Canon EF-S 15-85 lens sample photos

Following my Canon EF 70-300 lens sample photos, here are similar ones highlighting the usefulness and quality of my regular zoom lens Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM. Left is a photo of the male leaders of the 3/21/10 Los Angeles Marathon on San Vicente Blvd. approaching 14th St. in Santa Monica.

Here is a 100% crop of this 85mm (136mm in 35mm equivalent) zoom shot (F/8, 1/320 second, ISO-200). Winner Wesley Korir is in orange.

A quick turn to the left, pulled all the way back to 15mm (24mm in 35mm equivalent) looked like this, showing runners and the camera truck you don't see on TV.

It looks like my center spot focus locked on the truck (F/8, 1/800 second, ISO-200). Again, these are all original camera JPGs with no sharpening or other adjustments.

Here's another zoom, of a Pasadena Gold Line train crossing Mission St. in South Pasadena on 3/26/10. First is zoomed in on the approaching train at 85mm (136mm).

It looks like the auto focus locked on the pole on the right, in front of the train; the yellow sign is also within the depth of field (F/11, 1/320 second, ISO-200).

I've widened to 31mm (50mm 35mm equivalent) to include the historic buildings on the left and right.

The brick wall on the far left is nice and sharp at 100% (F/11, 1/400 second, ISO-200).

I find the zoom range useful, image quality on my 18 MP Canon Rebel T2i very good, and I just like the feel in hand of this camera and lens.

Canon EF 70-300 lens sample photos

I've intended this blog to be more about images of Los Angeles; why not start with the results of shopping for a new DSLR and telephoto zoom lens? After reading many reviews I bought a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens yesterday for my new Rebel T2i (also with EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM regular zoom).

Above is the Westwood Village Theater tower from a block away at 300mm, full-frame 18 MP (5184 x 3456 pixels) reduced to 800 px wide. Below is a 100% crop. AF locked quickly on the seagull (1/1000 second, F/8, ISO-200).


Here's the Santa Monica Pier from 3/4 mile north on Palisades Park at 300mm, and a 100% crop of the ferris wheel. Behind the wheel is the Manhattan Beach Pier and Redondo Beach, around six miles away, which explains the fuzziness (1/800 second, F/8, ISO-200).

I found sample images most useful to me, so I'd like to share some of mine so far. These are all original camera JPGs with no sharpening or other adjustments. Also, I used only the center spot for focusing in all cases.

Here's a group of plants at 300mm from about a hundred feet away, and a 100% crop of the succulent at lower-left (1/200 second, F/8, ISO-200).

My biggest question was whether this lens would be sharp enough - and others' concerns about non-ring USM and the extending, rotating lens barrel - compared with the more expensive, larger, but shorter-reach EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. My answer is yes.

And this is a sample shot of the far side of the camera store at 300mm, with a 100% crop from below center showing readible text (1/25 second, F/8, ISO-1600). Image Stabilization worked well for this hand-held shot.

I think the biggest variable in the sharpness of my test photos is what part of the scene I lock focus on (as in the landscapes with a lot of depth). I'm still learning the camera and lens, but having a lot of fun with what 300mm can do.