Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS Competitor?

[marioman38]

Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS vs. Sigma 17-70mm as a primary walk around on the XTi? Potentially pairing it with a nifty fifty. Comments on the two? I have IS on the 18-55mm with my XTi now, and I do enjoy shooting ISO 200 in the evening at 1/6 sec with very minimal blur, it really is effective.

 

[joro]

Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS vs. Sigma 17-70mm as a primary walk around on the XTi? Potentially pairing it with a nifty fifty. Comments on the two? I have IS on the 18-55mm with my XTi now, and I do enjoy shooting ISO 200 in the evening at 1/6 sec with very minimal blur, it really is effective.

I do a lot of different things with my photography business; however, earlier this year I invested in two lenses – the 70-200 IS L and the 28-70 L and both are amazing lenses. I’m not sure at what kind of budget you are looking at by I know the 28-70 ran about $1,100 after discounts and has been a workhorse for me, especially in low-light situations.

 

[miloblithe]

What do you feel is lacking about the 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS that's on your camera right now?

To me, the 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS represents a minimal upgrade to the 18-55 IS, and wouldn't be worth the money. It doesn't sound like it's that great a lens in terms of image quality. If you really feel strongly that 55mm just isn't long enough for your main walk around lens, then there's some value in the 17-85. If that's the case, I'd consider Sigma's 18-125 f/3.8-5.6 OS. TAs a semi-super-zoom, the optical quality isn't going to be as good as a more traditional zoom, but at least 125mm is a significant difference from 55mm. Or same idea for Canon's 18-200 IS lens.

Personally, I'd stick with the 18-55 IS until you can get something much better and consider what you're missing in a second lens.

 

[marioman38]

I feel the 18-55mm IS lacking a bit in the zoom, the build quality, and (not as important) speed.

My budget is no where near "L" glass, I am a college student looking to buy a secondhand lens for around $275-$325, thats double what I invested in the 18-55mm when I bought it new from B&H, I figure I should be able to find something at least noticeably better.

I will check out that Sigma 18-125, not sure about Canons 18-200mm, I always feel that the quality is poor with such a great zoom range?

 

[joro]

I feel the 18-55mm IS lacking a bit in the zoom, the build quality, and (not as important) speed.

My budget is no where near "L" glass, I am a college student looking to buy a secondhand lens for around $275-$325, thats double what I invested in the 18-55mm when I bought it new from B&H, I figure I should be able to find something at least noticeably better.

I will check out that Sigma 18-125, not sure about Canons 18-200mm, I always feel that the quality is poor with such a great zoom range?

Do you have any photo shops around your area where you can trade in / buy used equipment? I know when I was starting out the store we have locally was a godsend in terms of being able to try different lenses and see which one worked best. Also lens rental sites are a good place to start if you want to test out lenses.

 

[marioman38]

There is a Kits Camera about 5 min from my house, but I've just been checking the local craigslist. The 18-200mm appears to have a lesser build quality than the 17-85mm, and on par with the 18-55mm IS.

 

[Phrasikleia]

For what it's worth, the 17-85mm is one of the two most derided lenses in Canon's lineup, second only to the 75-300. Compare the blur index charts of the 17-85 and your kit lens:

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/136/cat/11

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1114/cat/11

(click the charts to open them and then use the two sliders to change aperture and focal length)

Your kit lens is much sharper, so you would be making a real sacrifice just to be able to shoot from 55-85. If you really want a "better" lens, save up for something special.

 

[marioman38]

Okay, well let me open it up then. What do you guys suggest as an only lens which can be picked up for $350 used? I would really prefer it to have IS because I had probably 5-10% of my shots where it came in handy! But if thats too limited, I'm open to all. Canon, Sigma, Tamron?

 

[joro]

Okay, well let me open it up then. What do you guys suggest as an only lens which can be picked up for $350 used? I would really prefer it to have IS because I had probably 5-10% of my shots where it came in handy! But if thats too limited, I'm open to all. Canon, Sigma, Tamron?

Canon's 50D comes with three different configurations of "kit lenses" you can purchase. I choose the 28-135 F/3.5-5.6 and until I just recently bought those new lenses, this was my primary walk-around lenses. From what I can pull on Google, you can get these anywhere from $250-400$ new, so I would imagine you could get one used for probably sub-$200.

http://www.google.com/products/cata..._catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4#ps-sellers

 

[toxic]

the 17-85 is one of the most "derided" Canon lenses mostly because of its horrible barrel distortion at < 20mm. other than that, it's a decent lens.

between the 17-85 and 17-70, i choose the 17-70, because i prefer a faster f-stop to IS.

rule out the 28-135 - 28mm is nowhere near wide on an APS-C camera.

 

[Edge100]

Personally, I'd stick with the 18-55 IS until you can get something much better and consider what you're missing in a second lens.

I agree. Stick with that lens until you can afford a real upgrade to something like the 17-40 f/4L, which can be had on the used market for $550 if you look hard enough. That was my walkaround on my 10D for a long time, and it never disappointed.

Anything between your current lens and the 17-40 will be a minor upgrade and, IMHO, not worth the money; saving up and moving to the 17-40 will get you into a much higher class in pure IQ terms.

If it's the reach of the 18-55 that's bothering you, again I would suggest saving up for something a lot better, rather than buying the 17-85. What about a fast prime like the 85/1.8 or the 100/2? Both are great lenses.

You're not going to find a really good lens with a huge zoom range. If you mainly use wide/normal focal length, save for the 17-40. If you mainly use (or want to use) longer focal lengths, get the 85/1.8, 100/2, or save for the 70-200 f/4L. Dont buy cheap glass; you'll regret it later.