![]() The image quality of the Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 DC III is not even that crazy when you compare it to the price. The lens does not have image stabilization. It’s pretty well put together, although the play in the tube at 55mm is actually a bit bigger than we would like to see. The lens does have a nice wide zoom ring and has one switch: for changing between autofocus and manual focus. The focus ring is actually not a focus ring, but just a ribbed thickening of the front of the lens, so you can grab the tube and twist it a bit. The housing of the lens is entirely of plastic, up to and including the mount. BUILDĮverything about the Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 DC III breathes cost savings, or – if you want to put it more positively – efficiency. Certainly when you go to a workshop and see the person next to you shooting effortlessly in low light with almost the same lens, but with ‘IS’ on it. Hopefully you will learn quickly from that, but it does take away some of the fun of shooting. Without image stabilization, that is punished immediately because you have a blurred photo. ![]() Novice photographers often do not have the best shooting technique, and a mistake in keeping the camera steady or selecting the correct shutter speed is then easily made. That it has no image stabilization is a pity, especially for the target group. A full plastic housing and no image stabilization is a step back in time, just like the Canon EOS 4000D is in some ways. The Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 DC III is a standard zoom lens without frills. ![]() Coupled with Canon's sub-$300 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS EF-S lens, you'd have effective coverage from 29mm to 400mm with image stabilization in two lightweight, compact lenses for less than the price of some other image-stabilized lenses alone.LIGHTWEIGHT: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DC III The step-up option in Canon's medium zoom EF-S line is the 17-55mm IS EF-S f2.8 aperture, which can run you about $800 more, so unless you have to have the faster f2.8 through the whole zoom range, this lens is an excellent value for the price. ![]() While we found the wide end of the zoom range great for scenic shots and being creative with perspective, the 55mm maximum focal length (88mm equivalent) left us wanting more much of the time. Its strong image quality makes it a good option for more advanced Canon shooters who desire image stabilization at an affordable price. We found the 9.8-inch closest focusing distance a great point of the lens, allowing almost macro-like capability.įor the entry-level Canon shooter, the EF-S 18-55mm IS f3.5-5.6 IS provides an affordable way to gain image stabilization, which is built into the bodies of entry-level dSLR systems from companies such as Sony, Pentax, and Olympus. It uses internal focusing, so the front lens element does not rotate during focus, which is helpful if you use a circular polarizing filter. Autofocus feels responsive and accurate, and seems fairly quiet. That, along with its location at the very front of the lens, made using the manual focus imprecise, so we suggest using the manual focus only if you really have to. It lacks a distance scale, although that's common for entry-level lenses. However, the small manual focus ring feels a bit loose. The wide zoom ring is easy to grip, and the zooming action is smooth and tight and well damped. ![]() Since there's no performance or image-quality penalty for leaving it on, we left the IS enabled the whole time. We shot with the lens on a Canon EOS Rebel XSi body, and its light weight made it a pleasure to carry for a long afternoon. We would recommend the optional lens hood for shooting in bright sunlight. Flare was fairly well controlled, but noticeable sometimes. At 35mm, it shifts to f4.5 and turns to f5.6 at about 45mm. While zooming, the lens maintains its maximum aperture of f3.5 from 18mm to 24mm. It also maintained good corner sharpness at 35mm and 55mm, with corner sharpness at 18mm suffering slightly. It delivered very good sharpness at the center of the image at 18mm, 35mm, and 55mm-with 35mm slightly sharper. Beyond that, distortion is well controlled for a lens in this class, with minimal barrel distortion at 35mm and minimal pincushion distortion (where objects appear to curve towards the center of the image) at 55mm. In our lab tests, the lens displayed considerable barrel distortion (where objects appear to curve toward the outside of the image) at 18mm, although it was on par for a lens that wide in this price range. ![]()
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