Feedback for EF-S17-85IS USM

[badtzdiana]

I think 24-105mmL is a bit tight at 24mm if TS is using the xxxxxD, xxxD or XXD, so i would say 17-40L is better, just lack of IS and further reach.

ya, too tight for my 1000D..

 

[badtzdiana]

if u are able to get a good price for the 17-85, its a good lens for general photography. optics wise, it might not be great but u do get a good focal range to shoot in and it comes with IS and USM. the 2nd hand price shld be close to a tamron 17-50 pricing. boils down to what u are comfortable in working with. shorter range with a slow af and no is but solid optics or the reverse.

since Im a beginner, no point giving me e best lens when i still do not fully utilise it at this point ;p
ya, was looking at 2nd hand ones, costs $400+. Sell my kit lens top up $300 only ba. :think:

 

[yc2005]

since Im a beginner, no point giving me e best lens when i still do not fully utilise it at this point ;p
ya, was looking at 2nd hand ones, costs $400+. Sell my kit lens top up $300 only ba. :think:

As a fellow newbie, i have upgraded from the 18-55mm kit to 17-85mm, though not everyone will agree on the upgrade part..

Well, what i like about this lens is that it has USM which allows me to hunt faster. Also, the longer reach makes it a better walkabout lens than the kit. Of cuz, i'm a newbie still learning so i'm still satisfied with the IQ, etc. Plus a second hand one is quite affordable so i would say go for it!

 

[rendition]

The 17-85 is definitely a reasonable upgrade to the kit lens - reasonable as in better built, excellent IS (if your kit doesn't have), USM and of course the range that you're looking for. That said, like any other lenses, this one also has its shortcomings which to some may be acceptable like... distortion at wide end where vertical axis tend to curve and also CA at corners or high contrast (backlit sort). Do a search of CA (chromatic aberration) on google... easier to understand through pictures.

It served me justice when I had my 40D but that said, this lens could've been priced cheaper, thus, it's a good thing you're getting at 2nd hand... hopefully with a 2nd hand price too which is about $400-$500. Actually, for a casual user like you, the 18-200 is really something you should consider. Well, there's always a better lens or equipment, if the 17-85 is what you can afford and it has the features that will justify the purchase, why not.

A simple test would simply to open lens front & rear caps, look through bright light from rear glass, you can see if there's any dust or cracks. To check if IS works, mount onto your camera, switch it on and when you do half-shutter (locking focus), you should hear a very soft buzz/rattling sound, that means IS is working. Sound will go off once you remove half-shutter or stop locking focus. By the way, the zoom ring is known to be quite loose or at least will get loose sooner than later and that's another shortcoming for this lens.

Good luck.

 

[badtzdiana]

As a fellow newbie, i have upgraded from the 18-55mm kit to 17-85mm, though not everyone will agree on the upgrade part..

Well, what i like about this lens is that it has USM which allows me to hunt faster. Also, the longer reach makes it a better walkabout lens than the kit. Of cuz, i'm a newbie still learning so i'm still satisfied with the IQ, etc. Plus a second hand one is quite affordable so i would say go for it!

U got Bn or used?? How much u paid for it??

 

[badtzdiana]

The 17-85 is definitely a reasonable upgrade to the kit lens - reasonable as in better built, excellent IS (if your kit doesn't have), USM and of course the range that you're looking for. That said, like any other lenses, this one also has its shortcomings which to some may be acceptable like... distortion at wide end where vertical axis tend to curve and also CA at corners or high contrast (backlit sort). Do a search of CA (chromatic aberrationn) on google... easier to understand through pictures.

It served me justice when I had my 40D but that said, this lens could've been priced cheaper, thus, it's a good thing you're getting at 2nd hand... hopefully with a 2nd hand price too which is about $400-$500. Actually, for a casual user like you, the 18-200 is really something you should consider. Well, there's always a better lens or equipment, if the 17-85 is what you can afford and it has the features that will justify the purchase, why not.

A simple test would simply to open lens front & rear caps, look through bright light, you can see if there's any dust or cracks. To check if IS works, mount onto your camera, switch it on and when you do half-shutter (locking focus), you should hear a very soft buzz/rattling sound, that means IS is working. Sound will go off once you remove half-shutter or stop locking focus.

Good luck.

oh, very soft buzz/rattling sound? My kit lens has a loud sound, is it faulty??

 

[ronaldlee007]

To me the extra 30mm is not that much. 1st question is to ask yourself, what do you actually prefer to snap.
Like, a) i like longer zoom. Choose the longer zoom lens. b) i hate my picture at low light, so buy F2.8 (Prime / Zoom). c) How much i got to burn for this new lens? Low budget, look for 2nd hand. Just got jackpot, buy brand new. Hope it helps

 

[Tianz16]

oh, very soft buzz/rattling sound? My kit lens has a loud sound, is it faulty??

no the kit is noisy.
do take note, if you are taking a lot of indoor photos or low light. this lens will not be what you want.
ISO for the 1000D is 1600. given the widest is at F4.0 .. shooting non moving objects is kinda of hard in some sense at least that's the case for me which is why i already sold off mine.

 

[yc2005]

U got Bn or used?? How much u paid for it??

U got a PM

 

[calebk]

55mm to 85mm on a crop sensor is a matter of one or two steps. And honestly, I don't consider the 17-85 much of an upgrade. Psychologically, it feels like you've got a whole lot of a better lens 'cause it's built better, and you have USM, but the speed of the 17-85's USM is nothing spectacular; USM does not necessarily always mean a faster focusing drive. It just means it's quieter than your standard focusing motor.

 

[devilcup]

dun own this lens but from most of the reviews, IQ is slightly better. If you manage get a good 2nd hand copy, this lens is worth the buy!

if u wan a faster lens, u may wanna consider tamron 17-50mm F2.8 or even much ex canon EFs 17-55mm F2.8 lens. This 2 lens is wonderful!

 

[badtzdiana]

To me the extra 30mm is not that much. 1st question is to ask yourself, what do you actually prefer to snap.
Like, a) i like longer zoom. Choose the longer zoom lens. b) i hate my picture at low light, so buy F2.8 (Prime / Zoom). c) How much i got to burn for this new lens? Low budget, look for 2nd hand. Just got jackpot, buy brand new. Hope it helps

wished they have an all-in-one perfect lens:bsmilie:

 

[badtzdiana]

no the kit is noisy.
do take note, if you are taking a lot of indoor photos or low light. this lens will not be what you want.
ISO for the 1000D is 1600. given the widest is at F4.0 .. shooting non moving objects is kinda of hard in some sense at least that's the case for me which is why i already sold off mine.

U got a PM

55mm to 85mm on a crop sensor is a matter of one or two steps. And honestly, I don't consider the 17-85 much of an upgrade. Psychologically, it feels like you've got a whole lot of a better lens 'cause it's built better, and you have USM, but the speed of the 17-85's USM is nothing spectacular; USM does not necessarily always mean a faster focusing drive. It just means it's quieter than your standard focusing motor.

dun own this lens but from most of the reviews, IQ is slightly better. If you manage get a good 2nd hand copy, this lens is worth the buy!

if u wan a faster lens, u may wanna consider tamron 17-50mm F2.8 or even much ex canon EFs 17-55mm F2.8 lens. This 2 lens is wonderful!

thks for all e feedback.. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[sinned79]

wished they have an all-in-one perfect lens:bsmilie:

can i say 18-200mm is almost there but not there? too bad i sold that lens before i can lend u during the canon training.

i feel that 18-200mm is better then 18-55 in terms of IQ.

 

[badtzdiana]

can i say 18-200mm is almost there but not there? too bad i sold that lens before i can lend u during the canon training.

i feel that 18-200mm is better then 18-55 in terms of IQ.

so nice of u fren..
18-200 as u also said, so heavy.. Don think my son able to handle it, tats y considering a in between one. somemore used one quite affordable..

 

[sinned79]

so nice of u fren..
18-200 as u also said, so heavy.. Don think my son able to handle it, tats y considering a in between one. somemore used one quite affordable..

yeah 18-200 quite heavy... about 500+g coming to 600g.

but i do agree with the rest... from 18-55mm to 17-85mm like not much upgrade (you wun see much significance difference i find).

if you top up a bit to $600-$650, you can get yourself a tamron 17-55mm f2.8 (new one). It's as good as my 17-40mm f4 L lens!

but if u want zoom range... then this tamron not for you. alternatively you can consider a 55-200mm... (will be cheaper then your 17-85mm), but you will have to keep your existing 18-55 kit lens for that range.

 

[badtzdiana]

yeah 18-200 quite heavy... about 500+g coming to 600g.

but i do agree with the rest... from 18-55mm to 17-85mm like not much upgrade (you wun see much significance difference i find).

if you top up a bit to $600-$650, you can get yourself a tamron 17-55mm f2.8 (new one). It's as good as my 17-40mm f4 L lens!

but if u want zoom range... then this tamron not for you. alternatively you can consider a 55-200mm... (will be cheaper then your 17-85mm), but you will have to keep your existing 18-55 kit lens for that range.

ya do agree like not too much diff, then considered sigma 18-125 also. will c how later after viewing e used lens.. Kinda don like to change lens.. exp when out with kids, not enough hands n eyes :bsmilie:

 

[Tanericash]

I have this kit lens for both of my school's 40d, and the IS and USM and the reach is good and the image quality is decent, but, as the equipment head, I can tell you that the lens can be quite a nightmare..

The lens itself is quite heavy (475g) and the zoom ring is just simply "frictionless" aka very loose, zoom creep of course when you point it downwards or moving about, but that is not the scary part yet.

Its 17-85 right? Imagine this, you are shooting.. then your eye is inside the view finder then you recompose for you perfect shot and you need wide!!, you turn from the most tele to the most wide with the loose zoom ring in the heat of the moment asap and you bang the 475g lens from 85mm right back into its 17mm position (Imagine the inertia..), you press the shutter and you hear mirror lockup.. You wonder what happened and the LCD screen says error ** (I forgot the number) "Please check your lens connection"

You unmount and remount, and no more error code, you are relieved, but once you look into your viewfinder, WTF, why so dark one??? You look at the front of the lens and see the aperture ring at its smallest (Not suppose to happen). You desperately point it at an object to shoot and you half press, WTF??? , the focus keeps on hunting back and forth, like vibrating (serious).

I sent the first lens to canon via the school, bill came back $200++ (Warranty over), reason: AF motor spoil. Servicing charge $120 & motor only a few dollars.

The second followed suit not long after :bheart: (SAME EXACT PROBLEM) and now the school refuses to pay for the repair for that.. And now I have a $700 475g paper weight sitting in my school drybox...

Both 17-85 lens were spoilt as it was heavy and loose and frequent banging from changing from one extreme focal length to the other very quickly (very hard to prevent) caused the motor to die [even manual focus also cannot use, cause aperture also stuck]

so... [Sorry for the long story la :bsmilie: , important info for potential buyers] you still want to buy a 1785 :dunno: ??

 

[rendition]

Woah, you're the first to face such serious problem but maybe you were too overwhelemed. However, I've heard of the Err** problem with 17-85 and other lenses too.

The lens itself is quite heavy (475g)

You ain't see nothing yet...LOL. Anything lighter would prolly be mid-grade zooms and low to mid grade primes.

 

[TZR250]

I'm also a newbie, currently addicted to renting lens for special occasions. So much cheaper and if you really like the lens, then consider buying it! Win-Win!!