Tamron SP 17mm F3.5(51B)
Review and Photo example of the TAMRON SP17mm(51B).
Table of contents
Gallery
- The examples were taken with the HASSELBLAD X2D
Review
Tamron SP 17mm is a manual focus (hereinafter referred to as MF) wide-angle lens.
Since the lens mount uses the Adaptor 2 system, it can be used with a wide range of SLR lenses, including Nikon Ai-S (Nikon F), Canon EF (EOS), Minolta α, and Yashica Contax.
Lens model number 51B has a vertically knurled focus ring with an exposed lens distance index, and is equipped with a color-changing filter mechanism, similar to the wide-angle lens for the Leica R mount. This is a mechanism from the film era, and it is not a practical function in digital cameras because it can be changed in post-processing.
The hood fits into the camera barrel and is tightened with a screw on the side, and the 51B comes with a rubber 20FH. The lens filter diameter is 82mm, but since it screws into the hood, the filter cannot be attached without the hood.
The 51B is not a lens that comes on the used market very often, so I found a used 51B in 2015 and purchased it. Tamron’s wide-angle lens has long been the 151B, the successor to this lens.
When I bought it, the 17mm focal length had already been taken over by zoom lenses, and this lens was in my collection, so I didn’t really use it much.
In order to let the lens breathe outside air, I attached a Leica R mount and attached it to the Hasselblad X2D via NOVOFLEX’s X-R mount adapter to see if it could withstand the 100 million pixel resolution.
When attached to the Hasselblad X2D, the infinity position seemed over-inflated, and the infinity position was between the distance indicator infinity and 2m.
When using this lens, some cameras had difficulty checking the focus position using the viewfinder of a single-lens reflex camera. When I used the magnification function on the X2D’s EVF, it was very easy to check the focus position, which made me appreciate the advances in technology.
As for the shooting results, the center part of the shot image has acceptable resolution, but the image circle is insufficient for the 44 x 33 mm center size, and 33 x 33 mm square cropping seems to be the limit of use. When cropping with 3:2 35mm Leica version, 9922*6614 pixels can be used, so it covers about 37mm in width and covers a 35mm full-size sensor without any problem. However, when the aperture is wide open, the image becomes blurred at the periphery.
3:2 Trimming example
If you buy this lens used, it often does not come with a hood, and buying it separately can be expensive. A dedicated front cap is also available, and we recommend attaching it to the front to protect the lens when the hood is not attached. This is a relatively used item with a high percentage of accessories.
Specification
| Lens name | 51B | 151B |
| Local length(mm) | 17 | 17 |
| Max aperture | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Min aperture | 22 | 22 |
| Leaf blade | 5 | 5 |
| Lens Construction | 12elements in 10group | 12elements in 10group |
| Min distance(m) | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| Lens length(mm) | 41.7 | 41.7 |
| Lens Max diameter(mm) | 70 | 71 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 82 | 82 |
| Weight(g) | 347 | 325 |
| Release date | 1979-1984 | 1989-2000 |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.03.29:modified article
- 2023.06.05:firest post
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