CameraPorn

Canon EF-S 17-85 IS, wide and tight in all the right places

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, it doesn’t get much better for a moderately priced walk-around zoom lens for non full-framed Canon D-SLRs. At a bit over $500, this lens gives you an excellent zoom range, better than average image quality, and Image Stabilization (IS). I picked up this lens about 3 days after getting my Canon 30D, because the 18-55 kit lens that came with the camera provides pretty shoddy performance (I suggest staying as far away as possible from the standard 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 that is packaged with many of Canon’s low to mid-range DSLRs, it’s pretty crappy). As soon as i started using the 17-85 IS, I began to understand why a decent lens makes a world of difference in overall picture quality, and that’s when my obsession with photography and photography equipment started to fester inside me like a bad oyster.

To begin, I must say this lens is my go-to lens for most walk-around situations. The zoom range provides a lot of options and is perfect from super-wide landscape shots to tightly framed portraits. At f/4-5.6 this lens is not the fastest, and is not a great low-light lens, but the IS does help considerably at slower shutter speeds. Focusing is speedy and on target, and build quality is on par with or a bit better that most Canon mid-level lenses. Overall image sharpness, color, and contrast is good and sufficient for any hobbyist, but not quite L quality.

An additional bonus to this lens is a relatively close focusing distance (13.8″), which, though not true macro, can deliver good frame-filling close-up results of moderately sized items which further extends the value of this lens as a daily workhorse. The only negatives I’ve found using this lens include some noticeable barrel distortion and vignetting at 17mm and the fact that it’s not an L Also, being an EF-S lens, this lens is not compatible with full-frame Canon DSLRs which will only become a negative when I upgrade my camera body.

All in all, I highly recommend this lens for anyone who is looking for a moderately priced upgrade to the 18-55 kit lens, or a good quality walk-around zoom lens. It’s sure to remain a staple of my kit until I upgrade my camera body or scrape together the funds to get a 24-70 f/2.8 L.

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Tech Specs (from bhphoto.com)
Filter Size	67mm
f/Stop Range	4-32
Minimum Focus Distance	13.8″ (35 cm)
Magnification	1:5
Zoom/Focus Control	Two touch
Angle of View	78.5-18.5°
Groups/Elements	12/17
Length	3.6″ (92mm)
Maximum Diameter	3.1″ (78.5mm)
Weight	16.1 oz (475 g)

Additional Resources

• Canon USA Website Product Page
• The-Digital-Picture.com Review
• Photo.net EF-S Overview
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Flickr Group