I am very much an amateur photographer, so this lens was my first venture into 'serious' lenses. It was a big step for me as it cost almost as much as the camera (a basic Canon DSLR). I really wanted a wider angle lens than this, but, after months of research, I kept coming back to this one as the reviews for it were so good.
The only negative aspect of some reviews was that the lens extends under its own weight if held upside-down, and it does - but is this really a problem? It's never really bothered me.
Other than that, the lens is absolutely superb. It's the first stabilised lens I've used and the stabilisation is very impressive, you can take excellent photos indoors without a flash quite easily, and it will even work in quite dark situations (although this is pushing the stabilising mechanism to its limit, so it can be a bit hit and miss). It also focuses very quickly and smoothly - and almost silently - again, very impressive.
The other thing about this lens which is so good is the detail of the images it produces. I have enough of a background in physics to know how lenses work, so I've never paid too much attention to claims like this, but it's true - this lens will show up detail other lenses just can't capture (and, if you're as short-sighted as me, you didn't even know was there!).
The combination of being able to work indoors without a flash and the detail of this lens means you can take really good portraits. The only downside of this is that sometimes you get too much detail - my son was less than impressed when my photos of his baby daughter showed up the new-born spots on her skin, and my wife has forbidden me from taking close-up pictures of her!
All in all, a really excellent lens, and a real revelation, if, like me, you've only bought budget lenses before.
However, having said all that, unfortunately the lens failed after just over three years of use - the autofocus stopped working altogether and the exposure became completely erratic. Even on manual focus, most of my shots were wasted as the picture was horribly over-exposed. I spent most of a long holiday having to take all my photos with a cheap telephoto lens, which was the only other lens I had with me! (Which indicates just how good his lens is - you start using it for everything, only using other lenses if you need wide-angle or long telephotos, it becomes not just your main lens, but nearly your only one.)
I have had the lens repaired, but it's sadly not as good as it once was, the autofocus hunts too much and often won't settle on a final setting - and sometimes fails altogether. I would send it back for a re-repair, but the repair was done through Jessops...
Anyway, I haven't docked any stars for this failure, as it's such a good lens it would be a shame to mark it down for what might be just an unlucky electronics failure. Plus I'm not entirely sure it wasn't me who caused it to fail - I don't treat my lenses as carefully as I should.
| Package dimensions | 23.4 x 11.2 x 10.9 centimetres |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.68 Kilograms |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 9.7 x 7.8 x 7.8 centimetres |
| Item Weight | 1.19 Pounds |
| Brand | Canon |
| Camera Lens | Zoom lens |
| Has image stabilisation | Yes |
| Max Focal Length | 135 Millimetres |
| Min Focal Length | 28 Millimetres |
| Model year | 2009 |
| Plug profile | Canonbayonet |
| Objective Lens Diameter | 36 Millimetres |
| Part number | 2562A002 |
| Lens Design | Zoom |
| Focus type | Auto/Manual |
| Photo Filter Thread Size | 72 Millimetres |
