Canon EF-S 17-55mm lens

Infobox photographic lenses
name = EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

---

maker = Canon
feat-is = y
feat-usm = y
feat-sbf = y
feat-macro = n
feat-special =
type = s
application = Standard
flength = 17-55mm (35 mm equivalent of 27-88mm)
fov =
aperture = f/2.8 – f/22
groups = 12
elements = 19
diaphragm = 7
close-dist = 0.35 m (1.15 ft)
max-mag = 0.17
weight = 645 g
max-diameter = 83.5 mm (3.3 in)
max-length = 110.6 mm (4.4 in)
filter = 77 mm
hood = EW-83J, optional
lens c

case = LP1219, optional
av-horiz = 68° 40' – 23° 20'
av-vert = 48° – 15° 40'
av-diag = 78° 30' – 27° 50'
start = 2006
msrp = $1,179
category = Canon EF-S lenses

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is a high-quality standard zoom lens for Canon digital single-lens reflex cameras with an EF-S lens mount. The field of view has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 27-88mm.

Reception

Praise

It is praised as "one of the best general/multi-purpose lenses available",cite web
url=http://photo.net/equipment/canon/efs_17-55/
title=Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM Review
accessdate=2008-02-25
last=Greenspun
first=Philip
work= [http://photo.net/ photo.net] ] cite web
url=http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-f-2.8-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx
title= Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens Review
accessdate=2008-02-25
last=Carnathan
first=Bryan
work= [http://www.the-digital-picture.com/ The-Digital-Picture.com] ] and ideal for available light photography on a Canon APS-C camera.cite web
url=http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/353/cat/11
title=Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
accessdate=2008-02-25
work= [http://www.slrgear.com/ SLRgear.com] ]

The fast f/2.8 aperture, combined with 3-stop Image Stabilization, makes the 17-55 much faster (5 stops) than an un-stabilized f/3.5–5.6 Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens, which is a frequent kit lens, and thus the 17-55 is much more suited for hand-holding and available light photography, and it is a practical event photography lens.

Criticisms

This lens is widely regarded as being prone to flare when used without a hood, and especially with low-quality UV filters.

The 17-55 suffers from vignetting at f/2.8 of 0.5-1 EV throughout the focal range.cite web
url=http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/Canon%20EOS%20Lens%20Tests/45-canon-eos-aps-c/178-canon-ef-s-17-55mm-f28-usm-is-test-report--review
title=Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS - Test Report / Review
accessdate=2008-02-25
work= [http://photozone.de/ photozone] ]

Chromatic aberration is a relative weakness at the wide end (at the edges and corners), but is quite low for a zoom in this range.

Some [cite web
url=http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=303
title=Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM
accessdate=2008-02-25
work= [http://www.fredmiranda.com/ fredmiranda.com]
pages=Post of 2007 October 18 by Anjo Francke reports dust from early use; post of 2008 Jan 12 by Cipi reports no dust after heavy use in dusty climates.] but not all users have reported the lens gathering a lot of dust inside of it, a problem that Canon has apparently acknowledged.

Quality

The 17-55 is not an L-series lens, but it has some UD (ultra-low dispersion) lens elements, which are largely reserved for L-series lenses, and some say that the 17-55 has comparable image quality to L-series lenses. ["My 17-55 matches or exceeds the optical performance of my L-Series zooms in this similar focal length range", The-Digital-Photo.com] Some regard the decision to not designate the lens as L-class as marketing-driven.

"The resolution figures are among the very best seen so far for an APS-C standard zoom lens."

The build quality is inferior to L-series lenses (plastic body, not magnesium alloy), though superior to the EF-S 17-85mm.

imilar lenses

Unlike most other EF-S lenses, the 17-55 does not have a direct equivalent in the range of traditional EF lenses. As a general purpose EF-S zoom lens, the alternatives to the 17-55 are the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, which is a cheaper kit lens, and the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, which is midway between the 18-55 and 17-55 in some respects—depending on which version of the 18-55 one is comparing—and boasts a longer telephoto end.

The 17-55 is at times compared to the EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, which has similar image quality (despite the latter being L series and the 17-55 not being so designated), and is cheaper, though the 17-55's faster aperture and IS make it more suited (by 4 stops) for hand-holding and available light photography.

The EF 28-90mm is an inexpensive kit lens and is not comparable to the 17-55, having slower aperture, lower image quality, and no image stabilization.

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=149&modelid=12955 Official page at Canon USA]
* [http://www.jayceooi.com/2008/05/03/canon-ef-s-17-55mm-f28-is-usm-lens-review/ Sample photos]
* [http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022113canonefs1755f28g.asp Press Release and Specifications] at dpreview