This is a high-magnification standard zoom lens with 5X zoom ratio, ranging from wide-angle of 28mm to medium-telephoto of 135mm. This lens features a built-in compact Image Stabilizer(IS) unit, which is newly developed for this lens. This new compact IS unit and a compact optical system with multi-lens-group zoom design achieves compact and lightweight design of high-magnification zoom lens. The IS system is the same as other IS lenses. The image stabilizing effect is equivalent to about two steps of shutter speed. The optical system uses a molded glass (GMo) Aspherical lens element(14th) to provide sharp definition throughout the entire zoom range. A ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor) and Inner focusing system assures silent and high-speed AF and Full-time manual focusing.
Editor review : Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
We have not yet reviewed this lens, a full review to follow shortly.
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My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Undecided Pros: N/A Cons: N/A
User Lens Reviews
Average user rating from: 194 user(s)
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.2
Build Quality
4.3
AF Speed
4.3
Value for Money
4.3
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
It's versatile, performs, and is a good value..., Wednesday, 01 July 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras My family bought me the EOS 50D for my 50th birthday. Knowing I'd want instant gratification, they opted to make this purchase with the EF28-135mm kit lens. I have since shot around 5000 images with this lens, and being the ultimate critic have done a lot of situational testing shots (ok, I'm an amateur techie), juxtaposed in between 1000's of more important vacation, soccer, music concert, and wildlife shots.
I have to say that I'm fairly pleased with the results in general. I do see some softness in some shots, but always get acceptible results for "family photos". Stopping the lens down a Bit to F7.1 or F8 helps, but I think some of the softness is just inherent with the glass being used in this lens. The zoom range is great (4.8X), and makes this lens good for general walkabout, but I find myself in a bind at times without wide angle capability due to what the 50D's APS does to 28mm.
As mentioned, the lens softness is to be expected from the glass Canon used in this lens. I've also shot about 5000 shots with "L" glass, so I have a good basis for comparison on the 50D. I've gone through several micro-focus adjustment exercises with my copy of the 28-135 and found that at 28mm no correction was needed, while at 135mm the lens was front-focusing around +1 setting. So I opted to set a -1 adjustment for this lens in the 50D's lens Calibration memory. I also compared the best micro-focusing I could obtain with LiveView fully zoomed on tripod, to that of AF on the same test shots, and saw similar performance. This particular result leads me to my general softness comments.
Even so, I'm still pleased with the lens and shots taken in all sorts of light. (Note, the 50D does an excellent job with higher ISO settings, so I've captured some really good low light shots with the 28-135 as well as "L" lenses, benefitting from IS, and DIGIC IV assistance.)
I did notice the well publicised lens creep issue with this lens, which can be really annoying when you need to shoot several shots with one hand (holding on with other hand, holding branches out of the way, etc.) I tried the well publicised rubber band trick, and that worked exceptionally well, except I noticed after several weeks that the focus ring had become jammed and was very hard to turn. I diagnosed this to the fact that the rubber band keeps the focus ring from turning at all, as well as adding tension to the zoom ring. The lens tries to move the focus ring slightly when focusing, and over time can mis-align the internal workings with the focus ring. Forcing the focus about 90 degree's rotation seemed to realign the mechanism, and focus ring movement became smooth again. I think I'll look for a narrower rubber band, or live with the lens creep. I thought I'd broken the lens at first...
IS and USM are must-have's, in my opinion on any lens. I found at least 2 stops of benefit from the 28-135 IS, even more after I'd been jogging or climbing and was out of breath. And I know that the people sitting around me really appreciate the silence of USM AF.
No lens hood or case comes with this lens - that's typical for non-"L" lens.
The macro focus feature and capabilties of this lens are very good. Again, stop things down a bit, have good light, and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Why only 4 stars? Not because of its softness (most cheaper lenses have this limitation, especially above 12 megapixels). No, mostly because of the lens creep, new out of the box (I would expect this over time, not new), and because of the focus ring getting jambed (this is supposed to be a lens with no mechanical link to the focusing ring, so that you can manually focus after setting AF in AF mode, so why would it jamb???).
Would I recommend it to a friend? Absolutely. I've got many, many good shots to attribute to this lens, and I never leave home without it. Someday I'll be an all "L" glass guy, but until then, this is my mid-range lens and it does the job.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Used one for 5 years. Second one was defective., Thursday, 25 June 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
2.3
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
1.0
I've owned one of these for about 5 years and through usage it doesnt seem to focus from side to side. I've chalked this up to wear so I ordered another one but when it arrived the auto focus motor was frozen so I sent it back and rented a 24 to 70 L series lens from Lens Giant for a month. Wow, it is great but the price is 3 times the 28-135mm. The 28-135 is a good lens at f.8 and above at short distance. Not so good wide open with large groups such as wedding party altar shots. I'm still debating on what to by but I think it will be an L series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
My #1 Lens, Wednesday, 03 June 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
The Canon EF 28-135mm IS lens is Great. I have used is almost exclusively for 6 months. It is my #1 all around lens. I no longer use the 18-55mm lens that came with my XSi. I take many photos from wide landscapes from the Grand Canyon to fine macro flowers. The manual/auto option allow me to vary any focus. The IS works great to stabilize shots. The lens is a little heavy because of its size but not unbearable. You can view many of my photos taken with this fine lens at [...]
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Canon EF 2-135mm, Saturday, 30 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
A great little lens for the price, I like the versatility it allows. I have other lenses that overlap this one's do more with it than any other one lens. Even at that it is not the one lens for everything but it does allow for more without changing out the lens as often. I really like it and I would recommend it for anyone even though it is a little slow. Images are crisp and there is no apparent loss at the edges.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Limited Life Span, Friday, 29 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
2.3
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
2.0
I loved this lens when I first got it, but after about a year of using it, it has peaked. I even sent it back to Canon - and paid over $100 - to have it calibrated and tweaked...and it's just not working right. I certainly used it a lot over the year, but a Canon lens should really perform longer than that. And after sending it back and spending the money to have it "fixed," I'm done spending money on it. The focus is poor and the lens is not durable.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Value Difficult to Beat, IS May Be Too Noisy for V, Friday, 29 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
3.3
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
Recently I bought this lens for a Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens thinking it would be a great choice for all-around shooting due to its versatile focal length. In addition, since the T1i has some limited video capabilities, I figured it could double as a video lens. Unfortunately the image stabilizer is too loud to use during video shooting when using the built-in mic, but arguably the T1i is at least partially to blame since it does not provide an external mic input. Anyone shooting DSLR video with this lens might do well to switch IS off before rolling.
If your application is still shooting, however, you'll probably be well satisfied with the versatility and performance of this lens. Note that not all Canon IS lenses are created equal, however, and the older IS technology in this lens is good for about 2 stops of shutter speed versus 3 or 4 stops for the latest technology. Still, the Canon 28-135 IS USM is difficult to beat for value and may be the most versatile Canon lens under $500.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great lens!, Saturday, 23 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
This is a great lens. The USM is so silent, I had to refocus on a few different things just to make sure it was actually working. You can't hear a thing! The image stabilization is a great feature, especially since I never carry around a tripod. It really helped out when I was shooting pictures at an air show recently. My only issue so far is that I have found if I leave my Rebel XT on auto mode, the pictures turn out too bright and kind over exposed. So I have just had to learn to set the camera up myself manually and the pictures are amazing.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Fell in river and had to replace this great lens!, Monday, 27 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Have owned this same lens before. I recently fell in the Little Greenbriar River in the Tennessee Smokies while setting up a photo shot. I broke the lens on a boulder. I realized that I did not want to go on another photo trip without replacing this valuable lens. A great all-purpose lens for wildflowers or panoramics.
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0 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Beware the small letters!, Monday, 20 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
4.0
When I decided to upgrade, I chose this canon 28-135 mm os from the small letter below the original advertisement. The one that says "new:$319.95". I thought that saving a hundred wouldn't be so bad. Well, first thing. This is a kit lens from a camera, taken and sent it in just a plain box, no warranty, no paper or any documentation whatsoever. After that, I realized that they advised about this in small print under the picture of the lens. The delivery was not definitely by UPS because UPS have you sign for any delivery and I found my box three steps from my door. I have a closed fence. Therefore, for my package to get there, it should be thrown over the fence. I have ordered other things from amazon and I've always been pleased with the service and the delivery. Next time, I'll buy strictly from them and not from any company that advertise through them.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Over all good lens., Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Purchased this to go with my XSi and have been pleased so far. I used it on a recent backpacking trip and it really produced some great quality shots. I also have a 17-40mm L and to be really honest I can produce about the same quality pictures from both lenses. I do slightly favor the L for its wide angle, but this one is a definite plus with IS.
The build quality is pretty solid overall, except for the lens creep. It seems to be "standard" on this model lens for the zoom to extend out while carrying it. Can be annoying, but still worth buying. This is the only reason for the 4 start rating instead of 5. As far as the lens hood, forget about it. Have taken numerous pictures with and without it and it really doesn't make a difference, it just takes up added room and a pain to keep it on while in a case. I also noticed that in some circumstances I was getting a little lens flar, until I discovered that it was from my UV filter and not the lens itself. All that they say is true about cheap brand filters-avoid them. I would recommend this lens, but be aware of the lens creep, good quality for the buck, especially if you can get a mint copy of a used one.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Quality Lens, Saturday, 11 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
This lens was an excellent value and is a perfect all around main camera lens to keep on your camera 90% of the time. You'll find this lens can be used for many different photo shots.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Great Everyday Lens... for Pro's or Enthusiasts, Friday, 20 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
5.0
This lens is worth the money, or buying as a kit option. I would give it 5 stars, but there are couple of minor issues that bring it down.
Pros: USM. Quick focus. Great images. Pretty good range between wide field and moderate zoom at a great price point. My favorite single travel lens if I don't feel like switching lens all day long or carrying multiples.
Cons: LENS CREEP. After a while it happens to a lot of these. There are ways to fix it if you are knowledgeable. Dust gets in pretty easy but not enough to degrade your images or even notice.
Overall, I think it is the best single carry lens on the market.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
good walk around lens for a budget, Saturday, 07 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
3.0
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
2.0
This lens takes nice pictures. The fact that the lens adjust the zoom if its on an angle drives me nuts. The lens also slides open in my camera bag. I'm waiting for a 24-70 with IS to come out.
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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful
There are better lenses out there - avoid this one, Tuesday, 03 February 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
2.0
This lens looks on the surface to be a great all-purpose lens, and at first the pictures looked a step up from my Canon PowerShot A720IS 8MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom. It has image stabilization, and a good range, I thought it would be a good general purpose lens. I quickly became disillusioned with the results, many pictures where out of focus, so I thought I would compare it against my other lenses. What I discovered surprised me. I took the cost effective 50mm lens, the 100mm macro lens, the 70-300mm IS lens, the kit 18-55mm and the 28-105mm and took the same pictures at focal lengths of 50mm and 100mm of a batik (where possible). I made sure I had adequate lighting to avoid Camera shake (1300 watts total, plus all pictures were above 1/50th second), which I thought might be the culprit, and took a series of photos with each lens at f4.5. The worst lenses by far were the 28-105 and the 18-55 which gave about the same results. Whilst the 100mm macro lens (from the same distance) and the 70-300mm IS, and often the 50mm showed the grain of the canvas on which the art was imprinted, the 28-105mm and the 18-55 were not sharp at all, and sometimes downright blurry. This was at a distance of about 2 meters (12 feet). There were 5 test pictures, in every single one, the 100mm macro lens gave the best result (just ahead of the surprisingly good 70-300IS). The 28-105 was very disappointing. I think the sample was wide enough to eliminate operator error. I wondered if my camera was failing to auto-focus properly, but the results with the 100mm are perfect 9 times out of 10, often even when working at macro ranges with autofocus on, and bad 10/10 with the 28-105mm.
In short: Avoid this lens if you want crisp pictures. Get instead the Canon - Lens - 50 mm - f/1.8 II - Canon EF (though some say the f1.4 is better, I might agree, but it's over 4 times the price, and this is definitely a step up from the 28-105), and also the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras. It won't set you back that much more, and you'll get much better pictures and be able to do macro work! You might argue that the 28mm end would be missing, but the kit lens takes as good photos as this lens, so you're not missing much except perhaps better manual focus, but I would imagine few are using manual focus with this lens.
Other problems you may find are that the zoom barrel will extend of it's own accord if you point the camera downward. I also found that I had to take two or three pictures at a time to get one that was anywhere near in focus and correctly exposed. Lens certainly won't just 'snap' the moment first time, I dread to think what it would be like on action shots.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Not bad for a kit lens!, Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
2.0
This lens came with my 40D and is probably one of the better kit lenses. It features "IS" which is very useful for low light situations. One of the things I don't like about this lens is the fact that it doesn't have a fixed aperture. The aperture increases as you zoom out, which is a real bummer. Another weakness is the image quality. Images are not very sharp in my opinion and saturation/Contrast is so-so. If your looking for a starter lens, then this is a lens you might consider. It's light and pretty reasonably priced for a lens having "IS"!!
