Canon EF 22-55mm f/4-5.6 USM Reviews

Rating
Reviewed by:

rogerslade
( Expert)

Review Date
May 5, 2005

Overall Rating
5 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 1 of 22

Price Paid: $100.00 from ebay

Summary:

I was a bit doubtful about buying this lens as I had heard various reports about it - some good, some bad but I wanted a wide angle zoom for a trip to Rome but did not want to spend a fortune.

Strengths:

Good wide angle coverage with acceptable distortion. Contrast and definition when closed down proved to be extremely good.

Weaknesses:

Not very solidly constructed although it did survive being dropped 3 feet onto concrete by my wife! Prone to flare so a lens hood is essential. Wide open apertures best avoided.

Similar Products Used:

None

Customer Service:

N/A

Would you like to Comment?
Join PhotographyReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by:

marty01_uk
( Intermediate)

Review Date
December 18, 2004

Overall Rating
3 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 2 of 22

Price Paid: $70.00 from ebay

Summary:

I can see where they ar coming from with this lens.but by making it so small and light they have ruined what could have ben an excellent lens lack of contrast throughout the zoom range and lots of vignetting at wide.It needs to be used at at least f8 or even smaller to get good results. It's achilles heel is also its saving grace.It is very light and compact ideal for travelling and it is also cheap for a zoom of this range.

Strengths:

Cheap light wide andgle zoom

Weaknesses:

no good till you get to f8 build quality

Similar Products Used:

canon l series sigma ex

Would you like to Comment?
Join PhotographyReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by: Xpose_biz
(Professional)

Review Date
August 17, 2003

Overall Rating
3 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.67 of 5,
3 votes

Review 3 of 22

Price Paid: $150.00 from eBay

Summary:

I first got this lens when I bought my Canon D60 digital SLR and this makes an attractive cheap option for a first short range zoom. The 22mm end is short enough to get you good indoor shots and up close people work, the 55mm just long enough to reach a few metres to the other side of the room. Build quality is at the lower end of the scale and generally the lens is quite soft at virtually every focal length. It's best shot at around f9.0 or even more to sharpen up the images. It is very light however and you won't even notice it's on the body most of the time. It does need a lot of flash light to keep it producing decent work when in the dark or indoors, due to its high f-stop range (f4-5.6). Although this lens was originally made for film cameras, it suits the digital enthusiast looking to add a bit of closer range work to their kit, for not many $$. As a shorter walk-around digital zoom lens for an enthusiast working in bright outdoor conditions, it can be shot at around f9.0 with success.

Strengths:

Light, cheap, versatile.

Weaknesses:

Build quality. Soft when shot wide open. Needs a lot of light to perform at its best.

Customer Service:

N/A

Would you like to Comment?
Join PhotographyReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by: qchan
(Beginner)

Review Date
January 8, 2003

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 4 of 22

Price Paid: $0.00 from Germany

Summary:

I love this lens. It has a fast AF (faster than my EF 50mm 1.8), its very light weight and compact and the best thing is it has the absolute unique focal lengths ranging from 22 to 55mm. And the price is even better. Yes it is cheap, and therefore it’s also cheap made, but it’s light and that’s good for me. The only real contra is the maximum aperture is not very high. But nevertheless this lens has so many pros it became my favorite lens and stayed 80% on my EOS300.

Strengths:

Zoom Range Fast AF Light & Compact (I love plastic!)

Weaknesses:

Slow Aperture

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 50mm 1.8 mk II Many zooms but no one in this zoom range.

Customer Service:

Never used.

Would you like to Comment?
Join PhotographyReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by: R_ N
(Intermediate)

Review Date
November 14, 2002

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 5 of 22

Price Paid: $69.00 from B&H/used

Summary:

Really decent performance for what it is. A good budget choice. At f8, f11: slides looked sharp and contrasty edge to edge w/ 8x loupe. I was pleasantly suprised by its performance. Bought this lens 'cos it was as cheap as a filter and because Canon hasn't come out with a 24mm f2.8 USM lens yet! I'm giving this 4 stars within its category, dinging it for tricky manual focus.

Strengths:

Very reasonable budget choice for wide angle. Compact size. Nice wide-angle complement to a lightweight, low-cost kit. 58 mm filter size.

Weaknesses:

Filter rotates while focusing, making use of circular polarizer a 2-handed operation. Manual focusing a bit tricky, but manageable. Has USM, but not full time manual focusing. Does not match performance of more expensive primes and zooms. I would say plastic mount a weakness, but makes no difference in practice. Out of production. Find a closeout or buy used.

Similar Products Used:

28-105 MkII 3.5-4.5 USM. A definite step up in optics and handling.

Customer Service:

The best: never used. However, I've received several cordial responses to my repeated suggestions that they come out with a 24mm f2/8 USM lens retaining 58mm filter size and with updated optics.

Would you like to Comment?
Join PhotographyReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.