Are you sure you mean the 28-70 and not the 28-105 USM (or the 24-85 USM) ?
I don't know anything about the 28-70 other than the 2.8 L version . But I used to have the 28-105 USM (mk1) and it was a fab little lens . Very fast AF (proper ring USM) and very good IQ . In the time I had it I also had the 28-70L and before the a tokina 28-80 2.8 (not great) and the little lens more than held its own . I let it go when I got the 24-105L but in truth I wish I'd kept it as it was just as nice IQ in a much smaller lens .
I did try a 28-135 IS and was not that impressed ,
I owned the EF 28-70 3.5-4.5 in the early 90s and it was a great optic for its day but truly terrible and gritty MF ring, slow focus and loud AF motor. However the plastics used in the barrel were battle ready: really thick and heavy compared to later plastic barrels like the 28-135 IS. I think Canon over engineered early EF barrels so they'd earn some credibility for using what many perceived as cheap materials.
I must say I greatly preferred the 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM I replaced it with a couple years later. I remember thinking the plastics in the new fangled design sure were thin compared to the 28-70 3.5-4.5. I recently saw a 28-70 in a pawn shop. They wanted $25 for it without filter. It looked beat and smelled of mildew...
I bought a EF 28-70mm 3.5-4.5 II new in 1990 to use with my Canon EOS 630. I also used it with my 10D. From what I remember, it is sharper than the 28-135 IS I owned and the AF was noisy but fast.
The front element retracts into the front of the lens at certain focal ranges which make it difficult to use Polarizing filters. My solution for that was to use an 52mm Cokin extension ring.
IMO the lens to get in this range is the 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM. I have found focus and optics to be great, and it's very cheap used (not a lot of people know about it...)
You are comparing two no-so-hot lenses, the older of which is non-repairable. In the budget normal zoom class the Tamron 28-75/2.8 should also be considered.
ronno wrote:
IMO the lens to get in this range is the 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM. I have found focus and optics to be great, and it's very cheap used (not a lot of people know about it...)
The 24-85 USM was a very popular lens from the mid to late 1990s. I used one for nearly 10 years and have a lot of sharp images on my wall from it. Even did a write-up on it:
