Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: Great next step
Summary: 4 Stars
One thing I've learned from the reviews here is that it would be easier to weight comments if you knew more about the reviewer. I am still a relative newbie, and have progressed from an old Pentax film SLR, through the basic point and shoot digitals, to a more advanced point and shoot, and about 18 months ago I bought a used Rebel XT from a friend. I thought the kit lens was a huge step up from the p-s cameras, and was amazed by the image quality of this lens. Most of my comparisons are to the Canon 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM lens, which was the other lens I was considering when I made this purchase. I have had the chance to use both, and am still happy with the choice I made.
The lens makes beautiful photos throughout its zoom range, although it likes natural light better than artificial. It is the best first upgrade I can imagine for anyone who isn't a professional, but then... you aren't really considering this lens if you are. If you do more of your shooting indoors, consider spending the extra $$ for the 28-135 IS USM, which handles low light better. Outdoors I find that this lens works better than the 28-135, producing sharper images especially when you are able to shoot at f7.1 or higher. Images are sharp, colors are true and beautiful, and this lens is capable of some stunning bokeh effects if you take the time to experiment with it. I am able to get sharp images all the way to f4.5 at 105mm, unlike some of the other reviewers here... maybe differences in copies of the lens? I'm not sure why, it just works.
Having said all that, lately I have had the opportunity to spend time shooting with different lenses, borrowing from a friend who is something of a semi-pro, and I am starting to see the weaknesses of this lens. As I mentioned before, it tends to focus slowly in low light situations, and images tend to be underexposed in tungsten light. It can be compensated for once you know about it, but the 28-135 IS is easier to use indoors. If you don't mind using flash it's no big deal, but it's worth mentioning. It's also a little short for my liking lately. I'm finding I prefer to sit outside the action where my presence won't influence the shot, and 105mm is sometimes a little short for that. That's more an issue of suitability rather than a weakness in this lens though.
In summary, this is the lens to get for the first upgrade from the kit lens. It works great as an every day lens, giving up only a little at the wide end compared to the kit lens, but capable of far sharper, brighter images everywhere. For the money you can't beat it. Would I replace it if lost or broken? You bet.
Digital camera Review: Great value lens with good quality
Summary: 4 Stars
After purchasing my first dslr (Canon Rebel XSI) I quickly discovered that the kit 18-55 just didn't have the range I needed. I somehow landed a job doing freelance work for the local newspaper the same day I got my camera, so I needed something that would give me more versatility on a very limited budget. After reading the reviews I ended up with this, and I've been pleased.
Granted, this is not an "L" lens, but at this price I wouldn't expect that. Also, if you have shaky hands or take a lot of photos in low light this may not be the right lens for you. It might be worth looking into the 55-250 IS. In decent light this lens takes beautiful photos, and I've had many successful results with it. It is great outdoors (I recommend purchasing a lens hood).
I recently purchased my first "L" lens--the 17-40mm, and while it's a great lens, the 28-105 still lives on my camera for its versatility. And even though I'm now in the market for something with IS, faster, and with more range, I think I'll still be hanging on to this one for awhile. If I wasn't serious about photography as a career and used this as just a hobby lens I would be thrilled. If you want something affordable with decent quality, I highly recommend this.
Digital camera Review: Great walk around lens
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the lens that I used to keep on my Rebel XT most of the time until I got the 17-40 f/4L. The 28-105 range on the Rebel is equivalent to 44-168 on a 35mm camera. The wide angle is a little lacking on a 1.6 crop camera but most of the time you can take a step back if you really need to. The ring-type USM provides fast, silent and accurate focus. Full time manual focus means you can easily adjust the focus without having to mess with any switches. The quality of the lens is way better than the EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens and for the money, it can't be beat. You have to step up to L lenses to beat the quality of this lens.
Make sure to get the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 II and not the cheaper f/4-5.6 It's definitely worth the difference.
Digital camera Review: Great, all purpose lens
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great all-purpose lens for Canon cameras. It covers the vast majority of situations that a typical photographer will run across and it works admirably across all of the major functions that one needs: autofocus is quick and accurate; zoom functions easily; lens quality is good; weight is reasonable; et cetera. There is nothing to dislike and the price is very reasonable too. One additional note: with the new 10D which I use this with, the digital magnification factor translates this to roughly a 45-160mm lens.Digital camera Review: Great, but little new
Summary: 4 Stars
Although this is a great lens overall, there is little new that the model II offers over the earlier version. The optics are the same, the only difference appears to be in the packaging. Even the canon web site admits that the lenses are identical "optically and mechanically", but it "has a leather toned exterior finish for a higher quality look." Big deal. That's not worth the extra $s you have to shell out for it. I'd rather hunt around for the earlier lens, which is substantially cheaper.