Tested Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

Dael_Pix

Dael_Pix

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David
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Just tested the lens on a tripod and I find that manual focus is better than autofocus. Centre-spot focus on wall.

Is there something wrong with the lens? I bought the lens 2nd hand on eBay by someone who only used it for one wedding and didn't use it for anything else, or so he said.

I used the lens on Monday, I didn't like the way the photos looked. I handheld all the shots. But I don't want to use a tripod and manual focus all the time as its my 'everyday' lens.
Going to Scotland in May and I don't want all my shots turning out rubbish and not sharp enough, and having a waste of a holiday using this lens.

I'm considering buying a better lens to cover 'general' shots like landscapes. What are my options?

I have...

18-55mm kit lens (Non IS)
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM ------ Gone into repair for the 2nd time :crying:
Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Canon 50mm f1.4
Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 (Non IS)


Sample shots - Non edited... straight from the camera


1/20 f3.5 ISO 200 auto focus by DaelPix, on Flickr


1/20 f3.5 ISO 200 manual focus by DaelPix, on Flickr
 
Hi David,

It seems that specific lens and body need a calibration in order to nail focus. Nothing wrong with that. ;)
 
Not sure what you mean?
 
Seems a slow speed to test a lens while hand holding it. :confused:. At 1/20 sec it may be camera shake that's the difference?
 
Instead of sending it to be calibrated I'm wondering what EF lenses I could buy ?

Any suggestions?
 
huffy said:
Seems a slow speed to test a lens while hand holding it. :confused:. At 1/20 sec it may be camera shake that's the difference?
Click to expand...

I was using a tripod on the test shots. I also had the IS turned off.
 
minnnt said:
Hi there. I agree that your MF shot is better than your AF shot. Does your camera have a micro focus adjust?
Click to expand...

Nope. Its the 450D
 
Do a focus test using batteries (or anything similar), but to me it looks like it is front focusing quite badly.
 
There is no EF lens that would give you anything near the flexibility of the EFS 18-135. The closest is the 28-135 and TBH having used both the 18-135 is a superb little lens.

As others have said, its either front focusing or the slow shutter speed muddying the waters. Do some test shots outside at midday.
 
odd jim said:
There is no EF lens that would give you anything near the flexibility of the EFS 18-135. The closest is the 28-135 and TBH having used both the 18-135 is a superb little lens.

As others have said, its either front focusing or the slow shutter speed muddying the waters. Do some test shots outside at midday.
Click to expand...

The Canon 15-85mm lens I would argue is more flexible than the 18-135mm due to the wide angle, but then I do like the wide end of photography...
 
DaveKing said:
The Canon 15-85mm lens I would argue is more flexible than the 18-135mm due to the wide angle, but then I do like the wide end of photography...
Click to expand...

How is it more flexible? You gain only 3mm at the wide end but lose a massive 50mm at the other!
 
Personally I'd find the extra 15-20℅ width more beneficial to the extra tele (which I'd crop to replicate), but that's just me!
 
Since owning the lens, I've never shot anything at 135mm. I normally reach approx 50-75mm. So I could compromise on some of the focal length.
 
I have the 18-135 and mine is fine.

When I bought my 35mm f2 even without pixel peeping I noticed the focus was off, I followed an online guide to calibrate the lens using micro adjustment, and it needed to be set to +17! (the maximum is +20) I did the test on all my lenses and I think my 18-135 was set to +/- 2.

When I dropped my 35mm and fecked the focus, I sent it off to be repaired, when it came back I noticed the focus was off again, I didn't do any 'proper' test however I played about with the Micro adjustment and found it looked best at 0. I assume it was properly calibrated

Truth be told I can't really tell which is best out of the shoots provided. However if you are testing the focus, I would use a much faster shutter speed even on a tripod just to rule out any movement.
 
Dael_Pix said:
Not sure what you mean?
Click to expand...

I mean this lens in this body may not be focusing in the right place and they could use a micro adjustment.
This is somehow normal, since every body and lens have some manufacturer tolerances. Sometimes they just need to be calibrated togheter in order to garantie the whole system focus in the right spot.
 
Been trying to find an old thread of mine but I can't find it regarding this.

I've just been out for a walk with my 18-135mm Canon lens and I find the photos are un-sharp. I've had this problem before.

I'm not sure what to do about the lens. And I'm unsure if I have a problem with the lens or the camera body. I find that the 18-55mm kit lens is better than this lens.

A while ago, I tested the 18-135mm lens in both manual and auto-focus, (on a tripod of course), and I find using manual is better.


1/20 f3.5 ISO 200 manual focus by DaelPix, on Flickr

1/20 f3.5 ISO 200 auto focus by DaelPix, on Flickr

[Edited]
 
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Why is this in the 'post processing' forum?

Why are the images so tiny? Why are the first two of them the same?
 
StewartR said:
Why are the images so tiny? Why are the first two of them the same?
Click to expand...

It would have been useful to see larger images, yes. But I personally think it's better to show the same photo, easier to compare in the same conditions.


The manual is better, although I had to stare at it for a while to notice. You do have a large aperture, so could it be that? It won't give you a large DOF, so it could be just that the AF is having trouble locking on to something, and then the rest is slight out of focus? What object did you manually focus on, compared to on the AF? Where was your AF point? Was it set at auto AF or manual AF?
(Apologies if you've already explored this).
 
Stuart
Just click on the photos and you'll see some larger images.

Jackie
I focussed on the tiles on those two photos.

Today I was shooting 5.6 to 7.1 but they are just the same. I also tried a smaller aperture.


Thanks Graham !!!!
 
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Dael_Pix said:
Stuart
Just click on the photos and you'll see some larger images.

Jackie
I focussed on the tiles on those two photos.

Today I was shooting 5.6 to 7.1 but they are just the same. I also tried a smaller aperture.


Thanks Graham !!!!
Click to expand...


Might not make much difference in this case but if you're testing focusing then it's good to have a target with a bit more contrast than a few tiles in the dark.

Anything with high quality printing and lots of detail does better (some people recommend some kind of money note if you're close) but otherwise there's various targets you can find online and print. Better light also helps of course :)

Despite all of these things, you may find that it's the lens which is a little bit off and would benefit from micro adjustments but if your camera body doesn't support this then there isn't much to be done! If they're all a bit blurry despite manual focusing then it's possible the lens elements are out of alignment.

I had the new version of this lens (18-135mm STM) with my first camera and it was alright as a kit lens. The STM version is supposed to be better than the older version though and looking back, if you only have one lens then my choice would be the 15-85mm.
 
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Here's a shot taken at 1/80 seconds at f/5.6, ISO200 @ 18mm

Focal point was approximately where the red dot is

The image on the right is processed and you can see the sharpening I've added.

Click on photo.....Hover over the photo when link is loaded and clikc on the magnifying glass for a bigger image :)

 
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I'm surprised there hasn't been any more replies on this after I posted the above image.
 
Is that a heavy crop or the entire photo and has it been heavilly compressed for uploading ?

Focus definitely doesn't appear to be where the red dot is.
 
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For my money there is clearly an issue in real world shooting so now is the time to get out the rest charts and rulers and do some controlled testing.
 
stu.artd said:
Is that a heavy crop or the entire photo and has it been heavilly compressed for uploading ?

Focus definitely doesn't appear to be where the red dot is.
Click to expand...

That's where I focused where the red dot it. I've only zoomed to 100%.
 
Your lens doesn't seem quite right but shooting a flat surface with little contrast indoors isn't really the best way of finding out. Neither is using a landscape.

You need to spend a little time and use something like the battery test or something similar in decent light.

You should test it at both the long end and the short end at around 25 times the focal length being tested which is the minimum that Canon recommends.

The spacing of the test subjects needs to be accurate so that the test can be repeated. I have a square of MDF with lines drawn on it at 1 and 2 cm intervals so I can really fine tune the lens.

Even though your body doesn't have AF adjust you still need to be precise about where the issue lies with the lens.

Also dont just take 1 image. There will be a slight variation over several images. Its not unusual to have 1 odd result in half a dozen.
 
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