Conclusion

The new Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD is a fantastic lens in its own right and a great partner for the popular Tamron 28-75mm - the two lenses are a very affordable way to shoot at F2.8 on Sony Alpha full-frame cameras.

As with the 28-75mm lens, the Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD isn't the best wide-angle zoom lens available for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras - that title probably goes to the Sony GM 16-35mm optic - but it is currently the best wide-angle zoom lens in terms of its cost to performance ratio.

Indeed, it even outshines the excellent Tamron 28-75mm, offering better image quality when shooting wide-open at F2.8 throughout the zoom range, whilst being even lighter and more compact thanks to using the same polycarbonate construction as its sibling.

The same auto-focusing system again proved to be reliably quick and accurate on the Sony A7 III that we tested the lens with, for both still and moving subjects, and it's also fully compatible with all of Sony's focusing modes.

As with the 28-75mm, this lens doesn't have a built-in optical image stabilisation system, instead relying on Sony's in-camera system, which will be fine for everyone except those who own a first generation Alpha camera (which don't have built-in OIS).

With an attractive price tag of £899 / $999 in the UK and USA respectively, the Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD is much cheaper than the Sony alternative whilst offering a lot of quality and perfomance.

Tamron have hit another home run with the 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD, and we can't wait to see what they can offer in the F2.8 telephoto zoom department...

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	5