Tamron's legendary budget 28-75mm f/2.8 — one of the best-selling third-party zooms ever, rivalling OEM at half the price.
The Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro (2003) is one of the most successful third-party lenses ever made. It offered constant f/2.8 at roughly half the price of Canon and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 alternatives, making professional-speed zoom accessible to enthusiasts.
Sharp from f/4 onwards with good centre performance wide open. 33cm macro-like close focus enables 0.26x magnification. No stabilisation. The screw-drive AF can be inconsistent on some copies — calibration may help.
Canon EF mount. Also in Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A. 67mm filter thread. XR and LD elements. Internal focus. 510g — light for f/2.8 zoom. 33cm minimum focus distance.
Very common and cheap used. Test AF accuracy at multiple distances — some copies need adjustment. No VC stabilisation is the main limitation. The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD for mirrorless is the modern successor.