Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 sample gallery: coming soon to Canon RF and Nikon Z

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a versatile, fast lens that's great for activities like family vacations. Canon EOS R7 | Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD | F2.8 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 160 Photo: Dale Baskin

Last week, Tamron announced new versions of its 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD zoom for Canon RF and Nikon Z mount APS-C cameras. While the lens has been around for several years in E-mount and X-mount versions, this news brings an exciting new zoom option to Canon and Nikon shooters.

The 17-70mm F2.8 delivers a 26-105mm equiv. range on Nikon APS-C cameras, and 28-112mm equiv. range on Canon's APS-C bodies. Most other F2.8 zooms for APS-C cameras in this range top out around 50-55mm, making the Tamron a distinctive option for those who want extra zoom reach with a constant F2.8 aperture.

That range makes it a great walk-around or travel lens, but the extra reach to 105mm equiv. also makes it well-suited to events, portraits, and street photography in ways the shorter 50-55mm competitors aren't.

Canon EOS R7 | Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD | F2.8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 320 Photo: Dale Baskin

We had a chance to borrow the RF-mount version of the lens, which we shot on a Canon EOS R7. Build quality and handling are pretty typical of Tamron's product line; the lens is relatively light for its size, and the zoom ring is well-balanced and easy to turn. There's no zoom lock, but I experienced virtually no lens creep during my use.

Notably, the RF-mount version of the lens gains two hardware controls not found on the other versions: manual switches to turn autofocus and optical image stabilization on or off – a nice touch, in our opinion.

Optically, the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 delivers solid performance throughout its range. While it doesn't deliver the same level of sharpness as the most premium zooms on the market, it doesn't command a premium price, either, making it accessible to a lot of people.

To learn more about this lens, see our detailed launch coverage. In addition to the gallery below,you can also check out our earlier sample gallery, captured when the lens was launched for E-mount.

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