Tamron made waves a few years ago with its 28-75mm f/2.8 lens for Sony full frame cameras. Now there’s an APS-C version and it might make the equivalent Sony lens look massively overpriced. How good is the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony crop-sensor cameras?
Tamron announced the its new 17-70mm f/2.8 late last year and those lucky enough to get their hands on it seem to be very impressed. In this detailed video, Arthur R puts it head-to-head with Sony’s own APS-C workhorse, the 16-55mm f/2.8 G. At $1,298, the Sony is dramatically more expensive than the Tamron which costs a mere $799. Unfortunately, customers keen to buy the Tamron will have to be patient as major retailers don’t currently have it in stock.
For Manny Ortiz, the Sony G lens clinches it in terms of overall image quality, but for the vast majority of Sony A6XXX shooters, the Tamron makes much more sense as a purchase, not simply for the price, but for the array of other features that Tamron has included.
The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 was a best seller and it seems that its APS-C sibling is set to follow in its footsteps. Will you be placing an order? Let us know in the comments below.
2 Comments
From watching several reviews, it seems that the Tamron is very close in quality through the same range as the Sony G lens (up to 55mm). However beyond that the Tamron gets a bit soft as it approaches 70mm. As a non-professional, I think this is "good enough" for my purposes and a good bang for the buck. I've started budgeting to buy one in a few months.
Great lens but this is one of the few reviews I've seen with it tested on an APS-C body, with most other reviews testing it on an A7R in crop mode with little or no comment that on an APS-C body, the Tamron seems huge.