Lenses:

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM

This lens uses an EF-S mount. It is usable only on Canon cameras with an APS-C sensor size, including the 300D, 350D, 400D, 20D, and 30D. It is not compatible with EOS film cameras or full-frame digital cameras.

Class:: Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto
Part number:: 9517A002
Introduced:: August 2004

Similar Lenses

Canon	EF	28-90mm	f/4.0-5.6				$109.95	Details
Canon	EF-S	18-55mm	f/3.5-5.6			USM	$139.95	Details
Canon	EF	24-85mm	f/3.5-4.5			USM	$309.95	Details
Canon	EF	20-35mm	f/3.5-4.5			USM	$369.95	Details
Canon	EF	28-135mm	f/3.5-5.6		IS	USM	$419.95	Details
Canon	EF-S	17-85mm	f/4.0-5.6		IS	USM	$509.95	Details
Canon	EF	17-40mm	f/4.0	L		USM	$679.95	Details
Canon	EF-S	17-55mm	f/2.8		IS	USM	$1,039.95	Details
Canon	EF	24-105mm	f/4.0	L	IS	USM	$1,129.95	Details
Canon	EF	24-70mm	f/2.8	L		USM	$1,149.95	Details

Thoughts

The first thing to know about this lens is that it’s an EF-S lens, so a 1.6 field-of-view crop factor is implied. For such cameras, this camera acts like a 28-135mm lens. At its widest, the 17-85 IS has a 78.5 degree field of view. It covers a 5x zoom range, down to 18.5 degrees. This is a great general purpose focal length range, and covers most needs without chaning lenses.

The lens includes a ring-type USM allowing for full-time manual focus as well as Canon’s three-stop image stabilization. It weighs about a pound, and has a good feel.

Image quality is good. It exhibits some vignetting when running wide open, but it disappears quickly with narrowing the aperture. Sharpness is good—not L-grade, but good. The image stabilizer is very effective, allowing long handheld exposures, and compensates for the relatively slow maximum aperture.

Bottom Line

This is an excellent walk-around lens for EF-S cameras. It’s not as sharp as the 24-105 or as fast as the 17-55 f/2.8, but it’s simultaneously more affordable and versatile than both. It serves as a sweet spot in the price/performance curve.