Tamron 17-50mm lens versus Sony SAL-1650

R

Rayburn

Member
So I just went to Abel Cinetech today to try out the FS100, and they had a Sony 28-75mm F/2.8 SAM lens attached to it for demo purposes. I have been debating whether to get the Tamron 17-50mm or the SAL-1650 for my FS100 and was recommended to get the SAL-1650 because of build quality. However, I was not overly impressed with the build quality of the SAM lens that I tested. What turned me off the most was the zoom ring which felt really stiff. I am going to try and find a store that sells both lenses and see how they compare, but I am pretty sure they won't let me take them out of the store to do tests. I tried looking into renting these two lenses, but I cannot find a place that rents the SAL-1650 at the moment because it is too new. I was just wondering if anybody had experiences with both of these lenses and could compare the two. I am sure that both will do a good job. I'm just wondering if the added expense of the Sony SAL-1650 is worth it or not.
 
I had the Tamron lens for a while (the VC version for Canon.) The Tamron is nice, but the zoom ring is kind of stiff on there as well. A Tamron dealer told me you could have it loosened up, though, which is probably also true with the Sony lens. Both lenses should be optically strong, but the 16-50 gets wider and is weather-sealed. Tamron is a couple hundred cheaper, though. Up to you!
 
Don't expect to get any smooth focus adjustments with the Tamron. It has one of the worst sticky focus rings I've ever experienced.
 
Abel Cine was using the LA-EA1 adapter which allows for iris control. The iris ring on the FS100 does not click and is sensitive so it is very easy to over or under shoot the F/stop you are aiming for. Also, when you go from a lower F'stop to a higher F/stop the aperture will open up a couple of stops before closing back down to the F/stop that you want (a little annoying). When going from higher to lower, there does not seem to be a problem. There is no smooth aperture movement, so people who want to adjust it while shooting are out of luck.

I went to Samy's Camera today to look at the SAL-1650. It felt pretty solid and the optical quality looked good. My complaint was that the focus ring and zoom seemed a bit stiff. I want to be able to do a fast zoom in, focus, then zoom out. From what people are saying here, though, the Tamron may suffer from the same problem. The guy at the store told me that the Tamron was outdated, and he felt they shouldn't even be selling it anymore due to its lack of sharpness. I think he was feeding me a bunch of BS since people can still use twenty year old lenses with great results. As of right now, I am leaning towards the SAL-1650 because it is a Sony lens, and I am hoping it will play nicer with a FS100. If anyone else has any thoughts on why the Tamron would be better, please share.
 
The non VC Tamron 17-50 has a reputation for being really sharp (significantly better than the VC), so I'm not sure what that guy was talking about. I think they're both reasonable choices. If I were getting an A77 I'd definitely go for the Sony, since they're both weather-sealed, but that shouldn't really matter with the FS100.
 
I keep hearing the term "weather sealed". Exactly what does that mean? In other words, what does a weather sealed lens have that makes it weather sealed? I imagine if you take it into the rain or something, dirt and moisture will still get in.
 
I dont know whether the tamron is properly weather sealed but ive used it in the rain and tried using it in a sauna. Still works fine. You wont hear many people write about their sharp Tamron lens but you will hear about the poor QC copies out there. Mines as sharp as they come and I've got the VC version. The only thing I hate about it is the focus ring and it's not parfocal.
 
If you combined a weather-sealed lens with a weather sealed camera, say the Olympus E5 with the 14-54mm lens, it can get rained on, dusty, splashed, etc, without being damaged. I don't know much about the specifics of the technology. The Tamron isn't weather-sealed, whereas the Sony is. That said, the FS100 isn't a weather-sealed camera, so it doesn't really matter for your purposes.

You aren't necessarily certain to wreck your non weather-sealed camera/lens if you take it out into the rain, but it is possible.
 
bimdas said:
Don't expect to get any smooth focus adjustments with the Tamron. It has one of the worst sticky focus rings I've ever experienced.
Click to expand...

At least it's a mechanical ring, you can use a follow focus with it. But the throw is so damn small!

Does the Sony lens in question here have a truly mechanical focus ring?
 
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