raider2727
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Ok this lens came with my 7D and I was never going to keep it as I needed a faster lens.
As soon as it arrived I advertised it for sale, however being the curious type it did go on the camera just the once for a walk along the estuary just to ensure it was ok before selling.
My last outing along the estuary was with a D700 and Nikon 16-35 f4 VR lens a very capable camera but in my opinion very soft lens (might have been my copy) so with a 7D and EF-S lens attached I was not expecting great things.
Before writing this I waited until my lens was sold and the new owner received it as I did not want this to look like a push for my sale thread, now the lens has been delivered I can at last say to anyone using a crop Canon body who wants a walk about lens within a certain budget the EF-S 15-85 is a real contender.
Ok at 15mm there is slight distortion so let’s get that out of the way, it is no worse and probably better than most other 15mm zoom lenses.
My old Sigma 15-35 was a shocker but I still loved it.
The lens is not built like L glass lens bodies either, the cheaper EF-S feel does disguise the first class optics within this plastic shell. The size and feel reminds me of my old film days when I had an EF 28-200 lens it has the same 72mm dia.
The lens extends externally but the front element does not rotate so a polarizing filter can be used.
The lens does not come with a hood so you can buy that as an extra however I had no issues with flare.
On the 7D body I don’t know why but this lens just looked right, felt right and as I found out performed right.
I was amazed how sharp the lens was, the colors were excellent and at f16 with ISO 100 it was fast and fine to hand hold, even F22 ISO 100 and I was still able to get sharp images hand held in good light.
The AF was instant with the USM motor and the IS was near silent but just gave a confidence assuring whirl as you focused.
Again with the new 19 point AF system on the 7D maybe the focusing was better than it could achieve on an older 300D, I don’t know.
The zoom feels like a 24-105 on a full frame so a very handy walk about range.
I am not going to say this lens rivals the more expensive EF24-105 F4 IS lens or that it is 100% perfect, what I will say is I see a lot of people on this forum asking for a suitable walk about lens, I don’t think I qualify as a proven lenses reviewer, but I have used a lot of top priced lenses over the years and some cheaper ones too.
I cant think of a lens that offers, such focal range, build, sharpness and the image stabilizer for the money £600 new £450 used.
If I wanted to upgrade to a 7D but if doing so meant I could only have one lens, this is the one I would choose and that would also include the 24-105 as it just isn’t wide enough on a crop body.
So anyone wanting a walk about lens on their crop Canon body can certainly consider this alongside any other top contender IMHO.
As soon as it arrived I advertised it for sale, however being the curious type it did go on the camera just the once for a walk along the estuary just to ensure it was ok before selling.
My last outing along the estuary was with a D700 and Nikon 16-35 f4 VR lens a very capable camera but in my opinion very soft lens (might have been my copy) so with a 7D and EF-S lens attached I was not expecting great things.
Before writing this I waited until my lens was sold and the new owner received it as I did not want this to look like a push for my sale thread, now the lens has been delivered I can at last say to anyone using a crop Canon body who wants a walk about lens within a certain budget the EF-S 15-85 is a real contender.
Ok at 15mm there is slight distortion so let’s get that out of the way, it is no worse and probably better than most other 15mm zoom lenses.
My old Sigma 15-35 was a shocker but I still loved it.
The lens is not built like L glass lens bodies either, the cheaper EF-S feel does disguise the first class optics within this plastic shell. The size and feel reminds me of my old film days when I had an EF 28-200 lens it has the same 72mm dia.
The lens extends externally but the front element does not rotate so a polarizing filter can be used.
The lens does not come with a hood so you can buy that as an extra however I had no issues with flare.
On the 7D body I don’t know why but this lens just looked right, felt right and as I found out performed right.
I was amazed how sharp the lens was, the colors were excellent and at f16 with ISO 100 it was fast and fine to hand hold, even F22 ISO 100 and I was still able to get sharp images hand held in good light.
The AF was instant with the USM motor and the IS was near silent but just gave a confidence assuring whirl as you focused.
Again with the new 19 point AF system on the 7D maybe the focusing was better than it could achieve on an older 300D, I don’t know.
The zoom feels like a 24-105 on a full frame so a very handy walk about range.
I am not going to say this lens rivals the more expensive EF24-105 F4 IS lens or that it is 100% perfect, what I will say is I see a lot of people on this forum asking for a suitable walk about lens, I don’t think I qualify as a proven lenses reviewer, but I have used a lot of top priced lenses over the years and some cheaper ones too.
I cant think of a lens that offers, such focal range, build, sharpness and the image stabilizer for the money £600 new £450 used.
If I wanted to upgrade to a 7D but if doing so meant I could only have one lens, this is the one I would choose and that would also include the 24-105 as it just isn’t wide enough on a crop body.
So anyone wanting a walk about lens on their crop Canon body can certainly consider this alongside any other top contender IMHO.
