About Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM

Hello Gurus,

Seeking for reviews about the lens Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, I found this forum and it´s awesome, but I would like to hear your opinion about this canon lens, because I have two lens in my target, first i can buy a Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, fast focus, great colors and cheap, and the second option Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, fast focus, great colors, sharper, super wide and is a L lens, but is more expensive.

For the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, i have some concern about the dust speck, but some collegues tell me that it´s not a problem with the new version of this lens.

So gurus, What the best choice?

Regards,
Rodrigo Paixao.
www.flickr.com/rodrigo​paixao

I have both of these lens, 17-55IS for 4 year, and 16-35II for about 2 years. Here is my observation:

1. AF speed: 17-55IS win
2. color: 17-55 is cooler, 16-35 is warmer, quality is equal to me, the so called L color is just a warmer tint
3. sharpness: 17-55IS also edge out 16-35II. This is on 7D, I think a large part has to do with IS

Overall, I think 17-55IS is a better choice for crop body. It is the only reason I am still having a crop body. The only down fall of 17-55IS is flare. It is quite severe in this sense. But I do make use of flare for composition purpose alot, so I don't complain.

I have an good quality UV filter on my 17-55 and I have not got any dust in it after 2 years and several less then ideal locations.

The images are great but the build feels so so when compared to an L but it is a great lens and it is quite sharp at f2.8 for indoors.

rpaixao wrote in post #12201500
Hello Gurus,

Seeking for reviews about the lens Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, I found this forum and it´s awesome, but I would like to hear your opinion about this canon lens, because I have two lens in my target, first i can buy a Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, fast focus, great colors and cheap, and the second option Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, fast focus, great colors, sharper, super wide and is a L lens, but is more expensive.

For the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, i have some concern about the dust speck, but some collegues tell me that it´s not a problem with the new version of this lens.

So gurus, What the best choice?

Regards,
Rodrigo Paixao.
www.flickr.com/rodrigo​paixao

17-55 2.8 or get the less expensive Sigma 17-50 2.8 or Tamron 17-50 2.8 and use the savings for even more lens!
'

My 17-55 is the most used lens in my bag. No issues with dust, just puts out great images.

i have no complaints with my 17-55. beautiful results everytime

Terran wrote in post #12202206
My 17-55 is the most used lens in my bag. No issues with dust, just puts out great images.

+1 here as well

For crop sensor cameras only (T2i, 7D). This lens provides a very wide f/2.8 aperture, three-stop third-generation image stabilizer, and a zoom range that makes it an ideal walkaround or everyday lens. It’s gotten universally excellent reviews for sharpness and usability; it is an L-quality lens, both in build and sharpness.

We continue to add copies (currently 63) as the demand seems to be growing almost weekly. Several people have rented it for a second time now, so obviously they like it.

Only Works With: Crop sensor cameras (T2i, 7D, etc…)

Roger’s take: A remarkable lens. It’s very sharp. The combination wide aperture and Image Stabilization let you shoot nearly in the dark: if the camera can focus on it, you can probably shoot it handheld. For those shooting a crop camera this is the ultimate ‘wedding zoom’ and one of the few zoom lenses that can be shot indoors in ambient light.

Note: We have removed the “high risk lens” designation for the Canon 17-55 EF-S. Failure rates have dropped dramatically in the last 6 months. However, there have been numerous reports in various photography forums that this lens often gives ERR99 and ERR00 with Canon 20D and Rebel XT (not XTi, 30D, or newer) cameras. Not all of these cameras have problems with this lens (older models seem more prone to the problem) and updating to the most recent firmware reduces the chance of such problems occurring. However, we do NOT recommend the 17-55 f/2.8 IS lens be used with 20D or XT cameras.

17-55 cheap? Wish I had your money!

As long as I own a crop I could never see me being without that lens, unless they would make the coveted 24-70 2.8 L IS.

Anyways, its a great lens and has served me well. The dust issue is really not an issue. Its been proven that keeping a filter on it does not prevent the dust getting in behind the front element, but rather through the zoom extension.

I have a ton of dust on mine and it does no degradation to image quality at all. Its been my workhorse and is on my body the most out of all my lenses.

I feel that 16-35 is just too short a zoom range on a crop body for a good walkaround lens. The 17-55 was made for APS-C body's and should be offered as a kit, hear that Canon?

the 17-55 sharpness is pretty much unmatched for sharpness and performance...is dust an issue? i would say yes on some copies...heres a pic i just took with my 17-55 at 2.8 @ 17mm and also 100% crop SOOC...colors are not too shabby...

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

I just ordered a Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS that many people claim that is as good as the 17-55 but better built and half the cost.

Between two I would choose 16-35 II since it has better built quality and you can use for FF (the best) if you are thinking of upgrading in the future. I had 17-55 IS and 16-35 II but I sold both after selling 7D. Now I regret not to keep 16-35II for my 1D4.

I love mine. It has a lot of dust in it but it does not show up in my pictures. There is a diy procedure to remove it but I'm not going to take my lens apart until it actually affects the image. The IS has been known to fail on earlier builds so I just leave it off unless I need it.

Hello All ...

thanks for all reply.
I think I make my choice.

Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM

tancanon58 wrote in post #12203114
Between two I would choose 16-35 II since it has better built quality and you can use for FF (the best) if you are thinking of upgrading in the future. I had 17-55 IS and 16-35 II but I sold both after selling 7D. Now I regret not to keep 16-35II for my 1D4.

Again, I really don't get this attitude. Get the gear for what you use now, not what you may buy sometime in the future. If you move from an APS-C body, you sell your EF-S lenses, pretty simple.

And what's w/ this FF being 'the best' [Sic]? Best for what? Or are you saying that FF is 'the best' [Sic] all around? BTW, you do know that your 1D4 isn't a FF body, don't you?

And while I'm sure the 16-35 is a nice lens, it's also $700-$800 more than the 17-55.