Canon EF-S 15 85mm F 3 5 5 6 IS USM Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is described as a top-tier general-purpose zoom for APS-C, offering a versatile 24-136mm equivalent range with sharp, colorful imagery and effective 4-stop Image Stabilization. It features fast, quiet Ring USM, a solid build, and acts as a significant upgrade to a standard kit lens. Cons include a narrow variable aperture, noticeable vignetting and barrel distortion at 15mm, and significant chromatic aberration at extreme focal lengths. Additionally, the lens suffers from zoom creep, lacks weather sealing, and does not include a hood.

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is a versatile, premium standard zoom lens for APS-C DSLRs offering a 24-136mm equivalent range, with key strengths including outstanding center sharpness, fast ring-type USM autofocus, and effective 4-stop Image Stabilization. However, the lens suffers from heavy vignetting and 5.68% barrel distortion at the 15mm end, along with a lack of weather sealing and a lens hood not included in the box.

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS is a highly ambitious standard zoom lens designed specifically for Canon's APS-C format DSLRs, offering a 5.6x zoom ratio and a full-frame equivalent focal range of 24-136mm. It provides a substantial upgrade over older consumer zooms like the 17-85mm by significantly improving build quality with tighter control rings, a non-rotating front element, and virtually no wobbling parts, despite its plastic, duo-cam extending design. The lens excels mechanically with its ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM), delivering fast, silent, and accurate autofocus alongside a highly efficient optical image stabilizer capable of correcting up to 4 f-stops. However, the lens is not without its drawbacks, most notably its relatively "slow" maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6, which limits its depth-of-field capabilities to an equivalent of f/5.6-f/9 in full-frame terms. Autofocus performance drops significantly in contrast-detection mode (LiveView), and users looking to push the 4-stop image stabilization to its limit may encounter an increased rate of blurry outliers in real-world shooting conditions. Additionally, at a premium price point of around 750€/800US$, it is more expensive than its direct competition from...

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is a premium, versatile 5.6x zoom lens designed for APS-C cameras, offering a 24-136mm equivalent focal length suitable for landscapes and travel. It features fast, accurate ring-type USM autofocus with full-time manual override, plus an effective 4-stop optical image stabilizer for improved handheld shooting. Conversely, the lens is limited by a variable f/3.5-5.6 aperture, resulting in restricted low-light performance and limited background blur. Performance drawbacks include visible barrel distortion and vignetting at 15mm, edge softness requiring stopping down, susceptibility to ghosting, and a tendency for zoom creep, according to the review.

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is a highly versatile general-purpose "walk-around" lens designed specifically for APS-C crop sensor cameras, offering an effective focal length range of 24-136mm. In his field test, reviewer Kevin Hurt highlights the lens's strong build and smooth handling, noting that while it is primarily plastic with a metal mount, it remains lightweight and completely free of zoom creep. Key performance pros include an effective Image Stabilization (IS) system that provides up to 4 stops of correction for sharp handheld night shots, a non-rotating 72mm filter ring ideal for circular polarizers, and overall impressive image quality featuring pleasing sharpness, strong contrast, and good color rendering. Hurt considers the lens an excellent value, particularly when purchased used for around $500. Despite its strengths, the lens comes with several distinct limitations that buyers should consider. Its primary physical drawback is the lack of compatibility with full-frame or 1.3x crop camera bodies, restricting users to 1.6x crop sensors like the Canon 7D. Optical cons include minor vignetting when shooting wide open at the 15mm focal length—though this is...

The Picture Power review features Scott Umstattd highlighting the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM as a highly versatile "workhorse" that remains attached to his Canon 60D camera 80% of the time. As a documentary photographer, he values how its unique focal range allows him to pivot seamlessly from wide-angle perspectives down to tight close-ups without sacrificing overall quality. The core pros of the lens are its exceptional flexibility, silent and rapid autofocus, sturdy physical build, and highly effective Image Stabilization that allows for steady handheld shots up to a full second. Furthermore, it retains sharp focus and rich colors across the entirety of its zoom range, making it an excellent, budget-friendly choice for everyday photography. Conversely, the review notes several technical cons, particularly its maximum variable aperture of f/3.5-5.6, which limits its success in low-light environments and prevents it from delivering the fine detail required for true studio or portrait work. The lens's physical design suffers from "lens creep," causing the barrel to accidentally extend outward while walking. Optically, users can expect slight vignetting and light loss around the...

The Canon Snapshot review highlights the EF-S15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM as a versatile 5.7x zoom lens for the EOS 80D, offering a valuable 24-136mm equivalent range with sharp, high-contrast imagery. A key pro is its 15mm wide-end capability for expansive landscapes and effective aberration correction, paired with robust 4-stop image stabilization. Cons include notable perspective distortion at the widest setting requiring in-camera correction, and a variable f/3.5-5.6 aperture that limits extreme low-light performance compared to constant-aperture lenses.

The DXOMARK review of the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens, when tested on the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, yields an overall DXOMARK score of 14. Released in October 2009, this lens is designed for APS-C crop-sensor camera bodies. It achieves its peak optical performance at a focal length of 15mm with a wide-open aperture of f/3.5. The review measures specific lens metrics to evaluate its overall optical quality, highlighting a transmission score of 5.1 TStop and a controlled distortion level of 0.4%. The review reveals distinct technical pros and cons regarding the lens's performance. On the positive side, it delivers a sharp, usable center image, achieving a sharpness score of 8 P-Mpix. Additionally, its low 0.4% distortion metric indicates well-managed straight lines across the frame. However, the lens suffers from notable drawbacks, including a significant vignetting score of -1.1 EV, which causes visible corner darkening. It also displays 8 µm of chromatic aberration, meaning users may notice color fringing around high-contrast edges in their images.