Traditionally, ultra-wide zoom lenses stop zooming at 24mm or 35mm. That leaves most ultrawides at quite a disadvantage, forcing many photographers to switch to a mid-range zoom at what might be a critical moment. This dilemma is exactly why I am excited to be writing this Tamron 17-50mm f/4 review today!
After 20+ years as a wedding photographer, and even longer as a landscape photographer who absolutely loved dramatic views and epic scenery, I’ve always appreciated a good wide-angle lens. Also, I’ve usually preferred zooms, because when your view extends to the horizon, you cannot “just take a few steps back” to increase your angle of view with, say, a 24-70mm lens.
So, what if you could stop juggling your mid-range zoom and wide-angle zoom? What if you could actually improve your photography, by being more present in the moment, and not worrying about whether or not you need to switch lenses again?
That is what the Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD is all about. With a totally unique zoom range that literally no other full-frame mirrorless lens offers, there is a very good chance that you should check this thing out. I don’t say this very often, but it could actually be a game-changer…
Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD Specifications
- Tamron Model No: A068
- FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 17mm (103°) to 50mm (46°)
- LENS MOUNT(S): Sony FE (full-frame) mirrorless
- APERTURE & RANGE: f/4 to f/22, 9-blade rounded aperture
- STABILIZATION: No optical stabilization
- AUTOFOCUS: VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor, nearly silent
- MANUAL FOCUS: electronically controlled, focus breathing: yes, moderate
- OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 13 groups, 2 hybrid aspherical, 1 molded aspherical, fluorine front coating (weather resistant)
- MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Plastic barrel, metal mount, weather-sealed, internal zoom & focus
- MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 7.5 in (0.19m) & 1:4.6 reproduction @ 17mm, 11.8 in (0.3m) & 1:3.8 reproduction @ 50mm
- FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm, plastic hood included
- SIZE: 2.94×4.49 in (75x114mm)
- WEIGHT: 1.01 lb (460g)
- PRICE: $699
(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)
Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Review | Who Should Buy It?
The Tamron 17-50mm f/4 is a totally unique lens; as I mentioned, no other lens on the market offers the same zoom range. (That is, full-frame lenses; indeed there are 17-50mm lenses for APSC cameras!)
What does that mean for you as a photographer or videographer? Well, I could just say, EVERYBODY should consider this lens, and that wouldn’t be a lie, but it also wouldn’t be useful advice at all, either.
So, before we dive in, I’ll say this: If you’ve ever used a wide-angle zoom that stops at 24mm, 28mm, or 35mm, and been frustrated by how frequently you have to switch back and forth between it and your mid-range zoom, then you really want to consider this lens. Oppositely, if you’ve mostly stuck with a 24-70mm, and you’ve hesitated to ever buy an ultra-wide lens because you know you’d rarely use the widest end yet often find yourself switching it out, again, check this thing out!
Landscape & Cityscape Photography
Whenever I get my hands on any wide-angle lens, my first thought is always of landscape photography. Backpacking and hiking are my passion, so I’m always looking for lenses that are lightweight, compact, and yet extremely sharp. (Oh, and I’m always on a budget, too!)
Honestly, the idea of 17mm to 50mm was very exciting to me when this lens was announced, but I had fears about its optical performance. How sharp would the lens be in the extreme corners? Surely there must be a reason why no other lens maker has ever created a 17-50mm zoom before; it can’t be easy!
Well, as you will see when we get to the Image Quality portion of this lens review, there is indeed a bit of a compromise in the corners. It absolutely qualifies as nit-picking, though, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take this lens on a backpacking trip where weight savings was important. Pairing this with a lightweight telephoto zoom such as the Tamron 70-300mm would be a dream adventure landscape photography and vlogging kit!
Having said that, if you are absolutely obsessed with sharpness, and you’re planning on closely inspecting the corners of 40-60 megapixel images, you might want to either curb that bad habit, or consider a different lens.
Content Creation & Videography
Whether you are a vlogger or any sort of influencer, you’ll understand the value of being able to cover this zoom range. At the wide end, you’ll likely find yourself constantly battling the restriction of an “Active” sensor-based image stabilization system, and having 17mm means you can still get an end result that is somewhere around 20-24mm. Or, even more useful is Sony’s new AI-based subject “follow cropping” as I call it; where the image frame is cropped in very significantly for the purpose of following a subject around the frame.
Either way, the zoom range from 17mm to 50mm makes this one of the most versatile lenses that any content creator or videographer could ask for. It doesn’t have optical stabilization, but thankfully many cameras today have sensor-based stabilization, and digital stabilization is getting truly phenomenal.
Architecture & Real Estate Photography
Similarly, the Tamron 17-50mm’s unique zoom range will allow you to accomplish more with less. You might very well be able to do all of your work with just this lens and maybe one additional telephoto lens that you hardly ever reach for!
The only drawback is that for close quarters, the 17mm wide end might not be wide enough for small rooms such as bathrooms. A skilled professional can usually make 17mm work, but then again, if this is a workhorse lens that pays your bills, there is no denying that a 14-24mm would be optimal.
Candid & Street Photography
Candid imagery of any kind is where needing to zoom back and forth around the medium-wide focal lengths has been a “pain point” for many content creators who struggle to decide which lens to use, and when to switch between two lenses.
In other words, think of it this way: when you go out and about to do candid street photography, you could own all the lenses money can buy, but you’d still prefer to go out with just ONE!
In this scenario, The Tamron 17-50mm f/4 is one of the best choices around. One might argue in favor of a faster aperture lens such as the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8, but its zoom range is restricted on BOTH ends. Of course, if you primarily focus on portraits, you might simply opt for a 35mm prime, but again, such a lens is so vastly different that I’d want to own both it and the Tamron 17-50mm.
Portrait, Wedding, & Event Photography
17mm isn’t exactly an optimal portrait focal length, but, hear me out! Even though this lens is near the top of the list as one of the best landscape photography lenses I’ve ever used, I honestly can’t decide if it’s better for landscape, or better as an event journalism lens. Here’s why:
With landscape (and real-estate) photography, you might appreciate the weight savings of being able to leave your mid-range lens at home, however, you’re not really going to ever find yourself urgently zooming from, say, 24mm to 50mm, and grateful that you didn’t have to switch lenses.
With wedding and event photography, however, you absolutely will hesitate to switch from your 24-70mm to your ultra-wide lens for this exact reason. You don’t want to get caught without the ability to zoom beyond 24mm, 28mm, or 35mm!
For this reason, I absolutely think that the Tamron 17-50mm is the absolute best ultra-wide zoom for event photography. Yeah, you might not replace your 24-70mm lens, but you’ll probably still get better wide-angle photos because you won’t hesitate to throw this lens on your camera. I hope this makes sense!
Action Sports & Wildlife Photography
This last category is a bit of an odd one, but it’s all about how the 17-50mm, when combined with certain other telephoto lenses that are well-suited to wildlife photography, might allow you to leave your mid-range zoom at home. (The “leave your mid-range zoom at home” mantra is a common theme in this review, but wildlife and action sports photography deserves a special mention, because of which lenses perfectly meet at the 50mm point!)
Simply put, this lens would pair perfectly with a Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3. You would be able to do all of your photography with just two lenses. (Which might allow you to more quickly save up for something exotic such as a 300mm f/2.8; always beware of “Gear Acquisition Syndrome”! If you’re on a tighter budget for price and/or weight, the new Tamron 50-300mm comes in at just $799.
It must be a world record, to cover from 17mm to 300mm for under $1,500, let alone with just two lenses!
In all seriousness, check out this article here for some suggestions about just how diverse the telephoto options are from Tamron.
NOTE: What If You’re On A Crop Sensor?
One last thing that deserves mentioning is this: The 17-50mm focal range is actually a very popular zoom range for APSC type cameras. In fact, Tamron’s own 17-50mm f/2.8 (2006) was the very first lens of its kind.
So, it begs the question: If you’re currently using an APSC camera such as a Sony A6700, should you consider buying this relatively affordable, compact 17-50mm lens, so that if you upgrade to full-frame some day, you can still use the same lens?
It depends, of course. The difference between sensor sizes is absolutely massive. So, if you like this lens on APSC, it actually means you’ll need to get a 28-75mm lens on full-frame, and this 17-50mm will become a whole new lens.
My advice would be this: Go for it; get this lens, but also, try out the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 as well, and see if you like that lens on APSC, because that is a much better approximation of what you’ll be getting if/when you use the 17-50mm on full-frame. Maybe just rent the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 for a weekend and see how you like it; you don’t have to buy it, but you should understand what you’re getting into.
Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD Review | Pros & Cons
The main advantage of the Tamron 17-50 is indeed its zoom range. Unprecedented on full-frame, it stands alone versus competitors. However, it still deserves consideration based on its actual performance, and the price tag or the value it offers. Of course, if a lens just isn’t very sharp or has poor autofocus, it doesn’t matter how unique the zoom range is!
Image Quality
Here’s the quick-and-dirty verdict: If you’re not a pixel-peeper, you’re going to be thrilled with this lens. The Tamron 17-50mm f/4 delivers stunning image quality, including plenty of sharpness, beautiful colors & contrast, and minimal aberrations such as flare or color fringing.
However, it does have some issues, especially if you closely inspect the image corners, or if for any reason you want to turn off the built-in lens correction profile.
Sharpness
The Tamron 17060mm f/4 is Incredibly sharp at the center, throughout its entire zoom range. However, it’s not so great in the corners, especially wide open and especially at 17mm.
Image quality gets very sharp by f/8, and is actually better at 50mm than 17mm! This was an interesting find, because usually an ultrawide zoom makes some terrible compromises at its telephoto end, and in the past I have encountered at least a few lenses that were practically un-usuable at their telephoto (28mm or 35mm) end. So, the fact that this 17-50mm is very sharp at 50mm is exciting! Unfortunately, the corner performance at 17mm is a little disappointing. It’s bad enough that you might just barely notice it on a very sharp 4K video frame, and you’ll definitely notice it in 40-60 megapixel still images.
Bokeh
Although it is an ultra-wide lens with a relatively slow f/4 aperture, the bokeh of the Tamron 17-50mm f/4 is surprisingly soft and smooth. There is a little bit of onion ring effect in bokeh dots, but this isn’t a workhorse portrait lens, so, I don’t see it being an issue.
Colors & Contrast
As stated earlier, the colors & contrast out of this lens are beautiful. There is no noticeable color shift, and the crystal-clear clarity that the glass offers will allow your camera sensor to capture its maximum dynamic range.
Having said that, I always make note of one of my biggest gripes with almost all mirrorless lenses these days, and that is, you can notice some color shift in extreme scenarios that involve severe vignetting compensation. Say, for example, you take a picture of a pure white snowbank, and you heavily correct the vignetting. You will likely notice that the center of the image is a bit warmer, and the corners are all a bit cooler. This is a natural drawback of heavily corrected lenses that rely on “lens profiles” to reduce things like vignetting and distortion, and I am always campaigning for modern lens designs to keep this adverse effect at a minimum. With that said, you’re unlikely to ever notice such an issue.
Vignetting & Distortion
This, however, is something that you may notice, but again only in specific scenarios. Severe distortion is, in fact, present, although you will only see it if the built-in correction is turned off. By default, most Sony mirrorless cameras leave this correction set to “automatic”, so you’ll probably never notice. You’ll probably never notice this, but if you ever do turn it off, you’ll see just how much extra image frame you’re giving up.
NOTE: usually, this does not mean you are actually getting an 18mm or 19mm lens when you “chop off” the corners by using the built-in correction. The horizontal and vertical angles of view are almost completely unaffected, and the diagonal angle of view is likely calculated AFTER corrections are applied.
Sunstars & Flare
As I have grown accustomed to appreciating with Tamron lenses, there are almost no flare dots or other issues, so you can point this lens towards the sun or bright light sources with relative confidence. There is a natural amount of warm haze when doing so, which is usually a desirable effect, and only a faint hint of other flares depending on the exact angle of your image framing.
Sunstars, on the other hand, are a bit underwhelming, like many modern lenses. I’m actually pretty happy with them, they’re well-defined some of the time, and yet at other times they’re a bit dull; it seems to depend on the light source and the exact aperture used. Above is one of the best examples I could find, at 50mm and f/8. F/16 would yield even better sunstars, of course!
Either way, for a lens that is likely optimal for landscapes and cityscapes, I would have preferred the aperture iris blades to be more optimal for sunstars than smooth bokeh. I’ll mention this in every ultra-wide lens review until optical engineers start listening!
Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism
As an f/4 lens with mediocre wide-open corner sharpness, I’m not going to spend much time talking about using it for actual astro-landscape photography. There are so many f/2.8 ultra-wide zooms that are so much better for this! However, I will note that things like color fringing are well-corrected, (again, using the in-camera tools and lens profile) …and other aberrations such as coma and astigmatism are present, but they won’t be deal-breakers for other photographers besides nightscape shooters.
Macro & Close-Up Photography
Again, to my surprise, this lens is incredibly sharp at its closest focus distances, with only a minimal loss of sharpness. It is an especially decent macro lens at 50mm, with a respectable (but not nearly dedicated) reproduction ratio, AKA magnification. In other words, its a great close-up lens, though not an actual macro lens.
Video Performance (Focus Breathing, Sound, Weight Shift)
Videographers have a whole different set of criteria to measure lens performance by, so we’re giving them their own category of testing now! Videographers care about subtle details, such as, when zooming in/out, does the weight of the lens shift forward/backward very much? This can ruin a rig’s balance on a gimbal, so I am pleased to report that the 17-50mm/s internal zooming (and focusing) has barely any effect whatsoever on weight balancing.
Also, how loud is/are the lens’ autofocus motor(s)? If you’re recording your audio with an on-camera microphone, some lenses’ focusing can ruil your audio with an obnoxious buzz. Again, this newest Tamron VXD type autofocus motor is nearly silent, and even in the quietest church you will not hear the lens focusing in your audio.
Last but not least, videographers care about focus breathing. That is, when focusing near-to far, does the image also appear to be zooming in or out? This can create a slightly disturbing “tunnel vision” effect, which is usually a bad thing. In this regard, I cannot say that the Tamron 17-50mm is perfect, because there is indeed a bit of focus breathing. However, it is not overly pronounced and most active filmmakers such as vloggers or influencers will never notice it.
Design & Durability
Like Tamron’s other modern mirrorless lenses, the 17-50mm’s design is simple, and the build quality is sturdy. It adopts the “no frills” approach of most other Tamron mid-range and wide-angle mirrorless zooms, without any switches. (More on that later) It does have the USB port for updating the lens’ firmware and using certain special custom functions, and there is a lens function button.
The lens is weather-sealed, and its physical durability feels quite professional. In fact, with its internal zoom & focusing design, the whole lens feels a lot more professional than many other Tamron mirrorless lenses that do extend the barrel when zooming.
Personally, I’ve always been a fan of at least some high-grade plastic or “composite” plastic being used in lens barrels; it actually seems to absorb hard knocks and bumps much better than the aluminum/metal lens barrels of yesteryear used to!
Last but not least, I must give props to Tamron for being so consistent with their 67mm filter thread standard! Virtually every mirrorless lens they have made over the years has maintained this filter thread size, and it’s a breath of fresh air to have a standard that is so budget-friendly and compact, compared to the expensive, large 82mm filters that have become so common now.
Ergonomics & Portability
The Tamron 17-50mm is incredibly lightweight for an ultra-wide zoom, but it is not as ultra-portable as some of the other Tamron ultra-wides such as the 17-28mm f/2.8 or the 20-40mm f/2.8 which is downright tiny.
Still, it’s very compact for a dual-use lens that covers more than one range. In other words, any time you spend handling this lens will feel significantly more enjoyable for your wrists compared to, say, lugging around a 24-70mm, or a 14-24mm!
Autofocus Performance
AF is very fast and snappy, thanks to one of the newest Tamron VXD motors to date. Also, thanks to the f/4 aperture and generous DOF, you’ll basically never miss a shot.
Manual Focus Performance
MF is precise, with smooth operation, as many Sony users have grown accustomed to. The focus ring is a good size, and towards the front of the lens instead of the rear, and I like that too.
Features & Customizations
This is one complain I always have with Tamron’s “keep it simple”! designs in recent years: I do miss the AF/MF switch. Also, video shooters might miss the omission of an aperture ring, especially now that so many Sony, Nikon, and Canon lenses all have a customizable aperture or control ring on them. (NOTE: A further advantage of those native name brand lenses is that you can usually fully customize the “command ring” in-camera; you don’t need to un-mount the lens and plug it into your computer via USB!)
So, yeah, I know that Tamron lenses can be customized using the USB connection, and this lens does include a custom function button. But still, it’s a drawback that I must mention.
Value
At $699, there is no denying that this is an incredible value. Even by itself as one lens, I love the value, but let’s also consider that it is sort of like buying 1.5 lenses! The zoom extension to 50mm will allow many photographers to reduce the total number of lenses that they need to take into the field, and/or at least minimize the number of times they must switch lenses for work in that medium-wide range.
So, either way, at under $700 it is an absolute steal. I honestly expected this optic to command a bit more of a “flagship” price tag, considering the likes of the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 VC G2, at around $1,200-1,300 or the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8, at around $1,800-1,900. Heck, even the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 is $800-900!
In short, this ought to be at least a $999 lens. I suppose it might have been, if Tamron had beefed up the optical formula enough to make the corner sharpness go from “decent” to “incredible”. However, I’m honestly glad that they settled on this optical design because it’s an excellent balance of price, portability, and performance.
All in all, Tamron has impressed me, even with their already excellent value standards…
Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Review | Compared To The Competition
I’ve got good news, and I’ve got MORE good news that some folks might see as bad news, but I don’t. Allow me to explain…
Simply put, the world of wide-angle zooms has been absolutely flooded with incredible options in the last 5 years. When I first got into photography 20+ years ago, there were virtually no good ultra-wide lenses whatsoever. Just 10 years ago, we did have a few great options, but they were almost all the exact same focal lengths, and they were almost all absolutely enormous, heavy as a brick, and rather expensive.
Today, the situation could not be more different. There are tons of options, many of them are very affordable, many are very portable, and almost all of them are incredibly sharp!
So, picking the right ultra-wide lens for you could be an entire article dedicated to itself, in fact, maybe I’ll write such an article some day. For now, let me say this about the Tamron 17-50mm f/4: It stands alone with its zoom range! If you really want a 17-50mm lens, this is literally your only option, there is no competition.
WIth that being said, let’s consider some of the next-closest alternatives. You might be willing to compromise by giving up 50mm, in which case there is an absolute landslide of wide-angle zooms that offer various benefits.
Primarily, maybe you’re hesitant about the f/4 aperture, and want to consider something that offers f/2.8 instead. In this case, Tamron offers both the 17-28mm f/2.8, which is a solid performer despite its age. Also, if you’d rather not give up so much zoom range on the long end, there is the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 which we have already cited as one of the best, most unique lenses for content creators with its 40mm long end and f/2.8 aperture. (Another truly peerless combination of zoom range and aperture!)
There are many more options, of course, some of which go wider tha 17mm, and many of which stop at 35mm, 28mm, or even 24mm. A lens such as a 14-24mm f/2.8 is an entirely different beast, of course. It may be much more useful for nightscape and serious landscape photography, but it will be significantly less versatile for event journalism and almost everything else.
For those who are okay with an f/4 aperture, there are a few more noteworthy alternative ultra-wide zoom lenses, but the only one that really stands out as a close alternative is the Sony 16-35mm f/4 PZ. It’s an excellent choice if you are primarily a videographer, with its electronic zoom control, minimal focus breathing, and physical aperture control with de-clicking.
Last but not least, a very different but also highly unique honorable mention might go to the Sony 20-70mm f/4; for those who are liking the idea of a mid-range zoom that goes a little wider, instead of an ultra-wide zoom that goes a little mid-range. (Pictured above, on the right)
Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Review | Conclusion
It’s a packed market, with tons of competition that offer very strong, valuable options. However, Tamron has yet again created something truly unique here, and it deserves consideration by many different types of photographers and videographers.
For those of you who spend most of your time at the wider end of a mid-range zoom, or if you’re often frustrated by having ti switch back and forth between a 24-70mm and an ultra-wide zoom, this could be the perfect choice for you!
If you do landscape photography, real estate photography, events, weddings, or any sort of travel content creation, whether photo or video, the Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD should be towards the top of your list. Whether you are a high-end professional or a complete beginner, both the image quality, build quality, and price tag are all very attractive. What else can I say? I’m a bit of a pixel-peeper analyst who loves to scrutinize extreme corner sharpness, however, I would still love to own this lens for its truly unique zoom range that stands apart from all the rest.
Check Pricing & Availability
The Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD is currently selling for $699, which is lower than most alternatives even when they include automatic savings/rebates!
