Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM

892 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
price (125)
usability (111)
reliability (46)
size (32)
design (19)

Negative

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alaTest has collected and analyzed 892 reviews of Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM. The average rating for this product is 3.8/5, compared to an average rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviewers really like the design and size. The reliability and usability are also appreciated.

price, usability, reliability, size, design

On average, users rate this product 77/100 and experts rate this product 74/100.

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(Based on 892 reviews)

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Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM

alaTest has collected and analyzed 7 user reviews of Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.7/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.5/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. People really like the size. The usability is also mentioned favorably. Many are critical about the reliability, while there are some mixed views about the price.

usability, size

reliability

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM

alaTest has collected and analyzed 342 user reviews of Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the design and size. The reliability and usability are also appreciated.

price, usability, reliability, size, design

89% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Matthew Richards (techradar.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM review

The first step up Canon's ladder of standard zoom lenses

Jul, 2011

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Jon Tarrant (whatdigitalcamera.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Boasting an impressive 5x zoom range this is a versatile lens.....

Solid feel and 5x zoom range

Barrel distortion, wide-aperture resolution

Overall, the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens doesn't really live up to its promises. The zoom range is excellent but in all other respects there are better alternatives in the Canon stable.

Oct, 2008

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Expert review by : Robert Olech (lenstip.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

After introducing the APS-C detector (1.6 times smaller than the full-frame) digital DSLR cameras, users of this kind of equipment had to face a lack of wide anlge lenses. Except for the Canon EF-S 18-55 mm kit lens they had nothing but expensive...

Sep, 2007

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Expert review by : photozone.de (opticallimits.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS - Retest @ 15MP / Review

The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a lens that promises many things. It is certainly a very versatile standard zoom with a long zoom range and an image stabilizer that can save the day in many situations. However, the build quality is somewhat...

Aug, 2007

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Expert review by (ephotozine.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM review.

Excellent resolution holds up throughout the focal range.; IS system helps a lot in low light.; The lens makes a good replacement for kit lenses; The focal range ideal for a walkabout lens

Hood is an optional extra

Jun, 2006

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Expert review by (opticallimits.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS

The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is one of the more interesting consumer standard zoomlenses in the market. It is often considered as an upgrade path from the basic EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom.Obviously it adds quite a bit of range, a 2nd...

The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a lens that promises many things. It is certainly a veryversatile standard zoom with a long zoom range and an image stabilizer that can save the dayin many situations. However, the build quality is somewhat...

Feb, 2005

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Expert review by (photoanswers.co.uk)

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM

The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is a weighty ultra zoom lens with a good focal range and for those owners of a first-generation Canon kit lens that doesn't have image stabilisation, this added feature is a real plus.

Canon’s 17-85mm f/4-5.6 is a solid performer. Taking into account the 1.6x Canon crop factor this lens doesn’t offer a ‘super wide’ field of view, but the focal range is still good for a general-purpose lens and both image quality and performance are...

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Expert review by : photodo.com (photodo.com)

REVIEW: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Another addition to Canon's slowly growing collection of EF-S lenses designed exclusively for the 300D, 350D 20D and now 30D cameras, this 17-85mm model is aimed at advanced amateur photographers as an extended standard zoom lens. We take a look at how...

Excellent resolution holds up throughout the focal range.; IS system helps a lot in low light.; The lens makes a good replacement for kit lenses; The focal range ideal for a walkabout lens

Distortion is bad at the widest settings and a little CA creeps in.; Front lip is prone to damage.; Hood is an optional extra

I can't help feeling that Canon have pushed the focal range a tad too far at the wide end of this optic because from the 20mm mark through to the 85mm end it is a cracking walkabout lens. It is only the widest few millimetres that let it down a touch....

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Expert review by : Andy Westlake and (updated July 2008) (dpreview.com)

Canon EF-S 17-85 mm F4-5.6 IS USM Lens Review

First announced in August 2004 to coincide with the launch of the EOS 20D, the EF-S 17-85mm F4-5.6 IS USM is Canon's logical upgrade from the basic 18-55mm kit lens supplied with its APS-C dSLRs. With a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 27-136mm, it...

Decent build quality - much better than any of Canon's 18-55mm kit lenses ; Very useful focal length range, almost ideal for a walkaround lens ; Highly effective image stabilization ; Excellent autofocus and manual override ; Consistently high image...

Poor performance at wideangle, with marked barrel distortion, high levels of light falloff, and intense green/magenta chromatic aberration ; Slow maximum aperture ; Very average close-up performance

The EF-S 17-85mm is a major step up from Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 II kit lens, adding an extended focal length range, image stabilization, fast and silent autofocus with a decent manual focus option, and substantially improved build quality. This...

Jan, 2008

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Expert review by : Bryan Carnathan (the-digital-picture.com)