Canon EF-S lens test/review database

Index

NEW AND BETTER ARTICLE INDEX AT CANON INDEX
(It is only the new index that will be updated. It doesn't have the ranking yet, but is better and more up-to-date)

Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS II

Image quality rating: 85,00%

Overall rating: 80,00%

Main points:
  • Light weight
  • Not a very fast lens


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
8/10
'In terms of price / quality, the Canon 55-250 mm IS mk2 has a lot to offer. If you're looking for a cheap, compact, lightweight telephoto zoom lens with reasonably good optical performance, this is a good choice. Unfortunately, we haven't tested the first version of the Canon EF-S 55-250 mm. But the vignetting we have measured in this review is lower than the vignetting in other reviews of the first version of the Canon 55-250 mm. Perhaps Canon made a small improvement here. But this difference may be due to other causes, such as different tested copies and / or differences in test method.'650D
SLRGear
9/10
8/10
'So far, I'm very satisfied with the quality of the pics I have been able to take with this lens. Color is so much better than the kit lens, as is sharpness and overall image quality. Bokeh is also a lot easier on the eyes and much nicer.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 60 mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Image quality rating: 84,32%

Overall rating: 87,76%

Main points:
  • Value for money
  • Same sharpnes across the whole image


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
7.4/10
'The Canon 60 mm Macro can be used as macro lens and as portrait lens due to the focal length. The lens is built compactly, and the autofocus is very fast. The resolution already reaches a top af f/4; this is not very high in absolute sense, but the difference between the center and the edges is distinctly small. In comparison to the zoom lenses designed for the APS-C format tested here, the Canon 60 mm Macro performs very well.'7D
ePhotozine
4.5/5
4.5/5
'Canon shooters looking for a relatively inexpensive introduction to macro photography should certainly add this lens to their list of lenses to consider. It will suit those especially who will gain from the compact, lightweight design, and fast focusing. '500D
ePhotozine
'I wait to be convinced about Canon’s commitment to the EF-S mount and the restricted number of cameras that it will fit. However, if you own one of them and do not plan to upgrade to full frame in the future then this is a capable and versatile lens. Remember, however, that the minimum focus distance is measured from the sensor plane and to get a 1:1 ratio picture the front of the lens will only be some 85mm from the subject. On an APS-C sensor though, it does seem the ideal focal length for portraits and may well find a good deal of favour in that discipline.'300D
SLRGear
9.76/10
9.44/10
'As you'd expect from a prime, the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro delivers superior sharpness over a wide range of aperture settings. Wide open, its just a little on the soft side, but just one stop down at f/4, it's "prickly sharp," and very sharp indeed all the way out to f/11. (Like many lenses, things get quite soft beyond f/16 or so, don't even consider using f/32, unless you're deliberately trying for a soft-focus effect.)'20D
Lenstip
'What’s there to write. If someone doesn’t mind that when taking macro pictures you need to get really close to the object, and the fact that you can’t mount the lens on a full-frame sensor, you can buy this lens on spec. It will work great both for what it was designed for and also as a nice portrait lens.'20D
Photozone
4/5
4/5
'So they do exist - high-performance lenses with an reduced image circle. The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro delivers an almost flawless performance. The lens is capable to provide very sharp border-to-border results with minimal distortions and low CAs. The bokeh (out-of-focus blurr) is decent. The only really dirty spot on its otherwise clean vest is high vignetting at f/2.8 towards infinity focus but one stop down the issue is pretty much resolved. So combined with its high build quality, very fast AF and a pretty affordable price the only verdict can be ... highly recommended!'350D
Photozone
4/5
4/5
'The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro is a high performance lens with next to perfect resolution figures across the image frame which is only limited by diffraction effects. Lateral CAs as well as distortions are not field relevant. Unfortunately there're also a couple of drawbacks. The vignetting is too high at f/2.8 and the quality of the bokeh is only decent but not really stellar. There's also some bokeh color fringing (LoCAs) at large apertures.'50D
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM

Image quality rating: 83,30%

Overall rating: 73,18%

Main points:
  • Sensitive to flare
  • High price
  • From f/4.0 low vignetting


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
8.2/10
'On a modern SLR camera like the Canon 650D review, the Canon 17-55 mm 2.8 IS not only in resolution but also, thanks in camera correction of chromatic aberration and vignetting, even better advantage than in our previous test on a Canon 7D. The Canon 17-55 mm 2.8 IS is light and strong performance in terms of sharpness, distortion and vignetting better than the other standard zoom lenses from Canon. Downsides are called the high sensitivity to light and the high purchase price. The Sigma 17-50 mm 2.8 and the Tamron 17-50 mm 2.8 are interesting alternatives to the Canon 17-55 mm 2.8 IS which featured in this Canon 17-55 mm review.'650D
ePhotozine
'The lens is a high quality optic that is not quite up to L standard but takes close scrutiny to find the differences. Priced at the upper end of the spectrum for lenses that cannot be used on Canon’s professional camera models it would seem to have a limited place in the market. The price is added to if you want the optional hood though. That said, it is an ideal lens for anyone who does much low light photography.'300D
SLRGear
9.45/10
8.93/10
'As we said at the outset, this lens is really ideal for anyone doing available-light photography with a Canon sub-frame camera. It's very sharp, has a nice wide f/2.8 maximum aperture, and offers Canon's excellent Image Stabilization as well. If you do a lot of available-light work, this lens would justify its rather high price in a heartbeat. If you're more interested in landscapes and tripod-based available light shooting, you can save a fair bit of money with any of several good alternatives.'20D
Lenstip
'In our modest opinion, Canon would have done much better introducing a little bit optically and mechanically better version of its destined for full frame Canon EF 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 mm. A 15-16 mm to 50-70 mm focal length lens with stable light of f/4 or in a slightly changeable range of 3.5 to 4.5, with a solid metal casing and metal bayonet, equipped with a USM, without stabilization and for a price less than 500$ - this would be the lens awaited by many matrix APS-C class DSLR camera owners. The sad thing is that one of the leading photographic industry manufacturers wants its clients to wait for such a model. It's enough to look at the competition to see very good products like the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 mm f/3.5-4.5 DX IF-ED or Sony, which proposed the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm lens from the start. Too bad...'20D
Photozone
4/5
3.5/5
'The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is not a perfect lens but it lives quite well up to the very high expectations of the user base. The resolution figures are among the very best seen so far for an APS-C standard zoom lens. The center resolution is nothing short of outstanding and the even borders can keep a very good to even excellent quality level. The distortion characteristic is quite typical for a zoom lens in this range (pronounced barrel distortions @ 17mm, moderate pincushion distortions @ 55mm) whereas CAs are unusually moderate. Unfortunately vignetting is a weak spot of the lens peaking around 1EV at f/2.8 throughout the range. It's not a show stopper but a little annoying nonetheless. The build quality of the lens is pretty good but in relation to the price tag of the lens Canon should have used a little less plastic - finally even the much cheaper EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L features a magnesium-alloy shell. Probably a marketing decision to keep professionals away from APS-C DSLRs. All-in-all the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is clearly a level up from the other Canon standard zooms - a highly desirable lens though the pricing may rise a few question marks.'350D
Photozone
4/5
3.5/5
'The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is not a perfect lens but it lives quite well up to the very high expectations of the user base. The resolution figures are among the very best for an APS-C standard zoom lens. The center resolution is generally excellent even on the EOS 50D and the borders can keep a very good quality level. The distortion characteristic is quite typical for a zoom lens in this range (relatively pronounced barrel distortion @ 17mm, moderate pincushion distortion @ 55mm) whereas lateral CAs are unusually moderate. Unfortunately vignetting can be an issue at f/2.8 and the quality of the bokeh (rendering of the out-of-focus blur) lacks greatness in critical situations. The build quality of the lens is pretty good but in relation to its price tag Canon should have used a little less plastic - finally even the much cheaper EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L features a magnesium-alloy shell. All-in-all the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is clearly a level up from the other Canon standard zoom lenses albeit a pricey one.'50D
Camera Labs
20/25
17/25
'It’s a valid point, but there’s still benefits to having a brighter lens with a digital SLR. First, the smaller focal ratio and circular aperture of the 17-55mm allows it to deliver shorter depths of fields with more pleasing bokehs than other EF-S lenses, making it ideal for portrait or dramatic macro work – see our Gallery page.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 15-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Image quality rating: 78,40%

Overall rating: 82,02%

Main points:
  • Sharpnes in corners could be better
  • High distortion and vignetting at 15 mm


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
7.2/10
'The Canon 15-85 mm is about € 200 more expensive than the Canon 17-85 mm . For that extra, you get a wider zoom range, half a stop gain, a slightly higher resolution and lower distortion. Not least, the 15-85 mm also feels much sturdier. An alternative to the Canon 15-85 mm is the Sigma 17-70 mm .'7D
ePhotozine
3.5/5
4/5
'During testing, this lens has proved itself a capable successor to the popular EF-S 17-85mm IS USM. Although it has some flaws, it is capable of producing excellent results, so long as the limitations of the lens are taken into account.'500D
SLRGear
8.94/10
9.11/10
'With very good, if not excellent results for sharpness, resistance to chromatic aberration, distortion and corner shading, Canon has released an excellent general purpose lens. If you were looking for an upgrade to a kit lens and can't decide between wide angle and telephoto, this could be an excellent choice.'20D
Lenstip
'If you want to be mean, you can summarize this test in one sentence: “Oh, so it is possible!” That’s because you can now see what minimalism it was of Canon to release the 17-85 mm IS USM model, which right after its premiere was sold barely cheaper than now 15-85 mm. Back then, however, were no competitors and the company used it. Now there is and it turned out that it’s possible to release a lens much better optically than its predecessor in almost every aspect, brightness, with efficient image stabilization and what’s the most important, with additional two millimeters at the wide angle.'7D, 50D
Photozone
3.5/5
3.5/5
'The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS is certainly a desirable lens ... if you can get a good one (ours had a bit of QC issue). The resolution is generally very good from 15-50mm whereas you should expect some border softness at 85mm. A weak spot of the lens is the amount of vignetting which is extreme at 15mm @ f/3.5. An edge shading of 1.94EV represents a new (negative) record here at PZ - the lens is somewhat underdesigned here obviously. However, stopping down resolves most of the problem. The amount of distortions is typical for such a lens (heavy barrel distortions at 15mm). Lateral CAs can be visible at the extreme ends of the zoom range. '50D
Photozreview
8.5/10
8.5/10
'Imatest showed resolution to be much more consistent across different focal lengths than we found with the EF-S 18-135mm lens. Edge softening at wide aperture settings was also somewhat less - although still noticeable, particularly with shorter focal lengths. The 15mm focal length produced the highest overall resolution with best results at between f/5.0 and f/6.3. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests, based on JPEG files.'
Camera Labs
21/25
20/25
'The EF-S 15-85mm IS USM is arguably Canon's best all-round general-purpose zoom for its range of cropped-frame EOS bodies. It delivers a compelling focal range with decent optical quality, quick and quiet focusing and Image Stabilisation.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 10-22 mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Image quality rating: 76,60%

Overall rating: 81,60%

Main points:
  • Extreme wide angle zoom range
  • Distortion at 10 mm


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
7.2/10
'The Canon 10-22 mm is a light and relatively compact wide-angle zoom lens with decent performances. For a wide angle zoom lens, distortion, chromatic aberration and flare are well controlled. Who uses the standard lens profiles in Lightroom will not suffer from chromatic aberration and distortion in practice. Relatively speaking, the optical performances at 10 mm are a little less than at the other focal lengths. At 10 mm, you win resolution in the center by stopping down 1 or 2 stops. At the other focal lengths, you already reach the highest resolution at full aperture. At all focal lengths, the Canon 10-22 mm performs better in terms of resolution in the center than in the extreme corners.'7D
ePhotozine
4/5
4/5
'Very little can be found to fault this lens, although it really would benefit from being supplied with a hood to shade the front element. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would object to having to pay another £35 for something that in this case, appears to be quite necessary. This would push the price for the lens up to £705, which I feel must be taken into account when considering the value of the lens.'500D
ePhotozine
'The ultra-wide group to which this lens belongs has gone a long way towards overcoming the biggest drawback of cropped sensor dSLR’s, that of lost angle of view at the wide end. Being newly designed, it has addressed all of the other problems that have been thrown up by digital sensors and optically, if they had stopped at 20mm there would be very little to pick up on. The one slight disappointment is the build quality when looked at in terms of the price, as the cost is more than some ‘L’ class lenses and is the biggest barrier to owning this lens after the need to have one of the limited cameras it will fit on.'300D
SLRGear
8.76/10
8.8/10
'All in all, this is a lens of remarkable quality, a real boon to shooters needing true wide angle capability on their d-SLRs with APS-C size sensors.'
Lenstip
'The Canon EF-S 10-22 mm is a specific lens targeted for wide angle lovers and for those not wanting the fish-eye class of lens distortion. APS-C detector digital camera owners had to wait long for the opportunity of photographing at a wide angle of 100deg or more. Thanks to the Canon 10-22 mm this became a possibility and, it seems, was worth waiting since the picture quality is very high. If we add Canon's famous good quality build and USM motor we are looking at a lens worth taking into consideration.'20D, 300D
Photozone
3.5/5
4/5
'The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM delivered a very sound performance with a combination of very decent build quality and very good if not impressive optical results. If anything vignetting at wide-open aperture could be better. The center performance is excellent throughout the range with generally good borders. The level of distortions is surprisingly low and CAs are quite well controlled.'350D
Photozone
3.5/5
4/5
'The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is a very sound package thanks to a combination of very decent build quality and very good if not impressive optical results. The resolution is very high at 10mm and 14mm and still pretty good at 22mm. If anything vignetting at wide-open aperture could be better. The center performance is excellent throughout the range with generally good borders. The level of distortions is surprisingly low and CAs are quite well controlled (for an ultra-wide lens). Flare is also comparatively well-controlled. There's no such thing as a free lunch though - the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM sells for around 600€/US$ which is a whopping 50% higher than for third-party products such as the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 or the popular Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X Pro DX.'50D
Camera Labs
20/25
20/25
'In practice the Canon EF-S 10-22mm performs very well, especially considering its extreme coverage. In terms of resolution it matched or out-performed the EF-S 17-85mm and EF-S 18-55mm lenses, and was only just beaten by the premium EF-S 17-55mm model. Corner sharpness was also good with softness only visible when zoomed-out with larger apertures.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 18-135mm Æ’/3.5-5.6 IS STM

Image quality rating: 75,75%

Overall rating: 83,33%

Main points:
  • Coming soon


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
SLRGear
8/10
8/10
'Regarding the lens' actual performance, it's very good but not amazing - you'll need to go to the more expensive L-glass if you'd like some amazing. But for what it does, it does it very well, meaning you get what you pay for and then some.'7D
Photozone
3.5/5
5/5
'The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS is a pretty obvious choice for those users seeking for a long universal range while keeping a very decent image quality. The new optical design with a large diameter UD element in the front lens group obviously makes a difference compared to its predecessor. The lens is generally capable of keeping a very high center to corner resolution. There's only a slight drop in quality at 135mm at max. aperture. The contrast level is relatively decent but you stop down a bit for a better "punch" at longer focal lengths. The subjective quality perception is somewhat affected by relatively high lateral CAs in the lower zoom range so for best results you should consider to switch to RAW files and correct the issue via a RAW converter (such as Adobe LightRoom). The amount of vignetting is a bit of a problem at max. aperture but stopping down a bit helps to control the issue. Typical for such zoom lenses, there's quite an amount of barrel distortion at 18mm but that's an acceptable compromise in this class.'50D
Photoreview
8.3/10
8.5/10
'Imatest showed resolution to be quite variable and similar to the previous lens. The 35mm focal length produced the highest overall resolution at f/5.6 but, as before, it failed to reach the resolution levels we expected from the 650D's 18-megapixel sensor.'
Dxomark
ePhotozine
3.5/5
3.5/5
'For a lens intended to be bundled as a kit with Canon's consumer Digital SLRs, this lens performs well, providing decent sharpness, especially at shorter focal lengths. The inclusion of image stabilisation is a bonus too and the system works effectively.'650D


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

Image quality rating: 74,44%

Overall rating: 88,47%

Main points:
  • very good image quality in the frame centre at shorter focal lengths
  • significant distortion at 18 mm
  • high vignetting at the widest angle


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
7/10
7D
SLRGear
8.22/10
8.04/10
'The Canon 18-55mm Æ’/3.5-5.6 IS EF-S lens is a remarkable upgrade to the standard kit-style lens. Even if you're not interested in the image stabilization that's been added, the addition of the aspherical lens element (and whatever other fine-tuning the lens wizards have been up to in the lab) shows off improved sharpness and resistance to chromatic aberration. Definitely worth the upgrade.'20D
Lenstip
'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.'20D
Photozone
3.5/5
5/5
'There were a few moments when I considered not to publish the results due to "political correctness" because to date it was a quite absurd thought that such a cheap, or better "affordable", lens can perform this good and I'm sure that some will not believe the findings even though they're supported by the published field images. Anyway, the resolution capabilities of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is nothing short of amazing. This is also surprising regarding the rather small changes in the optical design compared to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II. Still - the center resolution is excellent throughout the range even at wide-open aperture. Unlike most dedicated APS-C standard zoom lenses it is capable to keep a very good level even at the extreme corners of the image field. Its resolution characteristic is similar to the (much higher priced) EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS at comparable aperture settings, quite a bit better than the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS and naturally vastly improved over its non-IS predecessor! Field curvature is not an issue. So is it a perfect lens then ? No, naturally not. It has its weaknesses - notably strong barrel distortions at 18mm and very high vignetting at 18mm @ f/3.5. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled at the extreme ends of the zoom range but quite pronounced around 28mm. In the field the lens struggles in contra light situations whereas the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is pretty good within the limits of its depth-of-field capabilities. All-in-all the optical aspects are impressive and that's not only regarding the low price tag. The image stabilizer is quite efficient with a real world "gain" equivalent to about 3 f-stops. On the mechanical side things aren't so rosy. Canon changed the cosmetics of the lens and it certainly "looks" better now but the actual implementation has only been marginally improved compared to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II. The plastic quality (down to the lens mount) spoils the subjective quality perception quite a bit. The inner lens tube does still wobble significantly and accurate manual focusing remains next to impossible. However, the AF speed and accuracy is very decent and that's probably good enough for most users anyway. The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is certainly a value king, priced below 200€/US$, which is a good match for the resolution potential of the current generation of Canon's APS-C DSLRs.'350D
Photozone
3.5/5
5/5
'The resolution capabilities of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is amazing even based on the EOS 50D. The lens resolution may no longer reach the limits of the sensor resolution (as it did on the EOS 350D) but the quality level remains very high throughout the zoom range. Even more surprising is the evenly high corner to corner performance. So is it a perfect lens then ? No, naturally not. It has its weaknesses - notably strong barrel distortions at 18mm and very high vignetting at 18mm @ f/3.5. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled at the extreme ends of the zoom range but quite pronounced around 28mm. In the field the lens struggles in contra light situations whereas the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is pretty good within the limits of its depth-of-field capabilities. All-in-all the optical aspects are impressive and that's not only regarding the low price tag. The image stabilizer is quite efficient with a real world "gain" equivalent to about 3 f-stops. On the mechanical side things aren't so rosy. Canon changed the cosmetics of the lens and it certainly "looks" better now but the actual implementation has only been marginally improved compared to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II. The plastic quality (down to the lens mount) spoils the subjective quality perception quite a bit. The inner lens tube does still wobble significantly and accurate manual focusing remains next to impossible. However, the AF speed and accuracy is very decent and that's probably good enough for most users anyway. The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is certainly a value king with a price tag of around 160€/US$.'50D
Photoreview
8/10
8.5/10
'The low price of this lens is reflected in some aspects of the optical performance of the review sample and comparison tests using Imatest showed it to be less capable of matching the performance of our test cameras' sensors that more expensive Canon lenses. Edge softening was noticeable at apertures ranging from the widest to about f/11, where the differences between centre and edge resolution declined. The graph below plots the centre and edge resolution from our Imatest tests against lens aperture and focal length.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Image quality rating: 73,13%

Overall rating: 94,40%

Main points:
  • good performance against bright light
  • reasonable autofocus performance
  • relatively large vignetting for all focal lengths


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
SLRGear
8.94/10
8.88/10
'Canon hasn't produced many EF-S lenses, but it seems to have taken the same success story behind the 70-300mm IS and applied it here to great effect. The bottom line here is that Canon has packed two important things into this lens for a surprisingly low price - high optical quality and image stabilization. I think we can safely say this is a lens where you do get much more than you pay for.'20D
Lenstip
'When writing the summary of this particular lens we can easily say that we get what we paid for. After spending less than 300 USD we can get a lens with a good resolution at the whole focal length range, with well controlled chromatic aberration and optical stabilization – maybe not being 4EV, but still relatively effective. At the risk of being honestly blunt (as I tend to do in my reviews), I sincerely think that the Canon 55-250 IS is a better choice for amateurs than its competitor, the Nikkor 55-200 VR. In many categories, the Canon’s performance is the same, in couple of them its even better and it offers a wider focal length range.'20D
Photozone
3.5/5
5/5
'Technically the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny lens with a great performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are basically a non-issue. The level of distortions remains moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we've seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent. So's everything cool here ? Well, the AF accuracy didn't really convince in the field - specifically at the wide-end of the zoom range - but to be fair this is much better on an EOS 40D (e.g.) with its improved AF capabilities. I had some trouble with the image stabilizer in the field but according to early reader feedback this impression seems to be an exception to the rule. If so the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS has certainly the potential to be another hot seller.'350D
Photozone
3/5
5/5
'The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny tele lens with a comparatively impressive performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are almost a non-issue in field conditions. The level of distortions remains moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we've seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent and when used on the EOS 50D the focus accuracy is also spot on (it wasn't on the old EOS 350D though). The image stabilizer works are designed although probably not as good as specified for us average coffee junkies.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Image quality rating: 66,33%

Overall rating: 83,64%

Main points:
  • Low resolution in the corners
  • Favorable retail price


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
6.6/10
'The Canon 18-135 mm is provided with an effective stabilization, and due to the wide zoom range practical in use. The speed is limited and in terms of resolution, vignetting and distortion, this lens performs only very moderately. TheCanon 15-85 mm and Sigma 17-70 mm offer more but at a higher price. The low price of the Canon 18-135 mm ensures a reasonable price/quality ratio.'600D
ePhotozine
3/5
3.5/5
'For a budget superzoom, Canon's 18-135mm isn't that bad at all. It is capable of producing images with good sharpness across the frame at optimum apertures and the Image Stabiliser works very well. Sharpness isn't everything though, and owners of this lens may want to keep the barrel distortion and chromatic aberrations at 18mm in mind when shooting.'60D
SLRGear
8.4/10
9/10
'The Canon EF-S 18-135mm Æ’/3.5-5.6 is available as a kit lens option for several Canon camera bodies, and it makes an excellent all-purpose lens. For the money, it provides very good performance: it doesn't need to be stopped down excessively to provide sharp results, and results for distortion, light falloff and chromatic aberration aren't beyond the pale of what you'd expect in this category of lens.'7D
Lenstips
'The Nikkor 18–105 mm VR, the Canon’s equivalent from a rival system, was praised by us. The Canon deserves some praise as well because the results of both lenses are more or less similar. The price of both devices is roughly the same. The Nikkor is a bit optically better, especially on the edge of the frame, but the Canon compensates for it giving you a better build quality and a wider range of focal lengths.'50D
Photozone
2/5
3/5
'The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS may be somewhat better than the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS but it's not exactly a good lens either. The resolution makes a rather wild roller coaster ride through the different quality levels. Large aperture settings should be generally avoided at 18mm and beyond the middle range - the borders/corners are plain soft here. However, to be fair the lens is actually quite usable at f/8 (18mm) and f/11 (70mm+). It's also a good idea to stop down a little in order to overcome the rather heavy vignetting problems at max. aperture. Lateral CAs are somewhat more obvious at 18mm, especially in the corners, but this is a general problem in this lens class. The level of barrel distortions is extreme at 18mm, less so at other focal lengths.'50D
Photozone
8/10
8.5/10
'Imatest showed resolution to be quite variable and revealed considerable edge softening at wide aperture settings. The 35mm focal length produced the highest overall resolution plus reasonably good edge sharpness at aperture settings of f/5.6 and smaller. But even it failed to reach the resolution levels we expected from the 7D sensor.'
Camera Labs
17/25
22/25
'Canon's EF-S 18-135mm IS fills an important gap in the company's range for those who want a step-up from the basic EF-S 18-55mm kit lens without breaking the bank. Until this lens came along, you'd be looking at making a significant jump to models like the EF-S 17-85mm IS USM and its successor the EF-S 15-85mm IS USM if you wanted a better-featured general-purpose option from Canon.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Image quality rating: 65,38%

Overall rating: 77,05%

Main points:
  • Large zoom range
  • Low resolution


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
6.7/10
'The Canon 18-200 mm has an almost ideal zoom range and has an effective image stabilization. The lens has a slow maximum aperture and does not reach the specified full aperture at 200 mm. The distortion and chromatic aberration are high. The biggest disadvantage of the Canon 18-200 mm is the very low resolution at the corners at all focal lengths though.'7D
ePhotozine
3.5/5
3.5/5
'Overall this lens offers a good quality compromise for those looking for a convenient alternative to carrying multiple lenses. Sharpness levels hold up well for a lens of this type and the four-stop image stabiliser greatly increases the usability of this lens making it a perfect travel companion.'7D
SLRGear
8.13/10
8.88/10
'To sum up, the Canon 18-200mm Æ’/3.5-5.6 IS offers slightly better performance than we're accustomed to seeing with vacation lenses, with image stabilization thrown into a very portable form factor. Users who seek optical perfection shouldn't flock to this lens, but when used stopped down by one or two stops, it'll give fairly impressive results. On its own, it's a decent lens, but users considering replacing a kit 18-55mm IS lens with this model should consider the 55-250mm IS if they're not adverse to switching lenses, and have room for it in their bag. Between the two-lens combination there's as much and more range covered, and the optical performance between the two lenses exceeds that of the 18-200mm IS. But if you absolutely can only bring one lens, then you won't be let down by the 18-200mm Æ’/3.5-5.6 IS.'20D
Lenstip
'The mere comparison of the lists of pros and cons shows that our summary can’t be positive. Good and even but not splendid work in the frame centre is simply not enough a reason for a lens to be only praised. Its main problem is the fact that it doesn’t offer more than the rivals – rather the opposite is true. There is no USM motor, which can be found in similar Nikkor, Sigma or Tamron constructions. Optically it fares worse than lenses with even wider focal range. What’s the point of buying the Canon when an owner of a Canon reflex camera can buy better lenses, with a wider focal lengths range like, e.g. the Sigma 18-250 mm OS or the Tamron 18-270 mm VC for a similar price?'50D
Photozone
1.5/5
1.5/5
'Canon had a somewhat weird timing regarding the release of their EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. It is extremely difficult to design such a lens to start with and more so under low-cost requirements. Combine these side conditions with the rather extreme quality requirements of a high resolution APS-C DSLR a la EOS 50D (@ 15mp) and this sounds like trouble. The Canon lens has a couple of weak spots. At 18mm the border resolution is soft and heavy vignetting, extreme barrel distortion and CA problems don't help either. The situation improves significantly at 24mm and 50mm before deteriorating again towards the long end of the range. The situation would have been a bit different a couple of years ago when the sensor requirements were lower but combined with the EOS 50D the lens is somewhat outdated straight from the start. Better look elsewhere unless you still intend to use an older generation DSLR for a while.'50D
Photoreview
8/10
8.5/10
'Imatest showed the review lens was prone to edge softening at wide lens apertures. This was confirmed by subjective assessment of test shots, although in many cases you had to look closely to detect it. Centre resolution was highest at apertures between f/5 and f/14, but declined sharply from f/14 onwards and was very low near the minimum aperture settings (which we would consider unusable). The graph below shows the results of our tests.'
Camera Labs
16/25
20/25
'Owners of Canon’s EF-S compatible bodies have long-requested a Canon-branded 18-200mm super-zoom. For years they’ve gazed enviously at Nikon’s DX 18-200mm VR super-zoom and the flexibility it gave owners of that system. Sigma and Tamron may have offered super-zoom options of their own with a Canon fit, but earlier models didn’t feature stabilisation, and neither company has the perceived cachet (justified or otherwise) of the Canon brand.'
Dxomark


Canon EF-S 17-85 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Image quality rating: 62,24%

Overall rating: 73,09%

Main points:
  • Excellent resolution holds up throughout the focal range.
  • Distortion is bad at the widest settings and a little CA creeps in.


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
Camera Stuff Review
6.9/10
7D
ePhotozine
'I can’t help feeling that Canon have pushed the focal range a tad too far at the wide end of this optic because from the 20mm mark through to the 85mm end it is a cracking walkabout lens. It is only the widest few millimetres that let it down a touch. Having said that, with a little judicious work post processing images at that end, they are still very usable. The Image Stabilisation system is a boon in low lighting conditions and made pictures in those situations quite viable. For owners of the cameras that the lens will fit, it is a good addition to the camera bag.'20D
SLRGear
7.42/10
7.89/10
'Overall, this lens is a nice performer, and the IS is a real boon for hand-held photography in uncertain lighting. As such, it deserves strong consideration for your main lens, if you're buying a Rebel XT or EOS-20D, both of which are offered in bundles with this optic. If you have one of the original Rebels, this lens might be a nice upgrade for you, giving you a bit more range at the telephoto end and Canon's very capable Image Stabilization at an affordable price.'
Lenstip
'Next, we have a very good picture quality in the middle of the frame at the whole focal length range. But also at the whole focal length range we get a very high chromatic aberration. On the one hand we have a very weak 17 mm focal length, which suffers from big distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration and on the other hand another focal length – 85 mm, at which, at the maximum aperture, the lens has its best picture resolution results. At the 17-30 mm focal length the Canon EF-S 17-85 mm is the same as the cheap kit lens but at 50-85 mm it is so much better than the kit…there are more and more examples.'20D
Photozone
2.5/5
4/5
'The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a lens that promises many things. It is certainly a very versatile standard zoom with a long zoom range and an image stabilizer that can save the day in many situations. However, the build quality is somewhat disappointing and optically it is also something of a mixed bag. The lens is very sharp in the image center throughout the range but at the wide-end the extreme corners leave something to be desired. The 17mm setting also suffers from rather extreme distortions and rather hefty vignetting @ f/4. Finally chromatic aberrations aren't really something to rave about either.'350D
Photozone
2.5/5
4/5
'The Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a lens that promises many things. It is certainly a very versatile standard zoom with a long zoom range and an image stabilizer that can save the day in many situations. However, the build quality is somewhat disappointing and optically it is also something of a mixed bag. The lens is very sharp in the image center throughout the range but at the wide-end the corners are generally somewhat softer (but still acceptable). The 17mm setting also suffers from rather extreme distortions and rather hefty vignetting @ f/4. Finally chromatic aberrations aren't really something to rave about either.'50D
Camera Labs
17/25
17/25
'In practice though, the Canon EF-S 17-85mm is a slightly mixed bag. On the upside, the range is considerably more useful than the basic 3x of the 18-55mm, squeezing in fractionally more at the wide angle end, and offering far more scope at the telephoto. Now you really can get closer to subjects and produce decent-looking portraits with a nice small depth of field.'
Dxomark
CameraStuffReview
'The Canon EF-S 17-85 mm 4.0-5.6 has effective image stabilization and is practical due to the large zoom range. The luminosity is limited and in terms of vignetting and distortion, this lens performs only very moderately with the Canon 7D. The chromatic aberration is visible too then. The resolution is high especially at the center and this lens is fairly insensitive to light. The Canon 15-85 mm performed better on a Canon 7D than the Canon 17-85 mm on a Canon 7D, but has a higher retail price.'7D


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

Image quality rating: 43,30%

Overall rating: 51,20%

Main points:
  • good picture quality at 18-35 mm focal length range
  • large vignetting at 18 mm focal length
  • weak picture quality at 45 to 55 mm focal length range


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
SLRGear
5.66/10
5.68/10
'As many have reported (ourselves among them), this lens is better than you'd normally expect for such an inexpensive design, but our lab tests have led us to realize that it's not quiteas good as we'd previously thought: If you use it more toward the tele end of its range, and stop down a little from wide open, it's impressive indeed. Wide open, and particularly at wide angle though, it didn't perform as well as we'd have anticipated, based on our prior impressions. All in all, a good "starter" lens, but one that you'll almost certainly end up replacing after your budget has absorbed the initial shock of buying the camera in the first place.'20D
Lenstip
'The conclusion here is similar to the one for the Canon EF 1.8/50 II. The cheapest way of improving our camera’s optics is to buy the aforementioned Canon EF 1.8/50II. This combination will cost us about 170$ and we will be satisfied as a result.'20D
Photozone
1.5/5
2/5
'In lens land there's no such thing as a free lunch and the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II is an example for that. Under controlled conditions (stopping down two stops at 18mm) the lens can provide very decent results - certainly more than enough for casual users who are the target group anyway. However, technically the resolution is mediocre all-in-all and at 18mm @ f/3.5 it's downright poor. Distortions and vignetting are very high at the wide-end but no big issue at the tele end. The construction quality is soso at best. In its price range there're few alternatives in Canon EOS mount and they probably aren't better either. However, serious users looking for a good quality lens should save a little longer and look elsewhere.'350D
Dxomark


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

Image quality rating: 0,00%

Overall rating: 0,00%

Main points:
  • very good image quality in the frame centre at shorter focal lengths
  • high vignetting at the widest angle
  • not efficient stabilization


Test/reviewerOpticsOverallQuoteCamera
SLRGear
'With the legions of Canon T3i cameras sold in a given season, it's reassuring to know that the kit lens that ships with it actually performs decently well. It's decently sharp when stopped down and there is a nice sweet spot around the 35mm point where you will get sharp, undistorted photographs. It shows a bit more chromatic aberration than we would like, but of course if that is a problem for a given user, there are dozens of other lenses to upgrade towards.'7D
Lenstip
'The results of our test indicate that the new version of this lens, compared to its predecessor, has undergone nothing more serious than a delicate “lifting”. Additionally the alterations concerned mainly the casing because the optical system features just one change – new coatings, which improved slightly the work against bright light. Other differences, which appeared during testing, were rather a result of measurement errors and/or the quality dispersion factor between particular specimens than any real differences in optics of both instruments (perhaps apart from the stabilization which in the tested lens was exceptionally bad).'50D
Dxomark


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