It's here....woohoo..17-85...

[Neilyb]

First impressions....FANTASTIC! It is sharper than my Kit lens could ever hope to be and IS is the best thing since...well.....anything...

About the only thing I could find to take a picture of...
http://www.neilyb.de/spring.jpg

100% crop...
http://www.neilyb.de/100Per.jpg

HeeeHeee...I am all excited now....nice bokeh too, despite the max f4.....

[LightRules]

Congrats, now update your sig.

[calicokat]

Nice shots, congrats on your new addition

[Neilyb]

Oops, forgot the Sig....the most important part of having a new lens!! :)

[LightRules]

There ya go! ;)

[Neilyb]

:)

[Lightstream]

Congratulations... it is a nice lens.

As for the image stabilizer, if you understand its true nature (specifically, when it can help you, and when it cannot), it can be your best friend. I'll sum it up thus: For those who know, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible.

Of course, I want it all - f/2.8 constant aperture AND IS, so I'm just waiting for the 17-55 to blow yet another hole through my wallet big enough to drive a barn through ;)

[wazmunstr]

congrats on the lens! fantastic pic, i never thought a blury background would look so good... hahaha

[Keiffer]

Congrats! I think this will be the next lens I buy.

[Mr. Clean]

wow that is great! I'm trying to find a good replacement for the 18-55 and that seems like a sharp lens. I sure like the 17-40L though. Good pic though! I love that you included the 100% crop!

[picturecrazy]

It's a great lens. I really like mine! Congrats on yours.

[Neilyb]

I just want a nice weekend to give this baby a go!

One question, how slow would you go using IS?

[leletyM3]

Nice!! I am wondering if I should get this lens or the 17-40... I am still undecided!

[Neilyb]

I sooooo wanted the 17-40 and L glass...but the range is not enough and at f4 it would have been nice to have IS....in the end I decided on all round rather than build...I only print upto A4/A3 and a little time spent with PShop brings your imges up great..... :) it's a matter of justifying the amount of IQ gained over price/range and how much time you want to spend with your computer.

I shoot RAW so colour and saturation are easily upped when needed. If I were shooting film I would probably have an L ...

[alfa1six4]

Congrats on your new lens! I'm very happy with mine. Bought it as a replacement for the Sigma 18-125DC. Image quality was very nice with the Sigma but autofocus was not always accurate. I was having a difficult time deciding between the 17-85 or the 17-40L as well. For the same reasons as you the 17-85 was a better choice. The IS is great, but seems to drain my battery faster when taking alot of pictures with it on. Maybe I just need a fresh battery.

PTLens is a great tool to fix any distortions at the wide end.
http://epaperpress.com/ptlens/

[Neilyb]

Cool cheers....Got two batts in my grip so I need to test the life of them with IS on....I guess it will only be on when I am shooting low light or under 1/50 sec...? What is the recommended max / min with IS ?

[Lightstream]

Rule of thumb without IS: 1/30 for widest end and 1/125 for longest end.

IS reduces this by three stops, so 30 / 2 / 2 / 2 (or just /8), rounded up a little, 1/4 or 1/5. On the other end, 1/15.

These are all very general figures, some folks may prefer to play a little bit safer (the higher the shuter speed, the better to counter handshake - always, even with IS), me on the other hand try to practice handholding as low a speed as I can. I can now routinely hold 2/3rd, or 1 stop lower than the IS is supposed to let me.

[Neilyb]

Something I have been doing is getting stance right etc...trying to get a steadier hold on the cam...I suppose its all downto the individual. Cheers.

[Lightstream]

Yup, it's quite individual. Your practice will definitely help the IS to help you. :)