How to distinguish Canon EF 35-80mm I,II,III,IV,USM...????

[pmcos]

Just got an extra lens on a digital camera package i got on eBay: Canon EF 35-80mm 1:4-5.6. The problem is i just found out that Canon has several versions of this lens. From the pictures i've managed to find on the web, it seems they look pretty much the same...

The lens I have:
- is made out of plastic
- has a plastic mounting point
- no red ring (i think the USM version has a red ring)
- the only inscription it has in CANON ZOOM LENS EF 35-80mm 1:4-5.6 (doesn't have I, II, III, etc)

Does anyone know which version of the lens I have? How to distinguish these different lenses?

Thanx in advance,

/PC

[Angel_LCD]

You can find some info on lenses on this site : http://www.tanchung.com/canon/canonlensesmain.htm

[Michaelmjc]

If it has a red stripe that means it is an "L" version lens. The I, II, III, I think is the same on the kit lens... it stands for a new version of it. When my uncle got his 300D it came with the 18-55mm 4-5.6 I, on it. Mine came with the 18-55mm 4-5.6 II.

So I believe they are all pretty close to the same, the III one is pobabaly the newest updated version.

If it is the USM version it will say "Ultrasonic" on top of the lens.

I would also check the EXIF, it might say in there.

[ron chappel]

You have the original version of that lens ,made from 1990 .It was replaced by the II version in 1993.
http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/f_ef3.html
There was only one USM version made of that zoom length and it came soon after the first version.It has a yellow ring around it which is not solid-it's a dotted line in places and also has the word 'USM' in it.

From the second version onwards they dropped the pretence that usm is worth anything on these lenses .
As with allmost all micro USM motors in consumer zooms it will be abit quieter than the normal motor but won't give any real increase in focus speed.

Now--after telling you all that i have some bad news. What you have is probably the worst lens canon made!I had a lousy copy of that first version 35-80 and it was a sh*t of a lens.
Since then i've used others-including good copies of later versions and they aren't much better i'm sorry to say