T
he build quality of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is good and as image stabilisation is lens-based, it can help improve your shots.The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM offers a 27-88mm equivalent focal length on Canon cameras with a 1.6x crop factor. As you’d expect for a lens nudging the £800 mark, the build quality is good, weighing a substantial 645g and there’s a mottled black finish and a large rubber zoom ring boasting a nice, smooth action. The focus ring is a little on the thin side, but it has a nicely weighted feel to it, so its position doesn’t slip when focusing manually.
The lens features an effective 3-stop Image Stabilizer for shake-free shots using shutter speeds as slow as 1/15sec, and there’s a 77mm thread for attaching filters. The minimum focusing distance is only 35cm so the lens isn’t great for close-ups, but there is the Canon Ultrasonic Motor for quiet focusing and generally AF performance is good, locking onto subjects quickly and accurately with minimal hunting in low-contrast conditions.
There’s a large and easy to use zoom ring on the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM which unusually sits towards the front of the lens with the focus ring at the rear.
The Canon system is lens based, as opposed to the sensor-shift variety, and can really improve the sharpness of your shots at slow shutter speeds.
www.canon.co.uk 