Given the 17-85mm EF-S was effectively replaced in 2009 by the 15-85mm EF-S and the chatter on here about new lenses being needed for the next big step up in sensor densities, I'm wondering if the quite old by EF-S standards 10-22mm and 17-55mm EF-S lenses are perhaps getting to a stage where a refresh is required.
Why ? Well if the reviews are anything to go by, the 17-55mm is appearing to offer little benefit over the 15-85mm in terms of sharpness, its looking a bit out of "style" with the newer EF-S chrome ring and better looking plastics, could perhaps feature current generation IS and could in theory push the boundary further by droping another half stop to beat the competition. The 10-22mm also has the older style and perhaps both could using newer manufacturing techniques be sold at a slightly lower price and increase profitability for canon.
Given the market share of the crop body cameras over the full frames an the push of crop bodies upmarket (7D), I'd suspect the crop specific premium lenses sell in far greater numbers than like-for-like lenses in the L ranges.
I'm also thinking that although the current lenses may well work fine for the current 18mp crop models, they may well start to show a few weaknesses perhaps not with the next step up, but maybe the step after that, thus getting new glass out over the next couple of years would set the stall out for new crop bodies in 2013 onwards, which by recent jumps could see crops at 25-30mp by 2013/14
Why ? Well if the reviews are anything to go by, the 17-55mm is appearing to offer little benefit over the 15-85mm in terms of sharpness, its looking a bit out of "style" with the newer EF-S chrome ring and better looking plastics, could perhaps feature current generation IS and could in theory push the boundary further by droping another half stop to beat the competition. The 10-22mm also has the older style and perhaps both could using newer manufacturing techniques be sold at a slightly lower price and increase profitability for canon.
Given the market share of the crop body cameras over the full frames an the push of crop bodies upmarket (7D), I'd suspect the crop specific premium lenses sell in far greater numbers than like-for-like lenses in the L ranges.
I'm also thinking that although the current lenses may well work fine for the current 18mp crop models, they may well start to show a few weaknesses perhaps not with the next step up, but maybe the step after that, thus getting new glass out over the next couple of years would set the stall out for new crop bodies in 2013 onwards, which by recent jumps could see crops at 25-30mp by 2013/14