Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

W hile the lens does not take you to land that the L Series glass would take you, the wider range, and better clarity makes this lens, the perfect 'leave it on the camera lens'. If you are only going to buy one lens for your 20 or 30D then buy this lens. There is not a better general purpose lens out there. [redo for g index]

EF-S 17-85 F4 IS USM EF-S lens brings true wide-angle to telephoto coverage to EOS 20D camera and Digital Rebel camera photographers. The 17-85mm IS lens is MUCH heavier than the standard 18-55mm lens and the construction certainly feels worth $500 or so versus $100 of the 18-55mm kit lens. It features Canon's Image Stabilization system, allowing safe hand-held photography at shutter speeds up to three steps slower than otherwise possible. And of course, it's optically optimized for digital SLRs. A ring-type USM delivers fast and silent auto focus, as well as full-time manual focus when in the AF mode.

Lenses that feature images stabilization offer distinct advantages when handholding,  but you need to remember that when using these lenses on tripods the IS system should to be turned off or else the lens can move during the exposure and cause camera shake while shooting on a tripod. This is a consequence that has mystified many photographers!

The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens provides a 5x zoom ratio and an angle of view equivalent to a 27-136mm lens on a 35mm camera. The new lens also uses a glass-molded aspherical lens element with aspherical surfaces on both sides for superb image quality throughout the entire zoom range and it features a closest focusing distance of 12 inches at all focal lengths. The EF-S 17-85mm IS lens is 5% shorter and 12% lighter than the EF 28-135mm IS lens and accepts 67mm filters. Possibly the best single lens to own with your Canon Digital Rebel SLR Camera.

• EF-S lens mount, exclusively for EOS 20D and Digital Rebel bodies

• Excellent optical quality: Aspheric element with two Aspherical surfaces utilized

• Close-focusing to 1.15 feet -- at 135mm, fills the frame with subject 3 x 4.4 inches

• Ring-type Ultrasonic motor for superior AF performance; allows full-time MF

• Image Stabilization extends the lens's usefulness in low-light levels

• Circular aperture design -- natural highlights, even stopped down two stops

• Non-rotating front element; lens length does not change during zooming

• Compact, lightweight design with a 5x zoom ratio, 28 to 135mm equivalent

EF-S Lenses
By reducing the distance from the rear of the lens to the focal plane and reducing the size of the image circle to match the size of the APS-C imaging sensor used in digital SLRs such as the EOS 20D camera and Digital Rebel camera,Canon's EF-S lenses reduce the size, weight and cost of wide-angle lenses for these cameras while at the same time producing high image quality with superb resolution and contrast at all focal lengths.

Front & Rear Lens Caps, 1-Year Warranty

Not a bad lens but there are probably better buys out there, August 5, 2009

By Douglas Whitaker

This lens was one of the first lenses I bought and, more than anything, has taught me the value of extensively researching any lenses I buy. I bought this lens because it was a Canon and not because it was a great lens. If I had the opportunity to buy this again, I would definitely consider a different lens.

The good:

- This lens has a fairly respectable range (17-85mm)
- The construction feels solid
- USM is nice
- IS helps

The bad:

- The lens isn't particularly sharp. I usually use this lens for every day shots or when I can only bring one lens with me and I am indoors. Other than that, I use other lenses even when they are less convenient due to their range because of their sharpness.
- There is no zoom lock. When moving the camera in between shots, the zoom frequently changes. Other lenses in this price range have the ability to lock the zoom at least to some extent.
- The IS isn't enough to compensate for the f/5.6 at 85mm. It helps, but I would much rather have a faster lens.

I've borrowed a Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical from time to time and, while it has less range, it is sharper and faster. If you don't need the whole range of this lens, I'd definitely consider the Tamron.

By R. Friesel Jr. "found_drama" (Burlington, VT USA)

My first every Ebay score, the Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens (featuring image stabilization) was a much coveted item around here. It had come highly recommended and seemed to be a great complement to my beloved 50mm prime and a perfect replacement for the 18-55mm kit lens that shipped with the XTi.

Initial, first-night impressions? Heavenly.

Compared to the other lenses that I've put on the business end of the XTi, the 17-85mm is one heavy dude. I'd wager that it's at least as heavy as the camera and certainly feels as heavy as the 50mm and the 18-55mm put together. The lens is serious. It means business. It traveled back in time from the future to be here with us today. It's a touch of the photographic high-tech, made accessible to the amateur.

With my right hand on the shutter and my left on the lens' barrel, it didn't feel any less heavy but "heavy", in my mind, became "solid". The auto-focus is nice and quiet and is reasonably fast to lock onto the subject. The focusing ring is also nice and big -- it cries out to be grasped and twisted. It was a joy to realize that even with the auto-focus turned on, the lens would not complain if I fine-tuned a given shot with some manual adjustments. (The AF doesn't totally commandeer the focus, that is to say.) The zoom is also smooth, the barrel moving quickly and easily without over-shooting the desired focal length.

Image stabilization is also a big plus. I have a feeling that once I Best Prices for the hang of it, it will save quite a few low-light, indoor, and hand-held shots over the lifetime of this lens. This isn't to be naοve and believe it to be a cure-all. Certainly a few of my early test shots with the IS feature on prove that you can still wind up with a whole mess of blur. But others worked out pretty well.

After having used it for about two weeks or so now, most of these initial impressions have stayed true. The IS feature is a good one but isn't something upon which to rely to save every shot. You still need to have good light and the right angle, etc.; but with the right ISO setting, it can save the scene. The heavy feeling of the lens is something I've gotten used to pretty quickly; after a couple of sessions, you just expect the camera to weight that much -- no worries. I've also found that the longer focal lengths are great for portraiture -- I find myself using focal lengths in the 70-85mm range pretty often now and I wonder how I ever lived without them before.

That said, I'm beginning to wonder a little about the lens' chromatic aberration. I've had a few shots that don't seem to "resolve" the same way during post-processing (in Aperture) as similar shots under similar conditions with the same camera body and a different lens (e.g., the 50mm prime). This is not to say that I have my mind made up and am squaring the blame on the lens -- certainly not! But I am trying to parse my way through some of these, experimenting with some different conditions, etc. to see where it lands. I've just fallen into a certain rhythm with my post-processing and I would hate to have to learn a new dance just for the one, new lens.

All things considered however, I've been very pleased with most of my results from the 17-85mm As a result far.

...so yeah, worth it.

But with respect to "worth it": Canon lists a retail price of $600 for the EF-S 17-85mm IS lens. Most places online seem to offer it in the $475-$550 range. As far as lenses go, this is hardly a costly one. Considering that this is one of the two lenses "given away" as the kit lens for Canon's 40D body, you wonder a little bit if the mass-production maybe watered it down just a little bit...? Just the same, this is a great "walk-around" lens: it is sturdy, has some great built-in features, and has a versatile range of focal lengths. If you got this lens "free" with your camera body then you are in luck. If you're looking to pick up one separately... Well, it's a great lens to have. And I'm happy with mine. But see if you can't score one on Ebay or through your local re-seller of high-quality, previously enjoyed lenses.

Happy shooting, y'all.