| Review

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Great lens but expensive, Thursday, 04 December 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.5
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		4.0

I think this lens is great but it is pretty expensive especially if you're not an "advanced" amateur. I mean you have to be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you're really going to be able to tell the difference between like a Sigma generic lens versus paying the difference for a Canon lens. No doubt the Canon lens is better quality but are you really that "advanced" to be worth spending this kind of money on a lens?

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

My XTI everyday, Tuesday, 04 November 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		3.0

Upgraded almost a year ago from the very average 18-55 kit lens that came with my XTI. Wanted more color, contrast and IS and the best autofocus I could find without being too spendy. USM on the 17-85 snaps to attention almost instantaneously, and the stabilization works great. Nothing worse than a lens that you have to wait on while it hunts to find focus, and although the f/4-5.6 is nothing to write home about, the IS helps compensate for the slow aperture when you need it the most.

I also have an EF50 f/1.4 for low light indoors, and an EF70-300DO for compact tele, but the 17-85 is what I keep going back to for general applications. IQ is really quite good and the range somehow just fits most composures I come across. Small and light, this EF-S lens is a perfect mate for a APS-C DSLR to use for everyday snaps.

I also bought (and sold) an EF24-104L, but the low end was always too tight, and the tele end wasn't far enough (great images though). Also considered the EF-S17-55 f/2.8, but eventually decided to save the dollars.

The 17-85 does show a little distortion and vigneting at 17, but easy to fix by 19 if that bothers you (not obvious enough to bother me). 20-85 is always really sharp. Did not really consider any 3rd party lenses, and this was the only Canon lens I could find with IS + USM + Range + IQ + Price. Doesn't seem prone to flare or CA. No dust or problems to report. Zooming is smooth without any creep. I keep a polarizer on most of the time since this is usually used outdoors.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Great images, great versatility, Sunday, 14 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.5
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		3.0

The Canon EF-S 17-85mm zoom lens is a great alternative to the 18-55mm kit lens. I use it on a Canon EOS Rebel XTi. It produces higher quality images and the greater zoom range is very handy. The auto-focus is very accurate and it's easy to manual focus as well. The image stabilization circuitry is great: I've shot pix from a moving cable car in San Francisco, panned, caught birds in flight, and captured moving surfers -- all without shake or blur. The 17-85mm zoom range (27-135mm on a camera with an APS-C sensor like the Rebel I use) gives you everything from wide-angle to medium telephoto in one lens. There are a lot of great photos to be captured within that zoom range. And you can capture them without carrying multiple lenses. In the high-priced world of camera lenses, it's a relative bargain, too.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Not cheap but the only lens you'll need, Sunday, 07 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

In my film days I shot only with prime lenses and never owned a zoom, the reason being zooms normally have smaller maximum apertures,often incorporate optical compromises, and shoot through more glass than a prime lens. That was then, this is now. Canon has overcome the small maximum aperture with the Image Stabilizer (IS). This means that if the camera tells you you can only shoot a particular scene at f/4 at 1/15th of a second which is very hard to shoot without blur, the IS compensates for the motion resulting from being handheld by actually moving the elements within the lens. The result is you can shoot at a much lower shutter speed and get away with it -- a tremendous advantage for a lens that only goes down to f/4. The 17-85mm zoom range is equivalent to 28-135mm in 35mm. Seldom have I felt the need for either a wider or longer focal length and constantly switching lenses only adds to the dust problem inside the camera. And the image quality is superb as always. Canon optics have been ahead of Nikon optics for many years which accounts for why so many have made the switch from Nikon to Canon. And please don't forget to order a UV filter with it. Put the filter on and never take it off.

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Gran lente. , Wednesday, 27 August 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

Lamentablemente no pude comprar la versión que es más luminoso. La foto del lente no corresponde a la escala real. Se ve más pequeño de lo que realmente es.
Estoy satisfecho por la calidad, pero como les dije con la versión de mayor apertura este lente hubiese sido ideal.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Canon 17-85 EF-S; Nice lens...canon quality?, Saturday, 05 July 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

Well I was excited about this lens because of it's range so I purchased it from Amazon. I had it shipped overnight because I was going on a trip and need it right away. When I received the lens right out of the box the mount ring was not seated in place all the way. I pushed the one side back in place because I did not have time to return the lens. The lens worked well for a while and seemed to have good images but then my zoom ring started to "stick" around 70mm and at one point it completely froze and would not move at all. I took it off and it started to work but now there is something that rattles inside the lens. I have contacted Canon and was told to send it in for "possible" warranty repair. We will see what happens. I would suggest that you save your money and buy the 24-105L lens and that is what I am also going to do.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Only virtue is zoom range., Wednesday, 18 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		2.5
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		2.0

The only virtue of this lens is the zoom range.

Chromatic abberation, highly abnormal distortion, and slow aperture above 17mm make this a bad value.

The new Canon 18-55 IS is much better optically. Even better, go for the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 or the Canon 17-40L for a bit more. This is the worst lens I have ever used without a doubt.

Check photozone.de for detailed comparisons of the lenses and save yourself some money and get quality instead!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Great upgrade for your kit lens, Sunday, 15 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

Read the reviews of all the professionals and see for yourself.
I'm an amateur and cannot operate all those photography terms, but I can see the huge difference in the quality of the pictures from my kit lens.
It is a little bit heavy and big, but the quality worth it.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great but heavy, Wednesday, 11 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		5.0

This is an amazing lens. I did notice that when its fully zoomed out the corners tend to get a little dark. But have taken amazing pictures with this lens. I have this on my Canon Rebel XTI. The image stabilizer has worked awesome for me and the zoom range is perfect. Very easy to use. WARNING though it is heavy at first. It takes some getting use to for the weight of this but i still really like it. Careful though because it requires a 67mm filter and they can run expensive so make sure you shop around for them. I recommend this lens for people that do not like the standard crappy lens and wants some more zoom. I was able to get mine for $400 because it was an out of box lens but it has worked great for me.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Very nice lens but as others stated, price-value-p, Wednesday, 21 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		4.0

Excellent IS based lens, but I have to question the value of the lens based on the other products available today. With a very slow F4 aperture, one can easily find a better solution to line up a great lens set including fast primes. Still, this lens is quite compact, has an exceptional focal range, and can easily serve its purpose on the APS-C sized sensor cameras.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Good medium grade lens, Tuesday, 13 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

Bought the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 lens to use as a general purpose lens on my Canon 40D. Overall I am pleased with the quality of the optics. It's not a "L" lens so don't expect it to perform like one. One complaint I have is that the zoom ring feels a little loose and wobbly. However the focus ring is tight and precise.

I have owned a Sigma 17-70mm lens in the past which is the direct competitor of the Canon 17-85mm. The Sigma has a bigger aperture of f2.8 but a lower range than the Canon. The Canon provides fulltime manual focus and IS, which is not available on the Sigma. Personally I liked the pictures the Canon lens produced over that of the Sigma.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Canon EF-S 17-85 lens, Thursday, 08 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

This lens let me take three other lens from my camera bag.
All around great lens for studio work and outdoor or weddings too.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

The lens that should have been included, Friday, 02 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

This lens was originally part of the 40D kit. I don't know why, but now the cheaply made, overall useless 28-135 mm lens is the only lens you can find in the kit. You are better off buying the body only then purchasing this lens. Remember that the 40D has a crop factor of 1.6 - meaning that you have to multiply your lens by 1.6 - so a 28-135 is actually a 45-216 mm lens. Nice on the zoom part - awful on the other!

This lens is equivalent to a 28-136 mm lens - a perfect overall size. Picture being in a 12x12 foot room. With this lens you can shoot a small group. With the other lens (46mm equiv.) you have to climb a chair and stretch - and miss most of the group anyway. Seriously. I've been there.

This lens is well made, focuses fast, and is pretty silent. It's now my primary.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Good lens but vignetting is significant..., Friday, 11 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		3.0

Bought this lens to get a bit more zoom than the kit lens and am happy with it. However, the feedback you read about vignetting is real -- you see it through the view finder! I get vignetting almost always at the lowest focal length. As I said, I'm happy and can recommend the lens but realize you're likely to see significant vignetting (dark edges in your pictures at the low range {17mm "non-zoom "}).

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Recommended - with reservations, Sunday, 06 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		5.0

The Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS lens is a good, versatile lens. I love it for many reasons, but I want to get rid of it almost every day. It's Image Quality (IQ) is indeed a bit soft, especially at the wide end of the zoom, and especially in the corners of the frame, and I am hesitant to pay for large 20"x30" prints taken with this lens. Bokeh is nice and soft, but it is slow at f4-5.6 wide open, and I find myself using higher ISO speeds on my 20D (which isn't much of a problem, Canon's CMOS sensors are very clean at higher ISOs). I drool over Canon's 17-40mm L glass, but when comparing images side by side it's hard to justify the price increase. The only difference in IQ is the L is sharper in the corners of the frame, but not so much sharper that most people will notice. The L is better, but I don't think it is $250 better. If you're doing an art show with huge prints it may make a difference. If you're not, it probably won't.

I bought the 17-85mm because I often have to pack light and don't have the luxury of carrying several lenses with me when I go shooting. When I do get an amazing shot at either extreme of the zoom range, I have to remind myself that those shots would not have been possible with other lenses. As it's been said before, this is a jack of all trades, master of none.

If you can only afford one lens for your camera and need something versatile, this lens at $420 is a good choice. If you're a pro who regularly makes poster-sized prints larger than 10"x15", it might not be for you. If you pair this lens with Canon's amazing 50mm 1.8 prime lens, you will have almost every situation covered for under $500.

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