Zooming range of 28-200mm without needed to change lenses.
Build quality is solid. I feel like it's a tough lens.
fast and silent zoom thanks to the USM.
Pretty short for a lens that zooms out to 200mm. And when it does, it's nice and long in appearance.
Front element does not rotate and that's outstanding.

zoom creep, though it's way less "creepy" than the 28-105 or 28-135.
not the greatest for indoor photography.

I purchased this lens (canon refurb) recently and I adore it. It's now my daily carry lens. Back when I was daily carry lenses with a max range of 105 or 135mm I was missing out on a greater range. I would miss certain shots due to this. I've always wished for a lens that would do the job of my daily carry and my longer zoom. This lens does just that!
Yes, it's large and heavy compared to a kit lens or the 28-105, but it's right on par in terms of weight and size with the Canon 28-135.
I honestly like the 72mm filter size.
I got the hood for mine and I'm snapping photos like crazy.
Again, like I mentioned before, I tend to take more shots with this "always on hand" greater range.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-105mm
Canon 75-300mm
Canon 80-200mm

Convenient focal lengths for full frame cameras/film

Soft as a marshmallow Died after about a year Too long at the wide end for APS-C digital chips

For a long time I thought this lens was decent. Then I got a wide format printer and realized that nothing I've taken is sharp, even with a tripod. I let my friend borrow it for a week while I borrowed her 28 & 50mm primes, and at the end of the week we were both crying (she was crying about the bad quality of the pix she had taken with this lens, I was crying because I had to give back the sharp primes). This lens is going on eBay post haste, to be replaced by some sharper lenses. The only people I would recommend this to are those who will for sure not want to print anything bigger than 8x10, or are ok with convenience over quality.

Customer Service

Got it fixed quickly by Canon when the AF died. Can't remember if it was still under warranty. Don't think it was, but it wasn't too expensive to fix.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-80 (garbage) Canon 75-300 (garbage)

Good zoom range Has a nice heft to it and feels solid As I said before, it takes great snapshots when being serious does not matter

You get what you pay for! It's NO "L" The USM is louder than I would like but OK Sometimes gets confused on what to focus on.

I bought this lens as a travel and a non serious knock aroud lens and am well pleased for what it is. The photos are sharp enough for general snapshots and places where carrying more than one lens would be back breaking

Customer Service

It's Canon - Never needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon 24-70mm L Canon 70-200mm L IS Canon 16-35mm L sigma 120-300 2.8 Tamron 28-200mm XRII

Versatility Outdoors. Ultra Sonic Motor. Sharpness for the price. Quality of Construction. Focal Length Range of Zoom.

No Image Stabalization. Not the greatest indoor lens. Cost of Filters

I am defineately no professional. Unfortuneately, I cannot describe this lens with a great deal of technical terms. However, I have found this lens to be very good in terms of quality of my pictures and lens construction. After some 20 years of using 35mm Point and Shoot I have now began my trek to one day (hopefully) becoming an accomplished amateur photographer. I recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel Ti and Rebel 2000 in April of this year. I have also put together a nice little collection of lenses. In the past six months I have shot well over a 1500 pictures. I had a Fugica 35mm and a Canon AE 1 some 20 years ago, but a great deal of time has passed so I view myself as a beginner again. This is one of my favorite lenses for landscape and travel photography. The focal length covered in the zoom range is fantastic. This lens is far better than the Sigma 55-200mm Lens I also have. Plus it is more versatile than my other Zooms. Canon Quality is defineately evident. Ultra Sonic Motor focuses fast and quietly. I want to purchase the Canon EF 28-135mm AF Image Stabalization USM for indoor use without flash. However, since I have that focal length covered, I find it hard to justify the cost. I still want it though. I use this lens on my Canon EOS Rebel Ti and Rebel 2000. This is one of my favorite lenses.

Customer Service

Canon Customer Care via email has been fantastic.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 28-80 AF Mini Zoom Macro, Sigma 100-300 Telephoto Zoom AF DL, Sigma 55-200mm AF, Tamron 19-35 AF Super Wide Angle, Sigma 50mm AF EX Macro (Prime), Sigma 105mm AF EX Macro (Prime).

SIZE COMPACT

SOFT NOT SHARP CUSTOMER SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA(BRENT) SUCKS, HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW OF IT EXISTANCE IN THE CANON LENS RANGE

GOT THIS LENS TRHU A FRIEND WHO WAS IN JAPAN SO I COULDN'T REALLY TEST IT (THE SHOPS IN THE CITY WHERE I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA DIDN'T HAVE IT ON STOCK) SO IT WAS THE ZOOM RANGE THAT APPEAL ME THE MOST, AS I HAD THE BASIC KIT 28-80 PLUS 75-300 AND WAS SICK OF HAVING TO SWITCH LENSES ALL THE TIME...I FINALLY GOT THE LENS AND DECIDED TO TEST IT AGAINST THE OTHER TWO IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FOCAL RANGES USING A TRIPOD AND A CABLE RELEASE, USING THE BUILT IN FLASH OF THE CAMERA AND NOT USING IT...I COULDN'T BELIEVE I PAID SO MUCH FOR SOMETHING THAT OPTICALLY IS NO BETTER THAN THE TWO BASIC LENSES! THE 200 END IS NOT 200!!!!!!AND IS BLOODY SOFT IN THE EDGES IT'S NO JOKE, AS WELL AS IN THE 28 END. IT HAS BARREL DISTORTION TOO AND YOU CAN ONLY ATTACH ONE, YES "ONE" SCREW-IN FILTER AT THE TIME, OTHERWISE YOU END UP WITH SOME TERRIBLE, DISGUSTING VIGNETTING ON ALL FOUR CORNERS!!! I RECKON CANON SHOULD PULL THE FINGER OUT AND PULL THEIR SOCKS ON THIS ONE!!! I TEST IT LATER AGAINST THE 28-135 IMAGE STABILIZER, AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE...FOCUSSING WAS FAST AND SMOTH AND EVEN LOOKED LIKE I HAD MORE LIKE COMING THRU THE LENS TO THE VIEWFINDER.. NEVERTHELESS IS A GOOD LENS FOR TRAVELLING I THINK . I SOLD IT A MONTH LATER...END OF STORY

Customer Service

SUCKS IN AUSTRALIA

Similar Products Used:

28-80 75-300 28-135

Build Handling Speed of focus - considering what it is

Poor image quality

I like the handling of this lens though some say it is a bit bulky. I have only really used it much over the last few months on my 10D though I originally bought it as an 'all in one' holiday lens. I have to say that I have been disappointed by the quality of the images my lens has produced and it will be sold on as soon as I can. It is the least sharp of the lenses I own and this shows up probably more on a 10D where I am printing more stuff on A4 than I did on 'normal' film where invariably it was only printing at 7x5. It focuses quick enough though it is the cheaper USM motor and has better chances of locking on than my wifes new Tamron 28-200.

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

28-135IS, Tamron 28-200 (old and new type)

Price - can be had for under $600 Australian 7x zoom factor reasonable sharpness up to 150mm

Flare - get the hood 72mm filter size Hard to find - I think it is being discontinued distortion at 28mm sharpness at 200mm zoom creap - the barrel will extend when being carried

I was originally looking at the legendary 28-135 IS as a replacement for the kit 28-90mm that came with my EOS 300, however when Canon dropped the price of this lense by 50% I found it too good to refuse. Since then, the 7x zoom factor has save my bacon on a number of occasions. If you want an all purpose lense, this one is for you. Sharpness at 200mm is a bit on the soft side, but you are talking about serious dollars to do better. As expected on a lens like this, there is some distortion at the 28mm end. I am considering a wide-angle zoom or maybe a 24mm prime since I shoot a lot of ocean scenes with the horizon. With the front element being 72mm, flare can be an issue. It is disappointing that Canon do not include the hood, rather it is a AU$65 addition. Also, don't expect your filters to be cheap. In summary, this is a great do-anything lens. At the current price, it is hard to match. If sharpness is your overriding concern, consider the 28-135 IS or an L-series lens. But for 6 by 4 prints, the extra cost will not be easily noticed.

Customer Service

Thankfully not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-90mm kit lens - junk.

FAST FAST FAST AF!! Price just recently dropped to upper $300's at online stores.

price hood comes separately, is $35 soft at 200 end.

This is a lens which is hard to compare to the other 28-200s out there in terms of one very important thing; price. But from the reviews and articles I've read on the Sigma, Tokina and Tamron 28-200's out there, the Canon BLOWS THEM OFF THE ROAD. And I would have to agree. The advantages are numerous. First, it's the only 28-200 I know of which has a tough metal zooming ring (very fat, easy to grab). Second, it's got the fabulous Canon USM motor in it, which focuses in a blink in all but the darkest areas. And I know that Sigma and Tamron can't even hope to catch up. Third, the focus ring is thin, but rubberized and notchy for gripping, and has a fast turning rate (don't have to turn and turn the ring to get to focus you want) so you can snap on to wha you want, even in MF. Highly recommend if you only want to carry one lens! The only bad thing about it as a lens is that the 200mm end is sadly noticeably soft. If you want to go beyond this lens's capabilities, you will have to go pro with the "L" lenses, because there are none more versatile or fast.

Similar Products Used:

Canon elan 7, 22-55 USM, 50 f/1.8, Promaster 80-210

Optical quality, well built, focal range, and it''''''''s a Canon, not a Sigma, Tamrom...

auto focus not so fast as other USM lenses, should be a ring type US.

Probaly the 28-200 USM is the best consumer lens made by Canon, okay, it''''''''s not an L series and the micro USM is not so fast as ring type USM, but this is a great lens, with good optical quality even when it''''''''s wide open. It works very well for traveling and also for books and sports photography. It''''''''s nice to take in one shot a beatiful sunrise at 28mm and in one second, on the next shot, a nice candid of a children playing. A great consumer lens by a great price, just take care with flare, because of it''''''''s great front element. Buy it with the hood.

Customer Service

not needed for any of my Canons in many years.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 70-200 f4L, 300 f 4L IS, 28-135 USM IS, 17-35 L USM, Sigma 50-500 EX HSM (trash)

Clear and sharp pictures. Single lens that covers a very useful range. Non-rotating front element.

Bigger and heavier than the Tamron 28-200 XR. Mounted flash required. Slight fish-eye at 28mm.

I purchased the non-USM version of this lens because I found myself quite limited with the 35-80 that came with my rebel G. I''m still a beginner, but this is a really fun lens to own. At 72mm filter size, it also impresses all the non-photographers in the room. I shoot mostly people at parties and weddings. The 28-200 is more than adequate for any situation I''ve come across so far. It is a fair bit sharper than my 35-80 on 4x6 prints and there is a very noticeable improvement in colour and clarity on 5x7. I generally use Kodak gold 200 film for both outdoor and interior lighting. I also looked at the Tamron 28-200 XR which is much lighter and smaller. Optically it was the same, however, the Canon turned out to be cheaper. I purchased the hood based on reviews I read here. I haven''t tested whether or not there is much flare without it. However, having the hood on (whether reversed or not) blocks the builtin flash even at 28mm. Removing the hood will still block the flash when the lens is extended. Therefore I strongly recommend that one use a mounted flash with this lens. I noticed a slight fish-eye effect at 28mm when I took a picture in between two buildings. This was apparent on 4x6 prints. It is slow at focusing in low light situations (non-USM). Overall, I''m thrilled with this lens. I no longer feel limited on what I can shoot..

Customer Service

N/A{

Similar Products Used:

35-80 III