My favoritist lens, my canon efs 17-85 mm is stuck and needs to be fixed...
cost of fixing is unknown... they charge $50 for an estimate and this will go to the final cost if you go ahead with the fix...
time to fix is unknown... could be 4 to 8 weeks, altho' the guy said it is often quicker than that...
renting an equivalent lens in the meantime is $45 per week...
so - first question is - do i fix or replace? at the moment i am leaning towards replacing because cost of fixing is starting to creep up, and i'm just not sure i won't go snaky if i have to go without the zoom for upwards of a month....
second question is, if i replace, what with?
i can get the exact lens for, i think, a fairly decent price...
or i can upgrade to the EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 USM for quite a bit more, but still doable... i guess my main question is whether the extra speed is worth losing 30mm of zoom, plus it's a smidgeon heavier than my current lens...
what would you do?
if it helps any, i have a canon T2i, a good macro lens, and a good wide angle lens... i have the nifty fifty f/1.8 which i find too limiting for the kind of photography i like to do, and a crappy 55-250 telephoto which was comparatively cheap and behaves that way... i mostly shoot urban/street, architecture with some 'scapes thrown in for good measure...
I recently bought the 17-55 2.8 IS and it's bloody marvelous! Bokeh is smooth and buttery, focus is super fast (fast enough for the sports photos that I like to take) and it's pretty rugged. It is a touch heavier and the hood, should you use it, is pretty big aswell but it is a lovely lens and it's become my most used one. Taking low light shots indoors has become doable without walking backwards with my 50 1.8. Flare control is also impressive, I use flash a lot and if I'm outdoors then it tends to be facing the sun and rarely/never get problems.
It would compliment your 10-22 and 55-250 really nicely :) It is a little weighty but coupled with your camera body it wont feel like an anvil. So if it were me I'd replace, but if the price step up worries you then I suppose you could wait/rent but I'm sure that would get old quick.
If you want to see some examples I'll like you to a couple :) Hope that helps x
If you want to do anything that would be more low light than go for the speedier 17-55 f2.8. Otherwise I think I would just replace it and see if your local shop would give you any sort of cash for them to buy and fix the lens. I do a lot of action in dim gyms but when I am not doing that I really like my nikon 24-85 f3.5-4.5mm, I think the 30mm is to much to sacrifice.
@davidwren tx David! price isn't an issue (at least, not in this case - i'm not at "price is no object" photography gear yet ;p)... wouldn't mind a link to some of your photos shot with the 17-55 so i can get a sense of the range... when i look at my own photos, many are shot at the 85mm end, and often zoomed further in cropping... i seem to be all over the map when it comes to focal length
The 17-55mm is certainly the best quality lens that Canon make in this range, and well worth considering if you can put up with the lack of reach. As you have the 55-250mm, you do at least have the other focal range covered.
Have you considered doing a quick survey of the photos that you've taken and seeing what focal lengths you commonly use? If you find you're constantly using 70-85mm focal lengths, that might suggest that you should buy a replacement that covers that range, whereas if you are mostly at or below 55mm, then you'd probably be happy with the 17-55.
As you have quite a few photos on Flickr, you can use this Flickr app to do the analysis for you:
If you do think you want the longer range, then the Canon 15-85mm lens is well worth considering. It's not as fast as the 17-55mm lens, but it covers a similar (slightly better) focal range than your current lens, and is sharper and higher quality, and costs less than the 17-55mm as well. I'd still go with the 17-55mm personally if I could afford it, but if you want the wider range then the 15-85mm is a nice upgrade from the 17-85mm without breaking the bank or losing flexibility.
I'm sure you'll be able to tell which are wide angle etc. Most are either fully zoomed or nearly all the way in, I do end up cropping a few but the quality tends to be nice enough that it doesn't make much difference you know? Also encourages getting up close and personal, like this pretty funny shot! http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-28 shot at 17mm
Incidentally, if the issue with the 17-85mm is the common 'stuck zoom' problem then it's a very easy fix and shouldn't cost much. I'd personally send it direct to Canon as I don't think they charge to give a repair estimate, and if they do repair it, it typically comes back absolutely spotlessly clean, inside and out.
If you or someone you know someone is confident taking things apart, it's actually quite feasible to repair it at home -- there are a few tutorials online such as this one:
It is a little complicated, so I wouldn't advise doing so if you take things apart and can't get them back together again ;), but there's very little that can go badly wrong if you follow the instructions carefully (you're not touching any of the lens alignment screws so you shouldn't decalibrate the lens or anything)
There is a good video on fixing this yourself you can find on line, just google "stuck Canon zoom" and it will come up. I would attempt that, if I were you, whether or not I bought a new lens. But I do tend toward being reckless, by way of full disclosure.
Best choice I feel I ever made, was going for the Sigma DC 18-200mm; it's 'only' 1:3.5-6.3, but quick and gives me an amazing range. And it's rather inexpensive. You get a lot for your money.
I had to make this decision recently when my kit lens packed up. I too have a Canon (500D), nifty fifty, wide angle and a 55-250. I looked at all the choices and they were between the 15-85 and the 17-55 and I have decided to go for the latter based on aperture and quality. Apparently the only reason it isn't an "L" is because it is an EF-S lens.
@cally It's also not weather-sealed, which L-glass general-purpose zoom lenses almost always are. But as there aren't any Canon APS-C cameras with weather sealing, that's a fairly moot point.
Since getting the Canon 24-105mm , I can't live without the extra reach! I tried it out for the first time when we all met in TO and loved it. The Brookfield pics were taken with that lens and all my recent building shots (most taken from the car).
I've got the 17-85 and changed out the aperture cable a year or two ago when it failed on our vacation to Hawaii. It went back together with a bit of effort but now feels better than when it came apart. Two weeks ago, I upgraded my camera body and replaced it with a 15-85 'cause I like the length but wanted the added clarity that the 15-85 is known for.
@4umfreak tx Mark... i've been wondering about the difference between the 17-85 and the 15-85... the extra bit of wide angle is sweet, but i am not convinced it is necessary for the extra $200... good to hear that you've found it to be an improvement over the 17-85... tx!
@russianblue aargh!!! sure - go ahead... throw something else into the mix! the added reach would be lovely - as is the fact that it's an L lens and if i ever upgraded to full-frame would still be usable... but i actually think i might miss the wider angle... i think i use 17 as much as, if not more than 85...
@davidwren@abirkill , (and anyone else who cares to comment), Sorry I don't mean to hijack this thread but since you were talking about canon lens's.....Just a quick question....
My husband brought me as a suprise a canon eos 60d which comes with a canon 18-135mmlens. He also went ahead and brought me a canon ef35mm f2 wide-angle lens. My question is , as a newbie, do you think I need the 2nd lens at this stage. It hasn't arrived yet and i am tempted to tell him to cancel that order and get the money back , also my father said the 35mm wasnt going to do much more than the first one. I f you have time I would love to get your opinons. Thanks and sorry again for the hijack !
@bristolrose Kathryn, interesting point and I am sure many will respond. Yes the the lenses will do the same but the speed of the ef35 at f2 is great for nigh time and depth of field. It may be one of those things that you will always have a favourite lens but never enough.
Hope this helps, keep it and enjoy, sometimes set yourself a challenge to get a good shot with the fixed lens
@bristolrose I've had a little play with that 35mm f/2.0 and it's pretty nice. Will be great for low light situations because that lower f-stop of 2.0 will enable higher shutter speeds, reducing motion blur etc. Plus, it'll be good if you don't want to carry around a bulky lens or need to be more discrete. 35mm on a crop sensor camera like your 60D has a similar field of view as a 50mm lens would have on a full frame, what many people call a "Standard" lens. It'll be a nice one to have and you'll certainly find use for it, I say keep it for sure :)
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It would compliment your 10-22 and 55-250 really nicely :) It is a little weighty but coupled with your camera body it wont feel like an anvil. So if it were me I'd replace, but if the price step up worries you then I suppose you could wait/rent but I'm sure that would get old quick.
If you want to see some examples I'll like you to a couple :) Hope that helps x
Don't suppose your lens is covered on your home insurance?
Have you considered doing a quick survey of the photos that you've taken and seeing what focal lengths you commonly use? If you find you're constantly using 70-85mm focal lengths, that might suggest that you should buy a replacement that covers that range, whereas if you are mostly at or below 55mm, then you'd probably be happy with the 17-55.
As you have quite a few photos on Flickr, you can use this Flickr app to do the analysis for you:
http://www.flickr.com/services/apps/72157603013068573/
If you do think you want the longer range, then the Canon 15-85mm lens is well worth considering. It's not as fast as the 17-55mm lens, but it covers a similar (slightly better) focal range than your current lens, and is sharper and higher quality, and costs less than the 17-55mm as well. I'd still go with the 17-55mm personally if I could afford it, but if you want the wider range then the 15-85mm is a nice upgrade from the 17-85mm without breaking the bank or losing flexibility.
http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-18
http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-15
http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-13
http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-11
http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-02
I'm sure you'll be able to tell which are wide angle etc. Most are either fully zoomed or nearly all the way in, I do end up cropping a few but the quality tends to be nice enough that it doesn't make much difference you know? Also encourages getting up close and personal, like this pretty funny shot! http://365project.org/davidwren/365/2013-03-28 shot at 17mm
If you or someone you know someone is confident taking things apart, it's actually quite feasible to repair it at home -- there are a few tutorials online such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qml1ukgm58Q
It is a little complicated, so I wouldn't advise doing so if you take things apart and can't get them back together again ;), but there's very little that can go badly wrong if you follow the instructions carefully (you're not touching any of the lens alignment screws so you shouldn't decalibrate the lens or anything)
My husband brought me as a suprise a canon eos 60d which comes with a canon 18-135mmlens. He also went ahead and brought me a canon ef35mm f2 wide-angle lens. My question is , as a newbie, do you think I need the 2nd lens at this stage. It hasn't arrived yet and i am tempted to tell him to cancel that order and get the money back , also my father said the 35mm wasnt going to do much more than the first one. I f you have time I would love to get your opinons. Thanks and sorry again for the hijack !
Hope this helps, keep it and enjoy, sometimes set yourself a challenge to get a good shot with the fixed lens