Canon EF 28-135 / EF-S 17-85 / EF-S 15-85

[TomTom]

Hi folks

I'v just upgraded my camera from a 400d to a 50d and I'm thinking it might be time to change my main use lens. Right now i'v got the 28-135mm but i'm not overly impressed with the sharpness of it, and the lens creep drives me mad. I'm considering selling it on and going for one of the shorter EF-S versions. Is the 17-85 an improvement over the 28-135? And is the 15-85 worth paying almost twice as much for than the 17-85. I'v no plans to get a full frame camera anytime soon, unless the 6D price drops massively.

Thanks

 

[TomTom]

Or is there any decent alternatives from Sigma, Tamron etc?

 

[CaptainZero]

I'm sure you'll get a ton of different answers here, but what do you like to shoot? What is your budget? When I started with DSLR, my 40d came with the same 28-135 lens. I never really liked it. I also started with a 10-22EF-s. I then bought a Canon 18-200 EF-s which I liked a lot better for the range. I still use this when I don't feel like carrying a ton of gear. I have since upgraded to a 7d and 5dIII with the 24-70 2.8 and the 100-400 which gives me great range, but they're on the heavy and expensive side.

 

[TomTom]

I shoot all sorts of things just now. Bit of street, architectural, landscape, wildlife, sports, anything really so want something quite versatile but as sharp as i can get on a budget. Also I already have a 50 1.8 and 55-250 (which i will one day swap to the 70-200 f4L, for wildlife and sport). I find the 28 just too long with the 1.6x crop, so want something a bit wider, would probably prefer that to the long end really. Budget is quite tight, probably wont be swapping it for another month or so, but if i went for the 15-85 i'd probably have to wait till early next year.

 

[Loswr]

Is the 17-85 an improvement over the 28-135? And is the 15-85 worth paying almost twice as much for than the 17-85.

No, and IMO, yes. The 15-85mm delivers L-series optical quality (but not L-series build).

 

[TomTom]

Is the 17-85 an improvement over the 28-135? And is the 15-85 worth paying almost twice as much for than the 17-85.

No, and IMO, yes. The 15-85mm delivers L-series optical quality (but not L-series build).

OK so should be worth waiting to get then. Is there anything from another manufacturer you think might be better for similar money to the 15-85?

This is probably a daft question but with EF-S lenses do you actually get the focal length shown. By which I mean you don't need to multiply it by the crop factor as with EF lenses.

Also, any thoughts on buying from ebay / digital rev vs amazon or real store. I can get it from digital rev for £439 v amazon £529 v jessops £579.

Thanks for your help.

 

[CaptainZero]

Yes, you still apply the crop factor of 1.6x

 

[TomTom]

Yes, you still apply the crop factor of 1.6x

Cool, thanks.

 

[preppyak]

OK so should be worth waiting to get then. Is there anything from another manufacturer you think might be better for similar money to the 15-85?

For the money, not really. The other good options are the 17-50/18-50 lenses from Tamron and Sigma, but, by the time you buy them, you can have the 15-85 for just slightly more.

The 15-85 will complement your future 70-200 better, and on the wide end, each extra mm is important. The difference between 15mm and 18mm is pretty big

 

[gilmorephoto]

Is the 17-85 an improvement over the 28-135? And is the 15-85 worth paying almost twice as much for than the 17-85.

No, and IMO, yes. The 15-85mm delivers L-series optical quality (but not L-series build).

I second the recommendation for the 15-85mm. I do interior shoots with this lens at f8 and it holds it's own against L lenses. Even though it's not particularly fast (and variable aperture), it looks very nearly as good wide-open as it does as it's sharpest (f8) and this makes it very versatile for me.

 

[unfocused]

I strongly recommend the 15-85 and have to disagree a bit about the build quality. I've been banging this lens around for the past three years with no issues.

When someone says it doesn't have "L" build quality – well that depends on what "L" lens you are referring to, since Canon has absolutely no standards or consistency for defining an "L" lens. The 15-85 is not weather-sealed, but neither are many of the "L" lenses. It's not made of metal, but it's certainly not lightweight or plastic-y either.

 

[gilmorephoto]

I strongly recommend the 15-85 and have to disagree a bit about the build quality. I've been banging this lens around for the past three years with no issues.

When someone says it doesn't have "L" build quality – well that depends on what "L" lens you are referring to, since Canon has absolutely no standards or consistency for defining an "L" lens. The 15-85 is not weather-sealed, but neither are many of the "L" lenses. It's not made of metal, but it's certainly not lightweight or plastic-y either.

The 15-85 is definitely not lightweight. It required me adding a grip to the T1i so that I could hold it up and balance properly.

 

[boateggs]

OK so should be worth waiting to get then. Is there anything from another manufacturer you think might be better for similar money to the 15-85?

Also, any thoughts on buying from ebay / digital rev vs amazon or real store. I can get it from digital rev for £439 v amazon £529 v jessops £579.

Thanks for your help.

you can buy a refurb from Canon direct and save some money. my 15-85 is awesome and What convinced me to get a refurb was someone here (neuro I think) brought up the point that many refurbs have almost no use and all are individually inspected and tuned so the QC is better than if bought new

EDIT: Reread and noticed that you are british. It doesnt look like Canon UK has a real online store (they do have an ebay account though). Not sure if anyone knows of a EU refurb store of it is just us yanks that enjoy this

 

[bchernicoff]

I've not used the 15-85, but wanted to give a strong endorsement for the Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM OS. I loved it when I had a 7D. My brother gets a lot of great shots with it now on his 60D. The image stabilization is nearly silent which is great for video. The corners are soft at 2.8, but the center is really sharp.

Read up: http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/531-sigma1750f28os

 

[pdirestajr]

I'd also add a 50mm 1.8 or a 40mm 2.8 to your kit, cause they are inexpensive and will give you faster apertures to handle lower light than the standard zoom.

 

[distant.star]

I'd also add a 50mm 1.8 or a 40mm 2.8 to your kit, cause they are inexpensive and will give you faster apertures to handle lower light than the standard zoom.

Why would he need two 50mm f/1.8 lenses? He said he already has one. How will two give him faster apertures?

I also will counsel the 15-85. It's not the perfect, ideal lens, but I guess it isn't meant to be. For most uses mentioned, it's just about right. Depending on the unit you get, you'll probably deal with some lens creep, but it's manageable and a small price to pay for the versatility and image quality.

 

[dasgetier]

I just registered here to say: As an ex user, don't get the 17-85, you would regret it.
From what I have heard and seen, the 15-85 will be a much better pick.

 

[shadowsatnight]

+1 on the 15-85 being a nice lens - we still use it as our standard zoom on the 7D. That said, given my time again i'd probably go for the 17-55 f/2.8 (even more expensive! :-/) as, while it doesn't have such a great range, it's handy for activating the second f/2.8 cross type on the 50D's central focus point and general lower light focus/use.

Are you aware of the creep on the 15-85 though? Ours has started to get pretty bad after a year from new, but a chunk of that's been with the lens hanging downwards from the body on a strap, so possibly not the best care regime.

-Evie

 

[BruinBear]

I will have to throw in another vote for the sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS. It is definitely one of the sharpest lenses Ive used for crop, even wide open. It is as sharp if not better at some lengths than the canon 24-70L mkI, on crop sensors, and the OS is useful sometimes. My only issues with it are the lack of full time manual focusing, slightly cheap feeling build quality, and the bokeh, which sometimes just looks horrendous.

 

[TomTom]

WOW thanks everybody. Went away for dinner and now basically have an answer. Will be waiting a bit longer to pick up the 15-85. I'm trying to build my kit up bit by bit so from the sound of it this should keep me going for quite a while. If a good deal comes up I might spring for the sigma as the 2.8 would probably be handy.

Are you aware of the creep on the 15-85 though? Ours has started to get pretty bad after a year from new, but a chunk of that's been with the lens hanging downwards from the body on a strap, so possibly not the best care regime.

-Evie

Wasn't aware of any creep on this lens, but think i'll pick one up from a real store or amazon, so if it is a problem I can look at getting it swapped. Thanks for the heads up.

you can buy a refurb from Canon direct and save some money. my 15-85 is awesome and What convinced me to get a refurb was someone here (neuro I think) brought up the point that many refurbs have almost no use and all are individually inspected and tuned so the QC is better than if bought new

EDIT: Reread and noticed that you are british. It doesnt look like Canon UK has a real online store (they do have an ebay account though). Not sure if anyone knows of a EU refurb store of it is just us yanks that enjoy this

Yeah if a refurb was an option it would definitely be the path i'd take, but the uk ebay store only ever seems to have a couple of prime lenses available.

Thanks again everyone.