Resolution, colors, contrast, AF, price.

CA, without support from Canon for this issue - very bad.
Zoom creep - but this is not a tragedy.

Good lens, not best, but a good choice. Medium light, compact, medium build quality. Good resoluition, sharp. Not more diference between middle of the frame and corners (on ASP-C). Great colors and contrast. Fast auto focus. In some poor light conditions can't focus, with all help of flash, but probably this is my camera problem, not lens.
In comparition with miserable 18-55 kit is a big step ahead.
I apreciate USM-FTM feature. 24-85 focal length is good for more situations.
In the dark side is:
CA - Canon don't implement an CA corection for this lens in Photo Profetional software yet !!! CA is pronunced in some conditions. Not so bad like 18-55, but more so others Canon lens.
Zoom creep, is very smooth, but creep.
Focus ring wobbling a little - not big issue.

Acceptable sharpness at almost all aperture levels
Superb contrast and tones.
Light

None

It is a great lens with outstanding contrast and acceptable sharpness throughout all the aperture ranges. It is tack sharp especially in f/8. I like most the contrast and tone of this lens and I sold my 28-105mm and 50mm as I got really good results with this lens.

Similar Products Used:

28-105mm
17-40mm
28-135mm

good resolution,Vignetting is basically a non-issue with this lens at any focal length even at wide-open aperture.

chromatic aberrations (color shadows at harsh contrast transitions) are a weak spot of the lens.

The Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM exhibited a quite mixed performance. On the upside the lens is very sharp with very little vignetting throughout the range. Unfortunately distortions at 24mm are pretty hefty as are chromatic aberrations. The build quality is pretty decent and the AF performace is a joy. All-in-all the lens is capable to beat the cheapo EF-S 18-55mm as well as the EF-S 17-85mm IS and regarding sharpness it can even rival the the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L (on APS-C). If the focal length range was more attractive here the lens would have been a killer but as such it is just a good compromise.

Customer Service

Good

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 USM L
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 USM L
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon EF 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 II
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L

*Lightning USM focus *Quite sharp at all focal lengths, especially stopped at 6.3 or tighter *Ideal size/weight for the EOS 20D *Price/value

67mm--not at all universal Obviously a rung down from 28-70 L, but the price gap is huge

Did a rather excessive amount of research before settling on this lens. In addition to looking at these reviews, I talked to two pros. One of them says this is her workhorse for weddings despite owning several L models; "My clients don't pay four times more if the lens costs four times more!" The other pro works for a large metro daily in Ohio, and uses it for everything except sports.

Customer Service

None needed thus far

Similar Products Used:

The 28-80 kit lens for the old Rebel G

Sharp where you would expect it to be Soft where you'd expect it to be Light. Compact. Fast focusing and relatively inexpensive.

Requires reasonable care in handling because of its light construction.

This lens is suitable for most work where a lens with this range is normally used. Professionals may rate it higher than may those with less experience, because as professionals they know how to get the most out of their equipment... understanding their lenses' strengths and weaknesses

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

Canon 24-70mm f/2,8 L

Cost effective, sharp, good contrast, great range from wide angle to true portrait length.

None

Greetings, I recently found myself in the market for lens for my Canon 10D. "It was about time to join the digital age"! I wanted a lens that would have a useful zoom range that was a bit more on the wide angle end. After reading some of the reviews in the forum, I decided to give the 24-85mm lens a spin. Of course it's not an L lens but it does have some strong points. First, the price was excellent. I found a very lightly used, very clean copy on ebay for $180.00,"no complaints there"... And secondly, it just performs well. Focus is quick,precise and real quiet. Sharpness is real good especially at f/8. I plan to round out the system with 70-200mm f/4 L lens within a couple of months. Both have 67mm filter sizes and both are compatible in terms of focal length. Some folks dont like the 67mm filter size, but for me, it works great. The filter size is the same as my medium format equipment,thus, no reason to have to go out and replace an arsenal of new filters. The 24-85mm is a great cost effective alternative to the "L" glass such as the 24-70mm L lens at nearly 4-times the cost. I highly recommed it! Be sure to get the EW-73II lens hood, "it is a must have with this lens"

Similar Products Used:

24-70mm L lens

Zoom range very flexible for covering rapidly changing situations. Focus fast and quiet. Light and compact.

Sloppy front barrels. Many don't like the 67mm filter thread but I own 67mm medium format lenses so not a problem for me.

This is my first post, although I have read this forum often and really appreciate everyone's helpful comments. I recently bought a used Canon 24-85mm for travel after reading the reviews here. Last weekend I tried it out by running 8 rolls of film through it at an outdoor wedding and I am quite pleased with the results. I also used a 100mm f/2 for some shots, and the 24-85mm held up quite well in comparason. For people photograhy sometimes less sharpness in a zoom is more flattering! The slower aperatures of the zoom resulted in available-light shots indoors being too dark, but this was easily overcome with fill flash. The Elan II with an E-TTL flash, Fuji NPH (ISO 400) and an 81A filter was a wonderful combination with the 24-85mm lens for the wedding, even into the night in marginal light under a tent. I don't see any vignetting at wide angles with the filter and hood attached. The only problem was excessive looseness in the front barrel sections. KEH is willing to refund my money or exchange the lens, so I plan to trade up for a new one in hopes the sloppy front barrel problem is improved.

Customer Service

None required from Canon. KEH has been fine.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-105 Sigma 28-105 Various Canon primes 20mm to 135mm -- although these are not really similar.

Very sharp, superb color rendition and contrast, lightweight

none

This is probably the most under-rated lens in Canon's non-L arsenal. I purchased this lens when I purchased my first DSLR, a Canon D60, and it has performed so well, I've found nothing in anyone's lens line-up to replace it

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

28-105

sharp sharp sharp-good colours-little distortion and vignetting-minimal flare- fast usm-light weight-super pix-strong.

none

This is for sure the most overseen product in the whole Canon zoom program(together w.The 20-35 and 18-55 as well) as a Pro i am very astonished how good this zoom is! its almost as good as the 24-70 L for a fraction of the price,close to or better than the 28-70 L ! and first and foremost cheaper and much lighter !(this is an important factor for me as i often walk for a whole day) its absolutely recomandable both for amateurs and proffesionals alike.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

24-70L and 28-70 L tamron 28-75

Sharpness Autofocus Manual focus override Versitillity Looks sharp on any body!

Some barrel distortion Not terribly fast Zooms a little too easily

This is an excellent value lens, and in my opinion beats any other non-L lens. The sharpness is incredible for a zoom which I have noticed when making enlargements in the darkroom. The autofocus is very fast and the override is a great feature. I've heard other photographers comment that this is the only non-L lens in their bag. I plan on this lens being the last lens in my bag that I replace. It is really great to have this versitile of a lens on my 10D or Elan. I can get very wide lanscapes, sports action and general use, as well as portraits!

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-80