Digital Home Thoughts: Wide-angle to Zoom Photos with the Canon 17-85mm EF-S Lens

Figure 6: No image stabilisation


Figure 7: Image stabilisation turned on

Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the effects of not having IS turned on, and then turning it on. The photos are closely cropped to highlight the effect. They were taken in a low light situation and with the camera hand-held. It should be realised, though, that image stabilisation can't fix a high degree of shake. For rock-solid photos, you can't beat a stable support like a tripod.

The Lens in Use
Figures 8-10 provide a good comparison between the Tamron (28-200mm) and Canon (17-85mm) lenses, at each end of the zoom scale. All four photos were taken with the camera on a tripod so that the positioning of the lens didn't change.

The Canon lens delivers a good wide angle shot, restoring a lot of the image that was lost through the 1.6 magnification that now affects the Tamron. At the zoom end, the Canon does well if you don't like changing lenses too often. If you need to get a bit more zoom, a lens swap will be necessary.


Figure 8: Canon lens at wide angle setting


Figure 9: Tamron lens at wide angle setting


Figure 10: Canon lens at zoom setting


Figure 11: Tamron lens at zoom setting

Conclusions
Although expensive, the 17-85mm EF-S lens offers a lot to the photographer who is looking for a good all-rounder. The use of image stabilisation will help in lowish light conditions when you don't have a tripod, or the time to set one up. Auto-focussing on the lens is fast and quiet. There is a lot of competition out there but this lens offers a 5x zoom range that is hard to beat.

Philip Colmer is an I.T. Manager for a global electronic publishing company. In his spare time, he enjoys researching his family history, developing his videography skills and going shopping with his wife.