Canon EF-S 18-55 f/4-5.6 IS STM lens

      Photo Review 8.7
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      In summary

      Like its predecessors, this lens is normally supplied as the kit lens with an entry- or mid-level DSLR camera. Purchased with a camera body, it represents good value for money and provides a worthwhile foundation for a more comprehensive kit that will grow as the photographer’s requirements expand.

      Since it covers a range of focal lengths that will suit subjects as diverse as landscapes and portraits, it is also a useful starter lens for newcomers to DSLR photography and digicam upgraders looking for improved image quality. Its compact size and relatively light weight will suit travellers, while silent operation will make this lens very useful for photographers who record video.

       

      Full review

      Announced on 14 February with the EOS 77D and EOS 800D   cameras, the new Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens is the sixth model in its category (although this isn’t indicated in its name). Designed exclusively for Canon DSLRs with APS-C sized sensors, it is almost 20% smaller than its predecessor, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens,  even though it’s 1/3 of a stop slower at the wide end of its zoom range. However Canon claims it will offer the same image quality and it provides four stops of shake reduction.

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      Side view of the new EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM kit lens. (Source: Canon.)

      The optical design is simpler than the previous lens, with one less element and one less group. The 12 elements in 10 groups configuration doesn’t appear to include any  aspherical elements but Super Spectra coating has been applied to suppress reflections that produce ghosting and flare.

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      The new lens (right), showing how much smaller it is than the previous model (left). (Source: Canon.)

      Surprisingly, the new lens is 10 grams heavier than the previous model, despite being slower. It comes with front and rear caps plus a printed multi-lingual instruction manual. The lens hood (EW-63C) is sold separately.

      Who’s it For?
       Like its predecessors, this lens is normally supplied as the kit lens with an entry- or mid-level DSLR camera. Hence the unavailability of a local RRP. Purchased with a camera body, it represents good value for money and provides a worthwhile foundation for a more comprehensive kit that will grow as the photographer’s requirements expand.

      Since it covers a range of focal lengths that will suit subjects as diverse as landscapes and portraits, it is also a useful starter lens for newcomers to DSLR photography and digicam upgraders looking for improved image quality. Its compact size and relatively light weight will suit travellers, while silent operation will make this lens very useful for photographers who record video.

      Build and Ergonomics
      Build quality is  much as you would expect from a basic kit lens. The polycarbonate body is solid and quite nicely finished for a kit lens and the mounting plate is made from plastic. It fitted quite well to the EOS 77D body but neither camera nor lens is weather sealed.

      This lens is at its shortest at the 18mm focal length and the inner barrel extends by approximately 25 mm when zoomed in to the 55mm focal length.  The front element doesn’t rotate as the focal length is changed, enabling hassle-free use of angle-critical attachments like polarisers and graduated filters.

      The focusing ring is an 8 mm wide band just behind the leading edge of the outer barrel. It has a finely-ridged rubber coating that provides a secure grip.  The ring turns through 360 degrees in both manual and AF modes. No distance scale is provided.

      The zoom ring lies to the rear of a fixed strip bearing the Canon brand, just aft of the focusing ring. It’s 25 mm wide and carries a 21 mm wide, thickly ridged rubber collar. The trailing edge of this ring is engraved with focal length markings for 18mm, 24mm, 35mm and 55mm positions. As the focal length is adjusted, the maximum and minimum apertures change accordingly, as shown in the table below:

      Focal length Max. aperture Min. aperture
      18mm f/4.0 f/22
      24mm f/4.5 f/22
      35mm f/5.0 f/29
      55mm f/5.6 f/32

      Two slider switches are located on the left hand side of the 15 mm wide section of the barrel behind these engravings. The top one selects between AF/MF and the lower one switches the stabiliser on and off.

      The lens draws power from the camera body to provide electronic control over functions from the focus drive used during zooming, to focus ring movement detection and control/drive. This means little or no tactile feedback when you make manual adjustments.

      Performance
      We tested the review lens on the EOS 77D camera body, enabling us to take advantage of the higher resolution (24 megapixels vs 18 megapixels) than was available when we reviewed the previous lens in May 2013. Our Imatest results showed it was capable of meeting expectations for the sensor around the central zone of the frame at longer focal lengths, with aperture settings around f/6.3.

      The highest resolutions were recorded at the 24mm and 55mm focal lengths, although all focal length settings delivered their best results just over a stop down from the maximum aperture setting. Edge and corner softening were present ““ and apparent ““ with all focal lengths.  Diffraction reduced resolution from about f/8 throughout the focal length range, with a significant dip occurring between f/11 and f/16. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.

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      Lateral chromatic aberration remained entirely within the ‘negligible’ band, just touching the edge of the ‘low’ band at f/22 with the 18mm focal length.  We found no evidence of coloured fringing in test shots.   In the graph below, the red line marks the border between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA.

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      Autofocusing was mostly fast and accurate but the review camera and lens struggled to find focus after dark in low contrast conditions. The camera’s Touch AF  system worked well when there was sufficient light but failed to find focus in dim, low-contrast lighting.

      The built-in stabilisation system was very effective, enabling us to use shutter speeds as slow as 1/4 second with the 55mm focal length and obtain more than 50% of shots looking sharp. The STM focusing motor ensured few (if any) operational noises were recorded on movie soundtracks.

      Backlit subjects were handled reasonably well for a kit lens, although the lens was not immune to veiling flare and flare artefacts when a bright light source was just within or just outside of the frame. When the light source was well beyond the edge of the frame, there was very little loss of contrast due to veiling flare.

      Close focusing is limited to 25 centimetres, which restricts the ability to use this lens for close-up shooting. The relatively small maximum apertures across the zoom range mean that bokeh is unlikely to be a feature of this lens since it can be difficult to obtain truly soft backgrounds at the widest lens aperture settings.

      Conclusion
       Like its precursor, the 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens can only be used with Canon’s DLSR cameras that have APS-C sized sensors.   Most people who purchase this lens will acquire it with a camera body, where it adds approximately AU$100 to the base price. This represents very good value for money, which is reflected in our overall assessment of the lens.

      Buyers should be aware that like all kit lenses, it is built to a price rather than for speed or quality. For a kit lens, its overall build quality and performance are pretty good ““ but the plastic lens mount implies limited durability.

      Unfortunately, resolution across the image frame will not meet the expectations of serious photographers who want edge-to-edge sharpness. Indeed, even central zone sharpness will be below par at ISO settings higher than 1600, regardless of how accurately the subject is focused.

      That said, this is a good lens for novice users buying their first DSLR camera, particularly if their budgets are tight. Once mastered, it provides a useful stepping stone to more capable (and more expensive) lenses by giving users real life experience of how focal length and aperture settings can affect selective focusing. It will also clarify the importance of stabilisation.

      Those who plan to buy the lens separately, should also consider the older EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, which is cheaper. Canon lists the EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens in its online store at AU$449, whereas the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is priced at AU$309.

      The cheaper lens is selling at roughly AU$120 through a number of online re-sellers and has the advantage of being 1/3 of a stop faster at 18mm, 25mm and 35mm focal lengths. It delivered similar resolution performance to the EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens in our Imatest tests.

      The new lens performed much better with lateral chromatic aberration, although neither lens produced visible coloured fringing in test shots. Rectilinear distortion and vignetting were similar in both lenses. With only 10 grams difference in the weights of these lenses ““ interestingly in favour of the older, physically longer model ““ the choice between them will probably boil down to the space available in your camera bag.

      It’s certainly not worth purchasing this lens off-shore, even when it’s bundled with a camera. The on-sale cost plus the costs of shipping and insurance will come close to, or exceed, the local price.

       

      SPECS

      Picture angle: 64 degrees 30 minutes to 23 degrees 20   minutes
      Minimum aperture: f/22-f/32
      Lens construction: 12 elements in 10 groups (with Super Spectra coating)
      Lens mounts: Canon EF-S
      Diaphragm Blades: 7
      Focus drive: Lead screw type stepping motor
      Stabilisation: Yes  (4 stops of shake correction)
      Minimum focus: 25cm
      Maximum magnification: 0.25x (at 55mm)
      Filter size: 58 mm
      Dimensions (Diameter x L): 66.5 x 61.8 mm
      Weight:  215 grams
      Standard Accessories: Lens front and end caps

      Distributor: Canon Australia; www.canon.com.au

       

      TESTS

      Based on JPEG files taken with the Canon EOS 77D camera.

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      SAMPLES

       

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       Vignetting at 18mm f/4.
       

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       Vignetting at 24mm f/4.5.
       

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       Vignetting at 35mm f/5.
       

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       Vignetting at 55mm f/5.6.
       

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       Rectilinear distortion at 18mm.
       

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       Rectilinear distortion at   24mm.
       

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       Rectilinear distortion at 35mm.
       

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       Rectilinear distortion at 55mm.
       

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      18mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/160 second at f/7.1.
       

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      55mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/7.1.
       

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      Close-up at 18mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/5.6.
       

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      Close-up at 55mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/500 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      Close-up at 18mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/5.6.
       

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      Close-up at 55mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/5.6.

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      55mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/8.

       

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       Crop from the above image magnified to 100% showing edge softening and slight fringing.
       

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      Flare artefacts and veiling with strong backlighting at 18mm; ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/6.3
       

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       Veiling with strong backlighting at 55mm; ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/6.3.

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      Hand-held stabilisation test; 55mm focal length; ISO 6400, 1/2 second at f/7.1.

       

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      Hand-held stabilisation test; 31mm focal length; ISO 100, 1/2 second at f/5.
       

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      19mm focal length, ISO 2500, 1/20 second at f/6.3.
       

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      18mm focal length; ISO 640, 1/40 second at f/4.

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      55mm focal length; ISO 400, 1/80 second at f/8.

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      55mm focal length; ISO 640, 1/80 second at f/6.3.
       
       Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Canon EOS 77D camera.

       

      Rating

      RRP: AU$449;US$249.99

      • Build: 8.4
      • Handling: 8.5
      • Image quality: 8.7
      • Versatility: 8.5

       

       

      Buy