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Canon EF-S 17-55
2.8 IS USM Review
Ultimate
Travel Lens?
Peter
Kun Frary
Normal
Lenses & Zooms
What
is a normal lens? In the heyday of film SLRdom it was a fast
50mm optic: coverage to meet the
sweet spot of the human eye; fast aperture for bright viewfinder
and
usefulness in any light; petite stature for easy transport; and affordable for budding photographers. Back in
the day, a young buck armed with a Nikon FM and Nikkor 50 1.2
AI was
"the freakin' man," and
was ready
for
any
situation from murky bar portraits to in-your-face street candids.
Blue Rod • Las Vegas,
USA • EOS 20D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Enter
zooms a few years later. Although zooms had
been around for years, they were expensive, bulky and not
very sharp or flare resistant. They were also mainly the domain
of photojournalists. Nikon debuted the
Nikkor 35-70 3.5-4.5 in 1985, the first affordable and
lightweight
zoom
with
decent optics. It slowly became the new "normal lens." So,
the normal
zoom began by dancing around
both sides of the old 50 mm full frame standard. Thus,
24-70, 24-85, 24-105,
28-70, 28-80,
28-105, 35-70, 35-105, 35-135, etc., are considered normal
zooms for full frame bodies such as the EOS 3 or 5D.
Chiesa degli Scalzi • Venice, Italy • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
The popularity of
the tiny APS-C sensor
(1.6x crop factor) has redefined the normal lens
as a fast 35
mm prime, e.g., EF 35 2.0 or EF 35 1.4L USM. Thus the new
generation of 17-40, 17-55, 17-85, 18-50, etc., optics are
the normal
zooms of APS-C DSLRs.
These
normal zooms are the
most useful range for general and travel photography, encompassing
wide, normal
and
short
telephoto
ranges. Mount
a normal zoom
on your DSLR and you're good to go for scenics, group
shots, candids and portraits. For many weekend and holiday
shooters this is the only lens they need.
EF-S17-55
2.8 IS USM, Normal Zoom Deluxe
Introduced
May 2006, the EF-S17-55
2.8 IS USM is
an impressive feat of engineering: high-performance Image
Stabilizer (IS), constant F2.8 aperture,
ultra fast ring-type USM, wide zoom range (3.24x) and L series
optical performance. I bit the bullet and replaced my
oft
and long used travel companion, the
EF17-40 4LUSM, with
this amazing optic.
Canon
EF-S17-55
2.8
IS USM • Red
ring wantabe. Photo courtesy Canon.
Not
Built Like A
Brick But Good Enough
For
a normal zoom, it's large and chunky,
645 g, but much lighter than
its cousin the EF 24-70 2.8L USM. Build
quality is good
but not at L series standards. There
are no weather
seals and the
finish isn't as attractive as that of the
EF 24-105 4L IS USM. Although
fit and finish are excellent, it
looks more like a $500 or $600 lens rather than a $1000 one.
Pantheon • Rome • EOS
40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Focus and Zoom
A ring-type
USM (Ultrasonic Motor) achieves focus by driving an
internal lens
group.
Needless to say, AF is extremely fast
and surefooted on my EOS 20D and 40D.
The front element does not rotate and the barrel does not expand
or
contract
during
focusing.
Of course, being an USM lens, it is silent during AF.
It has FTM, allowing you to manually focus without switching out
of
AF mode. The focus ring is narrow,
coarse in pitch and ribbed.
It's not as smooth as the EF 24-105 4L USM and light years from
a manual Nikkor. If
you prefocus manually, the distance window in meters and feet is
extremely useful. Although not a macro
lens, it focuses close enough for head shots and moderately
small details (35cm/.17x).
Yellow Rod • Las Vegas • EOS
20D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
The
twist zoom action is fairly smooth, damped and does not creep.
Zoom action is not as even as EF 24-105 4L IS USM. Zooming is accomplished by expanding and contracting
a single nested barrel. The
barrel extends considerably--nearly
doubling in length--while zooming to 55
mm. The
zoom ring is large and covered with a ribbed rubber surface.
The 77 mm
filter size makes for expensive filters, but I can
share filters with my EF 17-40 4L USM
and EF 24-105 4L IS USM. Canon recommends removing the hood while
using
a polarizing filter. However,
if you have agile fingers
it's easy to rotate the filter through
the petal cutouts of the lens hood. Unfortunately
that lens hood will cost you extra--a lot extra.
Bartender on Freemont • Las Vegas,
USA • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Optical Quality
This
is among the best zooms I've used.
I
have no second thoughts about shooting wide
open as it's
sharp and contrasty at all focal lengths from normal focus to
infinity. At F2.8 it shows some softness at high magnification around the edges, but is pin sharp in the center. The edges sharpen up nicely by stopping down a half or full stop.
Racked out to 55mm and shot wide open it is an excellent
portrait lens. Plus,
the circular
7-blade diaphragm produces
an attractive background blur (bokeh) when stopped
down. Although bokeh isn't
as creamy smooth as some L series primes
and zooms, the EF-S17-55 2.8 IS USM can still bring home the
bacon. Optical quality
is
comparable to my EF 24-105 4L IS USM and slightly better
than my
EF
17-40
4L
USM. The 17-55 suffers a small loss of contrast and sharpness at macro distances (35cm). In this regard my 24-105 4L and 17-40 4L are slightly better.
Cowboy
at Fremont Street • Las Vegas • EOS
20D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM • F2.8, 1/15, ISO 400, IS
engaged
Pixel
View Detail • Cowboy at Fremont Street • EOS
20D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM • F2.8, 1/15, ISO 400, IS
engaged
The brightness, contrast and snap
of this lens is apparent through the viewfinder. After all,
there's
plenty of
exotic glass in there, e.g., three aspherical lens elements
(one glass mold, two replica) and a UD (ultra-low dispersion)
lens element. Amazingly,
there are 19 elements in that fat
little
barrel. Light must really struggle
to get to the other side! Unfortunately there is a
downside
to 19
elements:
flare. Flare
isn't bad and is better than most consumer zooms, e.g., whips the EF 28-135 3.5-5.6 IS USM silly in this regard. However, flare is not as
well controlled as the EF 17-40 4L USM or EF
24-105 4L IS USM. Hawaiian
sunsets result in a little more ghosting and
flare than my L zooms and even the EF-S 15-85 3.5-5.6 IS USM.
EF 85 1.8 USM • Canon EOS 7D & EF-s 17-55 2.8 IS USM, F11, ISO 400, foil & white reflectors, RC-1 & Bogan tripod
The
short end, like all wide
zooms, suffers from a small amount of barrel
distortion. The long end has a small
amount of pincushion distortion. Nevertheless,
distortion is less
pronounced than my EF 28-135 3.5-5.6 IS USM and EF 24-85 3.5-4.5
USM. For
most types of images, distortion
isn't readily apparent. Nevertheless,
architectural and product photographers may
want to stick
with primes.
Like
all wide zooms, the EF-S17-55
2.8 IS USM reveals a
small amount of light fall-off at
the wide end when shot wide
open (see Cowboy at Fremont Street above). In
typical night scenes and portraits, I usually don't notice light
fall-off since edges are naturally dark or de-emphasized.
Stop down a little
and light fall-off is gone. I found
light fall-off to
be a minor issue and less pronounced than the light fall-off
of the EF
24-105 4L IS USM (with FF). Only
those that shoot blue skies or white walls wide open will
notice the slight darkening of corners.
Nice Knocker • Firenza, Italia • EOS
40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Image Stabilization
This would be a kickass optic
without Image Stabilization (IS). However, IS propels
this zoom straight into hog heaven.
Tiny gyro sensors coupled to a CPU detect the degree and direction
of camera shake and counteract
this vibration by moving a compensating optical group. Subsequently,
I almost always get a sharp picture, even three stops
below
my normal hand held shutter speed. Damn! If I brace myself or shoot
a volley of shots I can get away with another
stop or two. Here's what Papa Canon says about IS in the 17-55:
Moreover, equipped
with such features as the company’s
high-performance Image Stabilizer (IS), which provides the
equivalent effect of
a shutter speed three stops faster, and full-time manual focus,
Canon’s EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens dramatically expands
photography opportunities for professional and advanced amateur
users.
IS has changed the
way I take pictures. I used to put away my camera when conditions
got dark, now I keep
on shooting (I avoid
flash except for fill). However, IS is not just for dim conditions,
it helps eminently in any high vibration situation such
as high wind, airplanes, automobiles or boats.
The Church of Our Lady • Brugge, Belgium • EOS
40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Image Stabilization does
nothing for subject
movement and will not replace a large aperture prime for sports
shooters. However, IS is a Godsend for general photography
and worth its weight in gold.
Currently
this is my ultimate
ready-for-anything travel lens. IS
coupled with the fast F2.8 aperture leaves few excuses
for missing a shot.
The Rape of the Sabine Women • Firenza, Italia • EOS
40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM• Giambologna's famous sculpture in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
Popup Flash--Blocked?
I was
pleasantly surprised to find the popup flash of my 20D, 40D
and 50D to be useable with this lens. I assumed such a bulky
lens would completely
block the popup but such is not the case. At 17mm from 2 meters
out there is no shadow from the lens. At closer
distances
there
is
a small
shadow at the bottom of the frame (even smaller for the 40D/50D).
For daylight fill, it is normally unnoticeable.
I've not used a
Rebel
XTi/400D but have heard the lens shadow is larger than the 20D.
In the images below, you can see a slight lens shadow from the
popup
flash.
In most
cases
I don't
find
it objectional
and often it improves the image by de-emphasizing an unimportant
part of the picture. If the shadow is objectionable
you can zoom out or step back slightly to get rid of it. Don't
even think of using a lens hood if you intend to use popup flash.
Ala Moana Center • Honolulu • EOS
40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM & popup
flash. Note slight flash vignette at bottom of frame.
Chinatown • Honolulu • EOS
50D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM & popup
flash. Note slight flash vignette at bottom of frame.
Dust
Vac?
I've read
reports of this lens being a dust magnet. The air vents
behind the front element retaining ring suck in dust during zoom and focus operations. The dust problems primarily come
from
lenses lacking UV filters. Apparently the
filter completes the seal and prevents
dust from being draw in. I've always used a UV filter
for protection and my EF-S
17-55 2.8 IS USM is clean after
years of use in deserts, dusty streets, beaches and smoky
casinos.
If you went without a filter and find a barrel full of lint, you
may find these dust images and fix enlighthening.
Florence, Italy • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Conclusion
This is
the pimp daddy royale of normal
APS-C zooms.
It's well made, sharp,
contrasty and focuses fast, but is a little more flare prone than the EF 24-105 4L
IS USM and EF-S 15-85 3.5-5.6 IS USM. It balances
perfectly on an EOS
50D or 7D, but
feels front heavy on
a Rebel.
Florence, Italy • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
I wish
it had the mechanical precision (primarily manual focus),
cosmetic detail and weather sealing of the EF 24-105 4L IS USM.
For a grand, this puppy
should
look, feel and smell like
a freakin' L optic. But at least it performs like one! Nevertheless it
doesn't feel cheap and is more solid than the EF
28-135 3.5-5.6
IS USM or EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM--just not up to L standards. Also,
after squeezing a grand out of you, Canon should toss in a
lens hood and case. Incidentally, the hoods
from
the EF 17-40 4L USM and EF 24-105 4L IS USM fit and
do not vignette.
Nymphenburg Palace • Munich, Germany • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
Although
a little bulky and heavy, I find the EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM a wonderful travel
lens for APS-C cameras, and I've humped it from Vegas to Venice
without a whimper or glitch. I
love the range, aperture, AF speed and sharpness
of this lens. The
combination of IS and a fast F2.8 aperture make
it
ideal
for available light shooting on streets, churches, casinos,
museums and building interiors. Shooting on city streets
at night
without flash, I rarely need to
dial past
ISO 800. I
feel confident to shoot wide open in any situation
and bring back sharp images.
Highly recommended
for serious amateurs and world trekkers.
Not recommended
for those wishing to
travel light or those with a feeble credit
card limit. Freakin' kickass lens!
Fashion Show Mall Girls • Las Vegas,
USA • EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM
More Images
taken with the EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM (click
to enlarge)
Source Materials
Canon EFS
Lens EF-S17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM Instruction. Tokyo:
Canon, 2006. (CT1-7561-001).
Canon EOS Forums
Bob
Atkins Canon EOS forum
FM Canon EOS Forum
Richard MacDonald • Las Vegas • EOS
40D and EF-s 17-55 2.8 IS USM (@F2.8)
Canon EOS Equipment Resources
Canon
Camera Museum
DSLRs,
Lenses and Film
EOS
Documentation Project
Photo.net • Canon
EOS SLRs
1/11/2007 • Revised
7/7/2012
©Copyright 2007-2012
by Peter Kun Frary • All Rights Reserved
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