Canon EF-S 17 55 F 2 8 IS USM Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is a fast, specialized zoom lens designed for select APS-C sub-frame Canon DSLRs, making it highly ideal for available-light photography. On the positive side, the lens delivers impressive sharpness across its entire focal range—especially when stopped down to f/4—and features a wide, constant f/2.8 circular aperture that creates beautiful background blur. Its standout feature is the built-in Image Stabilization (IS), which provides a roughly 3-stop advantage for steady handheld shooting in low light. Additionally, the Ring-type USM motor allows the lens to achieve autofocus quickly and virtually silently, while supporting full-time manual focus overrides. However, the lens has notable optical and physical drawbacks. Chromatic aberration is a distinct weakness at its widest focal lengths, and heavy vignetting occurs wide open at f/2.8 across the entire zoom range. Geometric distortion is also a mixed bag, showing modest barrel distortion at 17mm but uniformly high pincushion distortion from 20mm onward. In terms of build quality, it is bulkier and heavier than expected for an EF-S lens, suffers from zoom creep over time when pointed down,...

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens is highlighted as a top-tier, general-purpose zoom for APS-C bodies, offering impressive center-of-the-frame sharpness, a fast f/2.8 aperture, and effective 3-stop Image Stabilization. It is valued for its quick, quiet ring-type USM autofocus, warm color rendering, and minimal barrel distortion at the wide 17mm end. However, the lens is noted for its high price and large size relative to its build quality, lacking the robust weather sealing found in Canon L-series lenses. Additional disadvantages include significant vignetting, heavy pincushion distortion beyond 20mm, notable chromatic aberration, and a lack of compatibility with full-frame cameras.

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM as a premium, high-performance zoom for APS-C DSLRs, offering outstanding center sharpness across the range and a fast, constant f/2.8 aperture. Key advantages include highly effective 3-stop Image Stabilization (IS), fast USM autofocus with full-time manual override, and well-controlled distortion. Conversely, the lens displays significant vignetting at f/2.8 and visible chromatic aberrations. Critics note it is quite large and heavy for its class, lacks weather-sealing despite the high price, and notably excludes a lens hood or pouch from the package.

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is a premium general-purpose zoom lens designed specifically for cropped-frame (APS-C) Canon DSLRs, offering a highly versatile 35mm equivalent focal range of 27-88mm. It stands out as an exceptional choice for portrait, wedding, and low-light photography because of its fast and constant f/2.8 maximum aperture. Its premium optical engineering includes 19 elements in 12 groups, incorporating two Ultra-Low Dispersion (UD) glass elements to minimize secondary chromatic aberrations along with two aspherical elements to reduce spherical aberrations at wider apertures. The primary pros of this lens include its superior low-light performance and ability to produce highly desirable, shallow depth-of-field backgrounds due to the constant bright aperture. It additionally boasts an edge over many full-frame equivalents (like the 24-70mm f/2.8) by integrating optical Image Stabilisation to combat camera shake, alongside a quick and quiet USM autofocus motor. On the downside, the lens is a substantial financial investment that "doesn't come cheap." Furthermore, because it is an EF-S model, it features limited compatibility and cannot be used on full-frame camera bodies, meaning users would have to...

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is reviewed as a premium-grade, APS-C standard zoom lens delivering high-quality optics, excellent contrast, and sharp images at f/2.8, complemented by a rapid USM autofocus and a 3-stop Image Stabilization system. Its versatility, low-light performance, and constant f/2.8 aperture make it a high-performance choice for, but not limited to, photography, landscapes, and indoor events. However, the review highlights significant drawbacks, including a construction that, despite its price, lacks weather sealing and is prone to drawing dust into the lens barrel, alongside a tendency for zoom creep and sticky zoom ring movement over time. Furthermore, the lens is noted to have a heavy build, produces noticeable vignetting and chromatic aberrations at maximum aperture, and notably excludes a lens hood, which must be purchased separately.

The Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM is a high-quality standard zoom lens designed specifically for APS-C sensor cameras, offering an equivalent focal length of 27-88 mm. Tested on a modern Canon 650D, the lens delivers impressive, constant sharpness across the entire image frame, especially when stopped down to f/4.0. Its bright, constant f/2.8 maximum aperture enables creative depth-of-field control and smooth, pleasant background bokeh. Additionally, the built-in image stabilization is highly effective, yielding a measured 3-stop advantage for handheld shooting. Autofocus is powered by a quiet, incredibly fast HSM system that rarely hunts in low-light environments. Despite its strong optical performance, the lens exhibits notable drawbacks, including high, disturbing distortion at the 17 mm wide-angle setting and high susceptibility to flare and aperture spots in backlit conditions. Physically, the plastic housing is relatively large and heavy. Its high price tag—comparable to professional L-series glass—makes it a costly investment. However, when paired with a camera that features in-body corrections for vignetting and chromatic aberration, the lens achieves a high "What You See Is What You Get" performance score, surpassing...

The Trusted Reviews evaluation of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM highlights the lens as a highly specified, capable standard zoom designed for APS-C DSLR bodies. Key strengths include a wide 17mm focal length paired with a constant f/2.8 aperture, robust build quality, excellent handling, and full compatibility with Canon E-TTL II flash for precise exposures. Trusted Reviews However, the review notes drawbacks, including noticeable sharpness drops when shooting at f/2.8 and 55mm, alongside a tendency for color fringing in challenging light. Despite these compromises at focal extremes, it is considered a high-value investment for upgrading crop-sensor kits.

The review from What Digital Camera highlights the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM as a very capable, highly recommended zoom lens specifically designed for Canon APS-C bodies. The writer praises its solid build quality and ergonomic design, which includes a broad, short-throw zoom ring and an easily accessible manual focusing ring. Key technical advantages include an impressive constant f/2.8 maximum aperture across the 3.3x zoom range, highly accurate and brisk internal autofocusing, full compatibility with Canon E-TTL II flashguns, and a three-stop image stabilization system that performs accurately in real-world testing. Furthermore, overall peak image resolution is excellent, and geometric image distortion remains very well-controlled from wide-angle to telephoto lengths. On the downside, the reviewer notes that the lens is fairly heavy at 645g and commands a steep suggested retail price of £1,210, although its real-world street price dropped below £800. Performance flaws include disappointing wide-aperture sharpness specifically when zoomed to the 55mm focal length setting. Additionally, there is a clear roll-off in sharpness when stopping down to f/16 and beyond, alongside the visible emergence of color fringes (chromatic...

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is the most up-market standard zoom lens designed for Canon's APS-C format DSLR cameras, offering a versatile zoom range equivalent to 27-88mm in full-frame terms. In thorough testing, the lens stands out for its fast, consistent, and highly accurate autofocus system, alongside good levels of sharpness and contrast that remain strong even when shooting wide-open. Its standout features include a generous and constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, which excels in low-light conditions, enables a pleasantly smooth bokeh for portraiture, and provides well-controlled barrel distortion at the short end of the zoom range. However, the lens shows its age through several notable drawbacks, including a dated aesthetic and a bulky, heavy design that tips the scales at 645g. It features an older-generation image stabilizer that only offers three stops of compensation rather than the four found on newer models. Additional cons include a lack of weather sealing, an uncomfortably large 77mm filter thread for an APS-C lens, and the requirement to purchase the EW-83J lens hood separately, as it is not included in the box.

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is a high-performance, fast-aperture standard zoom lens designed for APS-C cameras, featuring a 27.2mm-88mm equivalent range. Key strengths include effective image stabilization, swift ring-type USM autofocus with full-time manual override, and a consistent f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. Photo Review However, the lens is considered bulky and premium-priced, with notable optical limitations at 17mm, including vignetting at f/2.8. Additional considerations include inherent chromatic aberration and geometric distortion at extreme zoom, representing a significant, albeit high-quality, investment.