Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras

Ive been looking for the perfect lens for shooting video. I needed something with a low aperture, has a wide focal length and has enough zoom when I need it. Sure I could have gone with many other choices but the one thing I really wanted to consider was something that has IS on it. That was the main purpose why I chose this specific lens. The image quality is amazing. It has become my everyday lens for both photo and video. Would definitely recommend to those who are looking for an all in one everyday/vacation/portrait situation lens.

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I just bought my first digital SLR a few weeks ago and chose this as my "walk-around" lens. It took me only one day of shooting to get over the sticker shock: The casual test shots I took were absolutely tack-sharp, and the lens was extremely responsive with both a Canon 40D EOS and a Rebel XSi. I was drawn to this lens for its focal range, since I shoot mostly landscapes, architecture, and portraits. It serves beautifully for all three -- and still lets you get close enough to your subjects to take some macro-like shots. As youd expect, it performs well in low-light situations, and the nice, wide aperture blurs the background beautifully in portraits. Ive been pleasantly surprised at this lens excellent depth of field, too, and by its superb responsiveness for "action" shots. The image stabilization works well, though at the smallest apertures (f/22) it may still not be enough to compensate for camera shake, depending on the shutter speed. The only complaint I have (and this is just a minor annoyance) is that the barrel sticks a bit when zooming between the 28 mm and 20 mm focal ranges. At first I thought my lens was defective, but I tried a couple of other lenses at the local shop and found the all behaved the same. Its loosened up a bit with use, so I hold out hope thisll disappear over time. All told, Im extremely happy with my purchase and would buy this lens again in a heartbeat.

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My experience with my copy of the 17-55 makes me smile for so very many reasons. First, my copy of the lens outperforms my copy of the 24-105 L in image quality and also gains in low light shooting with its faster f 2.8. That improvement in sharpness, speed, and color richness really makes me smile, a lot. Second, the lighter weight of this lens over other L-grade lenses is simply delightful. Third, the IS effect in this lens is superb! Fourth, I finally received from Canon (for only the second time ever) a lens that is simultaneously sharp and has reliable AF, both at the same time! The only other Canon lens that performs this well for me is the 40mm f 2.8 -- Im calling it my Fine Forty. (Note: the kit 18-55 lenses I have are great at AF but are too soft and lack in color richness, the 24-105 L is way too soft and its AF badly misses, the 50 f 1.8 is sharp but misses AF half the time...you get the idea...). Fifth, the AF of the 17-55 is fast. Sixth, internal focus. Seventh, full time manual focus. Eighth, very good macro focusing ability. Whats not to like with my copy of the 17-55? Well, some things that could have been improved upon: The high price tag, lack of included lens hood (a lens hood is critically essential with this lens), and no lens soft-case. But, I am still smiling!!! It focuses accurately and produces great IQ. As an aside comment I will acknowledge that it often seems to come down to individual copies as to whether one gets a high performing lens or not. What I have learned from my experiences is to stay with the camera brand lens when possible, buy via Amazon, test the lens heavily when it arrives, and if it does not AF well or produce the sharpness desired, return it and dont second guess that decision. Viva the 17-55 and Amazon!

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This lens is nearly perfect in all aspects: i) Extremely sharp at all apertures; probably the sharpest zoom made by Canon to date. ii) Great range for a 1.6x camera (x0D, x00D bodies). Youll need two lenses to cover the same range with L lenses (17-40 f/4 and 24-70 f/2.8, while missing the f/2.8 in 17-40 and IS). iii) Constant maximum aperture f/2.8. iv) Very nice looking, smooth bokeh. v) Non-existent fringing in high contrast situations. vi) IS rocks; say good bye to camera shake, allows much longer handhold exposures. Why four stars? i) Colors & saturation are not as snappy as L lenses (visible on a good *calibrated* monitor). I guess this has something to do with the quality of glass (L lenses, for example, use a crystal called fluorite in some parts. There may be other differences in glass). All in all, colors from 17-55 are not as attractive to me as those from L glass. ii) Why so much plastic for a $1000 lens? After I used several L lenses, this lens feels cheap. iii) Canon tries to rip off customers by asking ~$40 for hood. What I didnt care? i) EF-S. I think Canon is committed to 1.6x format for a loong time to come. Cropped sensor cameras allow smaller lenses with a higher quality (this lens, for example, is much sharper than 24-70 f/2.8 L at f/2.8). I think there will be a very good second hand market if you ever decide to sell this lens. ii) Light fall-off wide open. No problem in typical working conditions. Can be easily fixed in software. Many people do vignetting intentionally, since it helps eyes focus to the center. The competitors of this lens are Canon 17-40L, Canon 24-70L, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8. I owned both Canon 24-70L and Sigma 18-50, and I can say that both are pretty good lenses (sold them to buy 17-55). But, beware that no single lens is uniquely optimal! You either miss range, max aperture, build quality, sharpness wide-open or IS. If Canon upgrades the glass (i.e. color, saturation) and the build of 17-55 to L quality, that would be my dream lens. Currently, 17-55 is nearly perfect, but is not entirely so.

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This is THE best overall lens made for the Canon 1.6 crop factor bodies like the 20d, 30d, 40d, 50d! When I first received my lens and camera body, nothing was in focus. I sent it all back to Canon and within a week I had it back with the ability to take amazing pictures! The lens is great in low light because of the large aperture and the image stabilizer. No other lens in the Canon line has these two aspects in one lens, that includes the pro lenses. Ive used this lens as well as the Professional f2.8 24-70mm. Because of the stabilizer, this lens is sharper. Its expensive but you will not get better results with any other lens. Ive now upgraded to the 5dmark2 and I really, really miss this lens because, since it is an "S" lens it cant be used on film or full frame cameras.

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I am a serious amateur, and I have found this lens to be a tremendous improvement over the kit lens. The quality of my photos has improved greatly, and I have just begun to learn how to use its true capability. Sharpness, contrast, color and the ability to keep the subject in sharp focus with the background soft are excellent. I am shooting a lot more in available light and achieving very interesting results. The lens is fairly heavy, compared with the kit lens, and large due to the IS. I think a similar quality lens without IS would also be an attractive alternative if it were significantly lighter and smaller. Using it on a Rebel XT body, I find that it is fatiguing to the fingers to hold the weight of the lens on the small body, so I may investigate adding the battery grip for more leverage and comfort or consider getting a larger body. It is worth it for this lens. I also bought the Canon 430 flash with a Sto-Fen diffuser, and they make a great team with this lens. I feel like a pro when I shoot now, and my results are getting there.

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If your APS-C Canon came with a 18-55mm kit lens, this is and astronomical upgrade. PROS: -constent f2.8 throughout zoom range -faster auto-focusing -sharper images -solid build quality -1mm wider addition to zoom range NEGATIVES: -about twice the size of kit lens -about four times heavier than kit lens

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This lens has everything I want in a lens. 1. Good build quality Everything about this lens is quality. I could ask more from the zoom ring. It doesnt feel as good as it could at this price range. It does the job fine however. Everything else about this lens is the highest quality. I would not let this one minor thing stop you from buying it. 2. Image Stabilization (seem to work to at least 3 stops...maybe 4) 3. Large constant aperture (F/2.8 all the way through) 4. USM focus (quick and quiet. Does the job fine.) If you have a "kit" lens (18-55) and want your pictures to look WAY better, get this lens. You must consider two things before buying. Are you planning to move to a 5D MkII or another full frame body? (this lens does not fit full frame bodies.) Is your style of photography suited to the 17-55 range? (do you take most shots between 17 and 55mm....as most people do) If you meet these criteria.....you need this lens. You may need a long zoom to go with it, but dont think for one minute that you can get an 18-200 or 18-135 and still get the same image quality. I have the 18-135 and the 17-55 gives me FAR better image quality. If you need more zoom from time to time get this lens and a 55-250. The 55-250 is a good lens and gives you decent image quality at long ranges. Its only about 1/4 of what this lens costs but will cover you in long telephoto shots. The 17-55 will be great for most shots most people take. It took me a long time to realize that all I needed was a better lens. I didnt need more zoom. I finally got this and wish I had done it years ago. I have found this lens more than good in the month since I got it. It weighs a lot but I have taken hundreds of pictures and hundreds of videos with it and love it. If there was an "EF" alternative to this, I would have purchased it. There is no comparison to this lens in the "EF" line-up. Only this EF-S lens has a 2.8 aperture, image stabilization, and USM in this zoom range. All those EF lenses like the 24-70, 24-105, etc... are missing one thing or another. I looked into EF lenses first. If you want it all, this is your lens. There is no EF lens that has these features. I use it with a 7D and have had good, solid results. It will let you shoot with a "pro-caliber" lens. It should be an "L" lens and it should come with a hood. I gave it 4 stars at first because its zoom mechanism was not as smooth as it could have been and it costs more than it should. Since then I have grown to like the zoom ring and the overall performance of the lens made me change to 5 stars. Update after 9 months : I have used this lens a lot in the past 9 months. I could not be any happier. The one issue I was concerned about was dust getting inside. I have not seen a problem with dust. I used a UV filter for about 4 months. I then took it off and still did not see any issue with dust getting inside. I live in a dry dusty area so I would have seen the problem if it were a problem. The IQ of this lens is great! The F/2.8 aperture all the wat through the zoom range has been the best however. Other companies make similar lenses as you might know. One or both of the major companies lenses have zoom mechanisms which turn the opposite of Canon lenses. That would not be easy to get used to...but it might save you some money. I decided to go with Canon because I knew it would be good quality and I am SO glad I did. After 9 months of heavy use I cannot say enough about the lens. From handling to IQ to size and weight it just satisfies me in every way. I also have a 24-105 F/4L I really like. If I could only choose 1 I dont know what I would do. Update 4/21/13 - I have now had this lens for about 3 years. I use it more than any other lens. I have a 24-105 F/4L which I love. The 17-55 wins out for everyday use because it can go so much wider at 17mm and its constant F/2.8 aperture. I have had no problems with the lens. I kept a filter on for a while because of dust concerns. I have now used it for about 2 years mostly with no UV filter. I have seen no dust problems. The lens is overpriced. I think Canon should drop the price by at least $200 to be competitive with Sigma and Tamron who now have alternatives. With that said, the Canon is still the best option for the best results. Resale will be much better with the Canon should you ever decide to sell. I would highly recommend you buy this lens. With all its features and resale value you simply cant loose. Its the best all around every day lens for a Canon EF-S mount for almost anything...including video.

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I read online reviews and knew this model was famous for getting dust inside the lens but - wow - after three months I had to take the thing apart and clean it. I guess itll be an every-three-month kind of thing.

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Fast heavy lens for Canon crop cameras. The only issue is the cable connector in the lens for zooming in and out quit communicating with the camera at the long end so had to use only the wide end when it broke. It was worthwhile to get it fixed though.

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