Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM now available!

[KeithAndrews.TV]

Just bought one tonight on Ebay for $829 from Canon Authorized Dealer Gary Camera in Indiana. There are 2 more remaining as of 9pm EST.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EF-S-15-85mm-f-3-5-5-6-IS-USM-lens-NEW-USA_W0QQitemZ330366584905QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera _Lenses?hash=item4ceb620849

Hopefully have it in a few days and will be doing a thorough review on the build and optical quality of the lens. If everything works out allright, I may not be taking this lens off the camera very often.

Not too worried that it isn't EF glass because if I ever upgrade to full frame, this would be the lens to sell with the 7D as the kit lens.

[commanderspike]

If I go and get a 7D, this would be the lens I choose.

Interested to here any reviews or views about this lens. I am excited for it. 15mm - wow.

[KeithAndrews.TV]

15mm - wow.

Exactly. All the wide you need without the extreme barrel distortion, and wider and longer than the current 17mm offerings from Canon. It's not constant aperture, but I think I can live. Especially at the price point.

[seven.b]

How do you guys think the wider focal lengths of this lens will stack up against the 17-40mm f4L lens from Canon? Other than build quality/ease of use, what about the 24-70mm L lens?

Thanks, I have a 7D body on order and am looking for a quality lens that will take beautiful pictures, but also be a very versatile lens for shooting skiing and mountain biking.

[KeithAndrews.TV]

The 24-70mm is a very popular lens due to it's fast constant aperture of f/2.8 and it's L build quality and optics. The lens however on a sub-frame body like the 7D will not act as much like a wide angle as it would on a full frame body. That is the specific reason why I am going with the 15-85mm EF-S lens. 15mm on sub-frame will have the same field of view as 24mm on full frame, which I believe Canon developed for this exact reason. I figure since I own a sub-frame body, I should at least take advantage of it and own at least one EF-S lens. The advantage the 15-85mm has over a lens like the 24-70mm is Image Stabilization which is a huge bonus for handheld video work.

[seven.b]

The 24-70mm is a very popular lens due to it's fast constant aperture of f/2.8 and it's L build quality and optics. The lens however on a sub-frame body like the 7D will not act as much like a wide angle as it would on a full frame body. That is the specific reason why I am going with the 15-85mm EF-S lens. 15mm on sub-frame will have the same field of view as 24mm on full frame, which I believe Canon developed for this exact reason. I figure since I own a sub-frame body, I should at least take advantage of it and own at least one EF-S lens. The advantage the 15-85mm has over a lens like the 24-70mm is Image Stabilization which is a huge bonus for handheld video work.

Thanks Keith. My other option would be to get a cheaper 17-50mm like the Tamron and maybe a Canon 85mm 1.8. This setup would also cost me ~830 dollars. As far as image quality for stills go (I'm half photography, half video) would this be a better option for me?

I'm just torn on whether to get one expensive(ish) lens or two cheaper lenses that are more dedicated to their focal range thus not sacrificing IQ.

Thanks.