‘ThelensoutperformsmostofitsDSLR equivalents’Thelens’sflare
resistanceis exceptional
SonyAlpha7 III,17mm,
1/200sec at f/16, ISO 100Settof/8,thelensdeliversexcellentlevels
ofdetailacrosstheentireframe
Sony Alpha 7 III, 17mm, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100zoomingto28mm,providingadditional
shadingagainstincident light.Buildandhandling
Oneadvantageof mirrorlesssystemsis that
theshortlens-to-sensordistanceallows
wideanglelensestobemademorecompact
thantheirDSLRequivalents.Tamronappears
tohavetakenfulladvantageof this,andasa
resultthe17-28mmis surelythesmallestand
lightestf/2.8full-framewideanglezoomon
themarket,aidedbytheuseof lightweight
polycarbonatefortheexternalbarrel.However
it stillappearsperfectlywellmade,and
whileit’sperhapsnotassolid-feelingasthe
metal-barrelledSony16-35mmf/4,it should
bemuchlesspronetoscratching.Themount
is metal,andsurroundedbya rubbersealto
prevent moisture getting into the camera.
In termsof design,thelensfollowsthe
templateof mostfull-frameE-mountlenses,
witha narrow-diametersectionimmediately
adjacenttothemountthatflaresoutwards
toformthemainbarrel.It sportsa rather
understatedmatt-blackfinish,withjusta
slimpale-goldringaroundthemountto
providea cosmeticflourish.
Withitscompactsizeandlightweight,the
17-28mmis anexcellentcompaniontoSony’s
Alpha7 bodies.Thezoomringhasa large
rubberisedgrip,whilethefocusringis a harder
plastic;bothrotatesmoothly.HoweverI must
admitthatI’mnota fanof Tamron’sdecision
toplacethezoomringtowardsthefrontof
thebarrel,andfoundmyselftwistingthefocus
ringinsteadmorethanonce.It’snota huge
problem,butcountsasa minordemerit
compared to the Sony 16-35mm f/4.Autofocus
Lensmakersdelightin formulatingobscure
acronymsforautofocusmotors,withTamron
heredeployingitsRXD(RapideXtra-silent
steppingDrive)system,whichis alsoused
bythe28-75mmf/2.8.In keepingwiththe
requirementsformodernmirrorlesscameras,
thisis super-fastandessentiallysilent,soit
workswellforbothstillsandvideoshooting.
It’sfullycompatiblewithSony’sEyeAF,should
youwishtoshootwideangleportraits.
In practicaluseI foundtheAFworkedpretty
muchflawlessly,onlyfailingin exceptionally
darkconditionswheretherewasinsufficient
lightforthecameratofocus.Heretheanswer
is tousemanualfocus;sadlythelenslacksa
physicalAF/Mswitch,soyouneedtousea
functionbuttonortheFnmenu.Manualfocus
worksperfectlywell,withrotationof thefocus
ringbringingupa magnifiedviewforthemost
preciseresults.ButasalwayswithSonyit’s
worthbearingin mindthatthecamerastops
thelensdowntothetakingaperture,which
compensatesforanypossiblefocusshiftbut
makestheviewfinder image noisy in low light.Performance
Whatwe’realwaysmostconcernedaboutfrom
a lens,of course,is howtheimageslook.With
thiskindof ultra-widezoomthat’sliableto
beusedforsubjectssuchaslandscapesand
architecture,we’rehopingforhighresolution
rightacrosstheframe,lowdistortion,and
strong resistance to flare. Thankfully, the