Reburbished Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM Lens Question

I recently purchased a refurbished Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM lens from the Canon Direct Store. I'm a hobby photographer and this is my first "major" (aka more expensive) lens purchase. How do I determine whether or not I got a "good" copy of the lens? I was worried about purchasing a more expensive lens in the first place and then for it to be a reburbed one to boot, it made me very nervous as I don't have much experience when it comes to this type of thing. Are there any tests that I can do to check on the quality of the lens I received? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I should also add that I went to the lens sample thread for this particular lens...so many people do post processing on their photos. I'm guess I'm looking for some examples of what pictures should look like SOOC on a "good" copy of this lens?!

I've read over and over again in other threads that anything refurbished from the Canon store is top notch...

boutiquegracie wrote in post #14721030
I've read over and over again in other threads that anything refurbished from the Canon store is top notch...

That seems to be the general consensus from what I've read as well. I just want to make sure I didn't spend $540 on something that isn't as good as a "new" one. Some pictures I get from it and my T2i seem pretty sharp and others not so much. Although I think that may have more to do with operator error than anything.

it's a very good lens, IQ is phenomenal. The Canon refurb store is a good place to buy lense, I've gotten a couple from them and have never had a problem.

Same here! I just received a refurbished 15-85 from Canon. Testing it on my 60D, I have also noticed very inconsistent results in terms of sharpness. When it's sharp, it's SHARP! But 30-50% of my photos are coming out noticeably "soft". It's especially obvious when I take several consecutive photos of the same subject, and half of the photos are clearly sharper than the other half (with the same camera settings, etc.).

My current assumption is that in my case it's probably due to user error with the IS. It seems to me that the IS on this lens takes a few seconds longer to "kick in" compared to my other IS lenses (17-85, 18-200). For example, I've noticed that I get much more consistent sharpness if I wait 3-5 seconds after tapping the shutter release and hearing the IS activate before I take the picture. It's almost like the IS takes a few seconds to stabilize, unlike my other lenses that seem to stabilize instantaneously. I understand the IS in the 15-85 is supposed to be a more sophisticated implementation that what is in the 17-85 and 18-200, but maybe "better" doesn't mean "faster"? This would be a real bummer for me so again I'm hoping it's user error as I get used to this "new" version of IS.

Another reason I suspect the IS because from a tripod - with IS off - IQ is great. Easily and dramatically sharper than my 17-85 and 18-200 at the wide end. Though surprisingly, my ancient 17-85 is a bit sharper at 85mm. My 60mm EF-S macro is noticeably sharper at 60mm, but this doesn't surprise me since the 60 macro is the sharpest lens I've ever owned (Canon or Nikon). So under controlled conditions, I'd say this 15-85 is as good as I was hoping for. But under more dynamic shooting conditions, I'm a little bummed that so far my older and "lower class" lenses are more reliable!

Anyway, I hope you decide that your 15-85 is OK. I too have read overwhelmingly positive things about this lens as well as the quality of Canon refurbished products in general. Maybe both of our expectations are therefore unrealistically high (it is after all a consumer zoom). But I remain optimistic that in my case I just need more practice with it. The range is ideal, the build quality is nice and the sale price from Canon Refurbished was great. But if you come up with any major discoveries with yours one way or the other, please let us know!

David

Buying a refurb from Canon should not be cause for any concern. You have just as much, if not greater, chance of getting a "problem" lens new.

The 15-85 is a very sharp, fast/accurate focusing lens.

@Elint Seeker: If you think the IS is the problem, take some shots on tripod with and without IS on. You don't have to turn IS off on this lens...i never do, and get great shots on and off tripod. I also hear no IS noise... this IS is superbly well behaved.. super fast, and silent.

Melsker wrote in post #14721011
I should also add that I went to the lens sample thread for this particular lens...so many people do post processing on their photos. I'm guess I'm looking for some examples of what pictures should look like SOOC on a "good" copy of this lens?!

When is the last time you showed anyone one of your images that was straight from the camera? Everyone does post processing to their images- especially when you shoot RAW.

I have the 15-85mm (not refurbed though) and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've used. I absolutely love it.

What shutter speed were the batch of photos taken at?

smmokan wrote in post #14721892
When is the last time you showed anyone one of your images that was straight from the camera? Everyone does post processing to their images- especially when you shoot RAW.

I have the 15-85mm (not refurbed though) and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've used. I absolutely love it.

I understand his concern. There have been a few problem copies here and there, and from his perspective, even though its a refurb, its still a used lens. However, all of the reported problems I'm aware of were from NEW copies, not refurbs. The best way to determine if there are any issues, of course, is to use it. It should be sharp corner to corner even wide open.

Some SOOC 15-85mm 7D

More Here:

https://picasaweb.goog​le.com …q5subu2wE&feat=​directlink

Melsker wrote in post #14721099
That seems to be the general consensus from what I've read as well. I just want to make sure I didn't spend $540 on something that isn't as good as a "new" one. Some pictures I get from it and my T2i seem pretty sharp and others not so much. Although I think that may have more to do with operator error than anything.

How did you get it for $540?

smmokan wrote in post #14721892
When is the last time you showed anyone one of your images that was straight from the camera? Everyone does post processing to their images- especially when you shoot RAW.

I have the 15-85mm (not refurbed though) and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've used. I absolutely love it.

Maybe I should revise my current status in the photography world as currently a "casual" photographer. In other words, I shoot mainly jpg and 70-80% of my photos ARE SOOC and the remainder are just cropped and slightly sharpened in PSE or the Canon software. Not sure I should admit that on here especially the shooting jpg bit but hopefully that is not held against me. I fully intend to work my way to the other side of that coin, however. I'm just not sure how much I trust my eye...or my computer for that matter...for making good decisions post-process wise. I use a lot of built-in settings on the camera too...gasp...yeah I know that's bad...but I am learning and I'm hoping this lens will help me get there.

I checked out your site BTW and there are some amazing pictures on there!

Chow7 wrote in post #14725727
How did you get it for $540?

Canon Direct had a 20% off sale and free shipping over a certain dollar amount with the applicable promotion codes not too long ago. I think it actually came to $547 and a bit of change.

simon.englander wrote in post #14723429
Some SOOC 15-85mm 7D

Np problems with EOS 550D or 7D

Incredibly sharp. Thank you for posting!