Lens Summary
Brand: Canon
Also Known As: Canon 28-90mm f/4-5.6 III
Lens Type: Zoom Lens
Format: Full Frame / FX
Focus: Autofocus
Lens Mount: Canon EF
Release Date: 2004-01-01
MSRP Price: $98.99
Made in: Japan
Infrared Rating: Good
Production Status: Discontinued
Lens Description: The EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 III is designed as a standard zoom lens in which high image quality is ensured throughout the focal length range by the use of an aspherical element in one of the lens groups. Only environmentally-friendly lead-free glass is used for the optics. This lens also includes distance metering information that provides compatibility with the E-TTL II flash system.
Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 III Specifications
| Lens Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens Type | Zoom Lens |
| Focal Length | 28-90mm |
| Mount Type | Canon EF |
| Format | Full Frame / FX |
| Compatible Format(s) | Full Frame Lens/FX = 35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor / APS-H / APS-C |
| Compatible with Teleconverters | No |
| Zoom Ratio | 3.2x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:3.5 |
| Image Stabilizer (Image Stabilization) | No |
| Aperture Information | |
| Aperture Ring | No |
| Maximim Aperture | f/ 4 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/32 |
| Maximum Angle of View (Full frame or larger format) | 75°-27° |
| Optical Information | |
| Lens Elements | 10 |
| Lens Groups | 8 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 5 |
| Focus Information | |
| Focus | Autofocus |
| Built-in Focus Motor | Yes |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 0.38m |
| Distance Information | Yes |
| Filter Information | |
| Filter Size | 58mm |
| Accepts Filter Type | Screw-on |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weather / Dust Sealing | No |
| Mount Material | Metal |
| Dimensions | 71mm x 67mm |
| Weight | 190g |
| Other Information | |
| Available in Colors | Black |
Lens Construction
MTF Chart
This is a cheap lens, there’s no getting around it. Canon has superior lenses slightly above this price point – the 28-105 USM outperforms this lens in almost all ways – however…
If you can appreciate this lens for what it is, you may get some use out of it. It is designed for full frame cameras, and is reasonably sharp if you stop down. If you don’t stop down, the centre of the frame is always sharp, and at 90mm F/5.6 you can just about separate the subject and the background, especially for head shots, as this lens focuses close. Bokeh is not that bad at all – bright points of light can be picked out quite easily, but it isn’t busy generally. A nice bonus. AF is quick and almost silent.
Distortion is predictably barrel at the near, pincushion at the far end. Lens profiles are available for this lens in Lightroom, which is a plus. Weighs next to nothing, but has a plastic mount. Given this lens works with ETTL-II metering, using flash is also easy and accurate.
As with all Canon lenses, prices are stable and slowly rising. At one point, you coud pick these lenses up for £25 or less regularly – now they start at £40 for a good clean copy. But for a light full frame zoom lens with a very workable walk-around range, great AF, and reasonable sharpness that improves drastically when stopped down just a little – it’s a good buy for the money, and worth having in your kit bag.
This lens was a cheap kit lens but it does have a couple of good points. First is it focuses down to 15 inches or 38 cm., so not far from being a macro in some situations. Second, the AF is quick & quiet. Third, it’s dirt cheap used!!! Fourth, the model III is compatible with the Canon E-TTL system and gives perfect exposures.
It’s best use is for photographing small objects, like maybe you want to sell something online. Stop the lens down to f/8 and use a tripod and/or flash. Works like a charm in this situation.
There are four versions of this lens: 28-90 4-5.6, 28-90 4-5.6 II, 28-90 4-5.6 III and 28-90 4-5.6 USM. There is little or no optical difference between them. Forget the USM as it’s not worth the extra price. The lens also comes in black and silver versions with of course no optical difference. My choice: 28-90 4-5.6 III.
Star Rating: Two different; 2.5 to 3 stars for general use, correct for this category of lenses. 4 to 4.5 stars for closeups of small objects as mentioned above, extraordinary for this category of lens.