Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD

Digital SLR cameras are all about high quality and that is why professionals and enthusiasts choose these types of cameras over the top point-and-shoot cameras. Another thing that makes these types of cameras so good is the flexibility in choosing a different type of lens to take proper photos of a certain subject. The only problem is that many of these lenses are quite expensive and the good ones may cost more than the camera bodies themselves. Fortunately, many entry-level and mid-range cameras come with kit lenses but creative possibilities are somewhat limited hinting the need of special purpose lenses. A few lenses such as wide-angle and telephoto lenses may need to be purchased to add to the possibilities. Some people may find the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD to be decent alternative due to its unique focal range.

Design & Construction

Several of the consumer lenses offered by Canon are primarily made of plastic which may not be the most ideal material when it comes to durability. However, the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD uses better quality materials even though the plastic elements are still present. It uses the duo-cam design which features two lenses inside the lens which function when zooming features are used. This improvement eliminates many of the wobbling parts to allow all kinds of users to enjoy easier handling of the lens when mounted. The lens construction consists of 17 elements in 12 different groups. The length of the lens is about 88mm and that can extend to 128mm.

Actual user review:
“This lens is the perfect walkabout lens covering 23-135 with the 1.6 factor. Distortion is at a minimum, and although not a fast lens, the IS makes even hand held shots sharp. The downside of this lens is that both in sunlight, and in studio flash conditions chromatic aberration (purple/green fringe) is evident in all shots. Granted it is less pronounced than with the cheap kit lens (for the 7D) but none the less at 1:1 resolution there is chromatic aberration in every shot where dark and bright come together in high contrast. If you want 1 lens for a very wide to slight tele range, this is probably the best thing available for 1.6 crop factor. However even if the price is near L lenses, this is not an L lens and it will be apparent when zooming in 1:1. “ – G.Naftulyev (USA)

Features & Performance

Compared to a typical kit lens, the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD serves as a massive improvement which is something that many photographers do not have. The 15-85mm range is very sufficient for photographers that want to get a lot of work done. Although it is not part of the “L” family of lenses, the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD is not ultra expensive either.

Kit lenses are actually not that bad when it comes to overall quality. However, those that may not feel satisfied or safe with the cheap lenses will notice some sharpness improvements This easily puts the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD in a position as the go to lens for people that think that kit lenses do too limited of a job. Even when using the widest aperture settings, the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD managed to have corners that hardly have any softness present. Several tests indicate that the sharpness performance is just as good when using telephoto settings as well.

Chromatic aberration is another concern when using kit lenses and fortunately it is handled well when using the most common ranges from 24mm to 70mm. It is more present on the corners when using 85mm. Just like other zoom lenses that try to do everything, distortion is the main side effect here but it does not cause a significant impact as long as the widest angle settings are not used. Starting at 20mm puts the barrel distortion to respectable figures. One nice aspect is that the lens has decent macro performance and decent autofocus operation thanks to USM.

Image stabilization adds to the value greatly and performs much better than the bodies that rely on stabilization systems. It allows shutter speeds four stops slower to make sure that sudden shakes do not affect the image. The bokeh is also good where certain areas of the image like the background blur nicely. Take note that it does not stop the movement of subjects.

Conclusion

A lens that is both sharp and highly resistant to chromatic aberration sounds like a good package on paper and considering the $700 price tag it is actually an excellent buy. Anybody that owns a standard kit lens will find the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD to be a remarkable upgrade in nearly every aspect. It may not boast the best low light performance compared to the Canon lenses with narrower focal ranges but the lightweight and solid design help improve the usability when hooked up to compatible bodies. This is the type of lens to get for people that are unsure to purchase a wide-angle or telephoto lens for their DSLR camera.

Average User Rating:

Actual User Reviews:

• “I bought this lens to make it one of two lenses to walk around, being the other one the Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS USM. This lens has a good color saturation, sharp image quality and fast Autofocus. the 85mm focal length is very useful to zoom at something without having to carry your longer zoom around. I use this lens mostly at day time, and the 17-55mm F2.8 is my inside-night time lens, although I can stretch the IS and make good pictures in low light. After having lenses from Tamron and one Sigma, I can really say that Canon is the best way to go if you aren’t in a tight budget. “ – E.Houli (USA)

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• “I bought this lens for its versatility for weddings. I thought I would be giving up some image quality for this versatility. I was wrong, this lens has gone way beyond my expectations. I think this lens is well worth the money, although I think as many others that at this price canon should provide a lens hood, it is a necessary accessory for this lens. At first I had decided I would not buy a hood but noticed I was getting a lot of lens flare when shooting towards the sun, so I broke down and spent the $36 for the hood. I have owned canon lenses that cost over twice as much as this lens and not gotten better image quality. Actually this lens surpasses the image quality of some of the L lenses I have owned. I highly recommend this lens.” – Manny (CA,USA)

• “This lens really surprised me with its optical quality. I’ve other L lenses on a full frame Canon and compared to this lens on my 50D, the saturation, sharpness is either same or better. The only beef is the vignette at wide open, but this can be fixed easily with the Canon utility or photoshop, a small price to pay for the other qualities of the lens. Highly recommended.” – B.Pham (CA,USA)

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