The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD ($799.99) is an exciting lens for photographers who use crop sensor Sony E or Fujifilm X cameras. It delivers the premium optics you expect from an F2.8 zoom, along with speedy focus and an all-weather build, for fewer dollars than a high-end lens like the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 ($1,199.95) or Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G ($1,399.99). And, although the 17-70mm skips on-lens controls, it does include optical stabilization. It's a stunning performer all around and a good enough value to earn our Editors' Choice award, even if it's a bit large to pair with smaller cameras.

Editors' Note: This review was updated on June 21, 2022 to reflect the 17-70mm's release for Fujifilm cameras.

Made for APS-C

Sony's full-frame a7 camera series garners a lot of attention and is quite popular among pro photographers, but the company offers lower-cost APS-C sensor models, too. Cameras like the a6100 and a6400 are lighter and more affordable than full-frame options but still benefit from quality lenses. Fujifilm X cameras use the APS-C sensor size exclusively.

If you're using a basic starter lens like the E 16-50mm for Sony or XC 15-45mm for Fujifilm, an F2.8 zoom like the 17-70mm is a serious upgrade. It produces significantly sharper results with more blurred backgrounds, thus getting you just a little bit closer to the full-frame look.

The Tamron lens sports a longer zoom range than either the Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 or Fuji XF 16-55mm F2.8, but is also a little bigger all around. The 17-70mm F2.8 measures 4.7 by 2.9 inches (HD) at its shortest setting and weighs about 1.2 pounds. The E 16-55mm (3.9 by 2.9 inches, 1.1 pounds) is a few ounces lighter and takes up a little less room in your bag. The Fuji XF 16-55mm comes in at 4.2 by 3.3 inches and 1.4 pounds. All three have telescoping optics that extend out from the barrel as you zoom in.

The 17-70mm is definitely on the large side for APS-C cameras. I paired it with an older Sony camera, the NEX-6, and found the lens to be just a little bit too much for the camera. The NEX-6 has a pretty shallow handgrip, but newer bodies like the a6400 pair a bit better with bigger lenses. I didn't have the opportunity to use the lens with a Fujifilm camera, but would caution against using it with a slimline X-E4; it's a better match for an X-S10 or X-T4.

The 17-70mm may cut cost versus the name brand options, but there's no way to tell that just by holding it. The barrel is a polycarbonate material with a matte finish and the lens includes full dust and splash protection; it's a good companion for protected cameras. The front element includes an anti-smudge fluorine coating and the lens hood in the box adds a bit more protection. The lens uses a 67mm filter thread size for protective filters.

Tamron does limit the on-lens controls. The basic zoom and focus rings are there, but that's it. Spending more on the Sony lens adds a function button and AF/MF toggle switch, while the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm includes on-lens aperture control. Whether you need those features depends on how you work. I very rarely, if ever, take advantage of on-lens function buttons, but I miss the focus toggle switch here.

The autofocus is speedy and works with all of your camera's tracking, face, and eye detection features just as well as a native lens. Focus breathing, the effect in which the angle of view shifts along with focus, is minimal—if you're happy with autofocus, this is a good lens for video as well as stills.

Manual focus is less enjoyable. The focus ring turns easily and, although its surface has ridges, they aren't rubberized or particularly comfortable. Feedback changes based on how quickly you turn the ring, but there's just not quite enough resistance to net a consistent response. If you want to focus manually, the E 16-55mm F2.8 G is worth the premium—its response is linear and its focus control ring is much more pleasant to use. It's been years since we reviewed the XF 16-55mm, so we can't speak to its manual focus experience.

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The minimum focus distance changes along with the focal length. The lens focuses closest at its widest angle, 7.5 inches from the sensor, for 1:4.8 life-size reproduction. When you zoom in to 70mm, you need to pull a little further back, but you can net nearly as large a projection at the minimum focus distance (1:5.2). This gives you some creative flexibility—you can shoot wide close-ups for images with a more dramatic perspective or farther back if you're after a more natural look.

The lens includes optical stabilization, which Tamron calls Vibration Compensation (VC). It's an important feature if you own a camera without IBIS. With an older, non-stabilized NEX-6, I netted blur-free handheld shots at speeds as long as 1/5-second and stretched it a little further to 1/4-second with the a7R IV, a full-framer with in-body stabilization.

Tamron 17-70mm F2.8: In the Lab

I pulled out and dusted off an old NEX-6 for product photography to see how the lens handled on an APS-C body, but I spent most of my time using it on the full-frame a7R IV. Its 60MP sensor automatically crops photos to APS-C dimensions and nets images with an output resolution of around 26MP, just a little bit more than the current generation 24MP cameras in Sony's APS-C family and in line with the pixel count of current-generation Fujifilm models.

I have no complaints about resolution. I used Imatest to check performance at 17mm, 43mm, and 70mm; the lens offers excellent results (around 3,000 lines) from f/2.8 through f/11. Diffraction softens images slightly at f/16, but results are still very good (2,600 lines) and you can get better sunstars with defined points at this setting. Resolution drops off noticeably at the minimum f/22 setting, but you get the best sunstars there.

The nine-blade rounded aperture keeps defocused highlights rounded at narrow apertures, but the lens does show a moderate cat's eye effect toward the edges of the frame at f/2.8. We see some onion ring effects in defocused highlights, however. It's a distracting look that can busy some backgrounds, but you won't notice it in every image.

I did note a little bit of flare when I took images against a very strong backlight. It's a fairly soft, ethereal effect at wide apertures, but can get a little ugly when you stop down for sunstars. If you're a big fan of backlit portraits, you may take pause, but you can (mostly) avoid this issue by using the hood and not shooting directly into the sun (or any other similarly bright point of light).

In-camera corrections remove distortion and compensate for a vignette. If you turn them off, you see barrel distortion on the wide end, the pincushion effect at the long end, and dim corners at f/2.8. If you use Raw capture, you need to apply a profile correction—Adobe Lightroom already has one available for the lens. Either way, you're just an automatic setting or a couple of clicks away from photos with straight lines and even illumination.

An Affordable Standard Zoom to Grow With

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a welcome addition to the lens library for both Fujifilm and Sony camera owners. It betters the premium Fuji XF 16-55mm and Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G lenses in zoom power, adds optical stabilization, and nets exceedingly sharp photos across its zoom range. It also costs a few hundred dollars less than either name-brand alternative.

It falls a little shy of perfection, however. Its longer zoom range and built-in stabilization mean it's a bit bigger all around than the Fujifilm or Sony options. The Tamron lens also drops the on-lens controls you get with those other lenses, is more prone to flare, and offers an inferior manual focus experience.

Still, there's a lot more here to like than to not. The 17-70mm F2.8 is in a different class than basic kit zooms like the Fuji XC 15-45mm and Sony E 16-50mm, and it gathers more light than Sony's quality midrange kit zoom, the E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6. Thus, it's an especially appealing lens for advancing photographers and a worthy Editors' Choice winner.