Canon EF-S zoom lens - 17 mm - 55 mm F/2.8

Advantages: Cheap and light
Disadvantages: Grainy photo quality, low zoom

...I recently purchased a sweet Canon 400D/XTi Rebel from Amazon.co.uk (£45 cashback!) and this standard zoom lens (Canon EF-S 18-55mm) came with it. As far as I know, you cannot purchase the Canon EF-S 18-5mm on it's own, as it's designed specifically to be sold with the 400D/XTi Rebel package. I'm sure you can pick up a cheap one on eBay though (probably removed from a kit package, or being sold due to an upgrade from kit package). I've seen the EF-S 18-55mm sell for around £25-£35 at undamaged/rarely used condition on eBay, which is quite cheap! I obviously chose the kit lens package with my 400D/XTi Rebel as it only adds about £40 in the price difference, and I couldn't afford a new lens at that time. Before I start reviewing the actual lens, I'd like to say that is is a kit lens. It doesn't have a great built quality... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Excellent image sharpness, fast to focus, image stabilizer.
Disadvantages: Slight vignetting at times.

...I bought the 17-85mm EF-S IS lens because the standard kit lens, 18-55 mm left a gap of 15mm between it and the 70-300mm lens I already owned. I researched heaps of lenses thoroughly and decided the extra cost of the Canon should give me a better quality lens. It did! It is definitely heavier and more solidly constructed than the 18-55mm. It focuses accurately, is very fast, and has the advantage of an image stabilizer which allows you to hand hold the camera at slower shutter speeds (up to 3 steps). This allows you to retain sharper images in low light without them being affected by camera shake. Although the 17-85mm has a tripod sensor, the image stabilizer should be turned off if using on bulb setting. The lens can focus as close as 0.35m/1.2ft for macro photography and this is best achieved by setting to MF (manual focus... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Improvement on the kit lens
Disadvantages: Bigger and Heavier

...While the 18-55 kit lens that comes with the Canon 350D, 30D etc is a very good lens for the price, it is a little 'plasticky', and keen photographers are likely to want to trade up to something a little better. The 17-85 IS lens is not the fastest lens in the world, but since it comes with Image Stabilisation, this is not a problem, as long as you're not hoping to stop action. The IS can feel a little spooky at first, as the image in the viewfinder lags as you move the camera, but you get used to it. The IS can get confused when the camera is on a tripod, but fortunately there is a switch allowing it to be switched off. You may also wish to switch it off when you're on an extended trip from base; the IS can be a drain on the camera battery. The lens is well built, and feels solid. Focussing is very fast and accurate, while... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful