Lenses
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Specifications:
Manufacturer | Canon |
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Model | EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS |
Lens style | Universal zoom |
Focal length | 18 - 55 mm |
Maximum aperture | f/3.5 - 5.6 |
Angle of view | 74.3 - 27.8 o |
Closest focusing distance | 0.25 m |
Maximum magnification | 2.94 |
Minimum aperture | 36 |
Number of diaphragm blades | 6 |
Auto focus type | AF |
Lens Construction | 11 elements / 9 groups |
Filter diameter | 58 mm |
Macro | No |
Available mounts | Canon EF-S |
Dimensions | 70 x 68.5 mm |
Weight | 200 g |
Additional information |
Average rating (14 owners reviews).
Build quality | 2.29 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Optical quality | 3.43 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Value for money | 4.50 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Overall | 3.40 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

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Owner since: 3 years
Price:
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Build quality in accordance with price - low, that is. Slow and slightly soft at the long end. Manual focusing is painful. Filter thread rotates (think polarizers...).
Pros: Best value for money in Canon lineup. Very good image quality across the range, save for 55mm. Useful stabilization. Very compact and lightweight.
Summary: This lens came as kit lens with my 450D (XSi). It's size and weight makes it a perfect companion for travel and hiking. The focal length range is well adapted for general use. I recommend to get this lens with your XXXD body at first. You may then find out where you need more range or more light and invest accordingly. You can sell this lens at almost no loss.
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Owner since:
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User profile: Amateur
Cons: I am having a problem with this lens. The auto-focus stoped working afer 2,5 years! After some research. I found that this problem is commun. There's a flexible flat cable that breaks with use. The cable is not expansive but the repair is dificult for beginers.
Pros: Versality. Price. This lens is not expensive.
Summary: Good lens for the asked price. The "cable proble" will get you sooner or later.
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Owner since: 1 year
Price: kit lens -
User profile: Amateur
Cons: buildt quality, no focus distance marks, no d.o.f. marks
Pros: I.S. and price
Summary: A good lens for starters, but not truly satisfactory...
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Owner since: 2 years
Price: Kit Lens
User profile: Semipro
Cons: * Not the sharpest * Okay build for a kit lens, very plastic. I dropped it with the camera (XSi), the mount broke, but no effect on IQ which is not bad.
Pros: * Very cheap * 3 stop IS * Slightly less sharper than its 17-55 counterpart * MTF resolution across all zoom and all f-stop is crazy-good
Summary: Highly highly recommend!!
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Owner since: 3 months
Price: Kit lens
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Awful toy-like build quality, awful manual focus ring, very unsharp after 40-45mm, rotating filter thread, slow apertures which need to be further stopped down, noisy and slow autofocus, washed colours, pics always need to be edited via software.
Pros: Almost inexpensive when bought as a camera kit or second-hand, very sharp in the 24-35mm range at f/5.6, IS system, autofocus is precise.
Summary: Pics are very good only in a quite narrow sweetspot, you will very likely want to replace it as soon as possible with a more useful lens. Second-hand market often offers good bargains.
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Owner since: 4 years
Price: Kit lens
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Flimsy build quality. Unusable manual focus ring. High barrel distortion at 18mm. Noticeable pincusion distortion at 55mm. Not great sharpness.
Pros: Cheap, small, light. IS works really well. High value for the money.
Summary: Good principiant lens. Not that bad for a kit lens
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Owner since: 1 month
Price: Came with
User profile: Amateur
Cons: rotating front element, precise zooming near 18mm is difficult, very soft at 18 & 55mm wide open
Pros: light, cheap, sharp at 35mm, good beginners lens
Summary: I have owned this lens since January 2011, and I have taken around 3,000 shots with it so far. The lens is OK for most every-day photography, but I have have ruined a few (20 or so) shots with the lens being so soft at 18mm. Cromatic abberation (color shift) is also a slight annoyance at the wider end of the zoom range. I think this lens is very good for a begginer who has just bought this lens with a camera, but eventually you will want to upgrade to a better lens. My advice is to use this lens as a backup to a better lens. The image stabilization is wonderfull and works well at 1/8 sec upwards (18mm) and 1/13 sec upwards (55mm). Overall, I am fairly pleased with the lens, but if I had bought a camera body only and had the choice of buying a different lens, I would be a fair bit happier with a different lens.
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Owner since: 3 months
Price: KIT
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Great Price/Performance factor Quite ok Macro performance for such class lens Small and light
Pros: Rotating AF Ring, which makes CPL Filter usage painfull Plastic everywhere Lens is not very bright Motor is slow
Summary: Lens does it's job for it's money very well, but if you need to use filters frequently, or shoot in low light conditions, then upgrade to non-rotating and faster lens is needed.
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Owner since: 2 years
Price: comes with
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Build Quality. No HSM.,
Pros: stabilizer,
Summary: Gives you good colors with a good Polarizer, I use it most for land scape. I have good frames of portrait as well
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Owner since: 1 year
Price:
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Build quality, rotating front element, no supplied shade
Pros: Excellent sharpness throughout range, minimal distortion, excellent CA control, IS works well
Summary: Probably the best value for money there is. Probably as good performance-wise as "upgrades" costing 2 to 3 times as much
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Owner since: 3 months
Price: 95 euro
User profile: Amateur
Cons: * IS don't help much at this focal length(without IS you can hold down for 1/25 and with 1/15) * Front element rotates * slow at low and(5.6) * front element can sometimes be use as till and shift lens. * build is not very high but for most people just fine.
Pros: * decent IQ when stop down * nice zoom range
Summary: Nice lens to start with but it is to slow for most indoor and I update to tamron 17-50 no-vc
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Owner since: 1 month
Price: Included i
User profile: Semipro
Cons: Build Quality. No HSM.
Pros: Very Good IS. Very Light weight.
Summary: Not bad for a Kit Lens.
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Owner since: 1 year
Price: US$170
User profile: Amateur
Cons: Average contrast, dead colors
Pros: Excellent image stabilizer, great panning capability, great for night shots
Summary: Good value for money, but you get what you pay for
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Owner since: 1 year
Price: 110
User profile: Amateur
Cons: MF ring
Pros: Optical quality, Value for money, ligh weight
Summary: Best buy, profile amateur
