I am a Sports Photographer and I got this lens to go on my backup camera, Canon 7D. I used to have just a kit lens but with this lens things are so much better. I would recommend this lens to anyone shooting a cropped sensor.

This is the perfect lens for an upgrade from the kit lens. You'll be surprised at how much it increases the quality of your photos. I definitely recommend it as a staple lens for any photographer.

Perfect for large aperture.

Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Strong Construction

Heavy

"I've been borrowing my friend's TAMRON 17-50 (VC model) frequently over the past year and its great for what I do with my T3i. I do photography at a camp and this lens is super fast and sharp especially for the application.

The Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XS is a great lens with stunning image quality and a fixed aperture at 2.8. The build quality is very decent, but the lens isn't very light. 2.8 is a large aperture, it is fixed throughout the range, which is great for handheld photos and low light situations.

In one day after placing the order i realized that the UV filter i chose was wrong. They replaced it with a right one (which was more expensive) and did not charge me additionally! The camera and lenses were in brand new condition. Delivery was fast. The price was amazing.

Very fast and flexible

I bought this lens in Edmonton from the new Vistek store in August this year. I thought that I would try it out first. The bench test reports are true to their words. This is an excellent lens and it only cost a fraction of the Canon brand. I realise the Canon lens has IS.

The Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 SP XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] is a very serious performer capable to deliver very sharp images at all focal lengths. Vignetting and distortion are about average for a lens in this class. CAs are a bit on the high side towards the short end of the focal range.

A fast aperture standard zoom with Vibration Compensation for Nikon or Canon APS-C sensor digital SLR cameras.

Excellent resolution in the centre at most apertures and focal lengths; Vibration Compensation is very effective; Good value for money

Falloff in resolution at 50mm and f/2.8; Flare control

Steve's SnapShot Cons Bottom Line Pick This Up If...

Very well built; Comfortable controls; Capable VC system; Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture; Produces beautiful results when stopped down; Appealing focal range; Half the price of it's Nikon and Canon competitors

Quite soft when wide open; Small amount of visible CA; I felt the zoom ring had a bit too much resistance; AF and VC systems make a good amount of noise; Some front focusing was noted while capturing indoor portraits