Any Canon users having EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM? Is it a good lens?

[Shin Howard]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting a Canon 40d kit 1 with additional EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM.
Do anyone know where to get a good deal for them?

Canon users pls provide some advice for me, is the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM good??
Cheerz~

 

[acc2000]

i have the EF 28-135mm,
these are taken using this len.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562892745IGDRGz

 

[Shin Howard]

Hey bro the pics seem pretty good, may i know which camera u using? & how much u bought ur 28 -135mm?
Thanks in advance.

 

[acc2000]

I am a Canon 30D user.
Brought this lens for $900 in 2006.
Its cheaper this day, http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131801&page=35

 

[OPERA58]

Good Walkaround Lens With Super Cheap Price.........
With My 400d Always No Regret.....

 

[ronaldliong]

I'm using that lens as well. My first lens ever since I switched to a DSLR.

It's a great and versatile lens, especially if you are traveling and you don't want to carry too many lenses. Mine's getting old, though. [my bro's lens since 2003, he got it for $900+ as well.]

If you're starting off on a new DSLR, the 28-135 should be your first lens to play around with. A bit heavy for beginners, perhaps, but it has the "zoom".

If you're not that new, well, it's still a versatile lens.

 

[zan82]

I'm using it. Very good zoom lens for streets - where you might want to take at a distance, and not too near. The IS helps too

 

[rbolt168]

street price for this lens is how much? im thinking of getting this too.. $1099 at canon shop.

 

[minimizor]

You should be able to get it for about 700 bucks or so from popular shops like OP(orient photo@simlim) or CP(cathay photo@marina). You can also try john 3:16@funan(i don't frequent them often due to their perpetual crowd). Hope you grab a good buy. Cheers!

 

[charlesleong]

alternatively you may wish to consider the sigma 18-200 OS or 18-125. Pretty good performers for all-round purposes.

 

[unseenshadows]

Great lens. Its mounted on my 400D most of the time unless i'm shooting prime or wide (28mm on a 1.6x isn't good for wide angle).

The IS and USM are extremely pleasant. The IS is rated at 3 stops, but conservatively I would give it about 2 1/2 at 28mm and 2 at 135mm. I have gotten sharp photos at 1/20s at 135mm before. AF is fast and accurate. The lens does hunt in low light, and this is to be expected since it is a variable aperture at f/3.5 to f/5.6

Sharpness wise, it hits the sweet spot at f/8 for everything between 28mm to 135mm. But at 28mm and f/3.5 it is quite sharp wide open with centre sharpness very pleasing. Corner sharpness isn't too shabby if you're using a 1.6x crop camera since the 'bad edges' are cropped out. Nothing near L quality of course, but sharp images nonetheless and extremely useable.

I find the focal length range an excellent one for street and walkaround photography. It's not a very heavy lens and the build quality is respectable. This lens really shines when its nice and sunny. Contrast given by the lens is pleasant and the colours are also warmer as compared to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II kit lens.

The cons:

-You lose out on the wide end when using this lens: if you find yourself shooting at 18mm often, I recommend the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM instead, or even the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens (which I sold away my old kit lens and bought to complement my 28-135). An ideal lens that would complement this would be the EF-S 10-22mm (still saving >.<)
-Depending on the copy you get, there might be some zoom creep. There isn't a zoom lock (in fact Canon should really really really think about giving us a zoom lock for their zoom lenses).
-Doesn't come with the hood: this isn't exactly a con, but the hood will cost you another 50-60 dollars. The lens is quite prone to lens flare under strong sunlight but I don't find lens flare popping up in my photos often enough for me to dish out another 50 buckeroos for a piece of plastic with Canon's name.

FYI, I got mine at S$450 at ClubSNAP's Buy/Sell.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.