10 people have reviewed this model.
| About - Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM |
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The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM is part of the SLR lens test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, SLR lens models like the EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.
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| About This Brand |
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One of the largest camera and lens manufacturers in the world, Canon currently sells scores of lenses in a wide variety of focal lengths. Canon splits its lenses into two main classes—its standard EF (electro focus) series, and its consumer-level EF-S lenses, which are only compatible with its smaller, APS-C sensor bodies. There are also two smaller classes of Tilt-Shift (TSE) lenses and Macro (MP-E) lenses. More generally speaking, Canon splits its lenses into nine main categories: ultra-wide zoom; standard zoom, telephoto zoom, wide angle, standard and medium telephoto, telephoto, super telephoto, macro, and tilt-shift. |
| Features & Specs - Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM | |
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Kit bodies |
Canon 40D, 50D |
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Zoom ratio |
5X |
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Bayonet |
Canon |
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Weight (oz.) |
16.8 |
| More features and specs | |
| Additional Information (The information below has been supplied by an external source.) |
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| General Information | |
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| Manufacturer | Canon, Inc |
| Manufacturer Website Address | www.usa.canon.com |
| Product Line | EF-S |
| Product Name | EF-S 17-85MM f/4-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens |
| Product Type | Lens |
Consumer Reports User Reviews
Already own it? Write a review
By from
CR needs to update this posting
3/1/2012
Pros
Cons
Blurry Focus
Slow Focus
Best Uses
Indoors/Low Light
Landscape/Scenery
Weddings/Events
Comment:
This lens, while great to start, seems to have a VERY high failure rate after using for awhile (6-12 months). Issue is that autofocus stops or only works intermittently. Internet and photography links are full of this complaint and apparently Canon knows the problem but is not amitting or repairing this issue. Very dissappointing for what had always been viewed as a premier international company.
How long have you owned it:
More than six months
Bottom Line
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
By from
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
Great lens with great pics.
11/19/2009
Pros
Consistent Output
Durable
Lightweight
Quick Focus
Sharp Focus
Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
General Use
Comment:
The quality of pics are outstanding. I've done a couple weddings with great results.
How long have you owned it:
More than six months
Bottom Line
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.
By from
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
Very Good All-Around Lens
10/28/2009
Pros
Consistent Output
Durable
Easily Interchangeable
Quick Focus
Rugged
Strong Construction
Cons
Heavy
Best Uses
General Use
Upgrade
Wildlife
Comment:
This lens replaced the non-IS kit lens that came with my 20D. It is a VAST improvement in that regard. It provides consistently good results in a wide range of uses including portraiture, candid and action shots. This lens has the solid feel and smooth operation of a high-end, Canon lens.
How long have you owned it:
More than six months
Bottom Line
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.
Other User Reviews
By
User has 10 Days of experience with this product
Excellent lens for the money
08/10/2008
Strength
Great image stabilizer, ultrasonic focus is super-fast and silent, great zoom range, more durable than kit lens.
Weakness
Pictures have good color and sharpness but not quite as good as L lenses
I just upgraded from an XTi with kit lens to an XSi body with this lens. My other lens is the Canon 70-200 f4.0 L. When I upgraded I got the XSi body-only and did an extensive search for my new walking around lens to go with my zoom lens. I compared Sigma and Tamron's offerings to Canon's lenses. After a lot of reading, I ruled out the Sigma and Tamron lenses on image quality. That left me with two choices, this lens and the Canon 24-105 F4L lens, which is about $500 more. I chose the 17-85 because of cost and the wider angle it offered.I've had the lens for about a week and taken roughly 1,000 pictures just walking around with it and can say that it's an excellent lens. It's a HUGE upgrade from the XTi kit lens (haven't used the XSi kit lens, so can't say how it compares). I've used it in high & low light and been very happy with its performance. If my budget had allowed I would have gotten the L, but this is very good and I really love using it.Of course, when I need the sharpness or color depth I still pull out my 70-200 L, so this isn't a perfect lens. For walking around, taking pictures of your kids/pets, or going on vacation, I highly recommend this lens.
Source: Price Grabber
By
User has 6 Months of experience with this product
good all purpose cary lense
12/21/2007
Strength
light, wide range of views 17-85,Takes good photos
Weakness
lense creep when turned upside down, wide angle part of lense creates distortion in your image.
distortion cay be fixed with software.. great lense for sunny days or lots of light... low light lense is slow, and Image stabilization is handy it does not replace fast glass.
Source: Price Grabber
By
User has 14 Days of experience with this product
not bad for the money
07/19/2007
Strength
it's a nice range, plus with IS it's much more useful than the kit lens, and not too much more expensive
Weakness
it's even slower than the kit lensfocus isn't that great in low light
I got one of these as my first step up from the kit lens on my Rebel XTi, the 17-55 kit lens. It gave me about half of what I wanted but overall I was disappointed. It did not help that I came into this owning an S2 and an FZ5. The kit lens alone gave me decent low-light performance but what it lacked was decent AF in low light and of course it didn't have IS so I got this to solve both problems plus I wanted to keep the wide-angle and get a little more zoom. It only solved one. It was a definite step up but it really didn't solve the focus accuracy problem in low light. I had to get the 17-55 F2.8 lens, and that lens is a winner, well worth the $900, the $500 over this lens (I got mine used). You can probably live with this lens (better than with the kit lens) if you are a casual shooter. If you want really great low-light performance you'll have to get the F2.8 lens, no matter what range. Likewise I would prefer an F2.8 version of *this* lens to a 17-55 lens. Or even the 24-135 IS USM lens. The F2.8 lens is about twice as fast as the F4 lens at 17mm and it just gets faster with more zoom, plus the focus accuracy is a little better. And really, there isn't a significant difference between 55mm and 85mm, and you will happily give up that little bit of extra zoom for a lot more speed as the light goes bad.
Source: Price Grabber
