Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC priced

it's listed at $649, $200 more than the non vc version. good deal?

Any idea when the lens is going to be released?

SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II VC LD Aspherical (IF)
(Six-Year Limited Warranty Valid in USA Only)

Vibration Compensation (VC) = IS

Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF]

i'd rather take no IS.

this could be a 17-55 competitor if the sharpness and colors are there...

dave

doesn't it focus a lot slower than the 17-55?

Compared to Canon's 17-55 IS, it is price competitively. I'm sure the optics would be great, on par with Canon, the AF may be so so. I'm sure there will be a review shortly somewheres on the internet. I have the non-VC lens, and it's stellar, optics-wise.

I've been wondering about this lens.

Why would you need IS (VC) in this focal range on a relatively fast lens. It's most useful for long distance shots, or static objects at longish exposures. A 17-50 (non-VC)+ Canon 55-250 IS combo would cost just $30 more but offers much, much better possibilities - a 17-250 range, with IS for when you need it most.

I have this to say...

When I bought my Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens; I never thought that I would fall in love with IS in a lens of this relatively short focal length.

Boy was I wrong! The latest generation IS combined with a constant f/2.8 aperture in a lens that delivers great image quality wide open makes this a super low light lens.

In fact, I have not used my 50mm f/1.8 Mark-I or my Sigma 28mm f/1.8 lenses (which were my go-to low light lenses) since I bought my 17-55mm f/2.8 IS.

Sure, IS will not stop subject motion but, most of the subjects that I shoot in low light are either not moving rapidly or are subjects which can actually be enhanced with a bit of blur from subject movement.

I recently saw an image of a Chinese acrobat which brings this point home. It was shot in low light conditions and the subjects entire body was a blur of motion, except for his face which was sharp as a tack because it was not moving during the shot. It was hot at a slow shutter speed with IS. Both the stage and the face were sharp! It was a great effect!

And yes, an f/1.8 or f/1.4 aperture will allow a faster shutter speed to be used but, the DOF at those apertures is razor thin. Additionally, neither the 50mm f/1.8 Mark-I (or Mark-II) nor the 50mm f/1.4 are exceptionally sharp when shot wide open.

I'd rather have USM like. I can only hope

I hope they fixed the loud AF noise

The loud noise is a none-issue to me. Did you ever use the lens? I don't find it too annoying compared to loud shutter noises and focus confirm beep (which you can turn off of course) and things like that.

Amamba wrote in post #8609299
Why would you need IS (VC) in this focal range on a relatively fast lens. It's most useful for long distance shots, or static objects at longish exposures. A 17-50 (non-VC)+ Canon 55-250 IS combo would cost just $30 more but offers much, much better possibilities - a 17-250 range, with IS for when you need it most.

I take it you hardly shoot at night or in extremely low lights then. Have IS (VC) can give you about 3 to 4 more stops which is extremely useful in those situations.

TweakMDS wrote in post #8609918
The loud noise is a none-issue to me. Did you ever use the lens? I don't find it too annoying compared to loud shutter noises and focus confirm beep (which you can turn off of course) and things like that.

x2