- 28-105mm standard zoom lens with f/3.5-4.5 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
- Ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) provides silent, high-speed autofocusing
- 1.6-foot close focusing distance; rotating zoom system; 58mm filter size
- Ideal for Canon EOS A2/Aw3 or ELAN 7 series cameras with built-in flashes
- Measures 2.8 inches in diameter and 3 inches long; weighs 13.2 ounces
Product Description
RE) CANON 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM EF
Amazon.com Product Description
The Canon EF 28-105mm standard zoom lens retains the optical capability of Canon’s previous EF 28-105mm USM lens but with a refined exterior design. The lens is distinguished by a ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) drive that provides silent, high-speed autofocusing, along with full-time manual focusing. The 1.6-foot close-focusing distance, meanwhile, lets you take great close-up portraits and nature shots. A good match for the Canon EOS A2/A2e or ELAN 7 series cameras with built-in flashes, the EF 28-105mm lens is an excellent zoom lens for everyday use. The lens carries a one-year warranty.
- Focal length: 28-105mm
- Maximum aperture: 1:3.5-4.5
- Lens construction: 15 elements in 12 groups
- Diagonal angle of view: 75 to 23 degrees (at 30 feet)
- Focus adjustment: Inner focusing system with USM
- Closest focusing distance: 1.6 feet
- Zoom system: Rotating type
- Filter size: 58mm
- Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter, 3 inches long
- Weight: 13.2 ounces
luvdata @ 7:00 pm
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I needed to replace the lens on my Canon Rebel XT D-SLR. The EF-S on first glance seemed like the perfect replacement since Canon produced the EF-S series specifically for the compressed sensor D-SLR line. After weighing the pros and cons of the two, I chose this EF lens largely on the basis of price. It was the right choice, and I haven’t found any loss of features or quality.
Multiplying the range by 1.6 for a 35mm equivalence (if you have a Rebel XT, 20D or 30D), this model is really just a slightly wide angle to stronger telephoto zoom. (about 45mm-170mm if it was a 35mm film camera) If this range suits you, then this lens is an excellent value over a EF-S wide-angle/telephoto zoom. You’ll keep all of the features, save money and have a faster lens.
The EF series meshes well with the current line of Canon digital SLRs. In addition, unlike the EF-S series, they are compatible with all of the Canon EOS products including higher-end cameras like the Mark II.
SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEKS OF USE:
My first concern before purchasing this lens was the MINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE of 0.5 meters, or approximately 18 inches. I do a lot of macro work transferring images into digital, so I was a tad worried. However, after getting the lens and zooming in, I realized that the focusing distance wasn’t really an issue after all. In most cases, I could manage to stand six or so inches further away and still get a highly magnified shot. So that you can see that the macro function works well, I’ve uploaded an image of a small hamster photographed at 102mm.
My second concern was lens QUALITY AND SHARPNESS, particularly in the wide-angle setting near the edges of the photo. This lens exceeded my expectations. So that you can see the quality of this lens, I’ve uploaded an uncropped picture of the SF Bay Bridge taken at the 28mm wide-angle setting. You’ll see that the photo is sharp all the way through the edges of the frame. (it is a web-sized jpeg, so you should take that into consideration and use it mainly to see the sharpness of the photo, particularly near the outside edges)
I did get an unexpected bonus with this lens. The MANUAL FOCUS ring is in the front. I love it. Disabling the auto-focus is a snap, and the position and feel of the manual focus is perfect for sports or social activities where the subject is often not the closest object. The ring itself is ridged and made of rubber, making handling a breeze.
While I hadn’t expected to replace my stock lens so soon, I think it ended up for the best. This lens is actually superior to the one that came with the XT. I lost some wide-angle function but gained much more telephoto. The price is excellent and the quality of the lens is high.
Matt @ 9:17 pm
For the times when I want to travel light and only take one lens, I usually throw this lens on. Through its entire focal range, it does a great job. Its performance is exceptional considering it’s not an “L” grade lens.
The lens is constructed well and has a nice feel. I have an Elan 7e body and this lens complements it very nicely. The Ultrasonic motor is definitely a nice touch. You can’t even hear the lens focusing it’s so quiet, not to mention fast. I find that 28-105mm is a great range for everyday shooting, and if you’re into taking closeups, it has a fairly good macro mode (although I wish it could be a little better…Nikon’s equivalent lens has a macro reproduction ratio of about 2.7:1, which this lens doesn’t come close to…but it’s a Nikon…bleh).
I would advise anyone buying this lens to also purchase the accessory hood that’s available for it.
Mehmet C. Mocan @ 10:18 pm
I am very satisfied with the overall performance of 28-105 mm. It focuses instantly and silently. USM is definitely an advantage and that was one of the reasons why I preferred Canon over other brands. The high pitched sound associated with focusing becomes quite irritating even at occasions when you do not need a silent operation. With a USM lens you do not hear anything and this is really fascinating. This lens produces very clear photos and is definitely better than the Canon EF 28-90 lens which is usually sold with the body for three reasons: 1. The grip feels much better. 2. The lens provides a larger aperture at longer focal lenghts. 3. Basically it has a focal length of 28-105 mm (vs 28-90). Even if there is a significant price difference I would suggest the 28-105 mm. You will NOT regret it.
Matt @ 12:17 am
This lens is truly a ‘must have’ if you don’t have lots of cash to spend. Simply put, it is an excellent performer for the money. I recently got this lens for my Rebel XT, and noticed a HUGE improvement over the 18-55mm kit lens. Sharpness has improved considerably. The 18-55mm has some SERIOUS issues in that area. First of all, sharpness was REALLY bad at large apertures. But smaller apertures were not really much better. The 28-105mm still is not the best performer at large apertures. But it is MUCH better than the 18-55mm. However, at around f8 or higher, the 28-105mm is tack sharp. In addition, this lens does not suffer from the problem of having a clear foreground and soft background that my 18-55mm suffers from.
Color accuracy has also GREATLY improved with the 28-105mm. Colors look MUCH more natural with this lens than with the 18-55mm lens. This is particularly true of lighter colors, especially when you go to increase saturation with Photoshop (or other software). Increasing saturation to improve the appearance of dark colors on a picture taken with the 18-55mm would typically make lighter colored objects look VERY unnatural. This sort of problem is MUCH reduced with the 28-105mm. I should also say that this lens appears to overexpose somewhat compared with the 18-55mm. This is more good than bad, however, as it has the effect of making the lens faster.
Of course, this lens is not without its drawbacks. I mentioned the slight softness at large apertures, for instance. Also, it is not the fastest lens out there. But then again, what do you expect for the price? And finally, 28mm is not exactly wide angle on a cropped sensor digital SLR like the Rebels or the 20D. But despite these drawbacks, this lens really performs like a champ. And when used in its element (ie higher f-numbers), it works quite well. Also, since it is not an EF-S lens, it will not become a paperweight should you decide to upgrade to a 5D.
Shivakumar Vishwanathan @ 12:52 am
This is a great lens. I bought the digital rebel kit recently and soon ‘outgrew’ the efs 18-55 kit lens. It is particularly soft at large apertures and makes it totally unsuitable for indoor handheld photography. I decided to go for 35 mm lenses rather than ‘digital’ format lenses as an upgrade to the kit lens. They are lower in price (relatively) and you also only see the center of the lens where the picture quality is the best. The Quantaray 28-200 (this is actualy a tamron) was the first lens I considered. i returned it after just 2 photos. it was much worse than the kit lens. Then I did extensive research and finally decided on the 28-105 canon. This equates to 45-160 which is good walking around range. Also fro outdoor wide angle landscapes, the kit lens good enough stopped down. I got the lens today from adorama and the indoor test photos are GREAT and show fine detail. The shallow DOF in macro mode is also nice. The kit lens is no comparison to this lens. I would highly recommend this to new enthusiast dslr (like Drebel)users on a tight budget but also crave for more from their digital rebel. All in all a wonderful lens. And did I say the build quality is great too not to mention the ghostly silent lightening fast focussing?