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Some thoughts on the Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Untrasonic lens

The Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer lens looks very similar to my Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. The styling is almost completely the same. The rubber zoom grips, focus rings, and the focus distance window are located at the same position on both lens. The only physical differences between the two lens are that the 28-135mm lens is slightly bigger and added image stabilizer (IS) on/off switch.

The 28-135mm lens is made out of plastic with metal-ring mount. The construction felt very sturdy. The weight is heavier than consumer zooms. The lens hood is not include with this lens, but have to be purchased separately. The hood is constructed out of strong plastic and can be stored reverse on the lens.

This lens has Canon's ultrasonic motor (USM), which is silent and fast. I can not hear the lens auto-focus. It also supports full-time manual (FTM), which means you can adjust the focus ring without switching the lens to MF. The also has a non-rotating front with 72mm filter threads.

When the image stabilizer (IS) feature is switched off, the lens operates like any other Canon lens. In action, the IS capability makes a very quiet whirring noise; I can not hear it unless I put my ear close to the lens. However, it takes the lens one-second to stabilize the image. If you don't let it stabilize before snapping the shot, you can end up with artistic images like the one shown below.

When image stabilizer is switched on, it allows you to shoot hand-held up to two-stops slower. Although it lets you shoot two-stops slower than you normally would, I found that this lens is not a perfect replacement for your faster large-aperture lens. For still-lives in low-light situation, this lens is great. However, a faster large-aperture lens is still better for shooting action in low-light condition. While shooting my brother's graduation in an indoor arena, I was unable to freeze the action. But the IS worked great when everything is still.

One thing that really impressed me about this lens is its macro capability. I have never been able to focus as close as this lens with any other zoom lens I had in my collection. This zoom lens is capable of focusing down to 0.5 meters, or 19.7 inches.

This lens is excellent. It provides very sharp pictures for a zoom lens. It is extremely versatile with the angle of view that it covers. Plus the close focus capability comes in very handy. I prefer to take this lens with me when I travel, instead of carrying a bundle of my single-focus-length lenses. It is the perfect companion to my Canon EOS IX camera.

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Some thoughts on the Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Untrasonic lens

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