Customer Reviews

Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received my 28-200 yesterday from Amazon. Having read the customer reviews, I immediately put my Rebel XT on a tripod and ran two series of comparison shots with the 28-200 and my Canon 28-135 IS. Three shots each at f-stops 5.6, 11, and 20, one set indoors at ISO 1600 and the other outdoors at ISO 200. Focal length 135 using the same scenes with each camera, highest jpeg setting. After shooting both series, I compared them fresh out of the camera, side by side. Results: the 28-200 was at least as sharp as the 28-135 in both foreground and background in most instances. It was visibly sharper at ISO 200 with f-stops 5.6 and 20, (the 28-135 took the honors at f-stop 10), and at 20, it was visibly sharper in both the foreground and the background. The 28-135 was one-stop faster shutterwise. Both lenses produced pictures which would sharpen nicely in Photoshop. There are the vagaries of autofocus and different shooting conditions to consider; different test scenes conceivably produce different results. My conservative conclusion: the 28-200 is as good as it gets for a super-zoom on your Canon (unless you are going to drop $2200 on the L Series 28-300 IS and carry it), and the 28-135 IS has no clear sharpness advantage. Between these lenses, its a tradeoff---an extra 65 mm of focal length (105 mm after a 1.6 conversion) versus image stabilization and low-light shooting capability. Both lenses focus quickly and silently, and both lenses produce usable shots.

I am a railfan, and having a very large range of zoom is important. Shooting on the fly from a distant bridge shot to a closeup coming around the bend. Focuses quickly too. I have a Canon 10D and I HATE changing lenses because it gets dust inside the camera. This 28-200mm is very practical for my hobby, and gets used on Waterfall and other outdoor scenery too.
One note of interest, it is hard to get super-sharp background details with this lens, compared to any of the IS lenses or the L Series lenses, (a buddy and I shot the same closeup shot with an ore dock way in the background and the dock details looked a LOT sharper on his 28-135 IS lens). Same Camera, same settings. Closeup Focused object looked great on both, just when looking at the out-of-focus objects, the IS lenses seemed to do better.
This lens is worth the price in my opinion, and superb for amateurs and hobby-photographers like myself. But those looking for a touch more in distant details out of the focused field, the 28-135 IS USM lens by Canon seems to be a little step ahead of this. The L series lenses, of course, are in a league of their own.

I got this lens for a wedding I shot. Since I only had one camera at the time, I was afraid of losing shots as I switched back and forth. Since I was in need, I paid full retail price. Couple of comments. You need to have an external flash and be able to do bounce lighting for this lens to be really useful inside. Its a slow lens as the aperature is small. This lens is what I would call an "average" lens. It does everything good but nothing great. The advantages of this lens is the great focal length capability. 28-200mm covers alot of ground. If you travel and you just want to keep memories for yourself and keep your film/digital camera at full auto or f/ 5.6 to 8, you will get great results. use a 580 or a 430 ex flash and that will help compensate for indoors. I think the focal lengths work better for full frame or film cameras over the small sensor digital cameras.

The thing about this lens is the greatest asset of the lens is also the greatest weakness. To be able to provide 28mm-200mm at 350-500 bucks, it requires alot of compromises. Its slow indoors or requires flash which for most people is okay. you will get softness if you blow pictures up past 8x10. Its heavy and long. It doesn't have a small depth of focus for your close ups, it needs to be on a tripod for 200mm unless you can hold it very steady and even then you will want a flash.

If you want a good all around lens under 400.00 this is your lens. If you want to spend a little more you get IS and USM with the 28-135mm. My feeling is, you take great pictures with a lens you have, not a lens you don't have. I think for begineers and for a fun day just shooting regular pictures, this is a great lens. Save the artsy pictures and the emotional pictures for a 50mm 1.4 or a 85mm 1.8 or a up close picture for the 70-200mm. This is a good all around for good pictures, not great ones.

Great lens! It is versatile, quick to zoom and focuses in an instant. Prior to getting this lens, I was seriously considering exchanging my camera for another. However, after seeing the pictures taken with this lens, I am sure that I will enjoy this camera for years to come. The clarity of my pictures was greatly increased by this lens, which by the way is quite compact. And yes don't forget to buy a UV filter to protect the original lens. If your looking for a lens to buy for your Canon, then I would get this one. You won't go wrong with this.

I purchased this lens for my Canon EOS 20D digital camera and so far I really like it. It focuses fast and produces very sharp, clear images. As with any longer lens you do have to be careful about camera shake; I've had a few images come out blurry but these are usually interior shots. I really like the 28-200mm focal length range and find the lens to be very versatile for framing wide shots of buildings or landscapes to zoomed in shots for portraits or close detail shots. The lens feels solid and appears to be well constructed, which is typical for Canon products. For the price range, this is an excellent lens. You can only do better by spending considerable more money on an IS lens.

From portraits to sporting events, this is wonderful multi-purpose lens. Prior to purchasing the lens, I asked a buddy of mine (photographer for the Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Hockey Team and long time Canon user) if this was a quality lens. He told me to go for it as it is the best buy for the money and that distortion and spherical abberation are extremely minimal with this lens. Truth be told, I've never seen an EF lens I didn't like.

This is a pretty handy lens, given it's 28-200mm range, you can capture almost any scene.

However, if you're a serious hobbyist, and have a desire for tack sharp images, this lens just doesn't cut it. When I had it combined with my Rebel XT, it produced images that were comparable, to slightly better than, old point and shoot. But, even with a tripod, the images produced were too soft for my liking.

That said, I still think this is probably a pretty good starter lens - if you're used to the reach given by super zoom point and shoots, this is probably your best option if you don't have thousands of dollars and don't want to carry a bunch of lenses around with you.

I'm selling mine and upgrading to a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L.

What a wonderful lens!! I'm purely a hobby shooter, but I do like to take nice shots. I took this to the zoo the other day and was able to take fantastic closeups of the polar bears, even through glass, and pick out the details on the butterfly wings. The lens is not as heavy as I had feared, and unlike some zooms it does not telescope out under its own weight, so it was comfortable enough to keep carrying all day. I'm using it on a Canon D60 and am nothing but pleased with the performance so far.

The initial results were excellent, but I must admit I was a little surprised to see how long the lens becomes when at maximum focal length. The weight also intimidated me at first, but when mounted on a Canon Digital Rebel XTi with a battery grip attached, it seems to balance out decently.

I do have to say that, in accordance with other reviews, low light is not a friend of this lens. I haven't done much outdoor photography (due to time contraints, time of the year, etc.), but what I've done has turned out very clear and pleasing. I have a feeling that well-lit outdoor shots is where this lens might excel best.

This is definitely a massive upgrade over the kit lens (in focal length, size, weight, and quality), so be prepared for all four.

I'm not sure if the price justified the purchase, but I think that if good care is taken of this lens, then over time it will surely pay itself off.

Do I recommend? Only if you find the Digital Rebel kit lens too limiting, and want that extra focal length, if you don't mind the extra size, if you have a need for the extra zoom, and are ready for upgrading. Otherwise, practice on the kit lens or a cheaper lens for a while before moving up.

I really wanted an IS lens but they were all really expensive. I settled for this on because the price was right and it was a Canon product. I was not disappointed with my selection at all. For an amature photographer this lens will do everything I need it to for now. I may get a wide angle lens. But I think this one will work.