The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD and the Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR 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 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD is the longer of the two lenses at 95mm. The Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR with a length of 80mm is 15mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR's 73mm 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. Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR weighs 265g, 53% (305g) lighter than the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD's weight of 570g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Standard Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (DX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (DX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD and Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR has the same Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (DX) lenses are Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600.
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD is also available in Canon EF mount.
Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR II VC LD has a focal range of 17-50mm and 2.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.5-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera. Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR has a focal range of 18-55mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-82.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.