Impressions of the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Ok so here's the thing...

I swore I would never go looking for the ubiquitous univeral lens that covers all of my shooting needs. For nine years I have turned my nose up at lenses that cover a large FL range. I've brandished an arsenal of seperate lenses in pursuit of the sharpest possible images at a given price point. Thus I've lugged my lens backpack around to and from wedding gigs, in and out of countless National Park backcountry sites, swapping lenses and jingling all the way. This will probably be my last year doing weddings and my time spent on leisure photography has definitely taken a spill due to various things. That's my way of saying my conscience will be clear if I liquidate my glass collection in favor of a simpler setup where my client's needs no longer influence what I tote around.

In short, I'm over the bag of lenses.

In six weeks I'm going to Europe for six days, my first trip overseas. A pile of lenses will not be coming with me. Too many vacations have left me mentally taxed and distracted over switching and swapping for every shot.

I've looked around and I see the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM as a good candidate for simplifying. Just curious as to people's impressions of this lens, particularly in the sharpness catagory.

Thanks for enduring the rant!

I personally like the lens. Sharpest ever? No. Plenty sharp for $250? Yes. My original copy had good coloration and was sharp enough for me. AF worked very well as did IS. I had no complaints.

I got one with my 50d (it's for sale) but haven't used it due to having that range covered by faster lens. If not for that, wouldn't even consider selling. And I know when I sell it, I'm going to miss it.

I like mine pretty well. Not the best in low light, but you can always use flash. I have gotten great shots of my son playing. The USM comes in mighty handy! There is a thread in the lens archive with lots of great pictures from this lens.

I will not get rid of mine... For the money, I love it! Except the lens creep But it doesn't bother me that much...

A buddy gave me his because he wasn't real happy with it. I've used it a lot over the last year and will admit that I actually like it. But my son loves it and uses it as his walk around lens. It takes good quality pictures in good light. And in poor light it's still better than nothing.

Jon.