Tamron AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 Di LD SP Aspherical (IF) Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Wide angle lenses have got to be the love-hate lens in any high end camera collection. You are always giving up something. Zooms especially engender frustration as they are least able to tease away the annoying reality of wide angle problems.Except in a very high end models, the sensors don't see the full 1:1 range, so any lens tends to be somewhat telephoto (zoomed in). So now a wide angle lens , zoomed in a bit by that geometry, may stand in to serve as a more standard viewing lens to offset that inherent zoom (from the digital sensor). In that case, variable zooming sure would be nice to have - but not if wide angle optical problems come with it.So go totally broke (a lens over $1500) or put up with some form of nasty edge lighting problems, distortion, color shift etc. One brand of wide angle - a well known brand - has a great potential version with great sounding specs, but gets it right on maybe half (huge problem with bad manufacture). Nope. Crap shoot.This brand's version, Tamron, is rock solid, inexpensive for the level of image quality, and can serve as the default lens to leave on your digital SLR. It's that good. Whatever they did to make this lens, you are not aware of seeing "wide angleness" when viewing the images.And yes you could go wider in angle with other choices, maybe buy the Russian fisheye for really extreme purposes. That's not an alternative for this lens, especially on a 1.6 conversion as with most digital backs. The one reviewed here, got a good work out on a Canon Rebel, given as a gift to a professional photographer whose images with it are just wonderful.Now I want one for me.

I had just received this lens the other day from Amazon.com and immediately attached it to my Canon XSi and was suprised at the sharpness of this lens compaired to the two canon Lenses I have. I took a few pictures in our back yard and at Herrick Lake, (see some of my Photos). Again I was just amazed how sharp this lens is. I noticed the Pics. were sharpest closed down to about F5.6. The lens feels solid and the focus is fast and quiet. the other lens I had in mind before purchasing this one was the Canon 17-40mm USM wide angle but at 200 bucks more and some bad reviews I read I picked the Tamron 17-35mm Lens and was happy I did. A 1.6 crop factor makes it a nice carry around Lens. I leave it attached to my XSi. For a fine quality lens at a moderate price, pick one up for about 300 bucks. This lens also has a 6 year warranty which is great if the focus motor should ever go out.Viewing the images on Amazon are in rather low resolution but some of the close ups can give you a good Idea of the quality of this lens.

New body , works fine with other lens I have . Not sure what’s wrong with this one

I was on a tight budget to get a single lens (for indoor/outdoor people & group shots and few landscape shots) and chose this based on reviews. This lens produces sharp pictures outside and in good lighting conditions (non-flash situations). However, it does leave something to be desired for low-light hand held indoor shots of people. I am looking into getting the Canon 28mm f/1.8 USM to fill that gap (I would have loved to get the canon 50mm f/1.4, but on a 1.6x camera it is 80mm which is not very useful for me). It does produce soft corners in wide angles. I also had a lot of focus issues when I used a UV filter with this lens. A good lens hood (the one supplied with the lens is useless) is needed to remove flare.Update 12/20/2007 - I have since swapped this lens for the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 DC fixed aperture lens and the pictures are stunningly sharp compared to this lens, particularly in indoor low-light situations. Sharp in center and corners at f/2.8 itself with no need to step down at all. At about 150$ more, its definitely worth plunking more for the 17-50 f/2.8 over this lens for CROP CAMERAS (17-50 is a DC lens and will cause vignetting in FF cameras).

Exactly what I was looking for for my new Canon EOS 40D (also an Amazon buy). I own two other Tamron AF lenses. Tremendously pleased with Tamron's quality, warranty and service (the one time I had to use them, and it was my fault, and they charged NOTHING to repair it).I comparison shop a lot, for items like these. Amazon's hard to beat in terms of price and trust! That's why I keep coming back.UPDATE: I'm aware this lens is no longer available on Amazon, and may never be again, but should you be interested and run across this lens anywhere else, grab it. It's something of a "classic" for Tamron, among those fortunate enough to own one. It's been two years for me and this is one of my most favorite and versatile lenses -- at any price point.It's great for long shots, of course, and the optics are everything others have noted: spectacular! But I also love it for many portraits. As others mention, there is something about this lens that gives a distinctive look without screaming "wide angle."

I was looking for a budget lens to use behind a goal net. I’m a professional photographer that has never really needed anything wider than 24mm. I wanted something that could do the job but wasn’t going to break the bank or get mad about if it got hit by a ball.I needed a lens that was wide, fast and sharp for full frame.And after a lot of research I arrived at this beauty.It’s not L series build, but still well built. It’s not 2.8 all the way through, only from 17-20mm. But then it’s not priced like and L!Understand what your buying and if it meets your needs as it does mine. You’ll save a bunch of money and won’t be disappointed.

This lens is amazing, such a great price for a great lens!! Its extremely wide, can capture everything you're seeing into one photo. The quality is great, bright vibrant colors and crisp image. So happy with this purchase. If you're looking for a wide angle lens, get this one!! Just a side note for the seller though; the lens wasn't wrapped too securely but it seems to be fine.