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

Pros:
Cost
Weight/size
Macro performance
simplicity
Circular aperture
fairly bright as Zooms go at f/3.5
Resale value

Cons:
Lack of advanced features
Plastic mounting ring
no USM (I know it SAYS USM, but it's not really - it's a micro motor and not the faster ring-type)


This is a great lens that often times people will put down just because it is simple. The truth of the matter is that if you're a true beginner, it has the level of sophistication you want to learn on. Will you outgrow it and want more features? PROBABLY! but that's okay.

If you're considering getting your first digital SLR, I recommend getting the body only and picking up the standard kit lens (this lens) separately, you can save $100 (USD) or better total. I was always impressed with this lens, especially its close focus ability. It is quite sharp from edge to edge and superb for macro photography, landscapes and portraiture. True, it doesn't have a distance gauge, but most novices, whom this lens was designed for, don't want or need that. You don't learn how to ride a motorcycle on a chopper. once you "outgrow" this lens, which could be 6 months or 3 years depending on how much you shoot, you can either keep it as a backup, use it as a reverse-lens macro (with an adapter ring) or resell it on eBay: the fetch between $70-$100 regularly (for good condition). Bottom line: it is a great beginner to intermediate user lens that has fantastic optics for the price.

This lens is fairly lightweight and somewhat compact. You can get slightly wider-than-true shots when taking photos at its widest 18mm. With its zoom range to 55mm, it is a good lens for SLR beginners and amateurs for everyday usage. At 18mm, your f-stop max is f/3.5 which is the largest aperature for this lens and lets a a good quantity of light in for lower light images. Clearly a larger aperature lens will perform better in low light, but for under $100, this lens is a great option especially if you are on a budget when it comes to camera lenses and toys. Want a slightly better step up from this lens? Then get the IS (Image Stabilizer) version of this lens for better low-light performance. The IS version of this lens has the same f/3.5 maximum aperature opening, but can help get rid of the blur sometimes seen in photos when in low light situations, especially when not using a flash. This lens by no means competes with Canon's L-series lenses which introduce fluorite and low-dispersion glass with no vignetting, but for a cheaper $100 lens like this one, it's a good all-purpose lens. Great for group photos and great in daylight. For beginners, you will find that you will use this lens most of the time in normal day-to-day scenarios. To partner with this lens, aim for the 70-300mm IS lens which lets you get up close and personal with the action. Nonetheless, this entry-level Canon lens is good for the beginning and amateur Canon digital SLR users.

Update:
This lens has been redesigned in a new "kit" lens that now has image stabilizaton. The reviews all indicate that whatever its virtues in the older form, the new one is clearly better. So - if you are buying a kit lens, make sure you get the newer one with "IS" in the name. The price new is essentially the same and image stabilization is a real plus.

The English mag, Digital Camera Magazine, has decided this is a soft, worthless lens compared to the Nikon equivalent. Yet in the most recent issue (in the US, as of March 9. 2006) at least three of their "winning" photographs were taken with this lens. Popular Photography magazine's review of this lens (available at their website)concluded 'Excellent ... performance at all focal lengths'. Is it equivalent to a Canon 'L' lens? No, of course not, but it is surely the lightest lens available for the Canon Rebel, 20D and 30D digital cameras. It is essentially weightless, certainly by comparison to the IS lenses that would probably replace it. Its one real flaw is that the front lens element rotates making polarizing filter use problematical. After a year, I bought a better Canon lens, but I'm keeping this one for the times when I want an small, light outfit to just carry around. At the wide angle end, f3.5 is not too bad even for available light, given the Canon ability to capture decent images up to ISO 1600 and even 3200. I've done a fair amount of hand-held interior work with this little gem.

I have tried lenses from various other manufacturers. Several produce fine results. What I have found, though, is that for optimum combination of quality, features, and 100% compatibility with the Canon EOS system, my best results have been achieved using Canon EF, and EF-S, lenses. I have a Canon Elan IIe film camera and a recently-purchased Canon Digital Rebel XTi. This lens was purchased specifically for use with the latter, to complement my other EF lenses and give me a true wide-angle alternative. It serves that purpose very nicely.

The autofocus system is crisp, fast, and precise. The only time it can get 'touchy' is when using the AF assist in low light. In low light conditions, it tends to 'search' for a focal point, and you may want to switch to manual focus. Having used other manufacturers' AF systems, though, Canon compares favorably...and I don't expect AF to work in near-darkness!

I am not a student of optics, so perhaps I should not be reviewing lenses. I am, however, very results-oriented. From that perspective, this lens does exactly what I bought it for....and more! The image-stabilizer feature, as advertised, does give you a legitimate 2-stop advantage! As I get older, my hand isn't nearly as steady as it once was, and this feature has been worth the extra money on more occasions than I can count! Overall, results are edge-to-edge consistent even at the two extreme focal lengths. You can certainly buy faster lenses but, in this price range, I couldn't be happier with performance.

This lens came with a UV filter and a circular polarizer! The UV is almost a no-brainer! The CP is something I outfit all my lenses with, especially since I do a lot of outdoor shooting, so I would have gotten both, anyway. Just a nice perk on this purchase.

This lens, in one form or another, is often included in Canon body-lens packages, and I can see why. Great all-purpose lens for daily use with the added advantage of image-stabilization. Highly recommended.

I'm writing this review because I'm tired of hearing self-named experts degrade something that wasn't made for them. You don't want to start with professional lenses any more than you would want to buy a race car to drive around town (though it would be fun). Professional lenses are made for specific things, which is why pros need so many of them (i.e. the soup lense, the salad lense, the butter lense, the appetizer lense, the pasta lense, you get the point). Professional NASCAR would laugh if you tried to enter a new Ford Mustang at Indy, but nobody laughs at the one in your driveway. Anyway, on with the review:

Two years ago I purchased the Digital Rebel to replace a combination of film SLR and digital point-and-shoot. My SLR was a Minolta, so when I decided to go with Canon my lenses became obsolete (Minolta just hasn't been keeping up). This was my first lense investment. Everyone, even professionals, still want photos of friends and family and that's just what this lense will do.
My next lense investment was based on my reasoning for going with SLR. I wanted to get closer to far away objects, so I started looking for telephoto.

If you are considering stepping up to digital SLR from point-and-shoot, there is little question that you should invest in this lense. This lense will allow you to take all of the photos that you were used to taking with your point-and-shoot, and it will auto-focus and zoom with similar efficiency.

You may read or hear complaints about image quality from this lense. The image quality with this lense is comparable or better than any of the high end point-and-shoot cameras and better than any of your generic alternatives.

The price is great. The professional lenses that everyone compares this lense to cost 10 times as much. If you have $500 to $1000 to blow on a lense, I recommend sending me the difference via PayPal and getting this one anyway. Hey Ebay, I was kidding!