Whatever happened to moderate zoom lenses? A few years ago, when I was using film and manual focus, my favorite general purpose lens was a 35-135 zoom. I did have a longer-range Tokina...

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

A few years ago, when I was using film and manual focus, my favorite general purpose lens was a 35-135 zoom. I did have a longer-range Tokina ATX 35-205 (or so), but it was really too heavy.

Now I'm back into using full frame Canon EOS lenses, and I don't see any zooms like that available. 25-75, 24-70, 70-300, yes, but no moderate zoom for autofocus Canons. Even the 28-200's seem to have disappeared. I do have some wider-range zooms, but at the long end the color fringing is all to obvious.

Are there still Canon or Independent lenses like those 35-135s still being made?

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

mickley wrote:

A few years ago, when I was using film and manual ... (show quote)

Mickley, every lens you mentioned is being made.
My MOST used lens is my Canon EF 24-105L. And a very popular lens is the fairly new STM 18-135.
And the 15-85 is also an excellent and versatile lens, especially on a crop body. Good luck. ;-)
SS

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

SharpShooter wrote:

Mickley, every lens you mentioned is being made.
My MOST used lens is my Canon EF 24-105L. And a very popular lens is the fairly new STM 18-135.
And the 15-85 is also an excellent and versatile lens, especially on a crop body. Good luck. ;-)
SS

The 24-105 was considered, but I need a touch more tele. Thanks for the input.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

mickley wrote:

A few years ago, when I was using film and manual ... (show quote)

You aren't looking in the right places. The ranges have extended a little, but there are several for full frame (EF) or equivalent APS-C (EF-S).

EF 28 - 135mm or EF 24 - 105mm, EF-S 18 - 135mm (29 - 216mm in 35mm FF equivalent field of view). Depends what quality trade-offs you are looking for...

Dick Z. Loc: Downers Grove IL

mickley wrote:

A few years ago, when I was using film and manual ... (show quote)

I would consider the 24mm to 105mm a moderate zoom lens.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

Peterff wrote:

You aren't looking in the right places. The ranges have extended a little, but there are several for full frame (EF) or equivalent APS-C (EF-S).

EF 28 - 135mm or EF 24 - 105mm, EF-S 18 - 135mm (29 - 216mm in 35mm FF equivalent field of view). Depends what quality trade-offs you are looking for...

Actually, I have a Canon USM 28-135, but at high mag, it does not really seem that sharp. My Tokina XR 28-75 beats it in sharpness, but it doesn't have the "long" end I want. Thanks for the input.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

mickley wrote:

Actually, I have a Canon USM 28-135, but at high mag, it does not really seem that sharp. My Tokina XR 28-75 beats it in sharpness, but it doesn't have the "long" end I want. Thanks for the input.

I think that you are looking for a bit of a Unicorn here. Prime lens sharpness with zoom convenience. They clearly exist as you have acknowledged, just maybe not to the optical standards that you would like at the price points you would like to pay.

Your original question is either very badly worded, ill conceived, or just naive in your understanding of lens optics and commercial viability I think, unless you wished to pose a problem with no realistic answer.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

Peterff wrote:

I think that you are looking for a bit of a Unicorn here. Prime lens sharpness with zoom convenience. They clearly exist as you have acknowledged, just maybe not to the optical standards that you would like at the price points you would like to pay.

Your original question is either very badly worded, ill conceived, or just naive in your understanding of lens optics and commercial viability I think, unless you wished to pose a problem with no realistic answer.

Actually, all I was looking for was a Canon EF mount 35-135 lens that I may have overlooked. If you don't like the subject and want to call it ill-conceived, fine. Your choice.

The moderate range of a 35-135 (4X) generally means good optical performance. But those types of zooms seem to have disappeared in favor or wider-range zooms. They did exist in the manual-focus days, but I guess the market has moved on.

My alternate is to use a 28-200 (oops, those are gone, too) and stay away from the very wide and very long ends of the range.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

mickley wrote:

A few years ago, when I was using film and manual ... (show quote)

Need to remember that most of the DSLR cameras being used today are DX not FF. That means that your older film camera lenses on a DX camera would be subject to a factor of 1.5 or 1.6, in most instances. As an example your 24-70 essentially becomes a 36-105. The Nikon web site shows many lenses in the midrange (moderate) so not sure where you are looking. Can also find many moderate lenses made by Sigma, Tokina, etc. Also, with the increase in longer zooms such as 18-200, etc. one can now buy a one lens whereas they use to have to buy two to cover that focal range.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

charles brown wrote:

Need to remember that most of the DSLR cameras bei... (show quote)

I have both APS-C and full frame cameras. I would like a full-frame lens solution. I may have overlooked the answer while digging through KEH, etc. And the 18-200's I found were APS specific.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

mickley wrote:

Actually, all I was looking for was a Canon EF mou... (show quote)

I think you are being overly critical. The lens ranges that you want are generally available. Lens technology has moved on, so some things have changed.

Since you seem to be thinking about Canon and manual focus lenses, the closest that I can find in the Canon line to your "dream lens" is the FDn 35 -105mm f/3.5. It's a nice lens, works very well on my T90, and also on my T3i with the Ed Mika replacement mount, so FF equivalent of 56 - 168mm reach / field of view, but not a FF 35 - 135mm span. I don't think that Canon ever manufactured such a lens as you are describing.

So, at least in the Canon lens family, they haven't disappeared, they never existed. I would suggest that the closest to your idea would be the FDn 35 - 105mm f/3.5 which is a nice manual focus lens on either an old school Canon film camera (pre 1987) or on a modern EOS body if suitably modified.

EF 24 -105mm f/4L IS USM is probably your best bet for a modern AF lens from Canon.

Where does that leave us? Are you chasing a fantasy?

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

mickley wrote:

I have both APS-C and full frame cameras. I would like a full-frame lens solution. I may have overlooked the answer while digging through KEH, etc. And the 18-200's I found were APS specific.

Just looked at the Nikon web site and you are right, they have few FX moderate range zoom lenses. But looking at the total list of FX zooms now being sold by Nikon it becomes obvious that their focus is on lens combinations such as 24-70 and 70-200. It begins to look like it might be a marketing issue as much as anything. After all they are in business to make money and getting people to buy two lenses instead of one is one way to do it. There are a couple of exceptions but not many.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

charles brown wrote:

Just looked at the Nikon web site and you are right, they have few FX moderate range zoom lenses. But looking at the total list of FX zooms now being sold by Nikon it becomes obvious that their focus is on lens combinations such as 24-70 and 70-200. It begins to look like it might be a marketing issue as much as anything. After all they are in business to make money and getting people to buy two lenses instead of one is one way to do it. There are a couple of exceptions but not many.

You are spot on. I'm just looking for a choice that once was so common in manual focus, and is now rare or flat out gone from the lens catalogs. I have been able to find one Canon 35-135 with the AF/EF mount, but it may be a domestic (Japan) only lens.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

charles brown wrote:

Just looked at the Nikon web site and you are right, they have few FX moderate range zoom lenses. But looking at the total list of FX zooms now being sold by Nikon it becomes obvious that their focus is on lens combinations such as 24-70 and 70-200. It begins to look like it might be a marketing issue as much as anything. After all they are in business to make money and getting people to buy two lenses instead of one is one way to do it. There are a couple of exceptions but not many.

That is certainly a possibility, but the OP seems to be complaining that they aren't available, which isn't really true, and that when they are available that the optical quality isn't good enough. That isn't a marketing issue, there are some product design issues that lie behind that.

I don't think that the OP has been able to cite a lens that meets his desired specifications yet, so it may be one of those intractable problems that does not yet have a solution.

So the question is whether the OP understands that and is presenting a question without a realistic answer, or whether he wants something that is simply not available for good design reasons. So far, there seems to be no middle ground....

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

mickley wrote:

You are spot on. I'm just looking for a choice that once was so common in manual focus, and is now rare or flat out gone from the lens catalogs. I have been able to find one Canon 35-135 with the AF/EF mount, but it may be a domestic (Japan) only lens.

Common? Name them! And since you appear to want quality, provide credible review references...

You started by mentioning Canon, but Canon never made such a lens. The ball is now in your court to support you claims with some evidence.