Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens Imported
The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens is a large-aperture lens specifically designed for EF-S type digital SLR cameras, and that offers a super wide angle to short telephoto zoom range, with built-in Image Stabilization. The focal length is equivalent to approx. 27-88mm in 35mm format.
This lens features Canon's latest optical Image Stabilizer technology, providing up to 3-stop compensation for image blur caused by camera shake and slow shutter speeds. This ensures clear, crisp images, even in dim light.
Designed specifically for digital photography, the lens has specially shaped lens elements and Super Spectra coatings to suppress ghosting and flare, which can be caused by reflections off digital camera sensors.
Note: Only Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II and 12 II fit on this lens.
Note! Not suitable for 35mm film SLR cameras or digital camera with image sensor bigger than APS-C size. Only fits on the EOS Digital Rebel series, or 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, and 7D SLR cameras.
- Uses optics designed to take full advantage of the small image circle and short back focus in EF-S lenses
- Features three aspherical lens elements (two types) as well as a Super-UD glass element for high image quality at all focal lengths
- Optimized lens coating minimizing flare and ghosting prone occurring with digital cameras
- Ring-type USM provides ultra-quite, super-fast, precision auto focusing and predictive tracking
- Inner Focusing and new AF algorithms, with full-time mechanical manual focusing
- Circular aperture diaphragm produces brilliant out-of-focus characteristics
Go To
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length | 17 - 55 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/2.8 Minimum: f/22 |
| Camera Mount Type | Canon EF-S |
| Format Compatibility | Canon (APS-C) |
| Angle of View | 78.3° - 27.5° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 1.2' (36.58 cm) |
| Magnification | 0.17x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:5.8 |
| Groups/Elements | 12/19 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | Yes |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 77 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 3.3 x 4.4" (8.38 x 11.18 cm) |
| Weight | 1.40 lb (635 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 526 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
97%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus (500)
- Consistent output (342)
- Easily interchangeable (201)
- Strong construction (183)
- Durable (176)
Cons
- Heavy (152)
- Weak casing (23)
- Difficult to clean (17)
- Pricey / poor value (16)
- Lens creep (15)
Best Uses
- Low light (226)
- Landscape/scenery (223)
- Night photography (214)
- Weddings (171)
- General purpose (152)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Photo enthusiast (158), Enthusiast (99), Semi-pro photographer (87), Casual photographer (48), Semi-professional (36)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (211), Yes (13)
Most Liked Positive Review
A must have lens!
This lens is absolutely fantastic. It's a perfect match for 7D owners! It delivers outstanding picture results (either low light and bokehs) and when it comes to video the fixed 2.8 aperture is ...Read complete review
This lens is absolutely fantastic. It's a perfect match for 7D owners! It delivers outstanding picture results (either low light and bokehs) and when it comes to video the fixed 2.8 aperture is very handy (capturing more light and avoiding image changing while zooming). It's not a long range but it will work for almost any situation with an excellent wide angle and "very good" zoom, which is long enough to avoid camera shake.
USM motor is impressively quiet and fast. It feels very solid and durable while handling. Turning the focus ring overrides AF, which is very handy as well. IS system works as expected and is a big difference when compared to 17-40mm L series lens.
Only cons is that this lens is so heavy and so big that internal flash of the camera isn't high positioned enough to avoid the shadow on the picture (yes, you can actually see the lens shadow on the bottom of the picture so you may consider investing in a external flash)
CA is very well controlled and vignetting is an issue but all modern cameras such as the 7D has an automatic correction for that so the pictures come out just fine right out of the camera (so no worries on that).
Main question is whather or not spend this much money on a lens that is not a L series such as 17-40mm, or has longer zoom range such as the new 15-85mm. The answer is simple: YES!
When compared to 17-40mm (fixed F/4.0) it has an extra 15mm, f/2.8 and IS system, and when compared to the 15-85mm (f/3.5 - 5.6) the fixed 2.8 aperture put this lens on a whole higher level of quality and versatility, you wont even remember of these extra 30mm zoom capability because the picture quality is just way beyond.
Hope to have helped everybody who is in trouble making up their mind.
Good clicks to you all!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Wished this is an L-Series lens
I used this lens in Muir Woods forest and the Golden Gate at 9PM. The 2.8 aperture worked great in low lights and the IS feature was definitely helpful.
I read reviews t...Read complete review
I used this lens in Muir Woods forest and the Golden Gate at 9PM. The 2.8 aperture worked great in low lights and the IS feature was definitely helpful.
I read reviews that warned about dust problems. Sure enough... mine came with a speckle of dust inside the lens! That really upset me and I found more dust in the lens after 1 photo trip.
The unit is also heavy. I feel the casing is a bit flimsy for the weight.
Reviewed by 526 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
We use this lens for our daily pictures and it's absolutely great.
It's not light to carry around but it's not heavy as well somewhere in the middle.
The picture quality is absolutely stunning.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Super sharp photos! Perfect for a beginner!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Great all around lens. I recently got into photography and wanted to upgrade my kit lens to something with better performance but wanted to maintain the same focal range. While my 18-55mm kit lens is not bad lens and a very good bargain, it is very limited in low light settings which is where I mostly shoot. I thought about buying an upgraded flash instead as a more cost effective way to deal with the lighting issues but ultimately settled on this lens. This lens offers much better flexibility for all around shooting (better DOF, larger fixed aperture and faster and manual focus). The trade-off for all of this performance is a much heavier and bigger lens than the kit lens but totally worth it in my mind.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Video
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
This is the perfect complement to my 50mm 1.4 and my 100mm 2.8. I'm easily getting sharp hand-held photos at 1/25th. While expensive, I figure this will become my main lens due to the great flexibility it offers.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
- Video
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I use this lens for my Canon 7D. This video has been useful in both video and photo applications. I was concerned about getting this lens, but i am sure glad i did. For video work, I almost always keep it at 17mm. I have been getting great results so far, and the image stabilization is great for having smooth shots. I would definitely buy it again if i had to.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Sports/Action
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Excellent lens for shooting indoor action sports like basketball where close proximity to the game is not a problem. Also works great as a walk around lens for my 7D.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Expensive
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
It is awesome. Everyone knows this. Everything about it...well except for one thing...the price.
But I finally bit the bullet and I love it. Super fast focusing, nicely weighted (admittedly heavier than the 18-55) but feels nicely on the camera body.
Love it.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Sports/Action
- Video
- Weddings/Events
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Great lens. Nice and sharp with a good build quality. Reminds me of an L lens but not quite as heavy and smooth throughout the zoom range. Optically it is perfect, however, and I'd recommend this to anyone with a crop body not looking to upgrade to a full frame anytime soon. It is expensive, but the results speak for themselves.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Smooth
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Video
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I was going to get the 24-70mm but two DP friends independently rec'd this one instead and I'm thrilled they did. With the crop factor on the 60D (my new camera) its just what I want and gives me a wider ranger on the one end. I will eventually purchase the 70-200 to compliment this and feel that will basically cover all my bases!!!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Weak Casing
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Super sharp, excellent low light performance
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Relatively fast and sharp with a little less distortion than my old 17-40L
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
This is an amazing lens. Its mega sharp wide open. Honestly, the only turn-off is the high price, but when you use your gear to make money, its worth it.
This is easily able to resolve the 15 MP sensor I have, even in the corners, and at all focal lengths, even at f/2.8. Autofocus is extremely fast and silent. Its slightly faster than my 28-135 IS and 50 1.4. The only lenses that are faster focusing (excluding the super-telephoto primes) are the 24-70L and 70-200 2.8L.
I sort of wish this had a sorter MFD so the magnification was higher, but oh well, I guess you can't have everything.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Video
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I'm an amateur photographer using a Canon 60D and the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom lens. I bought this lens to replace the 18-55 standard kit lens because I was looking for something with better performance in low light conditions with similar focal length. While I could have purchased the 17-40mm L series for just a bit more, I'm still glad I went with this lens. it's a GREAT everyday walk around lens for the crop sensor cameras. It produces exceptional bokeh, and offers crisp images throughout the focal ranges. I've found that the sweet spot on my lens is about f4. I feel that this lens is ALMOST L quality lens.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Sports/Action
- Weddings/Events
- Wildlife Photos
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I have lusted after this lens for a long time, and finally broke down and bought it after a trip to Europe where I was presented with myriad photo ops, only to be disappointed time and again with the performance of the kit lens on my 450D. I'm sure I discarded more picture than I kept. I wish I had spent the money before the trip, as the difference is night and day.
This is a wonderful lens, pictures are razor sharp with minimal fussing, which makes the processing time faster and less troublesome. You've read all the reviews, now just go do it, you know you want it! It will not disappoint you, I promise. Better gear makes a better artist, proven time and again.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Macro Photography
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I have had this lens for only a couple of weeks, but in this short time, I have found the lens to be pretty amazing in terms of its ease of use, consistency, and sharpness.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Not an L Series with Seal
- Price
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Love Every Bit of this lens! have had it for a couple of weeks now and it has been capturing things my old sigma's wouldn't.
It is a bit pricey tho.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Use for people and landscape shots. Like how fast the lens is in low light. Shots are very sharp. Lens is heavier and bigger than I expected, but still very happy with the purchase.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Weak Casing
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
Solid lens, only faint CA when stopped all the way down - and a very "usable" sweet spot seeminly between f4-f5. This is great portrait lens that really produces high quality images under low lighting conditions. I compared this lens side-by-side to the 24-105mm f/4L USM AF lens....and except for build quality (plasitc EF-S lens vs. metal barrel for the "L" lens), the 17-55mm was the hands down winner in every category for the cropped sensor shooter. Highly recommend, perfect fit in the line-up.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Well Made
Cons
- Heavy
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
To put the usual comments up front: yes, the lens is optically very good, handles really well, has decent (not perfect) out-of-focus blur, is well built (although heavy) and costs a small fortune.
The truth is somewhat simpler: if you need what this lens provides -- a f/2.8 aperture and image stabilization in this focal length range -- there is no other choice. While it is far from the perfect lens, it combines these traits in a really well made package.
My initial inclination was to give it 4 stars because it isn't *perfect*... But, on second thought, I realized that it simply does deliver the features and performance it promises. If you need what this lens does, you are buying it!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Lightweight
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
Comments about Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens:
I got this to do timelapse and night photgraphy. The glass in this lens is out of this world. So sharp
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes
Displaying reviews 1-20
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- Price: $44.95
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Lens Wraps & Bands
- Price: $4.99
What's in the Box
- 77mm Snap-On Lens Cap
- Lens Dust Cap E (Rear)
- 1-Year Warranty
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