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Canon 20-35, 17-35L vs Tamron 20-40

Question:

You may also consider the discontinued but high qualioty 20-35/2.8L (3.5 on photodo); some may be available 2nd-hand. And not to forget the 24/2.8 prime, 3.9 mtf….keep in mind the Tamron will do poorly resale-wise, in relative terms. And of course mtf is not the whole story. Consider colour rendition, flare, vignetting and ghosting – many wide-angle zooms cause problems in these areas, esp. when using stacked or using Cokin type filter systems. The wider the angle, the more trouble. good luck.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to buy wide zoom lens and considering the followings: 1. Canon EF 17-35/2,8L USM [Photodo 3.2] 2. Canon EF 20-35/3,5-4,5 USM [Photodo 3.4] 3.  Tamron SP AF 20-40/2,7-3,5 Aspherical (IF) [Photodo 3.7] Tamron got the highest marks in Photodo but does it mean it is the best among the 3? It costs half the price of the 17-35L and a bit higher than the 20-35. Also, would anyone comment whether the more wide angle (17 vs 20) is useful? Thanx — mic

Response:

I say go with the 17-35mm 2.8. I have been using it for awhile now and found it to be very sharp, great contrast and color. 99% of my photos are taken with this lens. I do use the very wide end (17mm) often. Sometimes when covering demos/protest and the crowed is very tight the 17mm comes in very handy.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to buy wide zoom lens and considering the followings: 1. Canon EF 17-35/2,8L USM [Photodo 3.2] 2. Canon EF 20-35/3,5-4,5 USM [Photodo 3.4] 3.  Tamron SP AF 20-40/2,7-3,5 Aspherical (IF) [Photodo 3.7] Tamron got the highest marks in Photodo but does it mean it is the best among the 3? It costs half the price of the 17-35L and a bit higher than the 20-35. Also, would anyone comment whether the more wide angle (17 vs 20) is useful? Thanx — mic

Response:

I would vote for the EOS 17-35. I owned a Tamron 20-40 before buying my Canon 17-35. The Tamron lens was very sharp but that’s where the good news ended. The autfoucus was very very slow compared to the Canon lens. Unacceptably slow n my opinion. The lens flared badly. Much worse than the 17-35 Canon lens. I lost a number of otherwise fine photos because of the flare on the Tamron lens. And finally, when the lens broke (after just a few months of use) it took Tamron more than 2 months to repair it. I bought the 17-35 while the Tamron lens was in the shop and sold the Tamron lens the day I got it back. I have been much happier with the EOS 17-35 than I ever was with the Tamron. jack

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to buy wide zoom lens and considering the followings: 1. Canon EF 17-35/2,8L USM [Photodo 3.2] 2. Canon EF 20-35/3,5-4,5 USM [Photodo 3.4] 3.  Tamron SP AF 20-40/2,7-3,5 Aspherical (IF) [Photodo 3.7] Tamron got the highest marks in Photodo but does it mean it is the best among the 3? It costs half the price of the 17-35L and a bit higher than the 20-35. Also, would anyone comment whether the more wide angle (17 vs 20) is useful? Thanx — mic

– Jack’s Joint – A Home for On-Line Photojournalism http://home.att.net/~jackkurtz/

Response:

I want to buy wide zoom lens and considering the followings: 1. Canon EF 17-35/2,8L USM [Photodo 3.2] 2. Canon EF 20-35/3,5-4,5 USM [Photodo 3.4] 3.  Tamron SP AF 20-40/2,7-3,5 Aspherical (IF) [Photodo 3.7] Tamron got the highest marks in Photodo but does it mean it is the best among the 3? It costs half the price of the 17-35L and a bit higher than the 20-35. Also, would anyone comment whether the more wide angle (17 vs 20) is useful? Thanx — mic

Response:

I want to buy wide zoom lens and considering the followings: 1. Canon EF 17-35/2,8L USM [Photodo 3.2] 2. Canon EF 20-35/3,5-4,5 USM [Photodo 3.4] 3.  Tamron SP AF 20-40/2,7-3,5 Aspherical (IF) [Photodo 3.7]

Hi, fellow Hong Kong resident… I used to have the Canon 17-35mm 2.8L and while I like the lens a lot, it really sucks when you finally realize that you don’t use this range too often. 17mm is ultra wide and not many ocassions you will need/want this range.  I’ve heard many good things about the Canon 20-35mm USM so you might consider this one instead.  You can read my mini reviews of lenses (that I’ve owned) on my webpage. Sincerely yours, Kar Yan Mak http://www.kyphoto.com My personal photography website… …also one of the few websites without obnoxious banners or ads.

Response:

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