Compare lenses

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM vs Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM if you want optical stabilisation, which helps most on bodies without it. Pick the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) if you want a fit on more cameras (59 against 22 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
Spec	Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM	Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)
Maker	Canon	Tamron
Focal length	17-55mm (zoom)	17-50mm (zoom)
Full-frame equivalent	26-82mm on APS-C	26-75mm on APS-C
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/2.8
Made for	APS-C	APS-C
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K
Stabilised	yesstabilised	no
Autofocus	yes	yes
Zoom range	3.2×	2.9×
Cameras it fits	22 in this guide	59 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: 17-55mm on APS-C, like 26-82mm.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF): 17-50mm on APS-C, like 26-75mm.

Aperture

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: f/2.8 wide open.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF): f/2.8 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

22 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM fits 22 and the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) 59.