soupcraze's Full Review: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens
I am an amateur photographer that has recently purchased my first digital SLR camera. I have the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi, and am very satisfied with it. I have gone through two primary lenses before coming to the Canon EF 28-135mm lens. The first was the kit lens that came on my camera, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm which I got rid of fairly quickly. The second lens I had was the Canon EF 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 (The good one, not the toy junk that recently came out). I was very impressed with the 28-105mm, but realized that my images would benefit dramatically from image stabilization. Therefore, I sold my 28-105mm and upgraded to the 28-135mm, which I have been using as my mainstay primary lens for now.
-PRICE-
*The prices of the Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM lens vary dramatically. For example, if you were to go into your local Best Buy, I believe that the lens sells for $589.99, while on Amazon.com the lens can be purchased for $409.95 with free super saver shipping. However, your best bet is to actually purchase the lens on eBay, where there are plenty of "Buy it Now" auctions where you can purchase it for $300 + S&H. Unfortunately, when you are buying it at that price, it does not come with a filter or lens hood. But nonetheless, I would recommend purchasing the lens on eBay. If you are not a fan of eBay, I would recommend purchasing the lens on Amazon.com.
Now, how does the lens stack up at this price? This is very difficult to do since the price dramatically varies depending on where you buy it. I make all considerations by using eBay. I always buy from trusted sellers, and use PayPal. Therefore, my purchases are secured...
If you're trying to decide between two similar lenses, let's say between the Canon EF 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 USM (Once again, the GOOD lens) and the Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM, I would have to say that overall the latter would be the better option. First of all, the 28-135mm obviously offers a greater focal length range. This was a benefit since I was gaining 30mm over my older 28-105mm. I believe that the real selling point was the image stabilization. While I do not have terrible hand tremors, I do shake and get blurry shots occasionally. From my experiences so far, the image stabilization has worked very well, and this alone demands the greater value for the 28-135mm lens. I have seen "Buy it Now" auctions with the 28-105mm for around ~$200 give or take. For $100 more, you can have the IS and greater focal length range. The one thing I liked more about the cheaper 28-105mm was its more solid construction.
The Canon EF 28-135mm is much cheaper than any L-series counterparts. Therefore, comparing the Canon EF 28-135mm to any L-series lenses, such as the 24-105mm is comparing apples and oranges. Those lenses are considerably more expensive. The Canon EF 28-135mm is more of a upper-level consumer or semi-professional lens. For $300 it is well worth-it from my experiences so far. As of yet, I have not used any comparable Sigma or Tamron lenses. But I believe that sticking to Canon is good if you are in this type of customer range since the Canon EF 28-135mm has compatibility with the Canon flashes, if you are buying the Speedlite 430EX or the flagship Speedlite 580EX II. The Canon lenses also supposedly auto-focus more quickly than the third party counterparts. Overall, if you are purchasing the lens on eBay, you get a lot for what you pay for.
-BUILD QUALITY-
*My only complaint is the build quality of the lens. The build quality is by no means bad, but it is plastic. The reason that I point this out is because the cheaper 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 USM lens is metal. I felt that it was a more solid lens all together. The Canon EF 28-135mm is by no means a light lens, and adds more weight to my camera than the previous 28-105mm. However, I did understand, as most people would, that such a lense with such a focal length range would be heavier than other lenses with smaller ranges. Therefore, I could have lived with a metal frame for the lens, even if this meant making the lens a bit heavier. All right, maybe it is not so appropriate to speculate, but I definitely miss the metal on my older lens. However, if you want such features that this lens packs in a higher-quality build, you would have to purchase a dramatically more expensive L-series lens.
-FEATURES-
*The most significant advantage that the Canon EF 28-135mm has in contrast to other lenses in the price range is the image stabilization. This feature works by compensating for motions in your hands when holding the camera. Your pictures that would have otherwise come out blurry in a non-IS lens are now sharp and clear. This is important if you have shaky hands and do not use a tripod. The lens also features the USM focusing mechanism, which focuses incredibly quickly. I have been very impressed with the auto focus of this lens. While I have not experienced third party lenses first hand with a similar focal length range, I have heard from many sources that the Canon lenses focus faster. Overall, I have been very impressed with the features, especially with IS, which has dramatically improved the quality of many of my photos which would have otherwise been blurry with my older 28-105mm lens.
-IMAGE QUALITY-
*I have been impressed with the overall image quality of my lense. As I am still an amateur photographer, I have my camera set at its automatic setting, with the ISO set at auto and I only focus with the auto focus. I have been very impressed with the images. I have also used the Canon Speedlite 430EX flash that I have borrowed from a friend in many of my indoor shots. The quality looks great overall. Since my camera is a cropped camera, I have not noticed any significant vignetting. I have been impressed with the sharpness and quality of my images. I believe that I will be able to take better quality images once I learn more of the camera features. As I have stated earlier, having the IS is a big advantage, where I no longer have to worry about having blurry photos. For the price you pay, the lense provides excellent quality images. I am sure that you can have sharper and better-quality images with an L-series lense, but that is already a large step up.
In comparison to my older 28-105mm lens, I could not notice a large difference between the two. The biggest difference would simply be the lack of blurry photos thanks to IS. I do wonder how it stacks up to a comparable third party lens. But once again, the Canon EF 28-135mm would probably have an edge due to the faster USM motor as well as compatibility with the Canon Speedlite flashes, granted you own one or are willing to purchase one.
-CONCLUSION-
*I love my Canon EF 28-135mm lens. I have been very satisfied with the overall quality of the lens. I have taken many shots and I am very impressed with the sharpness, coloration, and overall image quality of my photos. If you are a photographer with a Canon SLR with the EF mount, and consider yourself to be an upper-level consumer or semi-professional, this might be the lens that you are looking for. Unfortunately, the lens is extremely expensive if you buy it from a retailer such as Best Buy. So if you are wary of eBay or online venues, you will pay considerably more for the lens. Nonetheless, assuming you purchase it online, you are getting a great lens for the money. The Image Stabilization is an excellent feature that will benefit you in many ways. I am so grateful for the feature! The only downsides are minor, whereas I wish the lens had similar build quality to the 28-105mm I used to have as well as the lens being a bit on the heavier side. Otherwise, unless you decide to step up to L-series lenses, you won't find a better deal than this.
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