Just won it on eBay... what do you think? OK... here it comes......

[captaincrash]

I just bought ....


.... a Canon 28-135 IS f3.5-5.6 zoom for my trusty 10d. I had been targeting a 28-105 f35-4.5 zoom - but this one came up at a good value level so I took it. The zoom shipped from Tornonto yesterday - and I am egarly awaiting its' arrival. I had a gap in my coverage as all I had previously was a 20-35 f3.5-4.5 and the 70-300 IS F4-5.6.

Part of my thinking is I might sell the 70-300 IS and get a 70-200 f2.8 or the IS version. The L lense will be bulky and heavy - but the 28-135 will become my carry around lense. And some day I'll possibly drop the 20-35 in favor of the 17-40 f4 L.

Any thoughts? .... yeah ... I know ... half the crowd is gonna say I should have bought the Sigma 18-125. Remember,
i had experienced wierd focusing performance with my Tamron 18-200 f3.8-6.3. And the Photozone reviews warned that their sample sufferred the same or worse effect with wierd missed focus performance. So - I am of a mind to avoid non-Canon lenses. Plus there is significant distortion and some vignetting in the Sigma. Otherwise, the Sigma is a sharp lense.

Otherwise... any thoughts?

BY the way.... does anyone know what the resolving limit is on a 6 or 8 mp sensor when it compares to the LW/PH (Line widths per picture height)? I think it means that near 1800-2000 a lense in this range exceeds the resolution limit of an 8MP sensor. Does this make any sense?

 

[Kelly Grannell]

well, there is one option lacking, 28mm is not wide enough. At least for most of my shots. 24mm I can still live by... barely, but not 28mm.

PS: your problem with Tamron 18-200 can also be found on the Sigma 18-200, especially at 135 and up (on the Sigma). That's why I never recommend 18-200.

As far as 17-40L goes. Well, the pic is not as sharp at f/4 compared to the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS. (I know, mine have a backfocus by 0.5 inch problem, but I've tested my boss' lens and it's sharper than the 17-40 with the same colour rendition).

 

[captaincrash]

I'm staying away from EF-S lenses to preserve future utility on full frame DSLRs and 2nd... because the 10D will not accept an EFS lense that intrudes into the body. Plus - I like the fact that all these ordinary EF lenses only use the sweet center of the image circle - thus average lenses on full frame perform admirably on cropped sensors.

The operating stance I'm playing with is "evolving" my lens KIT as my expanding interest supports the performance gains. Seriously, if you match up a disposable camera user with a top end SLR/DSLR then it would not make any sense. And vice verrsa. Photozone had serious forcus errors with their 18-125. So much so they printed that they disabled the autofocus function entirely.... and I can sympathisize with that conclusion. My experience was THAT BAD as well. I remain cautious on non-CANON LENSES - even though in the same breath I admit to being curious about a lens with that wide a focal range 18-125 or 18-200. Plus, I have no delusions over what Canon would charge for a lense with that focal range and aperature range IF it was labeled Canon EF ... with or without the red ring around the end. I would not consider it a wise application of funds for me given my application level. That is why I am sneaking up on the expensive glass - as I want to be certain that i can use the incremental performance gains - and deal with the disadvantages (like bulk and weight).

LOL... I guess when my arms bulk up enough I will have graduated into all "L" glass and the heavy DSLR bodies - plus the attendant heavy duty monopods and or tripods which become necessary for the "convenience".

OR... maybe the price will drop enough on the Hasselblad H2D-35! Of course... I am fairly certain I have no need for a $100,000+ camera KIT - and that is just a couple lenses with the body (at current pirces!!!!) and a few of the 40GB hard drive power packs! NOW THAT camera commands respect - of a sort! Of course... if you get the Hasselblad 39MP camera - then you got to get the dedicated Mac cart with twin 20" cinema monitors too! And while you're at it - you should have a spare on hand in case the 1st cart fails or gets stolen!

And yeah... Kelly, I knew you couldn't resist voting for the pocket disposable!!!!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

what? L-lens, pocket camera, what's the difference?

Don't think that Canon lens will be fault free. My 17-55 f/2.8 IS is now backfocused (after 1 week of casual usage). I'm so ticked off by that.

 

[captaincrash]

Is it too late to take back? I am sorry to hear of your odd circumstance. I don't suppose you have any idea how that happens? Is it possible it was a factory problem fixable under warrenty? I do not know how these things arise (frankly).

And on the 39MP Hasselblad - I was just reading about it the other day... really amazing - they compared it to the top of the line Canon DSLR and it was sharper and superior - but not as flexible/portable or COST EFFECTIVE ... if you ask me!

Of course... if you are seeking near perfection in your images - then the 39MP Hasselblad is a bargain at ANY price!

There is a certain cost effective BEAUTY to using a disposable 35mm camera... eh?

Yeah... Kelly... I understand all too well that everything has a fudge and failure factor. Even the humble disposable 35mm film camera can fail... LOL! NOTE ... that the "Budget" disposable on the right above doesn't even have a FLASH to fail! So what's left to break or fail now?

 

[0bli0]

my dw has the 28-135 on her 10d and it's served her well as a walkaround lens. about the only issue with it is zoom creep.

Kelly if the lens is new, i'd take it back. otherwise Canon will adjust the lens without hassle pretty quickly. backfocus issues don't occur often, but when they do it's extremely frustrating.


edit: btw - didn't you guys get the memo? FF is the new medium format!

 

[captaincrash]

Thanks Oblio...

... I actually had a little mild anxiety over the 28-135 IS. It was brought on by indecision over whether I should keep my 70-300 as a walk around zoom or not - and if not then I could start preparing muyself to "graduate" into a 70-200 f2.8 L... or maybe the IS version. Now with a IS walk around zoom that also reaches just under a normal perspective - now I'll start the vexing consideration of whether I really NEED the IS in a 70-200 f2.8. It's a lot of money for the IS feature... and some say the non-IS is simply the PERFECT definitive design!

Oh well... an old friend of mine (pro sports photographer here in LA) had recommended the 28-105 as a very good cost effective lense suited to my "needs"... and his 2nd priority recommendation was the 28-135 IS. It seems to have decent test reviews. Nothing glamorous - just decently competant. Which is probably near my skill level.

And with the Hasselblad at 39MP... and nothing bigger... then FF would be the new "medium" digital format by default! Yeah - interesting...

 

[jann1033]

i voted disposable...i mean look how pretty that little budget one is compared to that other shiny black and silver model...

i do agree about the efs lens though...i mean some day i might want something other than a rebel ( although it probably will just be photo chips implanted in the actual brain by the time i would get that far advanced )

 

[PoohJen]

Looking forward to hearing how you like the 28-135 IS - I've been watching those auctions too! I ended up buying a Sigma 18-125 used off eBay - I'm happy with it, excellent condition, but I still watch those IS auctions...

 

[captaincrash]

i voted disposable...i mean look how pretty that little budget one is compared to that other shiny black and silver model...

i do agree about the efs lens though...i mean some day i might want something other than a rebel ( although it probably will just be photo chips implanted in the actual brain by the time i would get that far advanced )

Yeah...

... Awwww shucks... you kno... I did PICK the point and shoot image to post and I thought it was just too charming. I'm glad a couple DISers saw the huge merit in the STYLE advantage it offerred over the monolithic BLACK of the EF lenses! And Jann.... you didn't approve of that little minox sized flashless disposable from Budget? I know it's not REALLY match box sized - but imagine if it were? If they had finished the case a matt black instead of blue and labeled it with soemthing like "Official use only for CIA operatives only" then they would have sold a hundred million of 'em! Half to the CIA no doubt!

And on the EF-S versus EF thing. It's a tactical choice. Either way when the EF-S lose lustre in favor of affordable FF DSLRs - then the EF-s lenses will start to hit eBay... but since Canon dominates the DSLR market - it should be a day we never see when there is a waning secondary market at auction! Frankly, I'mj amazed how much some of those Canon lens auctions get... it ocassionally exceeds street price from brink and motor stores! I credit that to the rising dominance of Canon DSLRs in the market and the ever increasing pool of Canon users... many of whom are looking for lenses on the cheap 2nd hand. I freely admit to having aspirations as such... I bought 6 lenses off eBay... so far I resold 2, had one sale canceled by eBay before I paid, one sale a potential flop except paypal helped me force a refund, which leaves me having kept 2. And I bought 1 lense at retail from B&H.

Looking forward to hearing how you like the 28-135 IS - I've been watching those auctions too! I ended up buying a Sigma 18-125 used off eBay - I'm happy with it, excellent condition, but I still watch those IS auctions...

Thanks for the encouragement! I am just stalking UPS trucks here - well actually preparing to stake out the local UPS depot as soon as the UPS tracking says it's arrived in the region! FOllowing that I'll share how it turned out initially. I'll probably run very simple comparisons against the 70-300 IS and 20-35 since I have a little overlap. I reaffirm... my tests will be SIMPLE as that is my only actual speed on my "personal transmission" of photo techniques and technical skill. Well... actual... I posses the full array that oddly enought coorelates to the mode selector of the 10D I use - except I really just shoot in P or aperature priority 98% of the time. I rarely use the other modes.... intentionally. Oh well....

Seriously... (so much for my attempts at humor)... I'll probably post sample images here - except the posting site I use is a site which severely limits the resolution and watermarks the images. So only basic viewing/comparison is possible here once posted with dotphoto. One day I'll "evolve" onto a higher, more sophisticated "plane" of existance and use a host that allows for sharing of larger images. TIl then - I'll just stand by and wait til my DNA gets struck by a few stray gamma rays at JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE to bring on a favorable mutation and evolutionARY advancement!!! OR - I'll wait until my trolling draws my attention to an alternate host; one which is simplistic enough and value oriented enough to sieze the majority of my posting use!

Thanks again for your encouraging remarks and votes!

 

[ndelaware]

I have been using the Canon 28-135 as my primary walk around lens for quite a while and I love it. It has made several trips to WDW and it is on my camera 90% of the time there. I think you will be very happy with it.

 

[jann1033]

i was just reading an article about buying used canon lenses and that's what the guy said, they rarely are any/much cheaper so kind of what s the point unless you want some old lens that is on the endangered existence list. guess that's good theykeep the value but bad if you want to sell it since someone can buy a new one for the same price (about)

 

[captaincrash]

Yeah ...

... I see your point. I am a little cautious about it - but I still figure if I can get a used lens that I am not totally enamored with (in advance) - but curious to own - then I can always resell it (more or less). The 70-300 IS I bought from B&H seemed at the time seemed as if it would be a logical "ultimate value" at street retail. It had 3rd generation IS and terriffic reviews for optical performance. It's just that the construction was not such you could expect unimited life from it (for a lens). And now I find myself drifting towards replacing it in under a year with a 70-200 f2.8. I figure - there is a decent potential for getting a good copy off ebay for certain things I don't expect to have for-ever - just as there is a chance for getting pinched somehow. I guess I'm having too much fun browsing to stop.

Some may be familiar with my earlier postings of the ebay purchases I had where the seller sent a bad lens and refused to honor their posted DOA return terms. In short order I got paypal to freeze "my funds" in the sellers' account and eventually force a refund. AND the lense purchase preceeding this transaction was interrupted by eBay after I won but before I paid. They (eBay) would not disclose why the seller was suspended - but it could have been for anything - and most likely it is fraud or 2nd) a TOS violation. BUT later I received an email from the seller stating they were suspended by eBay for a TOS violation on selling something having to do with inellectual property restrictions. I could not verify this as all his listings were erased and his account suspended. And the seller did not ask me to continue with the sale off eBay.

So... will I EVER get a 70-200 f2.8? Heck... will I ever upgrade beyond the 10D? So much for getting a 39MP Hasselblad! I hate to admit this but I am quite happy with my 10D. I almost figure it is worth keeping as a spare. It's so good and feels just right!!!! Like a huge root beer float o a hot summer day like today!!!
OK... I'm beginning to wax on an emotional channel... forgive me. Sniff.... but I do like my DSLR ... and .... I really enjoy photography!!! So I am still thinking hard about whether I'll be swapping for the f2.8 70-200 OR IS version. I'll have to swing by Canoga camera or Sammys' out here again soon! OR - maybe I should just rent one or the other and apply the rental fee against purchasing it if it works out as expected!

Oh yeah ....

I have been using the Canon 28-135 as my primary walk around lens for quite a while and I love it. It has made several trips to WDW and it is on my camera 90% of the time there. I think you will be very happy with it.

Thanks for the encouragement NDELAWARE ... I used to suspect that all the lurkers and enthusiasts here used 18-125 Sigmas. Now I know that it's simply not the case... LOL! Aside from that - does anyone have any quirky insights from their copy of a 28-135 IS? I already know about the expected zoom creep as the barrel does not lock like the 70-300 IS. So - any other opinions, rants or comments from those who have or had a copy of this lens?

 

[ndelaware]

i was just reading an article about buying used canon lenses and that's what the guy said, they rarely are any/much cheaper so kind of what s the point unless you want some old lens that is on the endangered existence list. guess that's good theykeep the value but bad if you want to sell it since someone can buy a new one for the same price (about)

Since it is the market that sets the prices on used equipment, the article you read actually makes the point that it makes sense to buy a Canon lens since it will hold much of it's value over time. If the price of a used lens is close to a new one it means people are buying the used ones as well.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

my dw has the 28-135 on her 10d and it's served her well as a walkaround lens. about the only issue with it is zoom creep.

Kelly if the lens is new, i'd take it back. otherwise Canon will adjust the lens without hassle pretty quickly. backfocus issues don't occur often, but when they do it's extremely frustrating.


edit: btw - didn't you guys get the memo? FF is the new medium format!

I've brought it back to Canon and they'll re-calibrate it. Don't know how long it'll take, though.

 

[ndelaware]

!

Aside from that - does anyone have any quirky insights from their copy of a 28-135 IS? I already know about the expected zoom creep as the barrel does not lock like the 70-300 IS. So - any other opinions, rants or comments from those who have or had a copy of this lens?

My copy doesn't have any issues with zoom creep. I bought it new about 14 months ago.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

captaincrash, according to my 'source at Canon' try using superglue to avoid zoom creep... or any type of zooming function whatsoever.

 

[jann1033]

Since it is the market that sets the prices on used equipment, the article you read actually makes the point that it makes sense to buy a Canon lens since it will hold much of it's value over time. If the price of a used lens is close to a new one it means people are buying the used ones as well.

could be..i took it as he was recommending against buying used since you are taking a risk ( which is how i would look at it, why pay $$ for someone else's leftovers when i can get my own for almost the same $$)...but then we all know i'm ...anyway here's the link if you want to see it

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Used-Canon-Lenses.aspx

 

[captaincrash]

My copy doesn't have any issues with zoom creep. I bought it new about 14 months ago.

So NDELAWARE... the lense does NOT telescope on it's own when you carry it 'round your neck and are out and about? OR - have I used the wrong term to describe this condition?

captaincrash, according to my 'source at Canon' try using superglue to avoid zoom creep... or any type of zooming function whatsoever.

Interesting...

... Kelly, according to "my source at Nikon" I should try white masking tape and steel-epoxy - as super glue leaves the finish too clean for their tastes with all our WHITE lens barrels at every pro photographed event! As some of us may know - the Nikon users already have dibs on use of CY super glue on their lenses!!!!

could be..i took it as he was recommending against buying used since you are taking a risk ( which is how i would look at it, why pay $$ for someone else's leftovers when i can get my own for almost the same $$)...but then we all know i'm ...anyway here's the link if you want to see it

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Used-Canon-Lenses.aspx

Interesting article... I do agree entirely... buying used is almost fun for me to troll along to save a lousy 25-50%. Any less in savings is definately not worth it to me though. And as I suggested earlier - if I think I'll be keeping a lens for sure then I can skip eBay and buy retail - like I did for the 70-300 IS. Of course, on eBay many of these 70-300 IS lenses actually go for within 90-95%+ of what I paid. Obviously, some folks don't think about shopping off eBay on the web... cuz B&H was not the cheapest. My 20-35 was about 50% off... the Tamron 18-200 and the 28-135 IS were about 30% off street retail. And the Canon 28-200 and 28-105 f3.5-4.5 were approximately 40% off.

FOr me I am fortunate to have a certain amount of free time all the time. Even with 2 young kids and a shop-a-holic spouse I can find time to waste on eBay! Your article commented on what was the value of our time if we waste it hunting for modest savings on eBay or Fred Miranda with used lenses. Well... for some of us we have lots of time (and enuf moola) - but we care more about the fun of the hunt. Some of us also hunt for a bargain to stay on a struct budget. That's OK too - as I dislike getting ripped off - like in how Kelly was almost looking like she had a bad deal from Gary Fong with the LS2. While others who might be trolling eBay are simply slightly wack-O ... (Jann... you sometimes worry me a little with all that talk of reselling the 100K digicam)!

Anyways... so where-O-where is my little new lense? Somewhere in Canada waiting for customs clearance ??? OR is it on a truck cutting through the nite at break neck speed to get to it's new home in Southern California???

 

[JR6ooo4]

I love my 28-135 IS! Especialy the IS!
The 28 does come up short on few shots. But the 135 end is not 300mm either. It is full frame and is 1 stop faster than the newer ef-s. No lens does it all. and for a slight loss you can always sell and replace.

IS rules!

Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 47mm (guess: 79mm in 35mm)
Exposure Time: 0.0769s (1/13) <<========
Exposure Program: Aperture priority

Mikeeee