Zooms for all occasions: 5 lenses for cropped Canon DSLRs

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 AF OS HSM EX DC Price from 14 768 up to 17 000 ₴ →

If you are not ready to pay your hard-earned money for a high-speed zoom Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 EF-S IS USM Price from 25 250 up to 40 103 ₴, there is another model on the market represented by Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM, which is an excellent alternative to the native object.

During the testing of the object by specialists of the photozone resource.de the superiority of the Sigma representative in terms of sharpness over the lens analogue from was revealed. Canon. Sigma produces a picture with clean and juicy colours without any distortion and parasitic effects. Phenomena such as chromatic aberration and vignetting can only occur at a minimum focal length paired with a fully open aperture.

One of the main features of the lens is the automatic focus system, which has both pros and cons. On the one hand, automation is very quickly and accurately sharpened. And she does it very quietly, which is a huge plus when shooting videos. And on the other hand, the focus ring itself rotates in the process of focus within 45°, which is why there is no possibility of manual focus adjustment in automatic mode.

The zoom ring is also implemented in an interesting way — the focal length change ring rotates in the opposite direction in comparison with other objects, i.e. counterclockwise. In the process of zooming, a small "trunk" is pushed out of the case. The front lens does not rotate at the same time, which allows the use of polarizing light filters with a diameter of 77 mm.

Also on board the object, an effective stabilizer has found a haven, designed to compensate for the trembling of the hands and allowing you to win 3-4 exposure stages. That's just when it's turned on, it eats up the battery power a lot.

At a cost of Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM wins one and a half to two times the original object from Canon. In its price range, Sigma's competitor is glass Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC IF XR Di II LD Aspherical . It is about the same in optical properties, but with a much noisier stabilizer. The choice depends purely on your personal preferences.

Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS Price from 15 000 ₴ →

Objects with a wide range of focal lengths are most popular among travelers and those who are looking for an all-in-one solution. Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS handles with the role of such a universal 100%.

The beauty of focal lengths of 18-200 mm (29-320 mm in 35 mm equivalent) lies in the ability to shoot any scenes. So, the wide-angle end is great for photographing landscapes, long-focus values allow you to hunt small animals, and the middle fills a portrait niche. The object is also good at macro, but you should not count on a perfectly round side — the diaphragm consists of only 6 petals.

When the focal length changes, the front part of the object changes in size. The disadvantage of such a design in this instance is the "trunk" traveling under its own weight. That is, if you lower the camera with the lens down, the focal length can spontaneously change in a big way. There are no problems during transportation — there is a special lock on the body of the object that holds the outgoing structure in a wide-angle position.

The Canon station wagon draws a nice picture with the correct colour rendering. At the wide-angle and long-focus ends, it tends to "blur" the corners a little with a fairly good sharpness in the centre of the frame. The object is also subject to chromatic aberrations, which manifest themselves at high-contrast light transitions.

There was a place for a stabilization system in the lens housing. It allows you to win 3-4 stops of exposure, which is especially important at long-focus distances. Autofocus also handles with the tasks assigned to it — although the DC drive loses in terms of speed and noise to USM motors, it catches the object of filming tenaciously and reliably. There is only one nuance related to the operation of the automatic focus system: due to the fact that the focus ring turns when pointing at sharpness, there is no way to use manual focus adjustment. To do this, you will have to switch it to a fully manual mode.

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

The lens is often compared with the Canon L-series of objects, since it is not inferior to the premium segment in terms of optical characteristics and level of sharpness.

Among the diverse fleet of optics of the Japanese manufacturer designed for APS-C format mirrors, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is one of the best models. To a large extent, this is facilitated by the versatility of the lens — the focal length range of 15-85 mm (24-136 mm in 35 mm equivalent) covers all the basic needs of amateur photographers. It will be an excellent option to replace the whale Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS II Price from 5 000 up to 10 177 ₴, since at the wide—angle end the object captures 10° more into the frame, and at the long end it gives an additional 30 mm of focal length, which will be useful for shooting portraits or not very distant objects.

In terms of sharpness, the lens is very good in the entire focal length range, but its level may drop slightly at the edges of the image when shooting at the longest end. For portraits, this is absolutely not critical, but the landscape can spoil this state of affairs. However, landscapes at a focal length of 85 mm are rarely shot.

The optical scheme of the object includes 17 elements in 12 groups. At the same time, three elements are aspherical (reduce distortion), and another one is low—dispersed (to combat chromatic aberrations). There is no internal focus, so when zooming in, a rather big "trunk" will come out of the front edge.

Despite the completely non-portrait values of the aperture, the lens does a good job with blurring the background, while drawing a beautiful bokeh. And in the filming of landscapes, architecture and any other everyday scenes, it is difficult for her to find any alternative at all.

Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 EF-S IS USM Price from 25 250 up to 40 103 ₴ →

Premium version of the whale object Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS II Price from 5 000 up to 10 177 ₴ is characterized by a constant light intensity over the entire zoom range, as well as improved optical characteristics.

The assembly of the object does not cause complaints — although it is enclosed in a plastic case, there are no backlashes and creaks during operation. However, Japanese engineers did not consider it necessary to endow the glass with dust and water protection. This moment is depressing, especially considering that the lens is considered the best representative among the cropped objects of Canon. Also, there is no internal focus in it and the object draws dust in during operation.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM draws a very colorful picture with a high level of contrast. It is resistant to contour light and is practically not subject to distortion. The latter can occur exclusively at a wide angle and do not cause trouble. The diaphragm consists of 7 petals, which is why objects in the area of blurring get a smooth and beautiful blur.

Numerous laudatory reviews on the vastness of the World Wide Web refer to the autofocus system, which quickly and accurately catches the object of filming and reliably conducts it even with serial shooting. There is also an image stabilizer on board. It allows you to win 2-3 stops of exposure when shooting with hands at short exposures. I.e., at the short end (around 17 mm), it is possible to make a frame without lubrication at a shutter speed of about 1/10 s, and at the long end (45-55 mm) — at a shutter speed of 1/20 s.

Focal lengths of 17-55 mm (27-88 mm in 35 mm equivalent) are the most popular range among photographers. A zoom with such a set of distances can be used at least every day. Only on condition that you are willing to overpay for an object 10 times in comparison with a whale Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS II Price from 5 000 up to 10 177 ₴.

Tokina 14-20mm f/2.0 PRO AT-X DX Price from 15 000 up to 39 007 ₴ →

The brainchild of the Japanese company Kenko Tokina bears the laurels of the most luminous wide-angle zoom object in the world. And according to the maximum value of the aperture, only one glass wins from him — Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art HSM DC Price from 26 300 up to 34 420 ₴.

The object of the professional series was designed specifically for APS-C format cameras. It looks amazing, because the best products are usually produced for full-frame cameras. Nevertheless, the owners of the dropped mirrors got the opportunity to purchase a really top product. The maximum aperture of f/2 over the entire zoom range is twice as much as that of the nearest analogues with an aperture of f/2.8. With such an object, shooting in low light conditions without the need to use a flash or raise the ISO is not a problem.

As befits the professional segment, all lenses move inside the case when focus and zooming. The overall dimensions and weight of the object are rather big, so it will look more harmoniously on advanced class mirrors, such as Canon EOS 7D Mark II body Price from 40 500 ₴ or Canon EOS 70D body Price from 30 500 ₴. On younger models, the weight of the lens will outweigh the "carcass" of the camera itself.

The branded "bun" of the object is a mechanism for switching the focus mode of One-touch Focus Clutch. There is no separate mode switch button on the case, and the focus change from automatic to manual position occurs by shifting the focus ring away from itself, similarly vice versa. Another nice feature in the design is a 9—lobed diaphragm, which, with the right approach, will draw a beautiful round bokeh.

A professional wide-angle object with variable focal lengths is not equipped with a built-in image stabilizer. At such short focal lengths, in most cases it is completely useless. But thanks to the phenomenal, as for zooms, the value of the aperture, the object handles with the tasks assigned to it very well.