I recently read an article on the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM. This magazine did not give the lens a great write up and this surprised me given the price of the lens compared to the other lenses in the test that we actually considered better (the Nikon kit lens for example.) Does anyone have any experience with this lens and any remarks. Also, what about the Canon 70-300 f4.5-5.6 DO IS USM? This seems to carry quite a price tag for such a 'slow' lens on paper. Is it worth the extra money or would the regular 70-300 do about as well?

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From john2/John (6,345) on July 2, 2005 7:24:35 PM CDT I haven't used the DO lens although from having looked at the spec it's extremely small (about 4 inches across and 4 inches long) and also has image stabilisation. If you're not sure pay a trip to your local camera store and ask to look at it. Reply

From jonnyswank/Jonny (1,850) on July 3, 2005 10:13:16 AM CDT there are reviews of the DO lens on the internet. Do a search. The one i remember (probably on photo.net) found that flare and lower contrast was an issue, owing to the optical design (the diffraction grating scatters the light...). However, this might have been the original 300 or 400mm DO, can't remember. I'd imagine it is more useful in a telephoto lens, since it means the lens can be significantly reduced in size/weight. I doubt i'd have much use for a DO lens in 70-300. That lens is neither heavy nor big. Idoubtr it would be worth the added expense, unless it is actually optically better than the 70-300 or 70-300IS (and i doubt that it is) Reply

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