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tamron17-50 vs canon17-85

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raduiordache said:
Thanks Thomas, anyoane else want to help? :)
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This was discussed in alot of detail a few months ago. The Tamron blows away the canon in PQ and Speed. Of course it has no IS and is a shorter lens (focal length). I had the Canon and gave it to my son when he bought an XT a few months ago. I bought the Tamron (as alot of people here did) and have been very happy with it to date. My only problem is that occasionally I try to take pictures when it's really to dark and even at f2.8 the shutter speed is really to slow to handhold without IS or maybe even with it :). Gerry
 
Get the Tamron. It has much better optics and the difference between 50mm and 85mm really isn't THAT much. And f/2.8 is better than f/4 with IS. IS helps if you're shaking but if your subject is moving then you're out of luck.

I bought the Tamron over the weekend and really like it so far.
 
I have the Canon 17-85 IS. The rang is very useful, the IS is amazing, the image quality = so so. I'm tempted by the Tamron, but I really need the IS feature.
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..FANBOY(i)sm is a NEUROSIS, Get Help!

 
I needed the constant aperture throughout the zoom range, esp when I'm shooting indoor events in manual mode. Hence I got the Tamron.
 
raduiordache said:
Thanks everybody, anyone else? I need to decide quickly.
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No one has shown samples from either lens.I don't doubt the 17-50 2.8 is good lens but the 17-85IS can produce great pictures also.I need the IS and extry 35mm for walk-around lens.

.Also I got my lens from a Dell super sale at $419. It has come down from $600 to $509 atB&H.
Take a look at these samples and you might go with Canon.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=15770526

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=19044551
 
For to mention I have a free correction for the distortion at 17mm.
Good luck with your choice.
 
why not have a look at ken rockwell's site and the D80 forum. The nikon 18-135 is sharp and constrasty, but distorts heavily, especially at 18mm.

The nikon 18-70, 18-200 and yes, even the 17-55 distort wide open.

Looks like all consumer zooms with big range will be compromised. Maybe your 17-40L is better
 
i think you have enough opinions already?? the more you ask.. the more you will realize u will get different opinions...

with that said.. I was in the same situation.. and you got to ask yourself how shaky are you and if you shoot still or moving objects... i shoot people mainly..

I can hand hold decently till 1/30 or so. the focal length is short enough that if can be done with good success rate. anything slower than that.. it's hit miss.. the thing is.. anything slower than 1/25.. it's likely you will have motion blur anyways.. so it almost doesn't matter..

in the same light situation.. with the IS ... with the smaller aperture.. u may be getting 2 stop slower (assuming at the 50mm range).. so instead of 1/30.. you are shooting at 1/8.. the IS help on still.. but for moving object.. you will DEFINITELY get blur.. whereas i may be doing ok with my tammy at 1/30
 
my advice is...Go for Tamron...

optical quality is definitely better than 17-85IS...and the constant aperture at f2.8 is a great plus for me (for some cases, it helps offset its non IS feature)...sharpness is great, colour is punchy and contrast is excellent...since I use this lens I do less pp work on my pics...

in my case, the toughest comparison was with 17-40L (lucky that I could borrow this very affordable L lens for a week)...I had to admit that in term of IQ, 17-40L is slightly better...BUT 17-40L is more expensive (almost twice the price), heavier, bulkier, and the aperture is not as wide as Tamron...for build quality, both canon lens are better..and what a bit annoying with this Tamron lens is...it creates a loud/noisy voice when autofocusing...I have bought few lens already, 3rd party and canon, and I ahve to admit that Tamron 17-50 is the loudest one..

you can see my latest pics taken using this lens here (indoor, handheld)...
http://www.pbase.com/aaregar/china_2006__tang_dynasty_show

 
I've just about completed a pretty intensive battery of tests for the lens (for me anyway, as it is the first time I am doign this) in comparison to the Kit lens, my 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM and 50 1.8.

Will post in the next 12 hours... still touching up stuff. Keep a look out for it!
 
The Canon 17-85 wins the Tamron 17-50 for the range, USM and IS. When talking about IQ, Tamron is a sure winner. I used to own the Canon 17-85 and now I've the Tamron 17-35 and Canon 24-105. I can tell you the USM and IS are excellent features that Canon can offer. But just can't help the IQ of the 17-85 (mainly for the wide end). If wide end is not your major concern, and you love the USM and IS, you can still consider the Canon 17-85. Otherwise, I would suggest to go for the Tamron 17-50.
raduiordache said:
what do you think?
i love canon 17-85 for its range and IS
i love tamron 17-50 for it's f2.8 and better optics
what do you think?
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http://www.raduiordache.ro
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Try the canon 35mm f2. THAT is loud.

Interesting , my Tamron is less noisy than the old paperweights Sigma I had ( 18-125 and 55-200 ). Probably on par with teh sigma 17-70
aaregar said:
my advice is...Go for Tamron...

optical quality is definitely better than 17-85IS...and the
constant aperture at f2.8 is a great plus for me (for some cases,
it helps offset its non IS feature)...sharpness is great, colour is
punchy and contrast is excellent...since I use this lens I do less
pp work on my pics...

in my case, the toughest comparison was with 17-40L (lucky that I
could borrow this very affordable L lens for a week)...I had to
admit that in term of IQ, 17-40L is slightly better...BUT 17-40L is
more expensive (almost twice the price), heavier, bulkier, and the
aperture is not as wide as Tamron...for build quality, both canon
lens are better..and what a bit annoying with this Tamron lens
is...it creates a loud/noisy voice when autofocusing...I have
bought few lens already, 3rd party and canon, and I ahve to admit
that Tamron 17-50 is the loudest one..

you can see my latest pics taken using this lens here (indoor,
handheld)...
http://www.pbase.com/aaregar/china_2006__tang_dynasty_show

Click to expand...
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http://www.pbase.com/mariush
 
I took the Tamron 17-50 back. I know there will be those that say look at the test results. All I can say is the lens was terrible and soft through the entire range. I purchased the Canon 17-55 IS. It's was much sharper right out of the camera and the color was outstanding. The price was a bit too much and 50.00 for a lens hood what's up with that. Happy shooting!
 
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