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by Bob Atkins
The first, and to me possibly the most interesting, of the new EF-S lenses is the EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM. 10mm is the widest lens available for a small sensor DSLR. Sigma make a 12-24/4.5-5.6 EX DG (with full frame coverage) and Nikon have an AFS 12-24 mm f/4 G ED IF DX (with coverage for their 1.5x sensor). Of course the angle of view with a 10mm lens on a small sensor body will be the same as a 16mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera, so 10 mm is wide, but not "super wide", since 14mm lenses are available for full frame cameras, and there's even a 12mm lens with full frame coverage made by Voightlander for Leica rangefinder (non-SLR) cameras.
The EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM isn't a "cheap and nasty" consumer lens. It has three aspheric elements as well as one super-UD glass element. It also has a ring USM with full time manual focus and a distance scale. The street price should be around $800. Not cheap by any standard. The Sigma 12-24 sells for around $670, and Nikon users get to pay $1000 for their 12-24 lens.
I was a little disappointed that the EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM was so expensive. I'd hoped that maybe Canon could have made a lens like this for $300 or so, but I guess it's not easy making a lens of such a short focal length, and a 2.2x zoom at that. Canon seem to have gone for the "upscale" market with this lens, rather than the "low end" market at which the original EF-S 18-55 was targeted. Personally I'd have taken a small hit in performance for a large drop in price - but that's just me! At $800, if you buy one you have to hope that Canon will stick with the 1.6x sensor size for a while, since this lens isn't going to fit on any film body, or even any of the "pro" EOS 1 digital models.
It's interesting to note that despite the use of multiple aspherics and super UD glass, this lens doesn't get an "L" designation or a red ring! If it were an EF lens, it would probably be designated "L". Class discrimination? No "L" for EF-S lenses? Who knows. Not that it matters. It's how well it works, not what's written on it that counts. Only time (and testing) will tell on that score.
If you want a REAL wide lens you don't have a lot of choices. The Sigma at $670 is cheaper and it will work on full frame 35mm bodies (film or digital), at least right now. Sigma has had problems in the past when new EOS bodies are introduced, their lenses often needing "rechipping" to work with the new bodies. The only real alternative for a "superwide" is a 14mm prime ($1800 from Canon, $900 from Sigma). Of course if you don't need to go very wide, the new EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM ($600) or the EF 17-40/4L USM ($700, but with full frame 35mm coverage) are alternatives. On an EOS 20D or Digital Rebel, a 17mm lens gives you the same view as a 28mm lens on a full frame 35mm body
The second most interesting lens is the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Again Canon have targeted this lens to the higher end of the market with both image stabilization (IS) and a ring type USM motor with full time manual focus (FTM). The street price expected to be around $600. The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM on a 20D or Digital Rebel has almost exactly the same coverage as the EF 28-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM has on a 35mm body - though the EF 28-135 sells for only $400. Since the EF-S lens has to go quite a lot shorter and uses and aspheric element, it's not surprising the price is higher. Interestingly it's almost exactly the same size as the EF 28-135, being just 5% shorter in length and 12% lighter in weight. Though the lens is set to sell for $600, Canon indicated in their 20D press release that if sold with a 20D body the combined price would be $2000. Since the 20D body should sell for $1500, this means you're getting the lens for $500.
Looks like a very useful lens and image stabilization is certainly improves pictures shot handheld at slow shutter speeds. The EF 28-135 IS USM has long been one of my most used lenses, both on film bodies and on my 10D (where it give the same range as a 45-216mm lens would on a full frame body). If you bought the EF-S 10-22/3.5-5.6 USM, it might make more sense to pair it with the EF28-135 IS USM than the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. You'd lose the range from 22 to 28mm (35 to 45mm full frame equivalent), but you'd gain the range from 85-135mm (135-216mm full frame equivalent) - and save between $100 and $200. In my opinion the gain on the long end is worth the small wideangle gap (which you could fill with a nice, small, light, fast EF 24/2.8 if it really bothered you!)
The third, and probably least interesting, lens is the EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 USM. This seems to be the same as the lens sold with the Digital Rebel as part of a kit, but it now has a micro-USM motor (not a ring USM). I can't say I've ever been a big fan of the micro-USM motor lenses. Typically they don't have full time manual focus (the 50/1.4 is an exception), and they never seem all that much faster or quieter than the micro-motor lenses. The bigger difference with the original version of this lens is that it's now sold without a camera attached! You can't buy the original EF-S 18-55 without a Rebel body. The price has gone up from $100 (with the Rebel body) to $170. That seems a bit much for the micro-USM lens, but I guess marketing costs are higher if the lens isn't bundled with the body. From data in the Canon press release on the 20D, it looks like you can still get this lens for $100 if you buy the two together though!
Since Canon don't mention any optical changes, it's reasonable to assume that the lens will perform identically to the non-USM version, which you can see on my EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 lens review page.
The following table summarizes the avialable information on these three new lenses
| Full frame 35mm equivalent | AF motor | Aspheric Elements | Weight (oz) | Length | Price $ | Filter | |
| EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 | 16-35 | Ring USM w/FTM | Yes | 13.6 | 3.5" | $799 | 77mm |
| EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS | 28-135 | Ring USM w/FTM | Yes | 15.5 | 3.6" | $599 | 67mm |
| EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 | 29-88 | Micro USM |
No (?) | 6 | 2.5" | $169 | 58mm |
NOTE: These lenses can ONLY be mounted on the Canon EOS Digital Rebel (EOS 300D) and the Canon EOS 20D. They will NOT fit the Canon D30/D60/10D, 1D, 1D Mk II or 1Ds or on any Canon EOS film body.
The following information was taken from the Canon Press Release:
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. Aug. 19, 2004 - Canon broadens its EF-S-type lens offerings to include three new wide-angle zoom lenses. The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM zoom lenses will be available this fall for estimated street prices of $799, $599 and $169, respectively.
Particularly among advanced amateur and professional photographers, there has been a
growing need for affordable zoom lenses that support true wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle
photography. Canon initially responded to this market demand in August of 2003, when it
announced the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. This lens was launched in conjunction with
the EOS" Digital Rebel", which has subsequently become the most popular digital
SLR to date in terms of units sold, according to NPD Market Research. Now, to provide EOS
Digital Rebel camera and EOS 20D camera users with a truly comprehensive lens system,
Canon has expanded its EF-S lens offerings with 3 new models.
By reducing the distance from the rear of the lens to the focal plane and reducing the
size of the image circle to match the size of the APS-C imaging sensor used in digital
SLRs such as the EOS 20D camera and Digital Rebel camera, Canon's EF-S lenses reduce the
size, weight and cost of wide-angle lenses for these cameras while at the same time
producing high image quality with superb resolution and contrast at all focal lengths.
"With the expansion of our EF-S lens offerings, we continue Canon's tradition of
providing professional photographers and amateur enthusiasts with the most innovative,
peak performance lenses available," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and
general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon
Inc. (NYSE: CAJ). "These new wide angle zoom lenses provide phenomenal flexibility,
remarkable results and are invaluable additions to the camera bags of travel, nature and
other 'on the go' photographers."
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Zoom Lens
This exciting new zoom lens provides ultra wide-angle coverage to the EOS 20D camera and
Digital Rebel camera shooter. Equivalent to a 16-35mm zoom for a 35mm film camera, it
offers excellent performance and optics designed from the ground-up for digital SLR use.
Excluding fisheye lenses, the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens has the shortest minimum
focal length ever offered for interchangeable lens digital SLRs with APS-C image sensors.
Photographers will achieve consistently excellent image quality throughout the zoom range
of this lens because of its 3 Aspherical elements and 1 Super-UD element in a 13-element
optical formula. A ring-type ultrasonic focusing motor (USM) provides fast and silent AF
along with full-time manual focus. Minimum focusing distance is 9.5 inches for
breathtaking close-ups. The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens is relatively light and
compact at 3.5 inches in length and a weight of 13.6 oz. The new lens accepts 77mm filters
and can be fitted with an optional bayonet-mount lens hood.
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens
This new EF-S lens brings true wide-angle to telephoto coverage to EOS 20D camera and
Digital Rebel camera photographers. It features Canon's Image Stabilization system,
allowing safe hand-held photography at shutter speeds up to three steps slower than
otherwise possible. And of course, it's optically optimized for digital SLRs. A ring-type
USM delivers fast and silent auto focus, as well as full-time manual focus when in the AF
mode.
The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens provides a 5x zoom ratio and an angle of view
equivalent to a 27-136mm lens on a 35mm camera. The new lens also uses a glass-molded
aspherical lens element with aspherical surfaces on both sides for superb image quality
throughout the entire zoom range and it features a closest focusing distance of 12 inches
at all focal lengths. The EF-S 17-85mm IS lens is 5% shorter and 12% lighter than the EF
28-135mm IS lens and accepts 67mm filters.
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Zoom Lens
This is the USM version of the popular EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens that is available
in kit form with the EOS 20D camera and Digital Rebel camera. Both lenses have an angle of
view equivalent to a 29-88mm lens on a 35mm camera. Weighing in at just 6 oz. and
measuring only 2.5 inches in length, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM produces exceptional
image quality in an ultra-compact package. The new lens accepts 58mm filters and features
Canon's exclusive Micro USM II focusing motor technology for swift and silent AF.
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All original text is (©) Copyright 2004 Robert M. Atkins (www.bobatkins.com) All Rights Reserved
