Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD

Specifications01

MountSONY FE

Focal length17-28mm

Max aperturef/2.8

TypeCinema · Wide · Zoom

Weight420 g

Filter size67 mm

Physical length99 mm

Barrel diameter73 mm

Min focus distance0.26 m

Max magnification0.1923

Aperture blades9

Optical elements13

Groups11

AutofocusYes

StabilizationNo

Weather sealedYes

Lens hoodpetal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied)

Approx price$799

Additional Info02

TypeUltra wide-angle zoom

Category["Sony","Sony FE (Full Format)"]

Keywords["E-mount","Tamron","Ultra-wide","Zoom"]

Angle Of View103-75°

Review AuthorKlaus

Other Featuresmoisture resistant

Review VerdictThe Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD delivers a quite convincing performance with just a few caveats. Considering its ultra-wide character, it's pretty sharp where it counts the most - the wider settings. The center quality is great and the borders/corners also on a comparatively high level between 17mm and 21mm. Many ultra-wide zoom lenses struggle a bit at their "long" end and the Tamron is no exception in this respect. While the results are good from f/5.6, the outer image field could be better at larger aperture settings here. The native distortion characteristic is very decent for such a lens and there's nothing to worry about with image auto-correction. The vignetting figures are roughly in line with other lenses in this class. Reads: there's some hefty vignetting at f/2.8 in RAW images. Auto-correction eases this is a bit but, a bit surprisingly, Tamron chose a non-aggressive correction profile here so you may still be able to spot some light falloff depending on the shooting conditions. The bokeh has its pros and cons. Out-of-focus highlights are comparatively nicely rendered whereas the overall rendition can be a bit harsh. The build quality is very good relative to its price tag. And whether you like the somewhat plasticky body material or not is also a matter of taste. However, an indisputable advantage of this approach is the very low weight of just 420g - and we are talking about an f/2.8 lens here. Unlike its fast, in-house zoom mates, it doesn't extend when zooming which is always something that we book on the plus side. The "moisture-resistant construction" seems to be somewhat inferior to other manufacturers - namely, there's no word about dust protection. However, we are talking in the context of a consumer-grade lens here. We quite liked the RXD AF motor on the 28-75mm f/2.8 but on the 17-28mm f/2.8, it's a bit on the slow side. This is usually no deal-breaker in this class though. Overall, the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is a solid performer. It doesn't excel in any criteria but it does the job and, possibly more important than that, it does so for a reasonable price.

Review Published2021-02-05T12:42:00+00:00

Optical Construction13 elements in 11 groups inc. 2x molded aspherical, 1x hybrid aspherical, 2x LD and 1x XLD

Field Notes02

Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD is a Sony FE mount ultra-wide zoom lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture for landscape, wide-angle and general low-light use.

AI-assisted summary — verify against linked sources

Catalog note · source: opticallimits