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bpham
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Registered: Nov 3, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 373
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Review Date: Dec 28, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $700.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharpness, quick focus, light, reasonably priced
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Cons:
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Vignette, lens creep
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Great lens, equal to my 24-105L lens. I used it on the 50D and 7D with great results. It looks even better than on the 7D. No complain on the picture quality.
On the vignette, actually I don't mind it that much and it can be easily fixed with lightroom. The lens creep does bother me though, however, interestingly my son got the same one a couple of months ago (mine was like 6-8 months old), and his has no problem with the creep. I think newer version, Canon fixed this issue.
I'm thinking about bringing both lenses back to Canon and let them see the differences.
Wish that the F stop is constant and 2.8, however, Canon probably would raise the price and it would heavier too.
Overall, highly recommended.
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 Dec 28, 2010
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willis
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 23, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 457
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Review Date: Dec 19, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp and contrasty, nice colour, great range, not too heavy, very effective IS, nice build, its only optical imperfections are easily dealt with automatically in LR/Photoshop.
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Cons:
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A bit pricey, hood should be included at the price, variable aperture, not weather sealed.
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Probably the best available walk around lens for 1.6 crop. It is every bit the equal of the 24-105L IS on FF IMO and a much more flexible range on a 1.6 crop.
IQ is excellent with great sharpness across the frame at all focal lengths. There is some distortion at the wide end, it vignettes a bit and there's some chromatic aberration at the edges but these are only a minor inconvenience in the digital era - These are probably design compromises which allow the production of a lens with such a great range which is this this sharp and still keeps size and weight to a minimum. Canon seem to be designing lenses which provide great contrast, colour and sharpness at the cost of some vignetting, distortion and lateral CA which can be easily fixed in post. I'm very happy with this compromise.
Constant f4 aperture would be nice but I can easily live with variable aperture in return for the performance throughout the range and its compact dimensions.
I've seen some complaints of zoom creep but mine doesn't do this at all. It's the best built EF-S lens I've come across. Very effective four stop IS greatly mitigates the effects of the slow aperture, though obviously it's not the best for action shots.
It's a lens that does exactly what it sets out to do and does it very well. Really no complaints at all about this one (apart from the almost criminal failure to supply a hood on a lens costing close to £600).
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Dec 19, 2010
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timster51
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Registered: Oct 5, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 17, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $598.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Nice build. Very sharp. 15mm is nice. No lens creep. Perfect with my 7D.
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Cons:
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It is expensive. It is slow.
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This is absolutely the lens I have been looking for. Thank You Canon. At one point I owned a 17-40L, then a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 - got rid of them both. 17-40L very very soft in the corners (and that's on a crop camera), couldn't depend on focus for the Tamron. The 15-85 takes care of both of these problems - I am very impressed with the build and sharpness of this lens. It has silent and dependable focus, it is just the right weight and size and the IS works. It will stay on my 7D. I think I will buy some red pinstriping . . .
Got mine on Ebay.
BTW - I haven't seen anyone anywhere mention this web site:
http://www.lenstip.com/index.html?test=obiektywu&test_ob=220
These guys have great lens reviews - they really no what they are talking about - and they really like the 15-85
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Dec 17, 2010
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emux
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Registered: Aug 31, 2010
Location: Denmark
Posts: 108
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Review Date: Nov 20, 2010
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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range: 15-85, IS, image quality
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Cons:
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slow speed, zoom creep
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My experience of lenses before I bought this was of the kit lenses: 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS. Compared to the 18-55 IS the 15-85 is a huge improvement in image quality and the extra range at both ends is fantastic. A 24-136 mm 35mm equivalent pretty much satisfies my general purpose needs.
Unfortunately after I had this lens for two weeks it began to suffer seriously from zoom creep between 24 and 50 mm where the lens pointed down at 24 mm falls out to 50 and then opposite at 50 mm. I decided that I wanted my new and expensive lens to be perfect within the parameters I was aware of (slow and variable aperture) and sent it back and got a replacement. Unfortunately the replacement became loose and zoom crept after a few days of usage.
Also it seemed that the replacement had worse sharpness and combined with the slowness of the lens I returned this one too and exchanged it for the safe option a 17-55 IS. I haven't looked back since. The 17-55 is fantastic, IQ is better: exactly what I wanted, no zoom creep, and fast (enough) for all the indoor shots in cold Denmark during the long winter months.
I miss the wide and the tele ends of the 15-85 but I don't miss the slowness and zoom creep. For me the 15-85 was the wrong compromise,
I love my 17-55.
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Nov 20, 2010
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jasonpatrick
Online
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 8, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 972
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Review Date: Oct 19, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp!!!! even wide open. Great IS. Best of any lens I've used.
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Cons:
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It's slow for a $700.00 lens. No hood, but the thing that really gets me is the lens creep.
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I traded a couple primes for this lens with the thoughts of trying it quickly, but ultimately trading it on for a 17-40mm f/4. The reviews I read gave me pause...because it was getting some pretty darn good ones. My first impressions were that it was pretty ugly...I had the 17-85mm lens, and it was more aesthetically pleasing, but there it is. The zoom ring and the focus ring are silky smooth - way better than the 17-85mm lens, but the real kicker was the IQ. It's just sharp. Canon really focused on the wide end of this lens as the 17-85 was pretty bad at the wide end. The results were very very good. Colors are better on my 70-200mm f/4, but I kinda expect that.
What I didn't expect was the zoom creep, which my 17-85 never did. Unlike some, this one stays put at 15mm and at 85mm, but between 20 and 70, it slides in and out pretty quickly. No setting it at 35 and pointing over your head unless you're holding on. No holding near the ground and pointing up...it's not a slow slide. It takes a fraction of a second for it to go from 20 to 70 and from 70 down to 20. I sent it into Canon and they told me that it was "well within factory settings". When I called them to complain they told me that I could send it in and they would take another look, but couldn't guaranty a fix. For a lens of this price, I'm just not ok with that. If it wasn't for the creep I'd give the build an 8, but as it is...
So take it for what it's worth. If that doesn't bother you, you're in for a treat. For an outdoor walk around lens...it's the best on a crop camera that you can get. The image quality rivals, and in some areas bests the exalted 17-55mm IS. The 2mm on the short end make a HUGE difference in the angle of view you get (equivalent to 24mm on ff).
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Oct 19, 2010
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timpdx
Offline
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Registered: Feb 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1607
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Review Date: Sep 28, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $700.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Fast AF, state of art IS, and of course, Awesome IQ and the best focal length that I have EVER worked with.
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Cons:
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some vignetting at certain FL
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First, this is the focal length I have been waiting for. I could have bought a 17-55 IS years ago but 17 on a crop body does nothing for me, yawn. But 15 is finally getting there. This is simply the best FL I have ever worked with and the sharpness is right there with my 24-105 (and I get the longer range). My copy is sharp wide open, which is great, because I only wish this lens were a stop faster. But no real complaints on this guy.
Oh, yeah, I just took an around the world trip and this is the *only* lens that I took. No regrets with this and the 7D. Good enough for paid work on a huge mother-of-all-trips. AF nailed stuff out of speeding cars, focused in dark rooms, IS worked (with care) down to 1/20 sec, and some 1/5 sec shots came out fine.
Owned this since it came out on a 40D and 7D.
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Sep 28, 2010
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Christobel
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Registered: Sep 26, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Aug 31, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $620.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sturdy, compact lens with excellent IQ. Images are razor sharp, contrasty, and colorful.
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Cons:
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When Canon offered a $100 instant rebate on this lens a few months ago, I grabbed it and have had no regrets. It's an excellent performer and the perfect walk-around lens on my 7D. I am simply amazed at the IQ of this lens. It matches, if not exceeds, the IQ on my 24-105L, which up until this time has been my walk-around lens on the 7D; however, it’s simply not wide enough on a crop camera.
Highly recommended!
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Aug 31, 2010
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Canongarcon
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Oct 8, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 1107
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Review Date: Aug 31, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great walkaround lens. Great IQ. Sharp. Good build quality. Fast focusing. Modern IS system.
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Cons:
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Slow aperature. Maybe prone to lens creep.
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I bought this lens after reading great reviews of it and was not disappointed. The IQ is equal to that of some L lens and this was one of the best built EF-S lens I came across. The USM focuses fast and captures action shots at a very good hit rate.
Not the perfect lens. I wished it was a constant zoom or a 2.8 to 4.0 range like it's Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.0 OS competitor.
This lens also may be prone to lens creep later on. The demo of this lens at the dealer had bad lens creep, though mine hasn't done it yet.
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Aug 31, 2010
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kjosker
Offline
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Registered: Mar 2, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 76
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Review Date: Aug 30, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $750.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Build quality, satisfying heft. Sharp, fast focusing.
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Cons:
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None.
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I've always wanted the perfect walk around lens. I thought I had it in the 16-35L, but I found that lens was way too big for unobtrusive shooting. The 15-85 has just the right range for most of my shooting preferences. Wide enough for architecture and street/landscape scenes, and long enough for comfortable street candids. Since buying it, nothing else has been on my camera, I find it that well suited to my needs.
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Aug 30, 2010
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EOS20
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Registered: Mar 6, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 13408
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Review Date: Aug 27, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Fast focus, good and effective Image Stabiliser, Good build quality, sharp throughout the zoom range.
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Cons:
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variable aperture, vignetting at 15mm and 85mm, lens hood not included.
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I bought this lens when it was first released to use as a general purpose walkabout lens on my 7D.
The lens has a nice solid build quality and a step up from previous EF-S lenses. The lens is also nice and compact, making it ideal for travel and walkabout photography.
The Image stabiliser works very well! Canon claims 4 stops, and I think they are about right as it works very well.
The only real downside to this lens is the noticeable vignetting at 15mm and 85mm even with the peripheral illumination feature found on the newer cameras enabled.
This lens would have been even better if Canon had made it a constant aperture lens (f/4 would have been great) but it's only a small gripe. The lens is sharp, even when shooting wide open, and contrast and colours are good.
Overall, this lens would suit those who are looking for a good general purpose walkabout lens for a crop sensored camera, and don't need a fast aperture.
I have a more detailed review here:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/eos20/journal/4270608-my-canon-ef-s-15-85-f-3-5-5-6-is-usm-mini-review
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Aug 27, 2010
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dkmiles1
Offline
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Registered: Nov 19, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 502
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Review Date: Aug 21, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $799.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Extraordinary image quality when mated with a 7D, great travel lens, Versatile, Fast Focus, Tack sharp
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Cons:
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"Slow" i.e. not a constant aperture, no problem if you're outdoors, but low light indoors then this lens need not apply
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I bought this lens the day it came available at Adorama, so I was an early adopter. When outdoors, I find the image quality simply breathtaking (you can check my brief review and sample images here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5EmRb04GUo) especially at sunset.
Build quality is high - for an EF-S lens (consumer grade) its mostly plastic - high grade plastic - and only suffers from minor lens creep.
Focus is ultrasonic and therefore lightening fast.
Some of the best images I've taken have been with this lens and my 7D - they're a great combo, and oh by the way, if your subject is stationary, you can get good results in low light with as little as a 1/4 to 1/10 of a sec - that's how good the IS is on this lens. Moving subjects indoors or in low light is another story completely... Given the "slowness" of the lens f/3.5-5.6, you'd better crank up the ISO (3200 or higher) and use a flash in order to freeze the action... If you're shooting outdoors or in good light, this lens is a winner! If you need a versatile low light lens, then you better opt for the EF-S 17-55.
A little overpriced for a non constant aperture lens, apart from that though, I highly recommend it (outdoors)!
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Aug 21, 2010
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platypus
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Registered: Oct 29, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 20, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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High IQ, good handling, handy range, fairly solid, versatile
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Cons:
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Edges at 15-22 could be better, curvature of field? A little overpriced
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Could not afford a new sample of this lens so took a chance on ebay and got what I think is a pretty good one. Previously had a Tamron 17-50mm so am missing the f2.8 rather but IS partly makes up for that. I admit I was pleasanly surprised by the IQ of such a wide-ranging zoom. Optimum performance seems to be just one or two stops down. Tested on 50D against a manual Zuiko 50mm macro of known quality there is no discernable difference in detail - impressive. My only criticism is the edge detail could be better between 15-22mm but it is a wideangle zoom after all. Sold my wonderful but hardly used 10-22mm after buying this lens- 24mm wide equivalent is wide enough for my purposes.
Overall a very versatile and practical lens, a tad overpriced. I have been lucky and have got an optically consistent sample.
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Aug 20, 2010
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rideklein
Offline
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Registered: Apr 2, 2010
Location: N/A
Posts: 18
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Review Date: Aug 17, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $620.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great IQ, Great Zoom Range, USM, IS, Solid Build, Good Walkaround Lens.
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Cons:
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Relatively Slow f/3.5-5.6, Silver "Ring" on Zoom Barrel is Pinstriping that Comes Off.
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I use this on a T1i as a general purpose outdoor lens.
This was my second general purpose outdoor lens purchase, after I used a 28-135 for a while. I loved the 28-135, well -- until I bought the 15-85. The 28-135 is now gone.
This lens produces great quality images. It's sized right, and with the Canon rebate going on at the time I bought it, was at a comfortable price point.
Its downfall is that it's slow. For example, f/5 shows up just north of 35mm. So, for me, I use it outdoors only. (I prefer shooting without a flash and at ISO400 and lower.) The 17-55 resolves this problem with a constant f/2.8, but it's a noticeably larger lens, and it's priced higher. ...I'll rely on my fast primes for days that my 15-85 won't do the trick.
Now, a minor downer... For as solid as this lens is built, the silver decorative ring on the zoom barrel is just a cheapo pinstripe. Mine peeled off very quickly. It's amazing how much better the lens looks with it there. I'll miss it. I'll ignore this and give the rest of the lens the "10" build quality rating it deserves.
This lens does what it advertises. I'd recommend it.
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Aug 17, 2010
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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29
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73885
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Apr 14, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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93% of reviewers
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$682.44
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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8.62
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7.82
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9.2
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