Canon ef-s17-55mm f/2.8 Is Usm

It’s the nearest thing to a pro-grade Canon EF-S standard zoom

Dating back to 2006, this is the most up-market standard zoom that Canon has ever made for its APS-C format cameras. As such, it has a relatively fast f/2.8 aperture rating, which remains constant throughout the entire zoom range. The zoom range itself is equivalent to 27-88mm in full-frame terms, beating the Tamron lens at the long end.

This lens is bigger and heavier than the Canon 24-70mm f/4 full-frame lens on test, and the largest and weightiest of all the APS-C format lenses. Even so, it doesn’t feel unbalanced even on the smallest of Canon’s SLRS, tipping the scales at 645g. With its focal length markings on a silver band, and the gold ‘ultrasonic’ ring around the front, the lens has a more dated look than the newer Canon 15-85mm lens on test, and its older-generation image stabilizer is only worth three rather than four stops.

The lens isn’t weather-sealed and, as usual with non L-series Canon lenses, you will need to buy the hood separately. Expect to pay around £29/$49 for the genuine Canon EW-83J.

performance

The autofocus system proved quick and consistently accurate. Good levels of sharpness and contrast don’t drop off much, even when shooting wide-open, where the f/2.8 aperture enables a pleasantly smooth bokeh (the quality of defocused areas). Barrel distortion is particularly well controlled at the short end of the zoom range, while colour fringing is fairly minimal. Overall, this lens is the pick of the crop for APS-C format cameras.