Tamron 17-50 non VC or Nikon 16-85 VR

badboy1984

badboy1984

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I'm looking to buy a good walkaround/travel/holiday lens so i can keep it as light as possible when travel instead of bringing the Nikon 28-70 f2.8 etc.

So i would like to bring a decent mid zoom lens plus a small prime for travel. I got a nikon 35mm f1.8 AFS already so just need a good decent mid zoom.

I'm looking at the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non VC (or the VC) and the Nikon 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 VR AFS.

I'm not too bother about the aperture difference but rather bother about the build and optic quality of both lens. Any pros and cons when comparing the two?
 
I have owned the Tamron 17-50 non VC and the Nikon. I sold the Nikon to buy the Tamron for its optical quality and the constant aperture. The Nikon definitely feels better built and more durable but the focus motor failed on mine which cost about £150 to put right. Apparently this is a fairly common problem which starts with a slight focus squeak. The Tamron definitely has the edge optically both in terms of sharpness and its lack of distortion particularly at the wide end where the Nikon has very bad barrel distortion. If you are going to buy the Nikon I would make sure it was new or at least came with a warranty.

I nearly brought the VC Tamron but the reviews at the time said that the optical quality was not as good as the Non VC model. I sold the Tamron easily for what I paid for it and made a bit of a loss on the Nikon excluding the cost of the repairs.
 
I have the 16-85mm, great for a walkabout lens as its a bit wider and longer than most, mines tack sharp. Had the Tamron before but for a Sony so can't really do a direct comparison.
 
tough choice i guess. both produce good optic .... cost wise the tamron is defo cheaper but nikon have slightly better build. Tempting to go for the Tamron actually .....
 
I can't really comment on Nikon gear, but the non VC Tamron is my favourite lens.
I originally bought the VC version but wasn't able to get shots as sharp as I had hoped. It went back, non VC arrived, difference was immediately obvious.
Focus speed won't win any races, mind.
 
I went to the shop today to try both the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non VC and the Nikon 16-85 3.5-5.6 VR and it walk away with the Tamron. The sharpness on the Tamron is superb, even on wide open to f2.8 as well. The Nikon is also great and good sharpness and the VR system is great but the cost on the Tamron and f2.8 blow me away. So now i'm one happy chap with the Tamron. I got a feeling this Tamron lens will glue to my D7000 for travel and holiday and all my big bad boy will stay at home or for work purpose.
 
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