STM Lenses - Worth the upgrade ? Please post your pics

gothgirl

gothgirl

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I'm considering upgrading my glass... And instead of buying 1 new lens , replacing my lenses with the STM lenses ...

But what I want to know is

How much better are the
18-55 stm and 50mm stm than their standard counterparts ?

Does anyone have a photo comparison between the two?

Ie

18-55 IS X 18-55 IS STM ?

Thanks
 
gothgirl said:
I'm considering upgrading my glass... And instead of buying 1 new lens , replacing my lenses with the STM lenses ...

But what I want to know is

How much better are the
18-55 stm and 50mm stm than their standard counterparts ?

Does anyone have a photo comparison between the two?

Ie

18-55 IS X 18-55 IS STM ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The difference is in the focus motor so unless you do a lot of video there's no point in changing.

Also, the extra features are only available on some of the newer camera bodies.

Keep your cash in your pocket and save for a real upgrade such as a constant f/2.8 lens or a wider prime.
 
I think it depends what your comparing them against if as stated the 18-55 and 50mm image quality isd hardly any different certainly not a noticeable upgrade apart from the motor is v quiet for video mainly
 
The only difference really is the AF during video shooting. Stills IQ is the same.

If you want to upgrade your kit lens, look at the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 or Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. These are upgrades in IQ, the STM lenses aren't.
 
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The 18-55 STM is also better optically than the 18-55 IS, a number of reviews have confirmed this.
 
gothgirl said:
This is what I'd heard
Which is why the above posts confused me
Click to expand...

Even if it is better optically it's still a really limiting lens, I wouldn't buy it put it that way

Also the 50 stm is the same optically as the 1.8, if I was you I'd get the canon 1.4, they're like £150 used
 
gothgirl said:
This is what I'd heard
Which is why the above posts confused me
Click to expand...
But it's not going to give you any kind of upgrade unless you shoot video. It's not really that much better, if at all IQ wise.

If you want to upgrade the kit lens, don't buy another kit lens, that's just silly. Unless you do video.
 
The 18-55 stm is internal focus (I'm not sure if all stm lens are), so if you are going to attach some sort of filler to your lens such as a cp, it won't move whilst the lens is focusing.
 
Nostromo said:
The 18-55 stm is internal focus (I'm not sure if all stm lens are), so if you are going to attach some sort of filler to your lens such as a cp, it won't move whilst the lens is focusing.
Click to expand...

It's still a tiny minor 'upgrade', if you got something like the 17-55 then you'd get
Much faster aperture
Faster af
Better build
Not rotating front ring
Better image quality

So 5 upgrades compared to just 2
 
domart said:
It's still a tiny minor 'upgrade', if you got something like the 17-55 then you'd get
Much faster aperture
Faster af
Better build
Not rotating front ring
Better image quality

So 5 upgrades compared to just 2
Click to expand...
Much, much better image quality :)
 
domart said:
It's still a tiny minor 'upgrade', if you got something like the 17-55 then you'd get
Much faster aperture
Faster af
Better build
Not rotating front ring
Better image quality

So 5 upgrades compared to just 2
Click to expand...
I totally agree with you, I'm looking to up grade to a 17-55 myself.
I just thought I'd mention about the focus ring, as I don't know if the op has the funds to upgrade to better lenses.
 
Nostromo said:
I totally agree with you, I'm looking to up grade to a 17-55 myself.
I just thought I'd mention about the focus ring, as I don't know if the op has the funds to upgrade to better lenses.
Click to expand...

Better to save and buy the 17-55 than to waste money on an interim upgrade
 
Well I upgraded from the 18-55mm IS mk2 to the STM just over 2 years ago and it was definately worthwhile, all for an investment of £30 after selling the older lens.
There is an improvement in IQ, though not a huge amount. The biggest difference is the better focusing, its faster and more accurate. The internal focusing with the non rotating front element was also a bonus for me, when using filters. It also seems to have improved coatings, as it doesnt flare as much and gives better contrast.
All in all, for me it was well worth changing, maybe not for everybody though ?
 
The 50mm STM is a nice compact lens. It focuses faster and a bit more accurately than the original 50mm F/1.8's, but optical it is identical. I dropped/broke my mk2 50mm so replaced it with the STM. It is not worth the upgrade cost but it is slightly better.
 
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