| Author: | | New Member Registered: November, 2018 Posts: 15
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 17, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $196.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light, easy to handle, sharp. | | Cons: | The mechanics | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax KP
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Purchased only for the paltry cost, planning to replace it in the near future with a professional lens.After 4 years of use I am convinced that I have a good lens and for sure I will not replace it.I also own a Pentax-DA * 50-135mm F2.8 and the image quality compared to the Tamrom 17-50I don't find it better. | | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2017 Posts: 27
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 9, 2022 | Not Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 3 |
| Pros: | Sharpness (at times), compactness and balance (with a K5) | | Cons: | Loud and inconsistent autofocus, green tinge to photos, lens Jams up | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 2
Value: 9
Camera Used: K5ii, K100d Super
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This lens can get very good pictures when everything aligns. When the focus is right, sharpness and image quality are great, although can accent the greens a bit too much. However, I want to highlight 2 major issues:
1. Autofocus is terribly inconsistent. It often misses focus, especially if light is at all low. This means shots are often very soft, undercutting the potential sharpness. I got a much higher keeper rate with the 18-135. Also, the autofocus is noisy - and when it is noisy and inaccurate, there is truly nothing to like about the autofocus.
2. There is a screw inside the lens which keeps getting loose and locks the zoom up. I've had to take the lens apart twice to reattach the screw, and I can feel it starting to catch a third time. Too much cost cutting with this lens. Because of its decent wide open performance, I plan to lock the whole lens to 17mm @ infinity focus, and use it only as an Astro lens for Milky way shots.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2008 Location: Detroit MI, USA Posts: 508
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 18, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open, sharp corners | | Cons: | No built in AF, No Weather sealing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5 K20D
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Set this lens to f/4 or higher and it’s very sharp corner to corner throughout the focal range. Set to f2.8 it’s not much different just slightly lower sharpness in the corners but the corners are still good; again throughout the focal range. Something almost all Standard zooms struggle with, but not this lens. Chromatic aberration including purple fringing are low. I don’t have to deal with them in PP if I don’t want to. The CA/PF performance is at least as good as my Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 lens. This lens can replace a normal prime or two in your travel camera bag to free up space and lower weight a little. Say the 35mm f2.4, 50mm f1.8 or f1.7. With near equal light transmission and sharpness. The lens has nice rendering, With nice contrast and rich but neutral colors.
It’s constant f2.8 aperture gives a bright viewfinder through its zoom range. It’s a major benefit in low light along with increased shutter speed and or lower ISO. Plus this lens is very good at f2.8, peaking around f5.8. It’s a Pro lens in terms of speed and optically. Build quality is above the kit, but below lens such as the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5. Perhaps it’s light weight unfairly makes it seem less well built than it is. After all light weight was a design goal of Tamron in this lens. Tamron uses 6 high-quality lens elements to reduce size and weight.
Not many negatives, it doesn’t have a built-in auto-focus motor or shake reduction but that’s built into the Pentax body. The only real negative for me is the lack of weather sealing. However, this and the sigma 17-50mm f2.8 are the best standard third party walk around zooms (~17-50-18-55) out there IMO. The Tamron is equal to the Sigma optically according to most pro reviews, but the Tamron cost less and is notably smaller and lighter a plus in my aging opinion. 
ADENDUM
I now own both the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX lens and the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. The above still holds as the Tamron is slightly better wide open. The Sigma is slightly better above f/2.8. The Sigma is heavy, but well built, it is the more reliable of the two according to user reviews. The Tamron inners are plastic, the Sigma metal. Little to choose from really IQ wise. Sigma offers in lens AF, Tamron Screw drive. Probably the biggest difference.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2014 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 1,714
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 10, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $275.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp; Budget; Decent Construction | | Cons: | no weather sealing | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
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I got this lens to replace my DA WR 18-55 kit lens that came with my K-30. As kit lenses go, it was a great lens, but I ran up against the limitations of the slow and variable aperture, and wanted something sharper. And boy, does this deliver!
If you need one well built, sharp, dependable, fast standard zoom lens, this is the one to get. Fantastic results. It doesn't have the same pop as some of the limited lenses, but it offers a lot. When I went back to my kit lens for a while, I really noticed the difference in quality. Another pro, it might be out of production but the new price is really low and comes with the longest warranty I've ever seen for a lens!
Cons: I think the 50mm of this lens is a bit shorter than 50mm, comparing it to some other lenses I have. It may be more like a 45mm. Also, the "T-stop" of this lens may be closer to 3.2 than 2.8, and its a bit darker than comparable lenses.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2015 Posts: 11 | | Review Date: July 5, 2019 | Not Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 2 |
| Pros: | Sharpness | | Cons: | Very slow AF; only useful for still objects. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 1
Value: 2
Camera Used: K-30
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Very slow AF.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2018 Posts: 10 | | Review Date: April 30, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $169.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Sharp, lightweight | | Cons: | None yet | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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1 Year Update:
Took me a while to realize it, but I had a bad copy of this lens. I noticed a persistent front focusing issue with this lens, most noticeable when I was shooting portraits. Could not correct it in the settings of my K-5. Purchase price plus repair cost, I decided it wasn't worth keeping and went for the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 DC EX HSM instead.
Downgrading my rating to 6 due to Tamron's poor QC with this lens.
If you get a good copy, it provides excellent value for the money. Picked this up from KEH (Excellent) for $169. Agree with other posters that its a little soft wide open, but not terribly so. Stopping down 1-2 stops sharpens things up quickly.
I'm impressed by the ability of this lens on my K-5 to handle tricky lighting. I did not experience any hunting at all when getting this shot:
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2018 Location: Tartu Posts: 79 | | Review Date: December 20, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharpness - Close focus | | Cons: | autofocus issues | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: K50 and K3
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Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 SP AF XR LD Aspherical IF Di II
My thoughts after 7 months.
Ergonomics and design
- The zoom ring is sometimes a little stiff. (it doesn't really affect my photography, but it feels a bit odd.)
- The focus ring moves almost too easily and has a throw of ONLY 60 degrees!!! Be extremely careful when using manual focus.
- It is quite a bit bigger and heavier than the kit lens and extends a lot @50mm.
- Rubber grips seem quite good. They don't slide and aren't loose.
- The hood is small, but then again you couldn't use a bigger one with 17mm. It's def. a plus and you can mount it backwards on the lens.
- There's also a small zoom ring lock which only works @17mm. It's not useful, because the zoom ring is sticky enough. I've never had the need to use the lock.
- No seals anywhere. Dust gets in. Wouldn't take it out in rain.
Optics
- The sharpness of this lens is exceptional. It's not quite DA*50-135 or prime level, but almost. Even the corners are good.
- At f2,8 it's a bit hazy, but from f4 it's very sharp.
- The bokeh is lackluster for my taste. It does show some onionrings and the background never gets buttery smooth. It always has a hectic feel to it.
- I feel as if the front element is a bit soft - it can get more easily scratched than other lenses.
- When it flares, it flares hard and ugly.
- Ch. aberrations are noticeable at times.
Autofocus
- No in-body motor. It uses a noisy screwdrive mechanism.
- The AF is quick and snappy. Better on the K3 than the K50.
- Sometimes it has a hard time acquiring focus and starts hunting.
- The mayor problem: lack of quality control?
I've read the reviews on the internet and many copies of these lenses across all mounts show one common problem: this lens misfocuses differently on different focal lengths. This means you can only calibrate this lens to have accurate focus on one focal length. On my copy the difference between 17 and 50 is an microadjustment span of over 120qm. This is insane. Out of paranoia, I even checked the internals of this lens. Everything seemed fine, no loose flex cables.
Please consider this when buying!!!!! Definitely test it out before buying.
It's a great value lens that beats the much more expensive DA*16-50 F2.8 in sharpness.
Just know that it might not provide as good of a look and lacks all the premium features of the DA* lens.
If you can find it used for under 150$ it's a steal. Definitely recommended at that price. And whenever possible: test it out for AF issues before buying. | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2014 Posts: 367 | | Review Date: December 14, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $85.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, excellent IQ | | Cons: | Build quality (loose screws) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3 & K-S2
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I love this lens and can't believe I got it on Craigslist for only $70 last year and only needed to add a lens hood for $15 more.
The image quality is top-notch but the build quality is shaky. The zoom mechanism was a little loose and would not register an accurate focal length on the camera when I first got it (but the images looked amazing). I dared to take it apart and found the loose screws and put it back together with a prayer that it would still work and I was not disappointed. Some other screws on the filter ring got loose that I had to tighten up as well.
Even so it is certainly worth the money.
I took this single frame 150 second Astro-trace photo of the Milky Way in July at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2016 Location: Alpes du Nord - FRANCE Posts: 1 | | Review Date: December 2, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Constant F | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K5 and K3
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Hi,
This is a really good and cheap lens.
This is my first review, for me picture can explain why i considering this lens.
K3 + 17-50 @F4 ISO100
K5 + 17-50 @5.6 ISO400 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: January, 2017 Location: Sofia Posts: 615 | | Review Date: August 27, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, light weight, fast focus | | Cons: | none for me | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K500
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Compared wit my kit lense DAL 18-55, this one is a level hiher. It is as sharp as the kit on 2.8 and much faster ofcours. From 4.0 it is extreamly sharp and dhe 27 sm. focusing distanse makes it almost macro lense. I didn't believed it untill I tried it. My pease is very stabel with no comlains on handling. It is the closest to the universal lens I can imagine and is perfect walkarownd lense for me. I'm very happy to have it.  hihly recomand it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2013 Posts: 796 | | Review Date: July 7, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, flare resistant | | Cons: | Focus accuracy, cheap build, bad quality control | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-30
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This lens is sharp. My copy was extremly sharp from F3.2 for a zoom. Altough the official pentax and tamron service couldn't set the focus calibration correctly for my lens. (I sent back the first copy with the same fault.) This lens feeles cheap even after handling a DAL kit lens. The hood is soft and the touch of the focus ring is bad. However the lens optically is very good. When I changed to a DA*16-50, I missed the sharpness and flare resistance of the tamron. Altough the DA* has some magic and a more plesent creamy bokeh.
Here are some images:
 IMG150906_0019 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG150813_0028 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG150511_0015 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG150529_0012 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0141_150405 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0003_150314 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0188_150404 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0033_150405 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32 | | Review Date: November 28, 2017 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light weight, Price, Sharpness | | Cons: | Manual focusing, no aperture ring | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K30, K70, KP
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Good built quality for the price. At 17mm, very sharp, but a little bit too much distortion and vignetting. At 50mm, less sharp.
Very light lens for a 17-50/2.8.
Excellent value. In terms of image quality, very close to Pentax DA Limited 20-40/2.8-4.0, and slightly better than Sigma 17-70/2.8-4.0 C,
The focusing ring is not very good (too light, short course), as most autofocus lenses.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: November, 2013 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 84 | | Review Date: June 19, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Image quality, Contrast, | | Cons: | Low light AF, | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: KS1 K200D
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I've had this lens for about three years now, and was my first upgrade from the kit lens. Comments have been made regarding the build quality but I've felt it has been robust enough for my needs over those years.
The image quality, contrast and AF are fantastic in good light. Thankfully in Australia we have that in plentiful supply.
Low light will let you down at times, and the overall results can be a bit patchy. When it's good it's good... etc. I've just purchased the DA 15mm HD limited, so it will be interesting to see if the results from that lens exceed the Tamron.
It is fantastic value for money, especially when compared to the Pentax/Sigma comparable zoom lenses.
     | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: California Posts: 1,602 | | Review Date: March 20, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $299.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cost/value, color rendition, low aberrations | | Cons: | AF which I thought was very poor | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K5ii
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I may have received an abnormal copy but the AF was very poor. I initially thought it was front focusing so I did a FF test and the results were all over the place. I did the battery test and used a tripod and could not get consistent results even in a very well lit situation. Using the lens in real world situations also produced inconsistent photos. When the focus did lock in and was not front focusing the photos were very nice and sharp. The color was always very good and the aberrations were very low even when shooting against a clouded sky. I noticed the AF issues would occur mostly in low-light situations and would occur much less in well lit environments. I know many other owners have had a better experience with the lens and I consider my copy an abnormality so I still recommend this lens to others who want an upgrade from their kit lens, especially at the price point. I am however, exchanging the lens for the Sigma 17-50.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 15
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 8, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very Sharp at all Focal Lengths, Best IQ for Standard Zoom Lens | | Cons: | Dust Magnet, Build Quality could be much better | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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It's about time to do a review about this lens. It was the first lens I owned after the kit lens and it has been my all around lens since 2012.
Sharpness
Let's begin with the best part, Sharpness. This lens is a absolute beast at sharpness when mounted on my K-5. Very consistent across all the frame and all the focal lengths with a bit loss in 50mm. Even wide open (F/2.8) it produces very crisp looking photos becoming better and better from F/4 to F/8.
Versatility
As I said, this is been my all around lens from 2012. Most of my shooting consist in family/friends portraits and lots of landscape and nature photography. I found my self using it all the time because of it's useful focal length and fast aperture.
Auto-focus
The auto-focus is great in good light, very fast and reliable. Just don't depend on it to focus in low light or Sports, I've tried to photograph Handebol Indoors and it struggles to nail focus even with slow movement. It will do the job in birthday parties or holiday celebrations indoors but be aware of its slower AF speed in this conditions. It will nail focus but with hunting.
Chromatic Aberrations
Well when I begin shooting with this lens I tend to use it wide open all the time even in bright sunlight doing street photography. You can see some CA at F/2.8 especially at 17mm but nothing compared with the Pentax DA* 16-50. Very easily corrected in LR with default correcting settings. Mostly purple and green in very contrasty areas.
Build quality and handling
Well this is the worst part, without being bad it's not great either. The focus ring have this strange feeling when we manual focus and the zoom ring is stiff especially when we point to upper subjects. The body is build mainly from plastic with the exception of the metal body mount ring.
The absolute worst part it's is the protection against dust. I'm a very zealous person and I clean my lens after every photo-shoot with the air blower or a piece of cloth. I find my self with lots and lots of dust inside my lens even cleaning it frequently. This happens more when I use the zoom ring too much outside. I also use a UV filter with this lens all the time.
My brother also has a Tamron 17-50 and I feel noticeable diferences in terms of sharpness (relatively better) and less zoom ring stiffness. Maybe I got a inferior copy.
Compared with similar lens
I've owned the Pentax 18-55 D AL WR, Sigma 17-70 Contemporary and currently own a Pentax DA* 16-50.
Compared to this lenses I always turn to the Tamron when I going to a photograph landscapes. The overall performance of this lens is the better of the four and it beats every one of them in terms of sharpness. The only thing that keeps me from selling the DA* 16-50 it's the useful WR.
Conclusions
This lens is just the best IQ standard zoom lens that Pentaxians can buy with their money.
Consistent image quality in all focal lengths, Sharp as knife, very good contrast and color reproduction and with Fast aperture F/2.8 this lens is a gem.
I recommend this lens over any other in his class (with the exception of Sigma's 17-50 F/2.8 I haven't test one yet).
If you are looking to upgrade your Pentax 18-55 WR from Kit lens don't think twice you will definitely not going to regret the upgrade!
And don't forget to register your lens with Tamron to obtain your 5 year warranty!
Sample photos:
https://flic.kr/p/NYtiyL
https://flic.kr/p/N4Pw3j
https://flic.kr/p/Nz4F7A
https://flic.kr/p/P2G6vn | | |
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