[shoplink 2165][/shoplink]

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
[shopcountry 2165]

The Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lens wasn’t highly regarded when it was announced. The price tag and questioning about the need of IS for a wide angle lens were the main critics. However, things changed. First of all, the lenses price dropped in the months after its announcement, and for the time being the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS is on sale with a $150 discount (in the US) and has a [shoplink 2165]price tag of $649[/shoplink]. That’s rather ok for a lens with such good characteristics. Let’s see the specs (taken from Adorama’s product page):

• Optical Image Stabilizer provides up to 4 shutter speed stops ofcorrection.
• Ring USM, high-speed CPU, and optimized AF algorithms for fast autofocusing.
• Full-time manual focus for manual adjustment while in AF mode.
• Aspherical lens elements improve peripheral image quality.
• Circular diaphragm (7 blades) delivers beautiful, soft backgrounds.
• Silent and smooth operation makes it suitable for video shooting.
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.23m.
• Compact design

The Phoblographer had his hands on the EF 28mm, and they were fairly impressed by the super fast AF, the brilliant colors, the build quality and the small size. The lens was tested using a [shoplink 254]Canon EOS 5D Mark II[/shoplink]. In the conclusion they write:

We really have to admit: we’re extremely pleased with what Canon is doing with this lens so far. The colors are awesome, the blur free possibilities is an excellent bonus, the sharpness is brilliant, and focusing is like I gave my 5D Mk II steroids. When you consider the fairly affordable price too, you’ll realize that you’re getting quite a sweet deal.

The review comes with plenty of sample images. IQ is really good, though there is some vignetting. I own the previous iteration (without IS) and it always was a lens that I loved to use. On an APS-C sensor the Ef 28mm becomes a (more or less) normal lens.

ephotozine reviewed Canon’s new [shoplink 2163]EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM ($850, click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 2165]EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM ($800, click here)[/shoplink]. Both lenses are the second iteration, adding Image Stabilization and USM to its features. They replace some rather old, and affordable, lenses, the EF 24mm f/2.8 ($374, click here) and the EF 28mm f/2.8 ($259, click here). These lenses are somewhat discussed. They have good performance but it is common opinion that the price tag is a little exaggerated. However, all reviews I saw are crediting these lenses having good optical properties and overall performance. These lenses are particularly useful for videographers. ephotozine wanted to have a closer look on both lenses.

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM Pros (click here for the review)

• Good build quality
  Lightweight
  Image Stabilisation
  Excellent sharpness
  Focuses close

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM Pros (click here for the review)

• Good build quality
  Lightweight
  Image Stabilisation
  Outstanding sharpness
  Focuses close

Finally, I want to feature a post by Scott Bourne about how important new glasses are for new DSLRs. The article takes AF performance as an example: if you are not using pro glasses on pro gear you can’t expect that your DSLR will perform as expected. And there is more (emphasis mine):

I spoke with Canon representatives who prefer to remain unnamed and they admitted that the new AF systems on the [shoplink 2431]5D Mk III[/shoplink]and [shoplink 4119]1DX[/shoplink] are optimized to work with the newest, fastest glass.

So the thing to know is this. If you expect a remarkable improvement in AF just because you buy a new 5D MK III or 1DX you may be slightly disappointed. You need that fast, new glass too.

Simple, isn’t it? :-) Good that there is a huge Canon lenses August discount program going on (click here)!

EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM price check: [shopcountry 2165] EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM price check: [shopcountry 2163]