bought the Tamron (didn't lose $ since I bought it used). Very please with the results on my 5D. The Tamron is a tad sharper all the way around (surprisingly good lens). It is my least frequently used lens as well so I saw no value in the L (all my other glass is "L" so I do like the "L" stuff - 35 f1.4, 85 f1.2, 24-105 f4, and 70-200 f2.8 IS). :)

Joe
Bigpikle said:
Loads of people are asking similar questions but when I see samples
of the Tamron in particular, they all seem to be taken on a 1.6x
crop camera.

This is probably going to be my least used focal length and I want
to supplement a 24-105 and 70-200, and while it would be great to
have the 'L's throughout, I can get the Tamron for almost half the
Canon....

I want to get more serious with wide angle, and landscapes in
particular, its likely to be stopped down to f8-f11+, so is there
any difference? I read so much about soft corners on the 17-40
anyway.

Can anybody share experiences with the Tamron on a 5D or 1D please.

Thanks for your comments.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
Click to expand...
 
Check these out, both at full 17mm (when you get to my Pbase site click on the "original" tab under the images to see larger files if you want to see the edge performance)

http://www.pbase.com/scubamoo/image/54882356.htm

http://www.pbase.com/scubamoo/image/54882357.htm

I am keeping this lens! It does need to be stopped down.

All my recent 5D shots are at:
http://www.pbase.com/scubamoo/5d_tests.htm

Only thing you may need to correct in PS is barrel distortion (which you will get on all but the very best rectilinear lenses such as the Zeiss Distagon 21) and some chromatic aberration at the edges in high contrast areas (see first image). To keep edges sharp and to avoid vignetting you must stop down down down (f/8-11 at least). Canon 17-40L I have never tried but I am sure the same applies.

Only thing to make me sell this lens would be the need for funds to buy the EF 24mm f/1.4L. That won't be any time soon as my funds are going in to sleeping bags, thermarests, immunisations and flight tickets to Pakistan trek to K2 in the Karakorum mountains this July (as long as Condoleeza Rice keeps the reigns on Bush and he refrains from bombing Iran - if she doesn't then that part of the world is way off limits!)
Incidentally the Tamron works well at 24mm (better in fact than my EF 24 f/2.8).
--
Dave Collier
http://www.pbase.com/scubamoo

 
I might just get one of these to try as several people report good things on the 5D. I enjoyed your NHM images as a regular visitor myself!

Good luck on your treks...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
 
Contrary to everyone else here, I bought the Canon 17-40.

I really wanted the Tamron to be better but it simply was not. The Canon was sharper, especially in the corners. I was testing with my 1DsII. BTW, I love my Tamron 28-75 XRDi so I have nothing at all against ANY make of lens. I also have a Sigma 12-24 that I will use when I have to photograph things that are behind me...
 
My message really dealt only with a 1.6 crop. The Tamron 17-35 excells at the wide end, which is fine for things lke dinner parties and concerts (with groups) because 17mm is not really all that wide. The argument that it's best at the wide end doesn't help the people shots as much on FF because there 17mm is way too wide for people shots. It's especially useful for interiors then, because indoors you can never go wide enough, and it's good to have a lens that is sharpest at the wide end.
Ken_L said:
read the third section, it may tell something:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=17264051
Click to expand...
--

Slowly learning to use the DRebel (only around 20.000 shots) and now also the Fuji F11.
Public pictures at http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~debra/photos/
 
http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/best19_21.html

and

http://www.16-9.net/ultrawides/

I was extremely impressed with the tamron on my 20D but how it performs FF I don't know.
Bigpikle said:
Loads of people are asking similar questions but when I see samples
of the Tamron in particular, they all seem to be taken on a 1.6x
crop camera.

This is probably going to be my least used focal length and I want
to supplement a 24-105 and 70-200, and while it would be great to
have the 'L's throughout, I can get the Tamron for almost half the
Canon....

I want to get more serious with wide angle, and landscapes in
particular, its likely to be stopped down to f8-f11+, so is there
any difference? I read so much about soft corners on the 17-40
anyway.

Can anybody share experiences with the Tamron on a 5D or 1D please.

Thanks for your comments.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
Click to expand...
 
for the links and comments. I have a horrible feeling it might be down to trying some lenses and hoping/waiting for a good enough one....

Might just order up a Tamron and see what its like?

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigpikle/
FCAS Member #124
DSLR Division
2005 - Year of the Gear
2006 - Year of the Image
 
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