The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD and the Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD is the longer of the two lenses at 145mm. The Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD with a length of 87mm is 58mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD also has a larger diameter of 98mm compared to Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD's 83mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD weighs 440g, 60% (660g) lighter than the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD's weight of 1100g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD and Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD is also available in Canon EF mount.
Focal Range
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD has a focal range of 15-30mm and 2.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 22.5 - 45mm.
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD has a focal range of 17-35mm and 2.1X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 25.5 - 52.5mm.