Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 USM IS Zoom Lens for APS-C Sensor DSLR Cameras - Refurbished

2011-05-29T21:00:00

This is a good lens overall, but just after the one year mark, the USM in the lens completely died, and I had to send it back to Canon to be fixed. Upon doing further research on this lens after having the USM failure, I found that this was not uncommon for this lens. That being said, it's a decent walkabout lens for when you want to be able to freely take photos. If I were to go back and think about buying this lens again, I would pass, and save a little more money and buy the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, as it works better than this one, and produces a sharper image as well.

JOEL C.

2011-04-16T21:00:00

This is a GREAT lens. 90% of my photography is in a studio doing product shots. This lens is on my 7d most of the time. Photos are crisp and they are in our brochures and catalogs. the other 10%, I do portraits and outside shots..again, very clear and crisp results. For low light, i shoot in raw and turn up the ISO...photos are awesome. If you are after "bokeh"..this is not the lens for you..but everything else, i would highly recommend it.

jberton

2011-04-03T21:00:00

bought this many months ago as an upgrade for my kit lens. Was a slight improvement, but not as much as I would have hoped for. USM was nice, but was upgraded to the 15-85, which is much nicer lens.

lilkngstr

2011-03-26T21:00:00

Good lens but not stellar, I would look at the Sigma 17-70 OS

MIKE B.

2010-08-21T21:00:00

AWESOME It's the same as the 28-135 on my 40D. Very nice walk around as long as your outside, inside at 4.0-5.6 it needs a external flash. The pictures are close to L glass.

flavocin

2010-08-16T21:00:00

Bought this lens to replace my aging, non IS 18-55mm kit lens and as an addition to my 28-135mm IS lens that I love, but is just not wide enough at 28mm. After taking a hundred or so shots over the last 2 days I really like this lens. I have taken a couple of hand held shots at 1/15sec that came out just fine. There is a bit of purple and red fringing in the corners under some situations but that's a small price to pay. This is my second new lens refurbished by Canon, and I am happy with both, plus I like the savings.

bob n.

2010-08-01T21:00:00

[...] I have many lenses,the tamron 17-50 2.8 canon 50mm 1.4 USM are my two favorites but now I have a third the canon 17-85. It's a great walk around lens nice and light unlike an L series, the USM is quick and on the dot. With the image stabilized focus there's no need to lug around a tripod, on my 40D 17-85 is a perfect range. And again refurbished and from ADORAMA it's like a brand new lens. No one else comes close to the price.

flavocin

2010-06-07T21:00:00

First: this lens is very decent, for the money the build quality is quite adequate. I consider this my go-to lens for walking around, general photography, casual shooting as it balances very well with the 50D body. It is by no means an L quality lens but is a step up from the kit lenses that Canon includes with most of its' cameras.Second, it is not without its' flaws, none of them fatal however. First, the barrel distortion at the wide end is very noticeable. It can be easily corrected in DxO Optics Pro, but that adds another step to the workflow. When I shoot with it I am careful to avoid shooting at the wide end of the range. Also, it is not the fastest lens in the kit, with a max aperture of 4.0 it isn't much use in low light situations unless you have a flash. Finally the corners are a bit soft. I have shot with this lens for 6 months now and am pleased with the results, especially after running the images through DxO. For around [$] not bad, but not without some flaws.

ColvinAtch

2010-04-11T21:00:00

I can't tell in any way that this lens has been refurbished, all functions work great.

Ralph F.

2010-04-04T21:00:00

I bought this lens wanting a better all purpose lens then the 18-55 that is included with the T1i and it fits the bill nicely! Not only is it a beefier feel and better glass, but it adds some long end and even goes wider, although only a little. Nice lens and a good value for those not able to afford the "L" stuff just yet. I have done some portraits with good lighting, landscapes and also some action pics, all with good results.

JAMES M.

2010-01-11T19:00:00

After recieving this lens and looking it over. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lens that looks to be L quality, but without the L label, or price that goes with that label! I am impressed with the silent USM autofocus, fast and sharp in decent light, metal lens mount, very nice build quality, etc. I would even use in low light thanks to the IS system, which after some testing really does make a difference, a noticable difference! It does have some distortion at the wide end, which can be fixed with software, but still better then the kit lens. All with a wider AND longer available focal setting! I have put the 18-55 IS kit lens up for sale! Thanks Adorama!

JAMES M.

2010-01-10T19:00:00

I purchased this refurb lens after purchasing a refurb Canon 70-200mm also. You can not tell this is refurbished at all. Looks brand new out of the package and performs fantastic. If anyone has doubts about purchasing a refurbished Canon lens from Adorama, I would highly recommend it, save yourself the money.

CHRISTOPHER G.

2010-01-10T19:00:00

It's a great all around use lens to keep you ready for about anything. I am quite pleased with the condition it came in and would highly recommend anyone to purchase used products from Adorama.

DANIEL E.

2010-01-10T19:00:00

A superb lens with a most useful range but the lens creep is very annoying. I believe this is a rare aberation and believe canon will fix this for me.

DICK P.

2009-09-26T21:00:00

The range (17-85 mm or 27-136 mm equivalent) is very useful for a wide range of photography. The USM makes focusing quick and quiet. The IS adds about 2-3 useful f-stops on the dark end of the attached camera's useful shooting range. I am glad I chose this lens over the standard 18-55 mm kit lens that comes with most EOS and Rebel cameras.

Wichita k.

2009-08-08T21:00:00

I hesitated to buy this lens because of a number of negative reviews, but I'm glad I bought the lens. Its focal length 17-85 on a cropped sensor camera gives you a very versatile walk around lens without being overly heavy. Especially for landscape / cityscape photography its focal length is very useful. It is true that there is some barrel distortion at the short end, but you can overcome this by increasing the focal length. A number of other pros are the non-rotating front which makes the use of a polarizer easier and allows the use of a petal-shape hood. Another pro is the non-rotating focus ring, which also allows you to adjust the focus when the lens is set to AF. The distance scale on the lens allows to make use of the hyperfocal length (when you know at what distance to focus). This is my first refurbished lens, but I can't tell the difference between a refurbished and a new lens. It looks new to me.

GERARD G.

2009-03-07T19:00:00

I purchased this lens refurbished a few months ago to replace my 28-135 IS lens. The 17-85 focal length is much more suited to a general purpose lens on my 40D. I was pleasantly surprised to find the image quality improved over the 28-135. The IS is more effective, also. It's by no means an "L" lens and has a plasticky feel to the zoom, but that's what makes it lightweight and affordable.I purchased this lens refurbished from Adorama. [...] It functions and appears as new. This is my second refurb purchase (the 40D was the other) and I'm impressed with the quality--they represent an excellent bargain. I've been using the lens for about 6 months now with no problems. I would not hesitate to recommend Canon refurbs or purchase additional refurbished lenses myself.

Ed V.

2006-09-10T21:00:00

Most certainly the best value for an EF-S compatible walkaround lens, the EF-S 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS is a near-ideal everyday lens. It may not be particularly fast, but its Image Stabilization is the quickest path to improved outcomes. The EF-S equivalent of a 28-135 focal length range, it makes for a tremendously useful travel and single-lens solution that can live on the camera for a wide variety of uses. Neither L-series quality in construction or performance, it is nonetheless sharp and vivid. Some CA, flaring, and distortion can occur at the widest end, but this is far more a product of the 17mm focal length than any inherent design flaws. With the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS and EF 24-105 f/4 L IS as the only options providing stabilization at similar focal lengths, the EF-S 17-85 provides an excellent alternative at less than half the price.

Elan R.