Camera Price Buster User Reviews
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

Average Rating: Good
based on 6 reviews. Click here to add your own review.

Rating: Good
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

Having owned the 17-85 lens for a couple of years or so I can report that it is a good companion to my 450D. It is solidly constructed (made in Japan), feels good in my hands, has a most useful range, and Image Stabilisation. The price seems very fair for a lens that can fill so many roles, it works very well with my 430 EX II flash, producing some excellent pictures. I rented a 17-40 L lens for a week as I was curious to see if there was a big difference between it and the 17-85. The resulting images from test shots showed that the 17-85 was no slouch, and had the extra range on the more expensive lens. Highly recommended.

Rating: Excellent
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

This was my first venture into a good lens that replaced the stock 18-55 on a Canon 500D. Admittedly I only bought a second hand one which is like mint so I did save quite a lot for a great lens.

I was going to go for the new 15-85 but the £500+ put me off. I am now very glad I did not go for the latest one and the reviews on the 17-85 (IMPO) seem a tad unfair. It is a tad heavy yes, but it seems really well constructed and the quality of each image has astounded me. They are full, crisp, razor sharp right across the board.

Colours seem a tad vivid but that is simple enough to deal with as a RAW in post editing which takes no more than a minute at best. I think it is hugely underrated and dont agree with what digital camera that for the price there are better lenses around.

Rating: OK
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

Rating: Good
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

I have been very happy with this lense since I purchased it last summer. I have found the lense to be very well made and a quality piece of kit.

I have found it to be a huge improvement over the kit lense supplied with my 350d. It produces much sharper, clearer images than the kit lense. The stabilisation system is also very impressive. This has allowed me to do hand held phototography in very low light with no problems at all.

Rating: Good
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

I have rated this as good when comparing it to the 18-55 kit lens.

It is sharper, exhibits a higher constrast and is a good value for money upgrade; especially with the £100 rebate current at the time of writing.

Its quite a bit heavier than the kit lens but this shouldnt be a problem for most users.

Theres a general impression of better build quality but its hard to quantify.

Theres some purple fringing on high contrast lines.

The close focusing (1.2ft) is quite a bonus.

Dont forget that the diameter is 67mm so your kit lens filetrs wont fit !

Rating: OK
Product: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens

This was my first lens (since replaced by a 17-40mm f4 L) and I was unsure of it from the start. The images were never as sharp as I had expected them to be but, as a novice, I didnt know how to determine whether the issue was with the lens or with me. Having moved on to some of the L lenses, and having worked on my technique, I now know that this lens is "OK". I havent used the kit lens so I cant comment on whether this lens is an improvement over that, but the shots I have taken with it are softer than those I have taken with its replacement: not a lot softer, but noticeably so with the naked eye. On the plus side, it is very easy to use, feels solid and well built, the autofocus is quick and accurate and the IS works well when shooting in moderate light. Its also nice and compact and the focal range is very handy on a crop sensor body.