| Brand: | Canon | ||
| Average Rating |
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Compact, lightweight and a wide magnification range – this standard zoom lens features a wide focal length range from normal to telephoto equivalent to 29-320mm in the 35mm format. It features an Optical Image Stabilizer for up to 4-stops of effective correction even at full zoom. Since Canon’s optical image stabilization system is in the lens, not in the camera, you can see the stabilized, steadier images through the viewfinder. And the circular aperture can give beautiful background blur effects. This new wide zoom ratio EF-S lens delivers excellent high-speed performance at an affordable price. more info
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Canon EF-S 18-200mm Review
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Where do I start… This lens gets the most action/time on my camera. Images are clear and color accurate and the zoom range makes it hard to take off. I am a 1:1 ratio person that hates photos that only look good from far. I try for that pixel to pixel perfection that makes my hobby harder, but so much more enjoyable when done right. I don’t use or run photos thru photoshop, because a part of me thinks it is cheating (leads me to retake photos often). I suppose someday I will change, but until then, I want a simple and clean photo.
The 18-200mm has surprised me over and over. I have compared it to my L lenses and it keeps up. If you go to Canon’s website check out the lens diagram info, the guts of this lens is very, very, very close to the L 24-105mm. I had to check because it was surprising me too often. In real life, I have taken the same shots between the two and find myself checking DPP (Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software) to see which lens took which photo. When I test new lenses during an event, the 18-200 goes back on for the rest of the event because it produces GREAT shots and saves time in lens changes and looking like a wannabe pro. The only comparible L lenses I have in this range are the 24-105mm and the 70-200mm, both f4 and with IS. This lens STILL trumps them when it comes to function.
===L Lens Info for new folks:===
Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons to own an L lens. Tack sharp clarity may not always be the case. The 24-105 and 70-200 are similar to the other L series lenses, they help take the guesswork out of the shot. If anyone make a lens with well coated glass, low aperture, and supreme motors, the lens no longer part of the challenge with taking photo. The joy of photography is to enjoy it, and if you are in it to make money, then L is the way to make your life easier. For the rest, it is the challenge of getting that perfect shot. The advantage between Pro and Enthusiast is that Pros will come to learn which setting will or will not photograph well. Enthusiasts will be able to see each scene in a mechanical way, a way that they will know which Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO will get the shot the best. It isn’t the lens that makes the shot, it’s the photographer. But, L lenses make it MUCH easier to not worry about little details. L does mean luxury (not better photos) in the true sense that these type of lenses take out some of the guesswork for photography. I will say again, it isn’t the lens that makes the photo — it is the photographer; more specifically, it is the TIMING and LUCK.
I will compare this to the list of lenses I have used and maybe you will have something to reference it by. BTW, I don’t review lenses unless I spent a few weeks with them.
Note: EF-S lenses handle power much better with longer battery life on Rebel (1.6 factor) Cameras in my experience than EF or non-Canon. I have seen this difference on my XS, XSi, and two X1i’s.
EF-S 10-22 USM; no comparison (part of my travel trio)
EF 50 f1.8 II; this is my portrait/indoors lens, it outshines the 18-200 (@ 50mm)
EF-S 18-55 IS; 18-200 has a better focus control, but has vignetting, same IQ, 18-55 is better at 18mm
EF-S 55-250 IS; 18-200 has sharper corners all around, but I miss the extra 50mm
EF 24-70 USM; completely better than 18-200 in 24-70 range, but no IS = no macro
EF 24-105 f4L IS; near identical shots, can’t tell when sorting, 18-200 is more useful
EF 70-200 f4L IS; 18-200 near same IQ at 200mm, love the 70-200 shell (nothing moves)
EF 300mm f4L IS; no comparison (part of my travel trio)
Sigma 150-500 OS; 18-200 is better between 150-200
Tamron 18-270 VR; 18-200 shots cleaner at all ISO, Tamron is a 800+ ISO only lens
Range, Versatility, and Accuracy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
When looking at the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens you see a lens that does a pretty good job at a lot of things, but is not perfect at any of them. It has a very nice zoom range, its wide angle ability is respectable, and its macro ability is adequate. All in all this lens does it all well and is the ideal first lens for any photographer. Then if you require a more task specific lens you may pursue at a later date.
The AF is fairly fast, but a tad noisy. (it’s not a USM motor, hence the noise) It handles low-light focusing well and the image stabilizer is very good. The lens lock ensures the lens won’t be sliding down as it’s slung over your shoulder provided you remember to lock it.
All in all this is the ideal first lens for anyone. It works very well across the spectrum without any real problems.
Simply the Best “Wide angle zoom” lens out there!….
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Look, I’m not a professional photographer where as I’d have a mess of lenses to switch to and fro!… I mean that no one lens does it ALL!…
So, the Pro’s will switch lenses when one lens will not do the job!… So, DO YOU WANT TO HAVE THEIR ASSORTMENT OF LENSES IN YOUR LENS BAG?..
Thats what this lens is partially about!…you can simply keep it on your camera for MOST shots!..some call it a great “carry around” lens….
And, NO, this lens will not do it all!…and for you “perfectionists” out there, if its perfection you seek, then, you’d better go for the extra money
and get an assortment of lenses for that ‘PERFECT SHOT!”…..
I speak from experience having purchased the other so called GREAT LENSes like the Canon 70-200 2.8 lens that certainly solved my shooting in
very LOW LIGHT problems. But, I had to return that great lens due to the problem that it could only go wide at 70mm. I needed a WIDER lens.
And, I also returned another great lens, the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS lens because it couldn’t zoom any closer than 55mm. So here, I’m sounding like an idiot who returned two great rated Canon lenses because one would not zoom far enough and the other would not go wide enough!..
So, what to do, what to do……I finally decided that there was no one lens that would do ALL that I wanted it to do!..and, I wasn’t going to buy three separate lens which would have solved my problem. Even if money were no object, I simply wasn’t going to keep changing lens to suit my dilemma!..
So, in my final research for this amateur but passionate photographer, I decided to go for the Canon EF-S 18-200 ,3.5 IS lens. And, the reviews I’ve read about this lens were no where near a good as the lenses that I had returned!….
This lens goes as wide as I want it to and it zooms as far as I want it to. I had no need for any zoom longer than 200mm.
Another plus for this interesting lens is that I can gain three to four shutter stops due to its “Image Stabilization” abilities. So, even though its
a f/3.5 lens, I can shoot HAND-HELD in very low and existing light!… that was a tremendous plus for me since I rarely if ever use the flash!..
So here we have a Canon lens that’s gotten just OKAY reviews and I’m as happy as a pig in mud with it!..
I love this “OKAY” lens so much that I also bought the additional three year extended warantee so that I don’t go into the “depths of
depression” should I drop it. Yes, you read that right. The warrantee DOES cover it if you UNINTENTIONALLY drop it. So for $62.00, I”ve got
peace of mind for that three years its under warrantee.
So, if you like to shoot pretty wide, from 18mm to pretty far out, 200mm, and like to hand hold shooting in very low light, thats what this lens
can do. There’s also a Sigma 18mm-200mm 3.5 OS lens out there thats also pretty great too!
Look, I’m pretty sure a top professional photographer would not be caught dead with this lens in his lens bag, but for me, there’s simply nothing like
it!.. my shots all come out sharp, clear & focused.. “good enough for this very critical,amateur!… I only wish Canon would have made it a f/2.8, but thats another story!…
Solid buy with some problems
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I will try to not reiterate what’s been said thus far in other reviews. Everyone is on target and the lens’ faults seem to affect some people more than others. Just so you know where I’m coming from: I consider myself an advanced amature and tend take about 20 shots/week on average.
This is a solid everyday lens. I’ve taken some nice wide angle shots and have zoomed in on children playing with great results. Very nice to go from one extreme to another without having to change lenses.
The barrel slips when held vertically. This is a pain in the rear when I take a shot, let the camera hang by the neck strap, then try to take another shot with the previous settings. In these cases, I have to refocus and can miss that spur of the moment shot. This is the #1 drawback for me. As long as I keep the lens horizontal, everything works fine. This problem has acutally made me a better photographer; I have had to pay attention more to my surroundings–when a good shot might be coming up and when it’s best to enjoy the moment instead of worrying about capturing it. You can learn to live the lens slip.
I don’t see much difference between 170mm and 200mm. Maybe I’m just not experienced enough to make the note but thought I’d put it out there.
I love the lens stabilization feature. I would have gotten some poor results in lower light with no tri-pod if not for this feature.
I would actually give this a 4.5 stars if I had that option. I’ve recommended this lens to friends after letting them know about the lens slip. I think it’s a good buy.
Great lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great lens, you don’t need any other lens because this one can fill your expectations.
All around lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I recently got my 18-200 canon EF lens, it replaced the 18-55 that came in the package deal with my XSi Canon. I am extremely pleased with it, it will be my all around lens for every situation. And to top it all off, my wife doesn’t even notice that I have got it, even though the barrell diameter is much greater. Great lens, would recommend it to anyone.
Good on paper & blogosphere, but “Lens Creep” is inexcusable…!!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Not knowing what to expect really from a lens in this day and age, you would think they would have it down to a science by now, but the Canon EF-S 18-200 IS telephoto lens seems to be acceptable, as part of a package with my Canon EOS Digital 50D, oh what a deal I thought here on Amazon! As all prior review’s behind me state here, performance beyond the norm of both entities, only one thing I haven’t read, please join me if you experience this as well.
For either I am one of a handful, or this just hasn’t come out in the public’s eye, but this lens although it seems keep up to Canon performance and reputation, the fact in this so-called “lens creep” issue, if you haven’t heard, being that this particular lens cannot hold it’s position beyond 70mm and slides out to full 200mm downward extension on vertical aspect making a macroshot out of the question, and slams down on upward vertical back down to 50mm if the lens is extended upward aspect. Of course, unless you manually reach under the lens and engage a manual lens lock? Is this lens “defective” or can one say “typical”? As the is potentially smelling of seemingly some “quality control issue”. Or was it Canon was just not putting it’s heart into a multi-focal lens rat race at it’s attempt at keeping up with the Joneses. Is it NORMAL in a telphoto lens to slip like this? Please share! And as well to really deem it in a “Travel Lens” category, this is not a multi-use lens, but just a packaged OEM lens there schloffing off, as to dump on unsuspecting patrons who just want versatility? I mean I could have saved some major $$$ and went Sigma, but I chose the honorable Canon….mistake? This should not be brushed under the rug.
I found out the hard way, making fruitless atempts at tech support (just babble) to address this “Lens Creep” experience has proved to be a simple brush-off from Canon with this issue. As my recent Canon warranty factory repair attempts have proven. Attempts to correct this on my newly purchased lens was jockyed back literally overnight as being “NORMAL WHEN LENS IS NOT LOCKED”. The funny thing was, my “Screening” at the Canon Factory Service Center Reception desk, the young assertive female representative at the Intake Portal or “Reception” seemed astute and genuinely concerned that my claims were valid and wrote me up a repair order. And this only after my careful demonstration, she seemed to agree, yes there was a problem here. But the Canon backlot at this Canon Facility, in the repair facilty, unfortunately didn’t share her or my own’s claims of there was any form of malfunction with this lens or deviation from the norm. Even though at my taking a day off, and to walk-in at this Canon’s Repair Facility, and as they put me through the motions of being concerned, they ended up with my lens just being returned, in two days!!, And at that, with it performing even worse than before it went in, no exageration only exasperation here. It literally slams in and out with no sort of resistance.
As Canon isn’t talking or putting anything in the way of admission of guilt here obviously, they deny anything wrong with a telephoto lens that slips or even slams in and out as one attempts to photograph wildlife, birds, plant, etc. I find this unacceptable, that a lens promoted such as this should not have position slip like this, or am I CrAZy…?
Please join in….voice your opinion please, without the arrogance or techno-babble thanx?
Just what I needed
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a zoom lens but could not afford the one I “really” wanted so this was a good starting point to expand my library of lenses. So far I have been very happy with this lens.
A great lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m very satisfied with this lens. This lens is fast in low light and excellent travel lens.
A must len when going on vacation
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just came home from Italy, from a family vacation. Knowning we were going to Italy and visiting many historic places. I wanted to make sure I could capture it all without being dissapointed that I didn’t have the right lens. Let me tell you this len really surprice me how well it perform. The sharpness of the pictures where WOW !!!! Even when traveling in our tour bus at a high speed the pictures came out cleared without distortion. In a nut shell, If you had to take one len with you.This is the one. FYI, my camera is a Canon 50D.
I love this lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For the last two years I’ve been using a Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM lens. That lens works well for capturing far away subjects like birds–but it is just not a practical everyday lens.
This lens, with the 18-200mm range is perfect! I can capture wide angle and still go all the way to 200mm which is close enough for most objects. I was a little concerned that it did not have USM, but I haven’t even noticed a difference. If I could only keep one lens I would definitely keep the 18-200!
Good compromise
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I used this lens on a Digital Rebel Xti, and now on a 50D. It’s not perfect, but I feel it’s a good compromise considering the range and aperature it has. I’ve gotten the lens to produce some pretty good detail. There is some variation from wide to telephoto length, and there is some distortion present, as others have noted. I thought the focusing speed and noise level weren’t too bad, but not quite up to levels of higher-end lenses. I have not had any problem with zoom creep so far. I would recommend this lens if you need to travel light or carry one reasonably sized lens. It’s been handy to use when sightseeing and shooting a variety of subject matter.
Amazing!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens is the ultimate. I used to have to switch often between my 18-55mm and my 75-300mm lenses, but now with this I have most of both of those ranges. This lens produces such amazing quality. It did cost more than my Canon XSI but it sure improved it too. The image stabilizer is also the best I’ve seen on a lens. If you have the money, I definitely recommend this lens!
As long as you know it’s not an L lens …
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you know what you’re buying this is a great lens. With all “super zooms” there are compromises, and this is not an L lens. I bought this as a traveling one-lens-to-cover-all at a descent price. Buying Canon lenses, the next significant step in quality seems to be buying two lenses at around $1000 each, which I wasn’t prepared to do.
Excellent vacation lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bottom line, the 18-200mm lens has good sharpness across the focal range for producing sharp snapshots and nice enlargements. The autofocus is fast and accurate on my Canon 40D body. I do not miss the Ultrasonic technology on most of my other Canon lens. The $100 plus price advantage over the Nikon option seems to be a smart trade-off on such a casual lens.
Image stablization is state of the art and includes auto panning capability making hand held low light shots a snap.
I have an excellent 1.4 50mm Canon EF lens and made comparisons. There is and has to be an improvement compared to a simple prime lens that uses less than half the elements. I have other lens and find carrying their bulk to be distracting from . . . well . . . the vacation. The low level light capability of SLRs is their best feature in my opinion. This 18-200mm lens coupled with an SLR’s low light capability is a great vacation combo.
Finally don’t underestimate the risk of dust getting into your camera body while you swap out your expensive lens to get the perfect vacation photo. I recommend saving those great lens for settings where you have control of the environment and use this lens for general purpose work.
Highly recommended.