Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM Review
.jpg) Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM |
The Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM is Canon's latest "do it all" lens for crop sensor DSLRs. It ranges from a true wideangle, suitable for interiors and landscapes, to a short telephoto suitable for portraits etc. Coupled with the very effective image stabilization, small size and light weight, it makes an excellent choice for a travel lens. The Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM is a replacement for the original EF-S 17-85/4-5.6IS USM and it offers a number of improvements:
- A wider view at the short end of the focal length range, 15mm vs. 17mm. In 35mm field of view terms this is equivalent the to difference between a full frame 24mm lens and a full frame 27mm lens, a useful increase.
- A revised optical design with 2 additional aspheric elements and one UD element. This improves image quality (especially at the edges of the image at wideangle settings)
- The IS system has been upgraded and Canon rate the 15-85 IS as good for up to 4 stops of stabilization vs. the 3 stops of the original 17-85 IS
- The diaphragm has one additional blade (7 vs. 6) which should improve the smoothness of out of focus areas of the image (better bokeh)
Comparison of the EF-S 17-85/4-5.6IS USM (left) and EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM (right)
Being one of Canon's EF-S series lenses it is designed for use on crop sensor DSLRs such as the Digital Rebel series, the EOS 20/30/40/50D and EOS 7D. It will not mount of Canon's full frame DSLRs such as the EOS 5D MkII or any of the 1D or 1Ds series cameras.
Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6, close focus at 85mm f8
The Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM takes 72mm filters and an optional lens hood (EW-78E) is available. It comes with Canon's standard 1 year warranty. Through July 10th 2010 Canon is offering a $100 "instant rebate" on the EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM. This rebate is deducted from the price by the vendor so there are no forms to mail in. As of June 2010 the average retail price is around $630 ($730 minus the $100 rebate).
Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM Specifications
| Focal Length | 15 – 85mm |
| Max Aperture | f3.5 – f5.6 |
| Lens Construction | 17 elements in 12 groups |
| Diagonal Angle of View | 84° 30’ – 18° 25’ |
| Focus | Internal focusing system with USM |
| Close Focus | 1.15 ft./0.35m |
| Max Magnification | 0.21x |
| Filter Size | 72mm |
| Diameter | 3.2" (81.6mm) |
| Length | 3.4" (87.5mm) |
| Weight | 20.3 oz. (575g) |
In the next section of this review I'll look at the optical performance of the Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6IS USM.
NEXT - Part II - Optical Performance
