| Reviews : Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras |
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Product By Canon Available From 25 Sellers |
Technical Details
- 18-135mm lens with f3.5-f.5.6 aperture; for use with APS-C cameras
- 35mm equivalent to 29mm-216mm focal length range
- Dedicated image stabilization
- Lens construction of 16 elements in 12 groups
- Compatible with 67mm filters
Product Description
EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS wide-angle to telephoto zoom lens with 35mm equivalent of 29-216mm * compatible with Canon APS-C format digital SLR cameras * image stabilization allows in-focus shots with longer exposure times (up to four stops slower shutter speed) * minimum focus distance: 18 inches * lens is 4-3/8" long, 3" in diameter *Similar Products
Customer Reviews
By Pierre Dalumpines (Chicago, IL)
I wanted a versatile, cheap lens that could help me rediscover the magic of photography and also serve double-duty as an all-around lens with similar zoom coverage as a point-and-shoot.
The EF-S 18-135mm IS lens had just come out, but I was somewhat put off by the bad technical review it got from photozone.de considering that it was retailing for almost $600. I kept looking. However, I found it online for about half that, I decided to take a chance, and thus, here are my impressions...
GOOD:
- decent sharpness through much of the zoom and aperture range
- good color reproduction (I am a weirdo who pumps saturation to get "comic book" color as B. Stubblefield puts it)
- less chromatic aberration due to UD element (whatever)
- versatile zoom range of 18-135mm (equivalent to 29-216mm)
- for the price I got it, a great value... at the price you see here, getting iffy but still good
- new generation IS for at least 2 stops of hand-holdability
- good balance and weight (1 lb), goes well with Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
- non-rotating front element (means little to me since I only have a UV filter)
- fairly tight tolerances (better than kit, not as good as "L", not that I've ever owned either)
- no zoom creep (will this change with a hood and filters?)
- decently fast focus motor, despite being non-USM (again, whatever)
- wide enough to get everyone in the picture (fix distortion in Canon DP Professional)
BAD: (Intuitively, these are all fixable by spending more money on your lens)
- non-USM focus motor, no manual focus override (spend more money, get USM lens)
- some focus-hunting at wide angle especially low contrast or dim shots - spend more money, use infrared focus assist from Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras or use a fast prime lens for your dim shots
- heavy barrel distortion at wide end, which you can fix with DxO ($$) or Canon DP Professional (free) - better fix is buy a true wide angle lens!
- vignetting at large apertures, which you can fix with peripheral illumination correction in Canon DP Professional
- peripheral softness at wide end and large apertures, which you can fix by spending $1200 and buying the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras - better fix is stopping down or using the more central portions of your frame for your subjects
- no distance scale (unlike the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, which I looked at and was seriously considering)
- you're stuck with EF-S (no compatibility with Canon full frame bodies)
- priced about $80-100 more than what it is worth
I do not have the experience to discern minute differences in sharpness, color fidelity, etc. that people seem to place so much of a premium on. MTF charts and pictures of lines and grids are great, but honestly, I question the real world utility of these things. Maybe that's my ignorance talking. To me, a picture looks good if it evokes the emotional response or thought process that the photographer intended regardless of the technical aspects. Hey, let's take photos of brick walls to assess distortion! Let's spend hours on the internet looking at pictures of gray walls at different apertures and focal lengths to see which lens has the least amount of vignetting! No, thanks.
This lens delivers what I need for a price I was very happy with, and I will be using it to take lots and lots of pictures in the hopes of improving my abilities and and preserve family memories at the same time. If you have the photographic need to place high-detail complex subjects at the corners of your frame, or simply have the cash to blow on L-class lenses, then why are you even reading this? Who am I kidding, I crave L-class glass as much as the next guy! I just can't justify the cost given my current ability level (which is below "beginner" but above "t3h suck").
Are you are a beginner like me? Do you have a limited budget? Do you enjoy being creative to extract the maximum performance from your gear to get around some weaknesses? If so, then buy this lens - chances are you'll be very happy with it. I know I am. Enjoy!
By Young parent (Dallas, TX United States)
Came w/ a 7D kit. I was reluctant since it was my first EF-S and lens w/o USM, but I was pleasantly surprised at the responsiveness and image quality of this lens. The IS is great and so far no problems. Great lens to just stick on the camera and keep there for probably 80% of your shots in the city and even out in the country. Good general purpose lens and would make a good starter lens for new DSLR buyers. On the downside, no USM vs the EF 28-135, but the 18-135 makes it worth it if you want just a tad more wide shot.
By Enche Tjin (Philadelphia, PA)
Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS is an affordable all purpose lens designed especially for Canon beginner digital SLR camera users. The built quality are very similar to Canon Rebel XS, XSi and T1i body. It does not feel heavy and too long.
Focal length of 18-135mm (equivalent to 29-216mm) is very versatile. It is wide enough for indoor or long enough for outdoor.
There is no USM (ultra sonic motor) in the lens, so it will make a a bit of noise when the lens auto focus is activated. AF is moderately fast and very good for everyday use.
Image quality is very good relative to consumer grade lens, it is certainly not as good as expensive high grade Canon L lenses. Bokeh is round and quite pleasing.
Alternative lenses are
* Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras which has longer reach but also more expensive and longer.
* Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras which is not wide, compatible to full frame Canon body and has USM. Built quality of this lens is better, but image quality is average.
Check out full size image samples at my website. Look for my web address by viewing my profile. Thanks for reading.
By P. VANDALEN
Switching from Pentax to Canon, I had to start with no Canon lenses. Therefore, I had to go with the 7D kit. I had wanted the EF 28-135 USM kit but after waiting months on a backorder situation, I went with the 18-135 kit from a local camera store. I knew that the 28-135 was a pretty good "kit lens" whose only consideration was that the 28mm aperture is very restricting for wide angle on a crop-sensor. I had read preliminary reviews of the 18-135 that didn't sound too encouraging (this is in contrast to working with pro-level glass from Pentax for some time). However, after a week of using this lens with the 7D, I found that it's not as bad as I expected. Pictures taken with it are reasonibly sharp, have reasonible contrast and fairly even image quality across the frame - when I follow these guidelines:
1. Avoid 18 - 24mm shots, even at stopped-down apertures due to overall reduced image quality; softness, especially away from , distortion and fringing.
2. Don't shoot at wide-open aperture for any focal length if given the choice due to increased softness.
The lens is built reasonibly well for a kit lens. It does focus quickly without USM and is not too loud doing so. What I don't like is that there is no distance scale. I will often take candid shots, either with flash or without, where I first guess the distance to the subject and set that manually on the lens, and then take a surprise photo without any focus delays or focus-assist lighting from the flash to warn the subject that a picture is about to be taken. Can't do that with this lens.
While the 18-135 is generally a reasonible kit lens, it is not the right lens to do the capabilities of the advanced 7D justice, however. Don't know why Canon packaged this lens with the 7D (kinda of like "putting a Fiat motor in a Ferrari?"). Based on reviews and comparisons, I believe the 28-135, on the other hand, would be the better inexpensive choice for this camera. The funny thing is that the 18-135 kit costs $100 more than the 28-135. For that extra $100 I gain some usability between 24 and 28mm but lose some image quality overall. While the 18-135 is convenient to have for now, I look forward to the 17-40 and 70-200 f4L lenses as possible upgrades. I'll provide an update after more time using this lens in order to make sure I give it a fair chance to prove itself.
Update (11/20/09): After many more photographs with this lens, I have to admit that it deserves a bit more recognition than I originally gave it. The guidelines I mentioned for best results still hold true: avoid 18-24mm when possible and stop-down all other focal lengths to about f7 - f8 for the best images. Comparing this lens on the 7D to the Tamron 18-250 on a Pentax K20 and the Canon lens is clearly better - sharper , sharper boarders and far less CA. It actually looks to be comparible to the Tamron 28-75 with both at f8. Stopped-down, the 18-135 is surprisingly sharp across the frame for a kit lens. I would increase the ranking from three to four stars if it wasn't for the really poor performance between 18-24mm. I also just purchased the Canon 70-200 f4L and the image quality of the 70-200 is certainly in an entirely different league. However, you can still get pretty decent pictures with the 18-135 when you work around its weaknesses.
By J. Neidert (San Diego)
Purchased lens from someone that bought an EOS 7D and had good glass already. It was essentially new. Put it to the test when I got it, compared it directly to my existing 18-55IS under the exact same conditions. I'm hoping to post some 100% crops of handheld and Live View shots of the moon taken on 11/4/09. My takeaways for this lens after about 150 test shots:
- It has better corner sharpness than the 18-55 at all aperatures and all focal lengths
- It appears f8 is the sweet spot for this lens, at least on my copy.
- No issues with focusing even in low light.
- Easy to handle on XSI, should be well balanced on all cropped sensor Canons
- Will be my permanent on camera lens, if I need more zoom, will use my 55-250 for now.
- Colors and contrast are good and true across the zoom range. That's what we bought a Canon for to begin with.
- Vignetting characteristics essentially the same as the 18-55IS. Visible wide open, gone by f8.
- No downsides from my standpoint. I shoot as a hobby for enjoyment and this camera/lens combo just plain works for me, and most likely will work for 95% of you that have cropped sensor Canons.
For the money (~$450 or less), this is a no brainer. Buy this lens if you are looking to upgrade, have limited funds, and want more reach compared to the 18-55. If you have more available funds, don't need as much reach, but still want/need an upgrade, buy the new 15-85 ($800 MSRP) or the older 17-85 (~$500 on-line), or the 17-55 f2.8 (~$1000 on-line. You may want to sepnd some time exploring this site and the excellent reviews and information. [...]
Not having USM, not a big deal. Early ISO 12233 Crops don't look good, stop worrying - B. Stubblefield's hit it on the head in her review. I was just as concerned, and can tell you my concerns are unfounded. Close ups, tight zooms, distant shots with zoom, all turned out better than the 18-55 and 55-250 combination up to the 135mm level. I don't have expectations that this will be as good as a "L" series lens, but know how to get the most out of what I have. Image quality exceeds what I can get from my 18-55, so I'm pleased as punch with it. Could I get better image quality, sure, but at many more $$$'s that aren't justified for me.
I will be purchasing the Canon 70-300 USM lens shortly after Christmas to compliment my new 18-135, and then sell my existing 18-55IS and 55-250IS lenses. Needless to say, I am very happy with this lens.
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