Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS review - Summary

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Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

24 March 2010

Arkadiusz Olech

11. Summary

Pros:

very good image quality in the frame centre at shorter focal lengths,
even and good frame edge performance,
chromatic aberration well-controlled at longer focal lengths,
slight astigmatism,
relatively quick and accurate autofocus,
good price/quality ratio.

Cons:

plastic barrel and mount,
chromatic aberration at 18 mm focal length and bigger aperture values could have been lower,
significant distortion at 18 mm,
high vignetting at the widest angle,
limited accessory kit.

I am very pleased with the fact that the time has come when kit lenses, added to cheap digital cameras, can produce good quality photos and don’t have to be replaced immediately after the purchase with something better. After satisfying results of the Pentax and the Nikkor, the Canon joined that club as well. It is not a perfect lens, it does have some faults, but its advantages are numerous and you can hardly demand much more for such a price.

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Sample shots:


Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 41 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.2 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 39 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.2 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 27 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.1 MB

Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.0 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.0 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 18 mm, f/9.0, exp. 1/50 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 6.1 MB

Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 18 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 34 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB

Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/320 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.3 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 33 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.3 MB

Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 55 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/40 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.2 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 18 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 35 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/60 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.2 MB