Canon 17-85 USM IS... Any good?

Phall82

Phall82

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Colin
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Hi

I'm looking to upgrade my kit 18-55 IS lens and I have about £200-250 to spend. The less the better :)

I like the sound of the 17-85 due to the increase zoom range as a walk about and also the USM focus.

Is the image quality any good and is it worth swapping?

I know tamron and sigma do lens in this price bracket but I must admit I like having the Canon brand, and the zoom range is better on the 17-85 than the 17-50s.

Any advice?

Thanks

Colin
 
In that price bracket you wont get better than the Tamron 17-50f/2.8 non vc, doesnt have the range of the 17-85 or IS but it will blow it out the water image wise.
 
the 15-85 is meant to be alot better, not sure on the price difference.

Otherwise go for the Tamron....
 
I had no problems with mine, it was a kit lens on the 50D, only minor issue was lens creep but its not a big problem, it just feels loose
 
zerodeluxe said:
What make the non-vc one better out of interest?
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Its regarded as being the sharper of the two. Can only go by reviews on here and elsewhere as i only own the non-vc version.
 
My only problem(s) with the Tamron is that I prefer the Canon brand, the range isn't as large and the non-VR is the better lens and I'd prefer a lens with VR/IS etc.
 
I had a Canon 18-75mm IS USM lens which suffered from a "known problem" with the focusing circuit. Canon and their official repair people won't fix it unless I pay them around £150 which, considering it cost me around £440 in the first place, just isn't on.

I've heard of a few other people having the same problem. I hope that if you go for it, you don't have one of the bad ones. I wouldn't buy one again.
 
a friend of mine had the 18-75 and said it was ok , he then upgraded to the 15-85 and has said the quality is much better.
 
I too had issues with my 17-85, the known issue is with a flex cable in the aperture assembly which causes the aperture blades to stick making autofocus difficult and rendering the lens useless in all but manual mode.
The repair involves fitting a new aperture assembly and costs around £150, so I sold mine on ebay as a 'spares or repair' for £100 and replaced it with an 18-135mm.
 
Phall82 said:
My only problem(s) with the Tamron is that I prefer the Canon brand, the range isn't as large and the non-VR is the better lens and I'd prefer a lens with VR/IS etc.
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IMHO the only EF-S lens to rival the Tamron 17-50 is the 17-55 IS, its the best of the lot but not cheap. Do you really need IS at those focal lengths (dont get me wrong if i had the cash id have a 17-55 IS tomorrow again as the one i had was a belter) but don't dismiss the Tamron until you've played with one.
 
andrew720 said:
the known issue is with a flex cable in the aperture assembly which causes the aperture blades to stick making autofocus difficult and rendering the lens useless in all but manual mode.
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I wish that was all that was wrong with mine; I'd happily use it in manual mode if I could. It seems to be stuck on an aperture that doesn't agree with the read-out in the viewfinder and which gives me something like a 10-second exposure time in a small kitchen lit with a very bright fluorescent lamp. I can barely see anything through the viewfinder.
 
I had one of these lenses, it was bloody good too! I had the original 18-55 and wanted something with a bit more range, and decided that was the one that was for me. Having IS is a mega bonus and it allowed me to get some cracking shots. I sold mine here a few months ago as i wanted more of an all in one (I bought a 18-200 again off here) so decided to pass it on. I sold it for £130, which is one mega bargain for the flexibility.

What type of photography are you most in to or is it more general walk around?
 
Dylanlewis2000 said:
I had one of these lenses, it was bloody good too! I had the original 18-55 and wanted something with a bit more range, and decided that was the one that was for me. Having IS is a mega bonus and it allowed me to get some cracking shots. I sold mine here a few months ago as i wanted more of an all in one (I bought a 18-200 again off here) so decided to pass it on. I sold it for £130, which is one mega bargain for the flexibility.

What type of photography are you most in to or is it more general walk around?
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All sorts really. General shots, landscapes, wildlife etc I'm just looking for one that I can leave on in most situations but good quality. To he honest I think I might smash my original budget and go for the 15-85 that I really want.

If the 17-85 may have problems it'll always be on my mind, plus from what I have read the 15-85 is definitely top notch.
 
Well, you live and learn.... I bought a second hand 17-85mm from London camera exchange and...it wasn't working properly when I got home!

I tested it in store but you can't test everything and when I got home it wouldn't auto focus at a distance when set to 85mm.

They've refunded it but i think I'm going to avoid that lens altogether! 15-85 (NEW) here I come and goodbye bank balance :)
 
Phall82 said:
Well, you live and learn.... I bought a second hand 17-85mm from London camera exchange and...it wasn't working properly when I got home!

I tested it in store but you can't test everything and when I got home it wouldn't auto focus at a distance when set to 85mm.

They've refunded it but i think I'm going to avoid that lens altogether! 15-85 (NEW) here I come and goodbye bank balance :)
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+1 for the 15-85 just picked up one on sat, build quailty is very solid the range is great it's my general purpose lens. Price wise it's aboout double the OP budget though.

I've also heard great things about the non vc Tamron (y)
 
kicsrepins said:
+1 for the 15-85 just picked up one on sat, build quailty is very solid the range is great it's my general purpose lens. Price wise it's aboout double the OP budget though.

I've also heard great things about the non vc Tamron (y)
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Where did you buy it from and how much did you get it for?

Also, what camera body do you have it on?
 
I got the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 to replace the kit lens on my 500D and I've been really impressed with it.
It does slight macro as well as general walkabout stuff and going down to f2.8 is handy in low light, is also has stabilisation.
I think they're around £330 new.
 
speed addicted said:
I got the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 to replace the kit lens on my 500D and I've been really impressed with it.
It does slight macro as well as general walkabout stuff and going down to f2.8 is handy in low light, is also has stabilisation.
I think they're around £330 new.
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I've also had good experiences with this lens (but the non stabilised version) on my old 20D
 
Phall82 said:
Where did you buy it from and how much did you get it for?

Also, what camera body do you have it on?
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Some guy was selling a 7D brand new and the 15-85 comes with it as a 'kit lens', I persuaded him to sale me the lens by itself, I picked it up for £390 but the petrol money cost me about £10 :LOL:

The only downside is if you want the lens hood it's an extra cost :(

I use it with a 400d (now sold) and a 550d.

If you can afford it go for it mate otherwise consider the Sigma 17 - 70 OS that was my other choice for a 'general purpose' lens.
 
I have one of the 17-85 and it's a cracking lens, much better than the 18-55 that comes bundled, but again you get what you pay for and for double the money the 15-85 is better!

It all depends how much you want to spend. For the money, I'd go for the 17-85 any day (and I did!). The IS and the extra reach over the Tamron does make it extremely useful.

I'm new here and don't have access to the classifieds but I now have to sell mine since it doesn't fit on my 5D :crying:

Edit: The main complaints that I've seen with this lens are distortion + CA but these are easily PPd out afterwards.
 
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I'm ordering the 15-85 this weekend when I go to the shop. £499 new. Its a lot more than I first wanted to pay but I think the lens will be worth it.

Plus if I ever upgrade to the 7D it'd be my first choice lens.
 
Erm, well I can let you know once I've paid for it because they might only have so many :) but it's a genuine camera store with 9 branches in the north west.

I'm ordering it tomorrow lunch time now so I'll post it after that :)

I was amazed myself but it's only on reduced offer until next week.
 
I'd not bother with the 17-85 although it does represent VFM it is flawed and the 15-85 is worse. Save and get the canon 17-55 IS
 
POAH said:
I'd not bother with the 17-85 although it does represent VFM it is flawed and the 15-85 is worse. Save and get the canon 17-55 IS
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In what way is the 17-85 flawed and in hat way is the 15-85 worse? I've not heard one bad thing about the 15-85.

Please could you explain it?

Thanks
 
POAH said:
I'd not bother with the 17-85 although it does represent VFM it is flawed and the 15-85 is worse. Save and get the canon 17-55 IS
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Baring some talk of sample variation the 15-85 seems like it lives up to its billing for me. What weaknesses it does have(distortion and CA at the wide end) are easy to fix in post even with DPP.
 
Phall82 said:
In what way is the 17-85 flawed and in hat way is the 15-85 worse? I've not heard one bad thing about the 15-85.

Please could you explain it?

Thanks
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I have just put both the 17-85 and the 15-85 on my 7D and I was surprised how well the 17-85 did in comparison, I know its 15mm f3.5 against 17mm f4 but even so I was pleased.

The CA at the edges on the 17-85 wide open was horrendous, but it put up a brave performance on an 18mp sensor :cool:

The extra 2mm at the wide end makes quite a difference as well.

David
 
Euan said:
Do you really need IS at those focal lengths
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This really depends on how you look at the lens/camera combination. Too many people see it as solely a method of handholding at lower shutter speeds, but it can also allow you to reduce ISO - and hence noise - too.

The 15-85 IS has close to 4 stops of IS (not just a manufacturer claim ;)), so at 85mm (where it is f5.6) for static objects it turns the lens into the equivalent of an f 1.4 lens. Clearly it doesn't alter the aperture to f1.4, so you don't get the DoF you would with an 85mm f1.4, but it does allow you to play around with the shutter/ISO speeds to get best balance with ISO.

If you're doing walkaround photography of, for example, buildings at night, that kind of performance, together with the range of the 15-85 makes for a very nice combination.

To the poster who asked why the 15-85 is worse, I think the only negative I've seen mentioned is the distortion when down at 15 or so mm. This is easily corrected in post, whereas the downside of the 17-85 - that of not being as sharp - isn't easily corrected.

If you want to compare the main Canon EF-S lenses in this zoom ratio in real world conditions, you could do worse than looking here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-15-85mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Comparisons.aspx

I have a 15-85 on a 7D and am perfectly happy with it.
 
Moreorless said:
Baring some talk of sample variation the 15-85 seems like it lives up to its billing for me. What weaknesses it does have(distortion and CA at the wide end) are easy to fix in post even with DPP.
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correction of both CA and distortion reduces sharpness - in some cases you can't get rid of it at all. it also has heavy vignetting. Don't get me wrong if you are happy with it then I'm not going to try and change your mind.

I'd not buy it because of its flaws.
 
Moreorless said:
I'm guessing maybe an unboxed ex kit lens? not seen them that cheap before but they do tend to cost a good £50+ less.
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Yes it is from a 7D kit but brand new and it cones with UK Canon warranty.

Its from Wilkinson Cameras, based in the north west. They are online as well.
 
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