EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Spent some time looking for a replacement for the standard Canon kit lens EFS 18-55mm for an EOS 500D which I was never entirely happy with, the results not being that much better than a good quality compact. Well in a word 'Delighted' with the improvement this lens has brought about. The image quality is significantly better with improved contrast and sharpness right across the range. I've read one or two mixed reports about the quality and image stabilisation not being much better than the kit lens, but this is certainly not the case with the sample I have where it has worked remarkably well in low light situations, something you might be concerned about with the variable f/3.5-5.6 aperture. The extra 3mm wide angle range is very useful for landscapes giving an effective 24mm on the 500D. The telephoto range also makes this an ideal walkabout lens that copes with most general photography. This lens does have sone vignetting at wide angles but this is easily compensated for on the later Canon bodies, you simply need to enable the 'Peripheral Illumin.' to correct in the camera's Menu. If this lens is not supported (it was not on my 500D) then simply run the EOS Utility that came on the CD with the camera to update with the 15-85mm correction data. It works a treat and you will not have any light fall-off in the corners :-) To add; the build quality is noticeably better than kit with both zoom and focus feeling nice and smooth, focus performance is very quick and accurate in most situations. I decided to fit a UV filter (I know there are pros and cons to this but I worry less about damaging an expensive lens) and paid extra for a Hoya HD which cleans beautifully compared to the cheaper ones available, none of the usual smearing. So to conclude my experience is that this is a cracking little zoom to use and above all I'm taking better pictures thanks to its versatility and performance. Recommended without reservation!

For years I've been trying to get a lens that will be enough for almost everything when I travel, and deliver good quality at the same time. The thing is, the 18-55 kit lenses are perfectly usable and have a useful range, so it turns out it is not that easy to get something significantly better. Ideally you'd like a lens that is faster, a bit wider, with more telephoto range and perhaps a bit better image quality. It turns out, with the 15-85 you can have all those things... except the speed. Unfortunately it is limited to f/3.5-f/5.6 which is unremarkable, but delivers everywhere else. By far my the most used range when i travel is the wide-angle, with the 15mm being especially useful. It gives you an extra 20% in diagonal (see attached image), which proves very crucial when trying to get landscapes, buildings or even people into your frame. At the same time, when I need it, the 85mm side gives me enough zoom for almost every situation - with the usual modern DSLR sensor further cropping the frame is an option, so very rarely you will find you did not capture your distant target adequately. Overall it covers over 95% of travel usage scenarios and all that with a great optical quality, so it is the only one I carry with me. It is also quite fast at AF, while having a very smooth and convenient MF ring. Having said that, it is far from perfect. As I said, it is not very fast and despite that it is still quite heavy. Many units (like mine) in time lose their ability to "hold" their focal length position when not pointed roughly horizontal, unless you are at either 15 or 85mm. Also, don't expect a lens that is great for things like astrophotography - see example @ 85mm f/5.6 (crops from the corners and the center), while the CA is minimal even fully open, there is distortion far from the center. But I will still give it 5 stars, because it is by far the best as a single all around/travel lens at a very reasonable price.

Let's start at the top: why 4 stars? I bought this lens in 2009, and fourteen moths down the line it seized up: wouldn't zoom below around 35mm. after a lot of struggle, I returned it to Canon who fixed it, and charged me £120 for the privilege, as it was two months out of warranty. It has to be said they were very quick (return in four days)but even so. On the forums, I see this is a well-reported problem with this lens - it can suck in dust through the front element. (I don't shoot in the desert or on the beach, and always have a UV or polarising filter on the lens.) Now you might be asking - why not much lower than 4 stars? Quite frankly, this is a BRILLIANT lens in terms of image quality. I have some L glass, but this outperforms much of the L series. Yes, really. Don't just take my word for it. Bob Atkins ([...]) lists the best Canon EOS lens, and this is the only EF-S lens in the top 20 (at number 17 currently) with a score of 9.6/10. Neither of my Ls score more than 9 - and I'm very happy with them. This is my "go-to" lens. When walking (touring in GB, France, Spain, Germany, South Africa...) it's my most used lens by some distance. Often it's the only lens I take. The range is ideal for general photography (for me, mostly landscape, architecture and general.) It's equivalent to just wider than 28mm to 88mm for a full-frame/35mm camera. And as 2.8, it's fast. The IS works well too: I have no problem hand-holding down to 1/10th of a second - or slower with a good support to brace against. Remember, of course, it's EF-S so won't fit a full-frame camera (such as the 5D and 1D series.) And remember - it's a Canon, so no case, and no lens hood. Cheapskates. You'll need a lens hood, of course, as this is a wide lens. So, if you're shooting with a crop body and can afford the lens, buy it. But I'd also buy a SquareDeal type insurance to extend cover to three years. ANd when it arrives, check the zoom action. If it's not TOTALLY smooth, or seems to stick a little, send it back. Noting my "negative" points - build-quality, no lens hood, cost me an arm and a leg to repair - then you'll see my 4 stars mean that I still love this lens: you can't argue with image quality, clarity, brightness and VERY low distortion. But make sure you have a backup if you're off on a big trip.

It is a great general purpose lens for every day photography ,fast focus ,great picture details with low light capability . With lens hood it it has a wow factor ! But some how EF 50mm f/1.4 usm is more practical and easy to use if wide angle is not your need of the hour !

TLDR: - Shipping was relatively fast considering it came from Japan to the U.S. - Lens was packaged adequately, functions perfectly, and is in mostly great condition. - Well worth the savings for some minor imperfections. - A fantastic replacement for the standard 18-55mm kit lens, and a perfect travel/vlogging lens, particularly for the Rebel series (especially the SL3). -A bit of vignetting. Fine for single shots and video, but makes photo-stitching near impossible. IN DEPTH Packaging: - Arrived wrapped in a single-layer bubble-wrap bag inside a cardboard box with additional packing paper inside the box to hold it more or less in place. - Would have liked to see more protective packaging, but there doesn't seem to be any damage from shipping. - Box was in pretty good shape - all corners intact, no holes or tearing. Lens Condition: - Oem lens cap and hood were included and installed properly on the lens for shipment, however there was no rear cap. - Hood has an "anti-reflective" velvet-like coating around the inside that was coated pretty heavily with lint and dust - this cleaned up nicely using some strips of duct tape as a lint roller. - Rear element was pretty filthy with fingerprints, but after cleaning appears immaculate. - Front element has a few minor scratches, but do not appear in photos/footage. - A few small particles inside the lens, but again not visible in photos/footage. - Hood, cap, and lens all have some very minor dings/scrapes, but overall in very good condition. - The lens creep is unfortunately pretty severe and zoom feels a bit free and loose toward the tight end of the range (after about 50mm) - not sure if this is due to use over time or just characteristics of the lens, but has not yet been a problem. It would become a problem when trying to shoot at a severe angle (>45° up or down) somewhere in the middle of the zoom range, if not holding the zoom ring in place, though it seems to stay put just fine at either far end of the range. Using a lens band between the zoom and focus rings fixes this issue as the focus ring is much stiffer and will hold the zoom in place. ('full-time manual focusing' makes this possible. Focus ring can be moved while in af.) But this makes manual focusing a hassle. (A trade-off to consider. Relying on autofocus has been just fine for me. Certainly the better option over allowing it to creep, in my experience.) The Lens Itself: - Very USEFUL zoom range. Approximately 24-136mm full-frame equivalent. - Excellent wide angle for vlogging/selfies, with a decent zoom for tighter shots or distant subjects. - Surprisingly weighty at about 1.27 pounds (0.56kg), but not overly cumbersome by any means. - Nicely compact. A great option for an "all-around" or single-lens travel system. - Ultrasonic motor is very fast, very smooth, and very quiet. Excellent for photo AND video. - Zoom ring is smooth, but again, a little loose toward the tight end. - Focus ring is also very smooth, and this lens offers full-time manual focus. (Focus can be manually adjusted while in Autofocus mode) - No weather sealing, but it is a metal mount. (I use a large nitrile O-Ring from Uxcell to keep moisture off the exposed metal mount. Seems to work well in a light drizzle. 62mm ID, 67.3mm OD, 2.65mm Width) -Significant vignetting, but automated lens corrections fix this fairly well for single shots and video. Vignetting unfortunately makes it near impossible to do any stitching, even with lens corrections. -Image quality is overall more than adequate for the average user. Single photos are clear and crisp. Fringing and aberration are mostly mild, and very manageable. Just don't expect to do a lot of stitching. For a more in depth technical review, especially of the image quality, search "Christopher Frost 15-85" on YouTube. He has reviewed just about every Canon lens out there, and is slowly starting to do others, and his channel is an amazing resource for selecting your next lens. -I'm under no obligation to promote this channel, it's simply a resource I use regularly and wanted to share.

Ho acquistato questo obiettivo per abbinarlo alla mia 70D e dopo due anni di utilizzo posso dire che mai acquisto fu più indovinato. Partiamo dai punti di forza: l'APERTURA COSTANTE di f/2.8 nell'intera gamma zoom e lo stabilizzatore d’immagine da 3 stop garantiscono prestazioni sorprendenti e massima versatilità d’inquadratura in condizioni di scarsa LUMINOSITÀ. La MAF automatica è incredibilmente rapida e super SILENZIOSA. Fantastica anche la SFOCATURA dello sfondo che si riesce ad ottenere anche grazie all'ampia apertura circolare. Una volta acquistato questo 17-55mm, l'unica alternativa per ottenere risultati migliori da uno zoom normale è quella di passare a FF e serie L. Le uniche note dolenti sono il prezzo (costa più di un corpo macchina di medio livello) e il peso, circa 600 grammi (alla lunga si fanno sentire). Per il resto, di tutto il parco lenti Canon per APS-C credo che questa sia indiscutibilmente quella che occupa il gradino più alto del podio. In sintesi: PRO: ✓ luminosità ✓ nitidezza ✓ stabilizzazione ✓ sfocatura sfondo CONTRO: 〤 prezzo 〤 peso 〤 assenza del paraluce (che va acquistato a parte) In definitiva, come da titolo, è la MIGLIORE LENTE DI SEMPRE PER APS-C.

中古レンズだったので状態が心配でしたが 写真通りのものが届き状態もかなり良かったです スナップにもポートレイトにもライブ撮影にも対応できる お気に入りのレンズです

If you told me this lens was new, I would have believed you. Pristine condition.