Tamron Di II B001E 10-24mm

The Tamron Di II B001E is a 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 wide-angle zoom for APS-C DSLRs that delivers a genuinely useful ultra-wide perspective at a budget price. Image stabilization and close focus are nice bonuses, but slow autofocus and soft corners keep it from greatness. It's a specialist lens for landscape and architecture shooters who prioritize the 10mm wide end over everything else.

The headline number here is the 10mm wide end. On an APS-C sensor, that's a 16mm equivalent field of view, and it's the kind of focal length that makes small rooms feel cavernous and mountain ranges feel infinite. The lens isn't razor sharp edge to edge, and our optical score of 19th percentile confirms that. Center sharpness is decent, but corners get soft, especially wide open. Stop down to f/8 or f/11 and things improve noticeably, which is fine for landscapes but less ideal for handheld low light.

Autofocus is a micromotor, and it's about as exciting as it sounds. Our AF score puts it at 54th percentile, which is middle of the pack. It's not silent, it's not fast, and there's no full-time manual override. For static subjects like architecture and landscapes, it's perfectly usable. For anything moving, you'll be fighting it. The stabilization system is a genuine bright spot, ranking at the 80th percentile. It won't replace a tripod for long exposures, but it'll save your bacon when you're shooting handheld at 1/15th of a second in a dim cathedral. Macro performance is also surprisingly decent at 79th percentile, with a 1:5.1 magnification ratio and that 0.24m close focus. You won't be shooting insect eyeballs, but you can get close enough to make foreground elements pop in wide-angle compositions.

Stacked against the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN, the Tamron loses on aperture, sharpness, and autofocus speed. The Sigma is a constant f/2.8, which is a full stop faster at the long end, and its AF is in a different league. But the Sigma starts at 18mm, and that 8mm difference at the wide end is enormous. If you shoot interiors, architecture, or dramatic landscapes, the Tamron's 10mm is the whole point. The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit H-ES12035 is another competitor, but that's a Micro Four Thirds lens, so it's not even in the same mount conversation for most buyers.

The Yongnuo YN 23mm F1.4S and Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.7 are primes, not zooms, so they're solving different problems. They're faster and sharper, but they don't give you the flexibility of a zoom range. The Meike 85mm F1.4 II is a portrait lens, which is the exact opposite of what this Tamron is for. Our portrait score for the Tamron is 23.5 out of 100, which is rough. If you want shallow depth of field and flattering compression, look elsewhere. This lens is a wide-angle specialist, and it makes no apologies for that.

At $399 USD, the Tamron 10-24mm sits in a strange spot. It's cheaper than first-party wide zooms from Canon or Nikon, but it's also competing against newer third-party options that have moved the goalposts. The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN is a different beast entirely, faster and sharper, but it doesn't go as wide. If you need that 10mm ultra-wide perspective on a budget, this Tamron is one of the few games in town. But if you can live with 18mm at the wide end, there are better optical performers for similar money. The value proposition really comes down to how badly you want that 10mm focal length.

The Tamron Di II B001E is a 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 wide-angle zoom built for APS-C DSLRs, and it's been around long enough to feel like an old friend. On Canon bodies you're looking at a 16-38.4mm equivalent focal length, which covers everything from dramatic ultra-wide landscapes to tighter environmental shots. It's not a new lens by any stretch, but it still pops up on the used market and at retailers for around $399 USD, which puts it in budget territory for anyone wanting to go wide without selling a kidney.

People searching for a cheap wide-angle zoom for Canon EF-S or Nikon DX will find this lens in their results, and for good reason. It's the world's first 2.4X zoom with an equivalent 16-37mm range when converted to full frame, and that range is genuinely useful. You get a 77mm filter thread, a 0.24m minimum focus distance, and image stabilization, which is a nice bonus at this price. But the f/3.5-4.5 aperture is slow, and the micromotor AF is not winning any races.

We've crunched the numbers in our database, and this lens lands at 44.3 out of 100 overall. That's not a score that sets the world on fire, but it's also not a disaster. It's a lens with clear strengths and clear compromises, and whether it's right for you depends almost entirely on what you shoot and how much you're willing to forgive.

Skip this lens if you shoot portraits, events, or anything that moves. The slow aperture and sluggish micromotor AF will drive you nuts, and the 23.5 out of 100 portrait score tells the story. If you need a fast standard zoom, look at the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN instead. If you want a sharp prime for low light, the Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.7 or Yongnuo YN 23mm F1.4S are better bets. And if you're on a full frame body, this lens simply won't work for you. This is a wide-angle specialist for APS-C shooters who know exactly what they're getting into.

Should you buy the Tamron Di II B001E? If you're on a Canon EF-S or Nikon DX body and you want to shoot ultra-wide on a budget, it's a solid yes with caveats. The 10mm wide end is the star of the show, and nothing else at this price gives you that perspective with stabilization and a useful zoom range. You'll need to accept soft corners, slow autofocus, and a dim aperture, but for landscape and architecture shooters who work on a tripod, those compromises matter less.

If you're a generalist who shoots a bit of everything, or if you care about sharpness and autofocus speed, this lens will frustrate you. It's not a do-everything lens, and it's not trying to be. It's a wide-angle specialist for people who know exactly why they want 10mm. For those people, it's still worth considering, even in a market full of newer options.