Tamron SP AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II £370, $500

This affordable Tamron offering matches the competing Nikon lens for zoom range and aperture

This Tamron costs much less than the equivalent Nikon lens yet offers an identical, class-leading 2.4x zoom range. It’s from the SP (Super Performance) line and features low-dispersion and aspherical elements for correcting aberrations, plus multi-coatings on inner surfaces to reduce ghosting and flare.

Unlike some earlier Tamron lenses that were subsequently updated, the Nikon-fit edition of this one has always featured an internal autofocus motor, so it can autofocus on any Nikon D-SLR – although the somewhat basic electric motor is a bit sluggish. The manual focus ring is quite large and is positioned towards the front of the lens. It rotates during autofocus, so you have to be careful not to foul its action with your fingers.

Performance

We found exposure to be more accurate and consistent than when we used previous review samples of this lens, where we’d often have to apply negative exposure compensation. However, sharpness is disappointing towards the edges and corners of the frame, and there’s more noticeable barrel distortion at mid to long zoom settings than with most competing lenses. On balance, the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 is a better budget buy.