Hynes Family News

I am thinking about getting the Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM for portraiture and travel use. However, I don't know very much about it. Does anyone have any experience using this lense? Is it bad, good, or exceptional for the price tag ($300 lowest)? The only thing negative I've heard is that the focus is a little soft. Is that reason to not buy it? What is the IS like? How many stops of light does it save you? Does anyone recommend a different lens for portraiture that is affordable yet very high quality?

Thanks for the insight!

Here's a pro's take on that lens. If you're looking for a high quality lens this doesn't seem like your best choice. 

Pro Photographer:

"I don't care how cheaply they're selling it for, Canon EF 28-135mm isn't worth the money. It has shoddy build quality, suffers from zoom creep, the IS is Canon's first generation and worth one and a half stops at best, being f/5.6 max. aperture at the long end it has poor autofocus performance in low light, the images produce lack contrast and it has significant sharpness problems.

I had three copies of this lens. Rejected two of them out of hand for poor performance and kept the best of them because people convinced me that it "was Canon's best consumer zoom" so I thought it must be me. When I learned a bit more I sent it in to Canon CPS to be calibrated. After being returned to CPS (Canon Professional Services) three times they eventually assured me that it was "perfect". It wasn't; in fact it was far from it.

You will get better optical performance from any number of third party standard zoom lenses and even Canon ones including the 28-105mm.  If you don't believe me on that one check out the lens test results here"
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_28105_3545/index.htm
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_28135_3556_is/index.htm

I hope this helps you make your decision.

Could you tell me the specs and the price-range you're looking at? With some more info I might be able to give you some other suggestions. Are you just trying to get an inexpensive lens or are you trying to get a high quality lens that you would be satisfied with for a long time?

The 50-70mm range is commonly used for portraits. There are a huge number of lenses to pick from in that range. What kind of portraits do you want to do? Indoors/studio or outdoors? Flash or non-flash? Tripod or non-tripod? Your answers to these questions will determine what minimum aperture you need, what focal range you need, and whether you really need IS.

Tim,

Thanks for giving that review. Actually, that was the first truly negative review I had heard about it. I knew the focus was a little soft, but I didn't think it was as bad as was given. What do you think about this review (from a professional source):

"When someone is looking for a good quality but affordable walkaround lens, the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens is one of the lenses I will often recommend to them. Though this lens gets some professional use, the 28-135 IS is an upper-medium grade consumer lens with image stabilization and a great focal length range. 

"The Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens focuses reasonably fast and very quietly thanks to Canon's USM. Initial acquisition is very fast - the lens then makes a secondary fine-tuning adjustment if necessary for very accurate focusing. ...

"Next to the great focal length range, Image Stabilization (IS) is my favorite Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens feature. Some debate the usefulness of IS in a shorter focal length zoom lens, but I think it is great. To activate IS, simply turn the IS switch to the on position and press the shutter release half way. You will hear the stabilizer start up (a click and then a continuous hum - they are not loud). The image in the viewfinder will jump slightly (this is an older version of IS - but still very useful) and the viewfinder will become still (unlike camera-based IS). Keep in mind that the version of IS on this lens needs to be turned off when tripod-mounted. Not doing so may cause the image stabilizer to act erratically. ...

"If you are looking for a good value 28mm-something zoom lens and your budget limits you to the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens' price range, look no farther. The Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens provides a great focal length range, reasonably sharp images and IS at a decent price point and in a relatively small package. This is a very popular lens - and for good reasons."

Read the full review at: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-28-135mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx. The cons seem to be highly technical, not being outweighed by the pros.

But now let me get to the real point. You asked some really good questions and if you could find something better than the 28-135 still at a reasonable price range, I would be thrilled!

1) Price Range - I do not have much to spend. Working as a full time volunteer, I can't afford to buy L-series glass. This is my future goal, however, when I can somehow make enough money from the photography to pay for it. Something under $500.

2) Quality - I can't afford professional quality (L-series) so I want the next best thing.

3) Focal Distance - I have the kit lens 18-55 which I want to get away from for walk-around use. Average 35-100?

4) Portraiture - Full body as well as headshots with same lens without getting up in their face. Outdoor on-location portraiture shoots.

5) Flash - Usually shooting without flash (but shooting with flash indoors)

6) Tripod - Usually shooting without a tripod, even indoors

7) IS - Definatly. No question about it.

Thank you so much Tim, for looking into this. Looking forward to hearing back from you!

It seems to me that the reviews are saying the 28-135 IS is just a  so-so lens (i.e. not really good or really bad). 

 Here are a few other options:

1. Canon 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS This lens doesn't have as much zoom as you'd like, but you can be sure that it will have high quality optics. Highly recommended by professionals for portrait use.
2. Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 This lens doesn't have IS, but makes up for it by having a larger aperture. Recommended by professionals.
3. Canon 50mm f/1.8 This is a very good buy. You can get that amazing f/1.8 aperture for only $85! There is no need for IS on a 50mm at high apertures.
   

 What did you end up getting? How do you like it?