Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Review (slrgear)

EF-M 18-55mm

Lens specs:

  • Standard Zoom Lens for EOS M Camera
  • Compact & Lightweight Design
  • Movie Servo AF Function
  • 4 Equivalent Stops of Shake Correction
  • Dynamic IS (Movie Shooting Mode Only)
  • Three Aspheric Lens Elements
  • Minimum Focusing Distance: 9.8″ (25 cm)
  • Max Magnification: 0.25x

slrgear reviewed the Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens (price & specs), part of the Canon EOS M (price & specs) ecosystem. For the time being there are only two lenses for the EOS M, the other one being the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM (price & specs), but there should soon be more lenses.

Some excerpts from the review:

  • The Canon EF-M 18-55mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 IS STM provided surprisingly sharp results. When used wide open at ƒ/3.5, there is some slight corner softness, but the majority of the frame is very sharp. Stopping down to just ƒ/4 (or after 24mm, ƒ/5.6) provides very sharp images
  • The [lens] provides acceptable performance between 24mm and 45mm, but we note some obvious chromatic aberration present in the extreme corners of the frame at the wide and tele settings (18mm and 55mm – take a look at [slrgear’s] sample images for further detail)
  • There is some slight corner shading […]: used at the ƒ/3.5 (at 18mm) setting, the corners show up around a half-stop stop darker than the center of the frame.
  • The EF-M 18-55mm is equipped with Image Stabilization, which works quite well for this lens.
  • [Conclusion:] For a small and relatively inexpensive lens, the Canon EF-M 18-55mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 IS STM provides very good results, typically of kit zoom lenses.

Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon EOS M price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA EF-M 18-55mm [via slrgear]

Canon U.S.A. Showcases Document Technology And Clinical Solutions At HIMSS13

Press release:

Full Suite of Canon Solutions for Multiple Healthcare Environments, from Digital Radiology, Eyecare and Document Technology Solutions

NEW ORLEANS, March 4, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc. (booth #8741), a leader in digital imaging solutions, will feature the latest of its digital radiography (DR) technologies, Eyecare instruments, multifunction devices and scanning solutions at the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society Annual Conference (HIMSS), at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, from March 3-7, 2013.

With an ability to provide solutions for both general information processing and clinical patient care, Canon's comprehensive technology portfolio can help healthcare customers streamline their business operations while enhancing information management.

Canon's booth will feature the demonstration of technology in real-world environments including:

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Canon Developes New High-Sensitivity Full-Frame Sensor For Video

Full-Frame Sensor
Canon’s new 35mm full frame sensor (image credit: Canon)

This came today as a small suprise. Canon announced the development of a new 35mm equivalent full-frame sensor (picture above) exclusively thought for video. The full-frame sensor is said to be extremely sensitive yet maintaining low-noise imaging performance. In other words: full HD video in exceptionally low-light environments while delivering high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance. The immediate field of application seems to be astral photography. Not all press releases are interesting to read. This press release is it, and there is a video showing the sensor’s capabilities on Canon’s site (scroll down to the end of the press release).

Full-Frame Sensor
Prototype camera incorporating the newly
developed 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor (Image credit: Canon)

Press release:

TOKYO, March 4, 2013—Canon Inc. announced today that the company has successfully developed a high-sensitivity 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor exclusively for video recording. Delivering high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance, the new Canon 35 mm CMOS sensor*1 enables the capture of Full HD video even in exceptionally low-light environments.

The newly developed CMOS sensor features pixels measuring 19 microns square in size, which is more than 7.5-times the surface area of the pixels on the CMOS sensor incorporated in Canon’s top-of-the-line EOS-1D X and other digital SLR cameras. In addition, the sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry employ new technologies that reduce noise, which tends to increase as pixel size increases. Thanks to these technologies, the sensor facilitates the shooting of clearly visible video images even in dimly lit environments with as little as 0.03 lux of illumination, or approximately the brightness of a crescent moon—a level of brightness in which it is difficult for the naked eye to perceive objects. When recording video of astral bodies, while an electron-multiplying CCD,*2 which realizes approximately the same level of perception as the naked eye, can capture magnitude-6 stars, Canon’s newly developed CMOS sensor is capable of recording faint stars with a magnitude of 8.5 and above.*3

Using a prototype camera employing the newly developed sensor, Canon successfully captured a wide range of test video,*4 such as footage recorded in a room illuminated only by the light from burning incense sticks (approximately 0.05–0.01 lux) and video of the Geminid meteor shower. The company is looking to such future applications for the new sensor as astronomical and natural observation, support for medical research, and use in surveillance and security equipment. Through the further development of innovative CMOS sensors, Canon aims to expand the world of new imaging expression.

Canon Marketing Japan Inc. will be exhibiting a prototype camera that incorporates the newly developed 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and sample footage captured with the camera at SECURITY SHOW 2013 (www.shopbiz.jp/en/ss/), which will be held from Tuesday, March 5, to Friday, March 8, at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center in Tokyo, Japan.

*1
An imaging element (aspect ratio: 16:9) that supports the largest image circle size possible when shooting with a Canon EF lens.
*2
A CCD sensor with a readout mechanism that multiplies electrons after being converted from light. Applications include nighttime surveillance and the capture of astral bodies and nighttime nature scenes.
*3
The brightness of a star decreases 2.5-times with each 1 magnitude increase.
*4
Recording of test video footage was made possible through cooperation from ZERO Corporation.

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