This Canon EF 28-135mm lens is often advertised as the ideal everyday standard zoom lens. I don’t fully agree
If you are looking for a quality, great versatile lens for that extensive focal area range between wide angle and long telephoto the EF 28-135mm is a great choice. Especially with the IS and USM features. I cannot fully agree with the ‘everyday bit’. Compared to the standard Canon kit lens (the EF-S 18-55mm zoom), the EF 28-135mm is a bit on the heavy side and on a APS-C DSLR Camera, the 28mm low end focal length becomes 44.5mm, not quite wide enough for some shots.
Get the Canon EF 28-135 IS USM Zoom Here
This is not criticism so much as a simple correction of the ‘everyday standard’ claim.
I ordered my EF28-135 mm Canon lens after studying a lot of reviews and was pleasantly surprised once it came.
My final choice was between the EF-S 18-135 mm and the EF 28-135mm. I chose the latter because:
- I have an ambition to one day afford a full frame Canon and my EF-S lenses will not be compatible.
- I already own the EF-S 18-55mm IS USM kit lens and it truly is an ‘everyday standard’ zoom. It is light and compact and has a decent wide angle but not much of a telephoto range. Despite the fact that the Canon EF-S 18-55mm it is not classed as one of the best lenses, it performs more than well enough for everyday use.
- I needed something with the quality for more challenging shots and a decent mid-range telephoto zoom
My surprises were as follows:
- The Canon 28-135mm IS USM came with a great macro feature that was not mentioned much, if at all, in the literature.
- Several reviews mentioned a looseness of the front element in the barrel that irritated some owners. My copy does not have any of it.
- Some reviewers experienced lens creep on vertically downward shots. Not my model!
- I have had the time to experiment with the lens and to my half experienced eye it performs great at both ends of the zoom Spectrum. The IS works even in my shaky hands. The USM is dead quiet, very fast and dead accurate. No chromatic abberation visible.
- I took many good shots with it and some bad ones. My bad shots could be clearly identified as photographer error… wrong camera setting choices!
- An odd sized 72mm front element will require another set of filters but lets in a lot of light!
- Apart from the 44.5mm (non-wide angle
) limitation the 28-135mm does offer an extensive focal length choice and has certainly become my first choice as the second carry around lens for the convenient telephoto range which is effectively 200mm. Just long enough to get close-up, candid, people shots without being conspicious.
Here are the features:
- The EF 28–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM offers a 5x zoom range, effectively from 44.5mm to 216mm on the consumer range of Canon APS-C DSLR cameras .
- The three-stop Image Stabilizer works! and enables hand-held shooting, for me, even at the telephoto end. F3.5 to F5.6 is a decent speed at the price of this lens, and the large front lens element actually is an advantage to let in more light. I am delighted with the low light shots.
- Macro feature for real in-your-face shots of tiny objects and creatures.
- Fast, quiet and accurate USM autofocus motor
- Super Spectra coating
- Circular aperture for pleasing background blur
- Passes distance information to E–TTL II
ACCESSORIES
- Lens Hood EW–78B II
- Soft Case LP1116
- 72mm UV Protector Filter
- 72mm Circular Polarizer PL–C B8–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM WIDE EF 28–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM TELE
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