Canon EF 28-80mm

The Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 is a compact everyday zoom covering a useful range from wide-angle through to short telephoto.

Originally designed for Canon's EOS system, the 28-80mm range makes sense as a single general-purpose lens. At 28mm you've got enough width for travel, groups, landscapes and everyday scenes, while the 80mm end gives you a little more reach for portraits and details.

Because it's a Canon EF lens, it covers the full 35mm frame and works natively with compatible Canon EOS film cameras as well as Canon EF-mount digital SLRs. On an APS-C Canon DSLR, the smaller sensor crops the field of view to roughly the equivalent of 45-128mm.

It's straightforward, relatively compact and covers the focal lengths most people use day to day, making it a practical option for someone putting together an affordable Canon EOS setup.

Best for

• Everyday photography
• Canon EOS film cameras
• Travel
• Family photography
• Landscapes
• Portraits
• General walkaround photography
• Beginners building a Canon EOS kit
• Canon EF-mount DSLRs

What to expect

The 28-80mm range moves from a useful wide-angle view at 28mm through the standard range and into short telephoto at 80mm.

Its maximum aperture changes as you zoom, starting at f/3.5 at the wide end and reaching f/5.6 at the telephoto end. It's designed more as an everyday daylight zoom than a fast low-light lens.

There's no optical image stabilisation, so stabilisation depends on the camera setup being used.

One thing we need to check on the physical lens is the exact version. Canon revised the EF 28-80mm several times during the 1990s. For example, Canon's original 1991 USM model weighs 330g and focuses to 0.5m, while the later III USM weighs 205g and focuses to 0.38m.