Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS upgrade to Tamron 17-50mm F2.8

dave_walton · 03-08-2008, 10:06 AM

I'm considering upgrading my Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS to a Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 to gain a bit better low light performance, better optics and a bit wider at the bottom end.

Would I notice an improvement in image quality as the Canon is pretty sharp.

Is it worth upgrading considering the low light performance vs the 3 stop (theoretical) advantage of IS?

denno75uk · 03-08-2008, 1:58 PM

From what I've read it would be more of a 'feature swap' than an upgrade. I would say the only reason to 'upgrade' would be if you want to shoot more moving targets or want a shallower depth of field, ie- you want the wider/faster aperture. The 1mm FL diff at the wide end isn't even worth thinking about IMO.
The Tamron is sharp, no doubt. Whether it's sharper than the Canon I have no idea.
Low light performance is very subjective. When I first got the Tamron I was surprised how bright it was when the 2.8 still needed 1/30-1/60s to get a shot. There are many times I'd love the IS you have on the Canon.
Any chance of borrowing one, or similar (Sigma), to see if you like/want/need it before you splash the cash?