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biglank1
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Registered: Nov 17, 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2009
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $290.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Convenience of zoom range. Auto focus is surprisingly quiet
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Cons:
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poor contrast, color representation, lens creep
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So I was in my "young and dumb" stage of just starting out. I couldn't afford individual lenses that met the focal distances of this lens. So I did what most beginners do: buy the cheapest lens you can afford. I've always heard to spend good money on good lenses, because you'll quickly get tired of the cheap lenses and want to upgrade. I should have listened. It's merely a kit lens, just slightly better the dreaded 18-55mm that comes with the Rebel series. I would recommend it for people who aren't considering becoming serious about photography and just want it for decent pictures at family barbecues and vacations. If you are interested in becoming serious about photography, don't buy this lens with your 40 or 50d. I typically take pictures of people. I haven't tried it much on landscape, so I can't really speak on that. Get the body separate because it will be cheaper, and spend money on a lens that you won't quickly outgrow. I was satisfied with the lens for maybe the first month or two. Then I started comparing my pictures to real photographers, trying to figure what I was doing wrong, not realizing no matter how hard I tried, I would be greatly limited by the abilities of this lens. I'm honestly surprised that Canon would sell it for so high. Please save up your money and get something that will be worth it. The lens creeps out if you hold it down. Online, this lens looks like it would have a good quality build, but it's very plasticky.
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 Nov 3, 2009
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Lane48
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Registered: Sep 3, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $410.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very Good Image Quality, Nice Focal Range, Very Good IS, Autofocus Accuracy, USM, Price
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Cons:
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Zoom Creep
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This is one of Canon’s most underrated non-L zooms. I purchased this lens in November 2007 to fill a need/desire to have an IS lens with this range. I have not been disappointed. Even though this lens is only f/3.5-5.6, I find that I can get consistently good shots at very low shutter speeds, and in low light. The color and contrast is also very good. I have read a lot of reviews comparing this lens to the 24-105L and I find that there really are not a lot of differences between the two; except in price. I have taken a lot of photographs inside and outside, with flash and without, and this lens performs very well. When I am not concerned about depth of field and I just want to relax and shoot, I will put this lens on my 50D any day.
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Nov 3, 2009
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vince
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Registered: Mar 18, 2002
Location: China
Posts: 304
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Review Date: Oct 23, 2009
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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IS, fast focusing, decent build quality.
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Cons:
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Average optics
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I reviewed this lens once before, a long while back, but after having used other lenses extensively I need to re-review this. Back then, it was a pretty decent consumer kit zoom on film cameras. I had a chance to compare images shot with this lens on my old 300D with images taken on the 18-55 kit lens and other more recent zooms. This lens fares poorly compared to even the cheapest all-plastic zooms available today. 6-7 years ago, I would have recommended it, but today there are several cheaper and better alternatives.
I'd rate this a 4/10 today in value and optical quality.
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Oct 23, 2009
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Nick Baker
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Mar 29, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 214
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Review Date: Sep 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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IS, USM, ok construction for price
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Cons:
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Terrible CA at wide angle on FF, relatively soft, barrel creep, variable aperture, crummy zoom feel
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This lens performs OK on a crop, but is not very useful range on a crop imo. If you are not used to higher end lenses you may be fine with this....
get a prime instead..... just sayin.
The FF performance is unacceptable, with wide angle shots in even medium contrast producing mostly unfixable CA.
There are better lenses for the money.
If you must have one, buy it used off amazon or these forums because this particular lens does not hold value due to its prevalence as a kit lens and disappointing qualities.
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Sep 15, 2009
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MarcyJillGood
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Registered: May 19, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 919
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Review Date: Aug 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $409.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Good IQ
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Cons:
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Doesn't retain its value
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This is a tough one for me - I am new to dSLRs, and I have learned a few things when purchasing extra lenses.
The copy I got has given me excellent images, so I shouldn't complain. If you get a good copy, and if you're not prone to lusting after L lenses, it's probably a good value. However, once I realized that people buy & sell lenses like crazy (or some do, at least), and once I learned the lens doesn't retain its value the way some others do, I was a bit disappointed that I'd purchased it. I'd recommend it to others, but with those reservations as well as reservations about the slippage I'm mentioning below.
I've read reviews that the lens slips in and out rather sloppily, and I've had the same problem. It hasn't yet affected the IQ or the ability to hold the AF long enough to get a shot, but I wonder if it would create problems after extended usage.
So far, I've only used it on the XSi. Recently became the happy (I hope) owner of a 5D Mkii, so I need to try it out on that body as well.
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Aug 15, 2009
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Matt Kerby
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jun 9, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 314
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Review Date: Jul 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $230.00
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Nice zoom range, pretty light, good IS.
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Cons:
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Not the sharpest glass in my bag
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I use this on my 20D for my bike rides, does the job, not gonna win any awards for the sharpest lens but for what it is, it's a good deal
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Jul 1, 2009
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KKFung
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Registered: Dec 20, 2008
Location: China
Posts: 514
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Review Date: Mar 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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with USM and IS, not too big so good as a walk around lens
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Cons:
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too much barrel distortion at wide end and still not wide enough on FF
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I bought it for use in my business trip and take interesting photo after work since I can only take one lens for all.
Good range and the IQ is excellent on 5D2 except the barrel distortion at wide end.
If it have 24mm or wider it is perfect!
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Mar 15, 2009
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chino101
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Registered: Feb 25, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $250.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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price, focal range, image quality, IS, USM
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Cons:
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barrel wobble
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I bought my copy second hand off eBay and could not be more pleased, I had been researching lenses for about a month or two trying to decide which would come after my kit 18-55 lens. After much deliberation this lens fit the bill. The focal length is great for a walk around, the USM makes focusing fast and quiet, and the price is unbeatable. I feel that this lens is the perfect stepping stone for new photographers that cannot stand the 18-55 kit lens but are not ready or confident enough in their skills to take the plunge on an L. This is one lens that will stay with me for a long while.
The only negative i have found so far is the barrel wobble, after putting it on my camera and walking around with it i thought something had broken in my camera do to a shaky feeling only to find out that it was just the construction of the lens and nothing to worry about.
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Mar 11, 2009
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djurma
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Registered: Oct 27, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Feb 28, 2009
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Marcus Rinaldi
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Registered: Aug 17, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 7, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $295.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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IS, relatively light weight, decent IQ, inexpensive, quiet AF with full time MF, hood included.
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Cons:
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Zoom creep, dust behind front element after a very short while, barrel wobbles.
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I bought this lens about two years ago to accompany the flimsy feeling EF-S 18-55 mm kit lens that came with my Rebel XTi. After spending nearly a month in Italy and taking over 4,000 photos with it, this turned out to be a good investment. Most of my photos turned out to be fairly sharp. It uses an EW-78BII petal-type hood, and you can get away with using a polarizer on it and be able to nudge it around with your fingertip without having to pull the hood off. There's also enough room to take the lens cap off without getting your fingers stuck.
I found it to be perfect for someone who's just getting into DSLR photography and isn't prepared to sink thousands of dollars into high-end glass that they may never use again.
I rarely use mine anymore, it's been replaced by a 24-105L zoom that came with my 5D.
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Feb 7, 2009
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Hitendra
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Registered: Feb 16, 2007
Location: India
Posts: 0
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Jan 26, 2009
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OdysseyF22
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Registered: Oct 28, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 7, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $290.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very sharp, useful range, IS, great value
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Cons:
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f/5.6 when zoomed, zoom creep
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I bought a used copy to replace my Tamron 28-75mm, which I found myself increasingly unhappy with. The Canon 28-135mm offers extra reach on the zoom end, which I use a lot. It was my first IS lens and has converted me; IS is a huge help, especially when shooting in low light, which I do a lot. The range of useful shutter speeds is extended by quite a bit.
My copy suffers from zoom creep, which is annoying but doesn't really impact performance. It is very sharp and required no micro-focus adjustment at all on my 50D.
My only real complaint is the variable f-stops across the zoom range; if it were a constant f/4, it would be a perfect lens. However, f/5.6 at the long end is sometimes just too much, even with the IS.
For anyone who wants a dependable walk-around lens with good range, this is the one to buy. While I'll someday upgrade to the Canon 24-105 IS, I doubt I'll sell this lens, but will use it exclusively on my second body.
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Jan 7, 2009
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