Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Standard Zoom Lens - Black
Average customer rating
4.7
(21 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 21 reviews
5 Stars
17
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Star
0
100%of customers recommend this product.
(
10 out of
10)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Standard Zoom Lens - Black
Customer Rating
5
Wonderful walk-around lens
on January 2, 2013
Posted by: iguy
from Onalaska, WI
I have had this lens for about 6 months now, and it has performed impressively. It is the only lens I have now, having sold several others to make things simpler. I spent four years basically collecting gear instead of learning to take pictures. Thankfully, that futile endeavor is over. I am very confident that this lens can make 99% of the pictures I can imagine in my head.
The pros:
--lightweight compared to L series
--very practical zoom range covering everything most of us could need
--excellent image quality for a zoom, especially non L
--excellent IS
--plenty sharp, even wide open
--lightweight compared to L series
--very practical zoom range covering everything most of us could need
--excellent image quality for a zoom, especially non L
--excellent IS
--plenty sharp, even wide open
The cons:
--marked barrel distortion at 18mm and moderate pincushion distortion at other focal lengths
-- "slow" max aperture at the telephoto end (f/5.6 from 85mm to 135mm)
--marked barrel distortion at 18mm and moderate pincushion distortion at other focal lengths
-- "slow" max aperture at the telephoto end (f/5.6 from 85mm to 135mm)
I can fix the barrel/pincushion distortion in 15 seconds with software, so that's a non issue. The larger aperture at the tele end is just not an issue for me, as I don't do much low-light photography. Unless you plan to enlarge your photos to fill walls, the technical aspects of this lens are not going to limit you in any meaningful way. If you want to peep at pixels at 200%, get a few L series primes and knock yourself out. If you just want to concentrate on making interesting pictures, this lens will get out of your way so you can do that.
Pros: Fast auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Excellent lens, but some annoyances
on October 1, 2012
Posted by: GavJ
from Iowa City, IA
I bought this lens as a standalone to use with my Rebel t3i, so I cannot comment on the integrated movie mode image stabilization available with the t4i.
Aside from that, though, the lens is quite sharp across all the ranges I have tested. It is noticeably a little soft around the edges at the extreme focal lengths, unsurprisingly, but this softness requires you to look for it, and for a skilled photographer, it should be expected and not matter much anyway. This is much Much nicer optically than, for instance, the 18-55 kit lens.
The zoom barrel is a little tight for my taste, but the grip is wonderful, and the focal lengths are laid out so that the spacing is very intuitive and easy to precisely control all the way from 18-135. Also, a tight zoom does mean that the zoom lock isn't really necessary, which is good, I guess (though I don't understand why such a feature is necessary in the first place... seems like a band-aid fix in most cases)
The silent stepper motor is truly SILENT. As in, with my ear pressed up against the lens as it focuses, I still cannot hear it, unless I am in a still room by myself with no air conditioning on. And again, that's only if my ear is jammed up against it. Under normal circumstances, it just focuses with absolutely no noise, as if by magic. Very amusing, and of course, perfect for videography (although the video focus still pales in comparison to a camcorder, when used on the t3i, but that was expected).
Focus SPEED is about average for a mid range canon lens.
So all in all, great optics, good usability, and a very useful lens for the crop sensor. Also absolutely silent.
On the negative side, though... two points:
1) The build quality is very poor for the price. yes, it has a metal bayonet, but other than that, it looks really cheap, and feels pretty cheap. This is probably mostly an aesthetic thing (it does not affect performance, and plastics can be as strong as metals nowadays), but it is annoying and make me less satisfied using the lens. So sue me, I'm a little shallow like that.
1) The build quality is very poor for the price. yes, it has a metal bayonet, but other than that, it looks really cheap, and feels pretty cheap. This is probably mostly an aesthetic thing (it does not affect performance, and plastics can be as strong as metals nowadays), but it is annoying and make me less satisfied using the lens. So sue me, I'm a little shallow like that.
2) More importantly, the manual focus is not actually a manual focus!!! This is just a little electronic sensor attached to a ring. When you change the focus, it takes a split second for the motor to catch up to you. And the focus (and therefore the lens) won't work if the camera is off or not attached to EFS powered signals.
Not only is this annoying and weird to work with under normal circumstances, but it makes this lens almost completely useless if you do a lot of work with non-Canon extension tubes, or a macro reverse ring, or on a non-EFS Canon camera with adapters, or duct taping lenses onto bellows, or other non-standard setups like that (which all amateurs should try at some point! And that is obviously who this is marketed at). Considering that this is obviously a "one-stop-shop, do-everything" lens, not being functional in situations like this is a significant drawback. Not being able to use a reversing ring on a 300mm prime lens? Well fine, obviously that wouldn't be a problem.
Here, it is a problem.
However, if you're not a very experimental person, or if you have other lenses on hand to mess around with in that way, then it's fine. Still annoying to not have instant manual focus control, though.
Here, it is a problem.
However, if you're not a very experimental person, or if you have other lenses on hand to mess around with in that way, then it's fine. Still annoying to not have instant manual focus control, though.
Pros: Super-sharp images, absolutely silent focusing
Cons: Poor build quality, fake "manual" focus ring
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Better Than Expected
on September 7, 2012
Posted by: Anonymous
from Long Island, NY
I have been using this lenses on a 7D for about a month now. I have taken this lens on two vacations, the bahamas, and the grand canyon. In both instances the pictures I took were amazing. I was supprised when I compared them to pictures taken with my 15-85 is usm and the pictures were sharper with the 18-135 stm. I went to the US open yesterday with my 18-135 stm and my 70-200 f4 is usm, and I will say that I had a hard time telling the pictures apart. This lens is a must not only for walk-around conveniemce but a great all purpose lens.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Solid Performer at entry price.
on August 29, 2012
Posted by: viktas
from Wharton NJ 07885
Serious sharpness for a entry level lens. Through out the entire range, impressive. Not the highest build quality but total satisfaction using a crop sensor and getting most out of your sensor in sharpness. Light weight, focus by wire is different and STM is quiter then the 40mm pancake. Plus this lens has Manual overide when holding down the shutter half way. A different approach but definetly not FTM. Over all for a entry zoom at this price range I don't believe I will be able to find a better deal or sharper lens in this price range from any manufacture.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images, manual overide, quite enough stm motor.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Very Great Lens
on August 27, 2012
Posted by: 7X9
from Torrance, CA
I received this lens with the Rebel T4i. At first I purchased the camera with the standard 18-55mm but decided to get the 18-135mm. The lens is pretty big size wise, but it's a good range , considering that I rarely change lenses. The best part about this lens is that it's absolutely quiet. Perfect for recording. The image quality is superb.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, quiet focus
Cons: somewhat bulky
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com