Patent: EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS

[Canon Rumors]

<p>A new patent for the EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 optical formula has appeared. Perhaps it may be an update to the current lens to give it a stepping motor (STM).</p>
<p>That said, the current lens is very good for what it is, and probably benefits from USM on a camera such as the EOS 7D Mark II.</p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-05-08" target="_blank">EG</a>]</p>
<p> </p>

 

[Maximilian]

Oh no! Please don't put that STM everywhere. Leave it ring USM.
Improve it optically but leave the fastest AF also to some premium EF-S lenses.

 

[exquisitor]

I don't see a point to update an already very good 15-85 USM. The old 17-55 f/2.8 needs update much more. 7D II would benefit from it more. But I can imagine that Canon is going the root of abandoning the premium EF-S lenses and stimulating the folk to move to the more expensive EF lenses. The new 10-18 STM instead of equal replacement of 10-22 USM just confirms the theory. Actually since the 15-85 USM (2009) there was no USM lenses announced in the EF-S line.

 

[unfocused]

If they put their dynamic IS in it (or even an improved version) it could be a nice video lens, but for stills the best way to improve the EF-S 15-85 would be to make it a fixed f4 lens.

 

[NancyP]

This is a good lens as it is. It doesn't need updating. I prefer STM, and there needs to be a decent wide-range EF-S equivalent of the 24-105L.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

I see only two possible improvements 15-85mm:

* Make aperture F4 constant.
or
* An STM version, which is cheaper than the current one.

In fact, the EF-S lens that needs urgent update is 17-55mm F2.8 with better mechanical and sharpness when wide open.

 

[PhotographyFirst]

There are some things to update on the current 15-85 lens.

There are many copies that are decentered or become decentered over time. I've gone through a few and rented a select copy from Lens Rentals, and all had decentering somewhere in the zoom range.

They also tend to get sloppy in the zoom mechanism with a good amount of use.

Optically speaking, they are hard to improve upon. One of Canon's best crop lenses for image quality.

 

[lol]

I used to have the Sony/Zeiss 16-80 which was f/4.5 on the long end. I didn't appreciate it then, but I do miss that on the 15-85. I also find the 15-85 not as good in micro-contrast so there is a bit of room for improvement there.