I bought this lens as a replace...ment for my kit lens and what a lens it is. After having to deal with the small aperture on the kit lens (f/3.5-5.6), the tamron opened up a new world to me as I was able to get great portraits with nice soft backgrounds suddenly. The lens certainly isn't perfect. The corners are soft until it has been stopped down a bit, so maybe not recommended for landscape shooters, but on the other hand you should have the lens stopped down quite a bit for landscapes. The centre is sharp from 2.8 so if you want the cheapest portrait lens available then this is the one for you. The AF is quite slow and noisy by modern standards but I never really caused me to miss a shot. Overall, it represents fantastic value for money and a great introduction for people stepping up from a kit lens without breaking the bank.
Verified purchase: No
Brilliant lens. Lives up to everything it claims. As good as the C...anon original but at 1/3 the price.