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

Pictures:
Specifications:
Manufacturer Canon
Model EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Lens style Universal zoom
Focal length 18 - 55 mm
Maximum aperture f/3.5 - 5.6
Angle of view 74.3 - 27.8 o
Closest focusing distance 0.25 m
Maximum magnification 2.94
Minimum aperture 36
Number of diaphragm blades 6
Auto focus type AF
Lens Construction 11 elements / 9 groups
Filter diameter 58 mm
Macro No
Available mounts Canon EF-S
Dimensions 70 x 68.5 mm
Weight 200 g
Additional information
Average rating (18 owners reviews)
Build quality
Optical quality
Value for money

Overall

3.43 Average
Owners reviews (18)
  1. Effivesix
    Effivesix 27 July 2015, 08:01
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 86.188.x.x
    Owner since: 6 years
    Price: Kit
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Built to a price. Not one for rough or knockabout handling.

    Pros: Useful focal range for walkabout shooting. Optically good from f5.6 to f11. Worthwhile as a starter kit lens for gaining experience. As good as other kit options from competitors. IS is a big plus.

    Summary: It's kit lens...you get what you pay for, and it's not all bad, far from it. More advanced users will want to move up the lens quality ladder in price and performance. 'You pay your money, you take your pic'. It's a lens worth having as a back-up though.

  2. DavidSamish
    DavidSamish 17 March 2013, 17:53
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 24.17.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: $100
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Could have wider aperture, closer or longer zooms. Bugs me that the end rotates for polarizer and gradient filters.

    Pros: Works for me. Nice zoom range, light weight, image stabilization and good images.

    Summary: I use this lens more than my other ones. Good combination for many occasions. Still, I'm looking for an upgrade that'll probably cost more than my camera body.

  3. JiMu
    JiMu 15 July 2012, 04:54
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 84.173.x.x
    Owner since: 4 years
    Price: 65€
    User profile: Semipro

    Cons: slow, short zoom range, no distance window, manual focus is a pain, low build quality, plastic mount

    Pros: the image quality is actually pretty good, the IS works and is very silent. In low light you can shoot good pictures of not moving subjects

    Summary: This lens is not bad but it's nothing special either.

  4. AlexJ
    AlexJ 28 March 2012, 13:50
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 60.240.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: $770 with
    User profile: Semipro

    Cons: Some lateral CA, manual focus ring is difficult to use. Not the most accurate autofocus results. I've noticed coma wide open in some shots. Colour rendering is a bit flat. Not exactly a solid design (should survive a slight knock, but not much more).

    Pros: IS makes low shutter speeds easier to use. Quite sharp all round. Gets a reasonably shallow depth of field at 55mm at f/5.6. Cheap, compact and light. Common 58mm filter thread.

    Summary: Flexible lens perfect for someone new to SLRs and only someone with an ego wouldn't use it when on holiday. It's light and won't be a burden around your neck. It's images lack a bit of punch but clarity and colour can always be enhance in post.

  5. hi-tower
    hi-tower 8 October 2011, 19:41
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 81.217.x.x
    Owner since: 3 years
    Price:
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Build quality in accordance with price - low, that is. Slow and slightly soft at the long end. Manual focusing is painful. Filter thread rotates (think polarizers...).

    Pros: Best value for money in Canon lineup. Very good image quality across the range, save for 55mm. Useful stabilization. Very compact and lightweight.

    Summary: This lens came as kit lens with my 450D (XSi). It's size and weight makes it a perfect companion for travel and hiking. The focal length range is well adapted for general use. I recommend to get this lens with your XXXD body at first. You may then find out where you need more range or more light and invest accordingly. You can sell this lens at almost no loss.

  6. Paz
    Paz 3 July 2011, 00:23
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 83.132.x.x
    Owner since:
    Price:
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: I am having a problem with this lens. The auto-focus stoped working afer 2,5 years! After some research. I found that this problem is commun. There's a flexible flat cable that breaks with use. The cable is not expansive but the repair is dificult for beginers.

    Pros: Versality. Price. This lens is not expensive.

    Summary: Good lens for the asked price. The "cable proble" will get you sooner or later.

  7. Giacomolongo
    Giacomolongo 19 June 2011, 12:36
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 77.72.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: kit lens -
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: buildt quality, no focus distance marks, no d.o.f. marks

    Pros: I.S. and price

    Summary: A good lens for starters, but not truly satisfactory...

  8. Mr. S
    Mr. S 7 April 2011, 18:46
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 208.81.x.x
    Owner since: 2 years
    Price: Kit Lens
    User profile: Semipro

    Cons: * Not the sharpest * Okay build for a kit lens, very plastic. I dropped it with the camera (XSi), the mount broke, but no effect on IQ which is not bad.

    Pros: * Very cheap * 3 stop IS * Slightly less sharper than its 17-55 counterpart * MTF resolution across all zoom and all f-stop is crazy-good

    Summary: Highly highly recommend!!

  9. Alberto
    Alberto 7 April 2011, 09:20
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 93.42.x.x
    Owner since: 3 months
    Price: Kit lens
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Awful toy-like build quality, awful manual focus ring, very unsharp after 40-45mm, rotating filter thread, slow apertures which need to be further stopped down, noisy and slow autofocus, washed colours, pics always need to be edited via software.

    Pros: Almost inexpensive when bought as a camera kit or second-hand, very sharp in the 24-35mm range at f/5.6, IS system, autofocus is precise.

    Summary: Pics are very good only in a quite narrow sweetspot, you will very likely want to replace it as soon as possible with a more useful lens. Second-hand market often offers good bargains.

  10. Bioibon
    Bioibon 9 March 2011, 17:38
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 150.241.x.x
    Owner since: 4 years
    Price: Kit lens
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Flimsy build quality. Unusable manual focus ring. High barrel distortion at 18mm. Noticeable pincusion distortion at 55mm. Not great sharpness.

    Pros: Cheap, small, light. IS works really well. High value for the money.

    Summary: Good principiant lens. Not that bad for a kit lens

  11. Clicky
    Clicky 8 March 2011, 02:45
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 69.218.x.x
    Owner since: 1 month
    Price: Came with
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: rotating front element, precise zooming near 18mm is difficult, very soft at 18 & 55mm wide open

    Pros: light, cheap, sharp at 35mm, good beginners lens

    Summary: I have owned this lens since January 2011, and I have taken around 3,000 shots with it so far. The lens is OK for most every-day photography, but I have have ruined a few (20 or so) shots with the lens being so soft at 18mm. Cromatic abberation (color shift) is also a slight annoyance at the wider end of the zoom range. I think this lens is very good for a begginer who has just bought this lens with a camera, but eventually you will want to upgrade to a better lens. My advice is to use this lens as a backup to a better lens. The image stabilization is wonderfull and works well at 1/8 sec upwards (18mm) and 1/13 sec upwards (55mm). Overall, I am fairly pleased with the lens, but if I had bought a camera body only and had the choice of buying a different lens, I would be a fair bit happier with a different lens.

  12. StyleZ
    StyleZ 1 July 2010, 09:58
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 193.111.x.x
    Owner since: 3 months
    Price: KIT
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Great Price/Performance factor Quite ok Macro performance for such class lens Small and light

    Pros: Rotating AF Ring, which makes CPL Filter usage painfull Plastic everywhere Lens is not very bright Motor is slow

    Summary: Lens does it's job for it's money very well, but if you need to use filters frequently, or shoot in low light conditions, then upgrade to non-rotating and faster lens is needed.

  13. stel
    stel 30 June 2010, 17:52
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 78.158.x.x
    Owner since: 2 years
    Price: comes with
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Build Quality. No HSM.,

    Pros: stabilizer,

    Summary: Gives you good colors with a good Polarizer, I use it most for land scape. I have good frames of portrait as well

  14. Nikonicus
    Nikonicus 13 June 2010, 23:00
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 80.4.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price:
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Build quality, rotating front element, no supplied shade

    Pros: Excellent sharpness throughout range, minimal distortion, excellent CA control, IS works well

    Summary: Probably the best value for money there is. Probably as good performance-wise as "upgrades" costing 2 to 3 times as much

  15. marc1990
    marc1990 2 May 2010, 13:33
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 212.120.x.x
    Owner since: 3 months
    Price: 95 euro
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: * IS don't help much at this focal length(without IS you can hold down for 1/25 and with 1/15) * Front element rotates * slow at low and(5.6) * front element can sometimes be use as till and shift lens. * build is not very high but for most people just fine.

    Pros: * decent IQ when stop down * nice zoom range

    Summary: Nice lens to start with but it is to slow for most indoor and I update to tamron 17-50 no-vc

  16. Makato
    Makato 2 March 2010, 17:05
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 200.80.x.x
    Owner since: 1 month
    Price: Included i
    User profile: Semipro

    Cons: Build Quality. No HSM.

    Pros: Very Good IS. Very Light weight.

    Summary: Not bad for a Kit Lens.

  17. Cezary
    Cezary 21 December 2009, 03:51
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 174.3.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: US$170
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Average contrast, dead colors

    Pros: Excellent image stabilizer, great panning capability, great for night shots

    Summary: Good value for money, but you get what you pay for

  18. TETAMANTI
    TETAMANTI 23 October 2009, 22:23
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 190.229.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: 110
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: MF ring

    Pros: Optical quality, Value for money, ligh weight

    Summary: Best buy, profile amateur