Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I decided to take advantage of the Canon Loyalty Program and trade in my old film SLR for a $296.79 discount off the refurbished price of the Canon 7D. I also added a refurbished Canon 15-85mm lens in with it.

It arrived today, and since i've heard a lot of people ask what a refurb looks like, I snapped a couple of photos.

Basically, it arrived in a white box marked Canon Refurbished. It was very well packed in the box, and had all the usual paper wark and 90 day warranty. I looked the lens over, shook it, and decided that I could not tell it from new, it looked perfect, as did the camera body.

I already had a charged battery from my 5D MK II, so I formatted a 8GB flash card in my PC and took a few photos. My first impressions were that they were sharp enough, but not when viewed at 1:1. Just a tinge of front or back focus adjustment might help, but I really doubt it, still, I'll give it a try.

Here are a few of those first photos shot around my yard.

 

[dr croubie]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

How's the vignetting at 15mm? In another thread we were discussing, that vignetting on my lens is a lot worse on one side than the other, could be a centering issue. I haven't had any IQ issues (nothing better to compare it to though), i'd be interested to see how a refurb fares...
(and i'll put some pics up on here too one day, but i've taken a *lot* with this lens...)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I'll check for vigenetting, I haven't used it much at 15mm, but I will. I spent a couple of hours MAing all my lenses, or at least most of them. For the most part, AF was pretty close to perfect. A couple benefitted from +4, a couple from +2, and the other 4 were right on. I expected this, since I see the same on my other bodies.

The MA did make a noticible difference when the images were viewed at 1:1.

Here is a handheld shot with my 100mm L after I set it up to focus on the center group and did the MA. It isare almost 1:1, severely cropped.

 

[dstppy]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

How's the vignetting at 15mm? In another thread we were discussing, that vignetting on my lens is a lot worse on one side than the other, could be a centering issue. I haven't had any IQ issues (nothing better to compare it to though), i'd be interested to see how a refurb fares...
(and i'll put some pics up on here too one day, but i've taken a *lot* with this lens...)

Okay, I found/rendered an image you can use for comparison, please consider:
1) I'm a Java Programmer by trade
2) I call this photo 'fat man on a staircase fighting vertigo' ;D

Seriously though, photo is from Boldt Castle, Thousand Islands, midway the staircase shot straight up at 15mm. Only changes have been made (per your inquiry about vignetting) -- scale, temperature/white balance change by way of GIMP to give you greater detail and make it post-able.

It's from a CR2 I shot on the 60D.

 

[herbert]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I don't shoot this as my main lens but whenever I put it on I am reminded of what a great piece of glass it is.

Canon 7D, 50mm, f11, 1/640s, ISO 100

 

[szmigielDESIGN]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

It's ok. Vignetting is not a problem for me - as far as there's no off-centering and unfortunately my lens suffers from it at 35mm. But nevertheless - it's quite good if you don't mind the f/5.6.

 

[GDub]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I LOVE the 15-85mm. It my T2i, go to, walk around, do everything lens. Here's a long shot I took today.

Lens at 15mm.
Camera: 1/125 second at f/11, ISO 100.

 

[dstppy]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Honestly, if you HAVE to own only ONE lens on a crop body, this is it.

Before making a DSLR purchase, I consulted Craig (of CR fame) and this was his recommendation. It was not a bad recommendation at all.

Little did he know, I had a bad case of 'accessoritis' and I have to buy everything within 'reason'

 

[unfocused]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I bought this lens right after it came out (bought it, in fact, before I had even gotten my 7D). Never regretted it. Even though I probably overpaid a little, since I bought it so early in the cycle.

It's on my 7D 90% of the time. From the day I got it I was blown away with how sharp it is in comparison to the kit lens that came with the Rebel I had at the time.

One thing: be sure you buy a wide angle filter. I thought it was vignetting at the wide end and then finally figured out it was my filter. Duh!!! With the wide angle filter you lose the use of a Canon lens cap (filter doesn't have enough depth for the cap). I bought a cheap soft plastic slip on lens cap from Adorama (two actually, one for this lens and one for my Tokina 11-16.) http://www.adorama.com/FLSLIP75.html. $5 and fits perfectly.

I do wish the lens were a little faster and if Canon ever delivers on a f2.8 version, I'll go for it. I'd even settle for a constant f4 aperture. But, for me, the 15mm at the wide end was more important than the f stop. (I shoot mostly outdoors anyway).

 

[whatta]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I have bought this lens but almost have not used it so far. Default lens for me is the sigma 30 1.4. I will use it for landscapes where the 15mm will be handy.

 

[ferdi]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

The 15-85mm is probably the best EF-S kit lens out there, better than the 17-85 and obviously the 18-55/18-135 "toy" zooms. Great for walk-around, smooth zoom ring, fast USM and of course IS. The lens is a bit heavy for Rebels but matches the 7D perfectly.

15mm is pretty wide (24mm FF) but in the end I wanted something even wider so I sold my copy after getting the 10-22 + 24-105L combination. Still highly recommended as general purpose lens, along with the 17-55 f/2.8 but I don't see that one in any kit.

 

[GDub]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

The 15-85mm is probably the best EF-S kit lens out there... [It] is a bit heavy for Rebels but matches the 7D perfectly.

Agreed about the front heaviness, but with a battery grip adding bottom weight to my T2i it's much more balanced.

 

[ragmanjin]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Probably one of my favourite photos I ever took with the 15-85, from a shoot we had last summer. And — just throwing this out there, but — it's probably the best non-L glass in the EF/EF-S stable...provided you get a good copy. The first two I got were decentred, I had to ship them back on warranty (thankfully Future Shop's return policy covers that sort of thing with free replacements). Now that I've got one that's the way (I'm sure) Canon intended it to be, I rarely take the thing off my camera until I need a really specialty lens/angle or a true macro shot.

 

[eddiemrg]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I love that lens!
Good in every condition, sharp, nice cromatic performance... heavy too...!

 

[wickidwombat]

Re: Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

I'd be interested in an EF-M version of this lens for the lil ol M

 

[LuCoOc]

Can't believe the last post is from APRIL!

It's my most used lens. Nice focal length range + good AF, IS and IQ. In my opinion the best general purpose lens for crop (except for indoor use, maybe ).

Attached are four pics from my recent trip to Corfu.

 

[M.ST]

Yes, it´s a great lens.

It replaces my second dead EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS lens on my 350D prototype. Four lenses are dead and the camera with now over 1,65 million shutter releases works very well.

 

[eddiemrg]

Totally awesome lens!!

 

[neuroanatomist]

...my 350D prototype...

So, you test prototype cameras for Canon, and they let you keep the prototypes? Never heard of any company doing that...particularly not a conservative company like Canon.

But then, a statement like that is perfectly consistent with your level of credibility.

 

[cbecklund]

I don't shoot with this lens very much, but it's still great to come back to for landscapes.


IMG_7872-Edit.jpg by cbecklund, on Flickr


Forest Stream by cbecklund, on Flickr