Canon I.S. Lens

[tacho]

G'Day all
Am considering EOS 20D to replace my faithful EOS RT,but is the IS lens as good as they advertise.
Cheers
Rob

[Ed W]

Rob,

Image stabilisation will help you in certain situations, but it won't stop time. Still, it's better to have it than not to have it :) .

In terms of the lenses that you can probably afford:
17-85 IS - apparently a decent performer, but more expensive than the 28-135 and will only work on EFs mount bodies (20D, 300D). It won't work with any current film cameras.
28-135 IS - good all-round lens. This is the all-purpose lens to keep on your film camera. Quite a good lens for digital, too.
75-300 IS - OK at 75, poor at 300. Extremely slow to focus.

I've used both the 28-135 and the 75-300. Still have the 28-135, but sold the 75-300.

[nsu]

IS certainly has the better chance of getting a better picture. You can always turn off IS by using a button. When a tripod is used, it is better to turn off IS. The IS mechanism causes vibration. Also people often forget about the take up time needed for IS to work properly. The IS need to spin up for a short while before it can provide IS functions.

Personally I had 28-135 IS, did not have any problem at all. Sold after having the the 70-200L IS. I wanted the F/2.8 all the way.