The curious case of the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM (w/ Sample Photos!)

This early 2000s Canon zoom lens for crop sensor cameras is a welcome surprise. The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM has both a versatile zoom range and image stabilization. Additionally, the manual focus experience is really good because the focus ring is mechanically coupled to the lens mechanism.
#CanonEFSLens #SamplePhotos #CanonLensReview

This means no focus-by-wire and the odd, disconnected experience that sometimes offers when manually zooming. Nowadays, mechanically coupled zoom rings (either through clutches or with soft end-stops like this Canon lens) is the very much the preserve of higher-end lenses that are in a whole different price-range. Seeing this feature on a fairly entry-level lens is pretty cool. This lens is part of the EF-S mount which means it was designed for Canon APS-C DSLR cameras.

Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:12 Sample Photos taken with the lens
00:38 Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM overview
00:53 The killer feature!
01:27 More Sample Photos taken with the lens
01:51 Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM conclusion

One of the key features of this lens is its focal length range of 17-85mm. This gives photographers an extensive field of view range for capturing both wide-angle and telephoto shots. This crop sensor Canon DSLR zoom lens is suitable for a variety of photography applications and I plan to give it go for travel photography. The lens's image stabilization (IS) technology helps to minimize camera shake (by an advertised 3 stops equivalent), allowing for sharper images, especially in more challenging light conditions or when using slower shutter speeds. One thing to keep in mind, however is that while Image Stabilization helps with camera shake, it's of little use of the subject is moving and you want to stop that motion for the sake of clarity.

The ultrasonic motor (USM) autofocus system of the lens was well regarded at the time and was considered to be pretty fast, accurate, and quiet. This makes it less awkward when photographing in quiet environments. The manual focus override feature I mentioned earlier also provides precise control for nailing focus when needed.

The aperture range of f/4-5.6 isn't that bright overall. However, the lens's image stabilization feature is supposed to compensate for this limitation, to a certain degree, by allowing for slower shutter speeds with reduced image blur for static subjects.

The build quality of the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens is unabashedly plasticky but at the same time it is hefty in an ergonomic way. The lens features a metal mount, which is its saving grace.

When paired with the Canon EOS 30D, this lens delivers satisfactory image quality, considering the zoom range. Both the Canon EOS 30D and the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens came out around the same time and using them together is a real joy.

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