17-85 is vs. 18-55 is + 55-250 is ?

[egor.evseev]

Ok so I have read reviews of the 17-85 and I am impressed. Do you guys have any experience with it? I want to sell my other two lenses and start saving up some money for perhaps upgrading to a full frame camera. Is it worth it? I want to know how it fares against the 18-55 in terms of low light performance and sharpness. Thanks .

 

[Big Mike]

I assume you are talking about Canon, since I know they have a 17-85mm...but I could be wrong.

If so, the Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS, is an OK lens. It's better than the original EF-S 18-55mm 'kit lens', but I haven't really compared it to the newer version of the 18-55mm. The 17-85mm is a good range, but the maximum aperture is limited at only F4-5.6. Also, I believe it is prone to more barrel distortion than a better quality lens might be.

I still use my 17-85mm for playing around, even though I bought a better lens, the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8.

There is actually a new lens, I think it's 15-85mm, that is supposed to be better than the 17-85mm.

In terms of sharpness, most of these 'consumer grade' lenses are the same. They are a lot better when used at optimal settings and a lot worse near the extremes. For example, they are pretty good at F8 or F11, but not so good when wide open. They usually show weaknesses at the widest zoom and the longest zoom etc.

All the lenses you mention are EF-S, and as such, are not compatible with full frame cameras. So if it's your intention to upgrade to full frame, then avoid EF-S lenses and stick with EF lenses.

 

[cfusionpm]

I had a 17-85 for quite some time and while it's a lot better than the 18-55 kit lens, neither of them are fantastic. I sold mine a while ago with my old Rebel body when I got the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS, which is significantly better than both of those. But as mentioned above, if you plan for a full frame (would you really need it?) then avoid EF-S lenses entirely. But with cameras like the 7D and lenses like the 17-55 and 10-22, Canon is showing strong dedication to the high end APS-C market.

Edit: some food for thought:

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Review

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Review

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens Review

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens Review

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens Review