Thoughts on Canon 18-135 F3.5-5.6

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 27472
  • Start date Start date
D

Deleted member 27472

Guest
What are your thoughts on the Canon IS 18 - 135 lens?
Posts especially welcome from people who have or have had one.
Is is sharp?
 
I've seen some examples from a friends 18-135 and its was fine. Sharp and decent contrast.
 
I have one, its a very good walkabout lens, is sharp with excellent IS which performs superbly in low light conditions. I can post examples if you want. The only negative is slight barrel distortion at 18mm which to be honest unless you are looking for it you wouldn't really notice - and this is something inherent in all super-zooms.
 
Yes please Jim. I would like to think it is better than my non os sigma 18-125 lens?
 
Ok here's a few (though of course these arnt full res due to obvious posting restrictions!);

finleyrunninginthewater5.jpg


Georgeandmags.jpg


This one was hand held in fog at night at 1/13th...
O2arena.jpg


I saw this one, turned and shot so didnt get time to perfect composure of focus but the lens still did pretty well!
Swanlanding.jpg
 
i got tnis lens with my 7d but i thought it was very poor and sold it very quickly. the focal range is good but i found it to be very soft and the iq was nothing compared to my primes and other zooms. i just found it to be very average
 
^^

A super-zoom will never be as sharp as a prime, even a 50mm 1.8, but I find mine to be very sharp, even fairly wide open...
 
Last edited:
odd jim said:
^^

A super-zoom will never be as sharp as a prime, even a 50mm 1.8, but I find mine to be very sharp, even fairly wide open...
Click to expand...

well yes that goes without saying, but from what i have read this is by far even the best superzoom. i think the tamron, canon and sigmas all in the 18-200/250 regions are all better.

i got rid of mine and got the tamron 17-50 2.8 and the iq is so much better. i lose the focal range but thats less important than iq in my opinion since i can carry a long prime too
 
joescrivens said:
well yes that goes without saying, but from what i have read this is by far even the best superzoom. i think the tamron, canon and sigmas all in the 18-200/250 regions are all better.

i got rid of mine and got the tamron 17-50 2.8 and the iq is so much better. i lose the focal range but thats less important than iq in my opinion since i can carry a long prime too
Click to expand...

Indeed, the 17-50 IQ wise is the better lens, but they are two entirely different animals! I was actually pleasantly surprised at the IQ of the 18-135 as I've never rated the IQ of the super-zooms having tried a couple in the past. IMO the 18-135 is one of the better 'do it all' lenses, and its interesting how well it does on Digital Review tests as per the link above...

Dont get me wrong, if Im shooting something specific I'll go for my primes or 10-22, but if I'm out wondering, or on holiday, my 18-135 is glued on the camera! Its worth noting how impressive the IS is in low light, its the first lens I've had that I can use at night without a tripod, which is very handy on holiday, and thats half the point of a lens such as this.
 
Last edited:
Thanks to the posted review and jim, I have secured one on eBay for £160 and wait to test it myself
 
£160 is a good price!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top