Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Love this lens. I use it as my primary walk around lens when I am on vacation. I get nice sharp photos over the complete range of this lens.

First, I should point out I'm an amatuer. This is my first lens for my Canon Rebel XTI. I purchased this lens on Amazon over a year ago, and although I have no other lens to compare this to - I am dissapointed. Here's why:

- I read a few reviews indicating that this lens could be your "only" lens - good for all purpose. I have to disagree. I am often frustrated by the limited 135MM range. Especially for landscape shots. Now, if I knew how to crop/ photoshop/ etc., perhaps this wouldn't be as big an issue for me. In retrospect, I wish I had purchased a telephoto lens with 300MM range and purchased the basic lens that came with the Xti for short-range photos.

- I was warned that the lens was heavy, but I thought hey - I'm 6'3, pretty strong - no big deal. However, now I wish I had gone with a lighter lens. The lens is heavy and makes carrying around your camera all day a little less appealing. For a casual photographer who wants good shots, I have to imagine there is a decent quality lighter lens out there for less money (however, I admit I have no idea yet if that's true!).

- I find that about 20% of my shots are a bit blurry. I attribute this to being an amatuer, but I never had this problem with less sophisticated "point-and-shoot" cameras. Is it possible I'm doing something wrong?? Probably. But again, I'm writing this as an amatuer, so if you're like me, perhaps there's a better lens out there (or maybe not - I'll have to try another one and find out!)

In summary, although I have no major complaints with this lens, I was dissapointed after reading all the glowing reviews. I am now considering purchasing the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens OR the 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Autofocus Lens. I plan on trying them both out at a local camera store before purchasing - especially since I want to make sure I get "enough zoom" in my next lens.

Good luck with your purchase!

This lens has quickly become the one that lives on my camera. I shoot with a Digital Rebel XTi and this lens has done wonders for my photography. The IS is especially useful for low light - I have taken some great handheld shots in low light that would have been blurry without it. I would, however, HIGHLY recommend that the IS be turned off when using a tripod. I'm not used to having IS on a lens so I've had to put a reminder on my tripod to turn it off, otherwise I miss some good shots. I posted some of my photos here on Amazon for review. All of the photos were taken with this lens.

I like everything about this lens. It's a bit heavy, but to me it feels nice and solid. I'll deal with the extra weight if it means my shots will be better. It's very quiet and the auto focus works smoothly and quickly. I have been able to get some pretty good action, landscape and wildlife shots as well as some really nice close ups of my dog. I'm saving up for a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM, but this one will more than hold me over until I can get it.

I love this lens. I use it on my Canon XT. The range is great for that mid stuff that seems to always come up. The IS does allow me to shoot about one stop darker, as long as my subject isn't the one moving.

I do notice a bit of chromatic shift when shooting in high contrast situations.

Of course with any Digital SLR, most people would probably hate lugging around big heavy lenses. When I plan for a trip, I just pick out the lens that I would be using the most, and just keep that one on the camera. The picture quality is great. Used mostly for pictures my kids soccer games, it's quick and the quality is fine. I'm no expert in picture taking, but I know it does much better of a job than my wife's sony 10 megepixel-- especially with the zoom this one can do.