Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM Specifications and Review
Brief Review
The EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM replaces the EF-S 17-85/4-5.6IS USM as Canon's premium "wide to telephoto" zoom for APS-C crop sensor DSLRs. It adds an extra 2mm to the wide end of the range, which is significant since 15mm provides a noticably wider view than 17mm. 15mm gives the same FOV as 24mm on full frame, wile 17mm gives the same FOV as 27mm on full frame. Canon also made significant changes to the optics of the lens, adding two more aspheric elements and one UD element (see diagram below). The aspheric elements significantly improve image quality in the corners of the frame, especally at wideangle settings. In addition to the optics upgrade, the EF-S 15-85 has an upgraded IS system which now gives up to 4 stops of added stability, a stop more than the EF-S 17-85's 3 stops. The diaphragm also has an extra blade (7 vs. 6) which helps a little in smoothing out regions not in focus.
Overall optical quality is good, even wide open and the performance is maintained across the whole focal length range. Chromatic aberration is most visible at 15mm, as might be expected. There is some distortion at the wide end of the range, but again that's normal for this type of lens and is easily corrected digitally. As the lens is zoomed out distortion quickly diminishes and is unlikely to be noticable. Vignetting is worst wide open at 15mm, amounting to just about 1 stop at the edges of the frame, but at any focal length stopping down by 1 stop practically eliminates it. If you shoot RAW and use Canon's DPP software you can select automatic correction for distortion, CA and vignetting.
I have had a brief chance to do a comparison between the old EF-S 17-85 and the new EF-S 15-85. While the lenses are quite similar in sharpness in the center of the frame, the new EF-S 15-85is is clearly better at the edges and in the corners. It's sharper, shows somewhat higher contrast and less astigmatism, so if corner to corner sharpness is important to you, there's no doubt that the new EF-S 15-85is is better. I will be publishing a full test on the EF-S 15-85is, probably around the end of April 2010.
If you don't mind the relatively slow aperture (f5.6 at 85mm), then the EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM is probably the best "general purpose" lens for a Canon crop sensor DSLR. At 15mm the wide end is a true wideangle, even for the APS-C format and 85mm is enough reach for most subjects, other than perhaps sports and wildlife. If you need something faster, the EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM is one of Canon's best EF-S lenses but the zoom range is significantly smaller and the cost is somewhat higher.
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| Model | Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM |
| Link to Current Pricing | EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM |
Production Dates  |
2009 - current |
| Comments
| Update of EF-S 17-85mm f3.5-5.6IS USM with better optics (2 additional aspheric elements and 1 additional UD element), an expanded zoom range and an upgraded IS system. The price has gone up of course, but is still not bad for a very versatile lens (with a field of view range equivalent to 24-136mm on full frame). The EF-S 15-85 is probably the best "walking around" general purpose lens for Canon crop sensor DSLRs, though if you don't need the whole zoom range and you'd like a faster aperture, the EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM is also a very strong contender with the faster f2.8 aperture winning out for portrait work. However the wider range of the 15-85 probably makes it a more useful lens for travel photography |
| Format Restrictions |
APS-C (crop sensor) only |
| Field of View
(degrees) Horizontal,Vertical, Diagonal Full Frame - 36x24mm APS-C - 22.5x15mm |
APS-C Wide : H - 73.7 : V - 53.1 : D - 84.1 APS-C Tele : H - 15.1 : V - 10.1 : D - 18.1 |
| Full Frame FOV equivalent with lens on APS-C body |
24-136 mm (1.6x multiplier) |
| Image Stabilization |
up to 4 stops |
| Length | 87.5 mm (3.44 inches) |
| Weight | 575 gm (19.44 oz.) |
| Maximum Diameter | 81.6 mm (3.21 inches) |
| Lens Mount Material |
Metal |
| Lens Color |
Black |
| Filter Size | 72 mm |
| Filter Rotation |
Filter does not rotate |
| Internal Zooming |
No (extends on zooming) |
| Focusing |
Internal Focusing (Length constant) |
| Focus Range Setting(s) |
No, always uses full focus range |
| AF motor |
USM |
| Distance Scale | Yes, has distance scale |
| Closest Focus | 0.55 m (1.8 ft) |
| Maximum Magnification | 0.21x |
| Canon TC compatibility |
No, Canon TCs can not be used |
| Weathersealing |
Not weathersealed |
| Lens Hood |
EW-78E |
| E-TTL II Support |
Yes |
| Elements/Groups |
17/12 |
| Aspheric Elements |
Yes, 3 aspheric elements |
| Special Glass Elements |
Yes, 1 UD element |
| Diaphragm Blades |
7 (circular) |
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With the large number of entries contained in the Canon EOS Lens database it's inevitable the some of presented here may not be complete and/or may contain errors. If you find an error or missing data, please contact me and I will add or revise the data as necessary
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