Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 Reviews

I bought this lens for about 190 euros to have a general use quasi normal prime lens on my Canon EOS 30D. I had read about color aberration problems, but what I found exceeded what I had read. In contrasty light situations some shadow areas had very dark red-purple green wide stripes (fringes). Since such natural light conditions (sunny days and contrasts of light and shadow) are a usual thing in my photography, I abandoned this lens. It's sharpness was average, nothing special, but if it didn't show the color aberration problems I would have kept it as a general shooting lens due to it's weight (very light) and size (small and handy). I had made an arrangement with the store I bought it and exchanged it after a month of use with the excellent 35mm F2, with which I'm more than happy. The only drawback of the 35mm IMO is that it is an equivalent of 56mm on a cropped frame digital EOS, and the 28mm was an equivalent of 45mm. I prefer wider angles, but 56mm is just as good for a normal and the results are excellent. The 24mm F2.8 is better than the 28mm F2.8 and worse than the 35mm F2.

Some say it is a fantastic lens, some call it rather mediocre. I think it is a good performer, just the AF is a little slow.

This lens is fairly decent for the money. Sharpness does not match L series primes, but it is not too bad either. Chromatic abberation may be present, but it is not overly pronounced. It's very small and lgiht, making it great for travelling.

I have to change my previous review of the lens. A used sample of the 28 F2.8 Canon lens, which I bought about 1.5 months ago for 100 euros, proved to be a serious performer. No major color aberration issues, no more excessive flaring and red-purple fringes etc, and sharp. Now I use this as my main walkaround lens on my 30D. So a good sample of this lens is worth having after all. Autofocus is OK for me, the lens is light and responsive. Obviously, previous sample I had was a lemon. The focal distance of this lens is equivalent to 45mm on a 1.6 crop camera, so it is a bit wider than a normal, but I prefer wider. I hope I'll find a good 24mm F2.8 sample in the future as well.

I bought a used copy today for a very low price, complete with hoya UV filter. I took a few test shots, not expecting much, but it was suprisingly sharp in the center, even at f/2.8. At f/2.8, the edges and corners were, as expected, out of focus.

Focus speed was more than adequate, and was accurate on my 5D MK II.

For the price I paid, it was a steal, however, even at the new price of $250, you get a lot for the money.

This would be a excellent walk-around lens for a smaller Canon Rebel, and the budget price makes it a very good buy.