Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM vs Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16)

Side-by-side comparison from our catalogue data. Better values are highlighted only where a clear difference exists.

Canon

EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Tamron

AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16)

Verdict at a glance

Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16) is faster by 1.4 stops (f/17.0 vs f/28.0), letting in more light.
Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16) goes wider (17mm vs 28mm).
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM reaches further (135mm vs 50mm).

Specification comparison
Spec	EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM	AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16)
Brand	Canon	Tamron
Mount	Canon EF	Canon EF
Type	Superzoom	Zoom
Focal length	28-135mm	17-50mm (wider)
Max aperture	f/28.0	f/17.0 (faster)
Released	1998	n/a
Blades	6	n/a
Format	full-frame	n/a
Groups	12	n/a
Af motor	USM	n/a
Elements	16	n/a
Weight g	549.0	n/a
Filter mm	72	n/a
Length mm	97.0	n/a
Stabilized	Yes	n/a
Diameter mm	78.0	n/a
Min focus m	0.5	n/a
Max magnification	0.19	n/a

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

A mid-range zoom with stabilization and USM focusing. It was a mainstream Canon kit lens for many EOS bodies.

Pros

Image stabilization
Wide-to-tele range
USM focusing

Cons

Variable aperture
Distortion at the wide end
Plain build

Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16)

Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD (Model A16): an APS-C fast standard zoom lens with a 17-50mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/2.8, made for Canon EF mount cameras. The range covers everything from wide scenes to portraits, so it works as a general-purpose lens.

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