EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
4.7
5
44
44
Hit and lots of miss
This lens promises to be a great walk-around lens but I find the image quality to be lacking. And it has developed lens creep, such as when I shoot at 35mm and then tilt the camera down only a little to change settings by looking at the LCD on top of my 50D and 60D, it rotates on its own to 50mm when I bring it back up to look through the view screen. Also, its corner and edge image clarity at the short end (15-24mm) is poor, with lots of distortion, CA, and blur. The kit lens image quality in this range was better.
On the plus side, it has a greater zoom range and is sharp in the middle. The front element not moving or rotating is very nice also. Its color reproduction can be very good too.
But in the end, image quality outweighs features and I find that it is only satisfactory if i limit myself to f/5.6 - f/8 through the 35-85mm range. This contradicts the notion of a walk-around lens.
Bokeh at f/8 is displeasing and f/5.6 is not much better.
Perhaps wait until version "II" or pass altogether.
May 6, 2013
Good for starters.
I use a 60D most of the time, but needed an extra camera while doing a wedding video, so I got a T2i with the 18-55 kit lens. This lens has a good overall zoom range, and it's good for somebody who only wants one lens, and doesn't want to spend much money.
The downsides are that the images are not sharp. Even in the perfect light in perfect focus, the images are fuzzy compared to the other lenses I own. Also, it is plasticky and makes a triumphant roar when it auto focuses. (not as loud as the 50mm 1.8 though) Also, unless I'm shooting in the sunlight, f5.6 can be inconvenient.
The upsides are that even though it's a little fuzzy, it's way sharper than what you'd get with a point-and-shoot camera. It is good value for money, and if you want to buy a cheap lens with a nice zoom range, this is a good product.
February 19, 2013
It's just Swell
This is a great lens for outdoor photography. Pair it up with one of the the 70mm-200mm L models and a 50mm 1.4 and you can get most anything done you want. It is not the greatest for indoor stuff like school functions etc but then it likely wasn't built to be.
January 10, 2013
as good as an L lens
i have a t4i, and the 135L, and this 15-85. this 15-85 is as good as the 135L on my crop camera. i would assume that if i put the 135L on a 5d, it would outperform the 15-85, but on a crop, they're the same. the IS is very good, but takes a lmost a full second to spin up
September 22, 2012
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