Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
by Canon
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonAudio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2006-03-31
Model: 1242B002
Color: black
Product features:
- 17-55mm wide-angle zoom lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture for Canon DSLR cameras
- AD and aspherical elements deliver impressive image quality through entire zoom range
- Image Stabilizer lens groups shift to compensate for image shake even in dim lighting
- Large circular aperture produces shallow depth of field; ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM)
- Measures 3.3 inches in diameter and 4.4 inches long; weighs 22.8 ounces; 1-year warranty
- Nissin Di622 Speedlight for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, Guide number 145
- Dolica CF9-ND77 77mm 0.9ND 8X Neutral Density Filter
- Dolica CF-U77 77mm UV Filter
- AmazonBasics Lens Pen Cleaning System
- AmazonBasics Universal Camera Case for Digital Cameras HF (Black)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
Customer Review: Fantastic Low Light Lens
Summary: 4 Stars
11-3-2008 Update:
I now have a single spec of dust inside the corner of this lens under the front element. Hope this is not a trend. I am now using this lens mainly in dust free in-door environments and my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 which is sealed for outdoor dusty areas.
I just got this fantastic low light lens last week. Will be adding more comments as time permits.
This lens has quickly become one of my most used lens. It's the lens I would choose if I could just choose one to shoot a wedding with and I'm free to approach the bride and groom during any part of the ceremony. It's also THE one lens I would choose to take on a vacation, it's that versatile. I love the part where I can walk into a dark cathedral and hand hold a shot at 1 second and it's razor sharp. What a lens!!!
Pros:
Sharp even at F/2.8
No internal dust so far
Great zoom ring location and size
Very pleasing shots with nice Bokah
Auto focus perfect! Silent quick lock even in dim conditions
Image Stabilization let's you get those shots you couldn't get otherwise.
Auto Lens Vignetting correction using peripheral Illumination control see Auto Vignetting comments below:
Cons:
Cheap plastic construction
No dust yet but I am concerned
Some Chromatic Aberration (CA) at 17mm
No included lens hood? Give me a break Canon!
Really poor zoom feel grabs between 23 and 35mm
Front of lens extends inward and outward when zooming in and out
I bought this lens to take low light portraits during weddings. My initial impression is that this lens will be perfect. I even managed to pull off a 2 second exposure that was pretty sharp hand held which I would never be able to do otherwise. I will use it at the extreme in 55mm for nice bokah and a softer shot then keep it between 20mm to 48mm for the sharper shots.
What a disappointment to pay over $1,000 for a lens and have such a poor feeling zoom. It grabs at each end and just plain feels cheap. Makes my Canon 17-40 F4 L lens zoom feel like it's perfect as it is silky smooth. But, the 17-55 F/2.8 IS does something I could not do with the 17-40. I was at a bar the other night shooting a benefit auction using just available bar light and already at 1600 ISO and the Canon 17-40 wide open just could not get the shot. With the 17-55 F/2.8 IS not only do you have the faster aperture F/2.8 but I can get shot after hand held shot at a half a second something I could not come close to with the 17-40.
All in all though except for the zoom and construction this lens really does rock when you look at the photos. Between 20mm and 40mm it is sharper then the 17-40 at any comparable F stop. So don't let my cons keep you from getting this lens. If you need low light shots in the 17-55 range this is your only option in a zoom. It's a shame that Canon does not offer an L lens that's 17-55 F/2.8 with IS. I would have gladly paid $1500 for an L lens. In the long lens range there are tons of choices from Canon that are L lens. It's true what they say Canon owns the long lens but come up a little short with the wide angles
I do my first wedding next Saturday with this lens, time will tell if it's a keeper. Will post updates in the coming weeks.
3-25-2008 Update
What a great lens, after reviewing wedding photos yesterday with my clients I have to agree the photos just pop in color and the sharpness is crazy with this lens between 20 and 50mm even wide open which is what I shot most of the time. The bokeh though not as good as my Canon 85mm F/1.2 and Canon 135mm F2 is still pleasing and unlike the two primes I can stand in one place during the wedding and zoom in and out for different points of view.
What ever you do don't even confuse this F/2.8 IS lens with the basic kit lens. It is truly except for the lack of weather sealing and poor zoom feel an L lens in photo quality!
4-8-2008 Update
Still no dust thank God! I am taking it to a local park to photograph our company party this weekend and it's very dusty there. Should be a good chance to see if the lens is going to be a dust hog or not. The zoom even seems to breaking in a little and is now just a little smoother, nothing like my L lens zooms but better then when new. Still loving this lens and in fact if I had to choose just one lens to do a wedding this would of course be it, it's the most versatile and easiest to use by far!
5-21-2008 Update
Still NOT one single spec of dust in this lens. I have been using outdoor at the park and on outdoor weddings the last 5 weekends in a row and not a single spec of dust despite being in extremely dusty Mesa Arizona. I am constantly amazed at what this lens can get away with in low light. We were shooting the reception to an outdoor wedding well after sundown and I was hanging in there with my Canon 40D and a 85mm F/1.2 L II at 3200 ISO shooting close ups. My daughter was shooting at the same time covering the wide angle photo ops with this Canon 17-55 F/2.8 IS and was getting shots here and there at 1600 ISO with her Rebel of the crowd as long as people were still even up to the point of a full second exposure. This was well after it was too dark to be taking photos without flash but we were still getting photos (we hate flash too unflattering and flat) Simply AMAZING!
6-30-2008 Update
This lens still has not a spec of dust! And it has become one of my most used lens. It's the lens I would choose if I could just choose one to shoot a wedding with and I'm free to approach the bride and groom during any part of the ceremony. It's also THE one lens I would choose to take on a vacation, it's that versatile. I love the part where I can walk into a dark cathedral and hand hold a shot at 1 second and it's razor sharp. What a lens!!!
9-5-2008 Update
This is by far and away my most used lens now. It's the lens that stays on my Canon 40D 90% of the time. I just went with my wife to the Arizona Museum of Natural History and wanted to take photos inside without using flash. I love that natural look and hate the flatness of flash. I shot almost the entire museum at F/2.8 and ISO 800 sometimes ISO 400 without a monopod or tripod. That's something I could not have done with my Canon 24-70 F/2.8. As a plus the 17-55 EF-S IS F/2.8 lens is much lighter then my 24-70. If it feels like I am gushing over this lens it's because I am. And it's a dead spot in Canon's lineup. As of this writing they don't have a single wide angle L lens with Image Stabilization and that's a crying shame. Also I tried shooting some fireworks this weekend WITHOUT a tripod!! I managed up to 3 seconds exposure by leaning against a light pole and got some decent shots. Again without the IS there is no way you could get such shots. My only regret is that I didn't get this lens earlier Oh and it would be nice if it was sealed, but I still have not a single spec of dust on the inside!!
9-12-2008 Update Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS vs Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L:
I am taking photos tonight of a stage special and again will need to use both my Canon 17-55 F/2.8 IS lens and my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens since my daughter and I will be shooting at the same time. I can't help comparing the two again. The 17-55 feels much lighter but at the same time feels so much cheaper in the hand between the cheap plastic feel the grabbing in the center of the zoom and the plastic build. The 24-70 feels like a heavy quality jewel that will last two life times or more and it's weather sealed. Still if you have to carry the 24-70 around for a few hours you wish for the lighter weight of the 17-55. The 17-55 has a wider view but the 24-70 has more reach. The 17-55 seems sharper throughout the range but seems to have just a little less contrast and slightly cooler colors then the 24-70. The zoom on my 24-70 is now almost broken in and feels smooth as silk and totally professional the 17-55 zoom feels like a cheap plastic toy. The 17-55 has image stabilization and the 24-70 does not so I end up using a monopod for most dark shots with the 24-70. The 17-55 is an EF-S and will not fit a full frame camera, the 24-70 will. I'm thinking forward to the future when I will be adding a full frame Canon camera body to my collection and I think the 24-70 will be perfect on that camera.
9-16-2008 Update:
I've noticed this lens has some Chromatic Aberration (CA) at 17mm. When in a clean room taking photos of semi-conductor manufacturing equipment you have to zoom wide to get everything in the photo and that's when I noticed this lens especially under fluorescent lighting taking photos of highly reflect surfaces has a problem. So much so that I retook the photos with my Canon 17-40 F/4 L lens and was astounded at how much better the photos looked. Normally my 17-55 F/2.8 IS looks better then the 17-40 but in this case with macro and up close mechanical photos zoomed out to 17 the 17-40 really looked much better. When out shooting landscapes in daylight this has never been a problem with the 17-55 IS F/2.8. So take note if you take macro shots at 17mm under fluorescent lights you may want a different lens. Otherwise the 17-55 F/2.8 IS is an absolute stunner!!!
11-3-2008 Update:
I now have a single spec of dust inside the corner of this lens under the front element.
Auto Vignetting peripheral illumination control:
Canon has this super sweet Auto Lens Vignetting correction that works with this lens both in camera with JPEG's and in RAW using peripheral Illumination control in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) when using newer Canon digital EOS cameras (Canon Rebel XSi, 40D, 5D Mark II etc.) . No more vignetting when shooting wide open!!! When shooting Raw open the file(s) in DPP and click on NR/Lens Lens Aberration Correction / Tune and click on Peripheral illumination. The cameras listed above have already picked up the amount of vignetting based on focusing distance, zoom setting and F stop from the lens and the camera has saved the information with the Raw file. You can then adjust the amount under Peripheral Illumination if you don't like the amount automatically suggested. If you shot JPEG then you get the auto amount. SWEET!!!
Conclusion: In the end I will just have to keep both of them.
Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone!
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5
Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!!
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now: _Canon EF 300mm F/2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
Description of Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
To meet user demands for a fast EF-S zoom lens, Canon has specially designed a new lens with a large aperture of f/2.8 for select Canon Digital SLR cameras.* The large circular aperture produces a shallow depth-of-field, creating background blur that draws attention to the photographic subject. The lens construction includes UD and aspherical elements, which deliver impressive image quality throughout the entire zoom range. Image Stabilizer lens groups shift to compensate for camera movement so that the image appears steady on the image plane, ensuring clear, crisp images, even in dim light. With a Ring-type USM, inner focusing and new AF algorithms, this lens achieves autofocus quickly and quietly, and with full-time mechanical manual focusing, manually adjusting the focus is possible even in AF mode.Digital Camera Accessories
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