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Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?

Started 5 months ago | Discussions
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy Regular Member • Posts: 438
Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?

Dear Board,

I had the lens and used it on a 20D and 40D with what I considered to be excellent results.  I found it to be a great one lens solution for traveling vacation shooting.  90% of my shooting was done outdoors shooting landscapes and scenics, with and without people in them.

Since I moved on to doing more bird and wildlife shooting, I got rid of the lens.  Now that I have a 7D that I love, I am looking for a one lens solution for the general work.

Is this still a viable lens, or is there something better to consider?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA

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Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

 Tim Murphy's gear list:Tim Murphy's gear list
Olympus SP-350 Olympus C-2040 Zoom Olympus C-5050 Zoom Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom Canon PowerShot S90 +36 more
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Trevor Sowers
Trevor Sowers Senior Member • Posts: 1,605
Re: Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?
3

Tim Murphy wrote:

Dear Board,

I had the lens and used it on a 20D and 40D with what I considered to be excellent results. I found it to be a great one lens solution for traveling vacation shooting. 90% of my shooting was done outdoors shooting landscapes and scenics, with and without people in them.

Since I moved on to doing more bird and wildlife shooting, I got rid of the lens. Now that I have a 7D that I love, I am looking for a one lens solution for the general work.

Is this still a viable lens, or is there something better to consider?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA

For a one lens solution it's probably the best IMO..

Some will say the 18-135 is better but I disagree and I have both.

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 Trevor Sowers's gear list:Trevor Sowers's gear list
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Canon EOS Rebel SL2 Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Canon EF 35mm F1.4L USM +21 more
TeeJay626 Contributing Member • Posts: 569
Re: Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?
1

Tim Murphy wrote:

Dear Board,

I had the lens and used it on a 20D and 40D with what I considered to be excellent results. I found it to be a great one lens solution for traveling vacation shooting. 90% of my shooting was done outdoors shooting landscapes and scenics, with and without people in them.

Since I moved on to doing more bird and wildlife shooting, I got rid of the lens. Now that I have a 7D that I love, I am looking for a one lens solution for the general work.

Is this still a viable lens, or is there something better to consider?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA

The 15-85 is still an excellent lens for the focal range it has.  It's getting harder to find new, as well as good used copies.  There are a couple of alternatives to consider as well.  Many will recommend the newest EF-S 18-135 nano USM, which is a very good lens.  For me, I love my Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 Contemporary.  Not quite as much focal range, however the sharpness is excellent, and can be had at a great price.  Plus, it's a faster lens.

I've used the Sigma on a variety of cameras, from the T3i, 60D, 77D and 80D, and now I adapt it to my R7 and R10.  The lens is fantastic on my R bodies and I know it will be great on the 7D.

 TeeJay626's gear list:TeeJay626's gear list
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 Canon EOS R7 Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM | C Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM +3 more
Tim Murphy
OP Tim Murphy Regular Member • Posts: 438
Re: Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?
2

Thanks for the responses.  I managed to find a used 15-85 IS USM on Black Friday.  I really like the focal length range and I'm sure I'll be happy with it once again.

Regards.

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA

-- hide signature --

Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

 Tim Murphy's gear list:Tim Murphy's gear list
Olympus SP-350 Olympus C-2040 Zoom Olympus C-5050 Zoom Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom Canon PowerShot S90 +36 more
Keros Junior Member • Posts: 38
Re: Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?

I still use it on my SL2. This lens sort of gives me the Canon 24-85 vibe, it's kind of old and dated, there are better alternatives out there both from Canon and third parties, but it's still a decent choice for general purpose use.

For me, other than telephoto lenses I use for wildlife, the two lenses I use the most are either this 15-85, or the Sigma 18-35/1.8. 15-85 for general outdoor, the 18-35 for indoor (although outdoor is perfectly fine as well). I rarely need that much zoom anyway in indoor so the 18-35 is more than enough.

akustykmagmanetpl Senior Member • Posts: 1,363
Re: Canon EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or something else on a 7D?

I used recently 15-85 with 70D and was quite pleased. my copy was decentered and I eventually sold it because right part of the frame was often enough unsharp while left and center were spot on but if you manage to get nice copy - it's worth trying, sure. it still performs very nice 20 Mpix

Tim Murphy wrote:

Dear Board,

I had the lens and used it on a 20D and 40D with what I considered to be excellent results. I found it to be a great one lens solution for traveling vacation shooting. 90% of my shooting was done outdoors shooting landscapes and scenics, with and without people in them.

Since I moved on to doing more bird and wildlife shooting, I got rid of the lens. Now that I have a 7D that I love, I am looking for a one lens solution for the general work.

Is this still a viable lens, or is there something better to consider?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA

 akustykmagmanetpl's gear list:akustykmagmanetpl's gear list
Canon EOS 10D Canon EOS 80D Canon 6D Mark II Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM +9 more
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