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.
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.