DxOMark felt the pulse of Canon’s new and affordable EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM, a lens that already got plenty of good reviews (also because of the price tag, less than $300). The EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is made for APS-C DSLRs (and was tested on an EOS 70D).

Regarding its position against the competition, DxOMark writes:

Against well-established and highly regarded rival models, such as the pro-level constant-aperture $659 Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 IF DX II and the extreme Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 DC HSM the new Canon doesn’t look too bad. Peak resolution is just behind both and it has low levels of distortion and vignetting. The wider Sigma has similar levels of chromatic aberration as the Canon, which in turn are both better controlled than the Tokina though that’s perhaps not surprising given the differences in their respective maximum aperture and focal length.

There is more in DxOMark’s analysis, be sure to head over to the review.

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Photography Blog posted a set of 30 sample pics shot with the very well performing Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM for APS-C DSLRs mounted on a Canon Rebel T3/EOS 1100D.

EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

World-wide EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM price check after the break

I think this is the next lens I will get next. For $299 the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM offers a lot for Canon’s APS-C DSLRs.

I know this lens (and this kind of lenses) is considered “cheap” by someone, and not suited for serious photography. I do not entirely agree. Canon’s L lenses are obviously some steps above lenses like the mostly plastic-made EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. Nevertheless, the ultra-wide angle EF-S 10-18mm weights 240g, making it a perfect travel companion. You should always resonate about how often you need a more professional (and hence expensive and heavier) lens. For most photographers, a lens like the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is perfectly suited for more than 90% of their photographic settings and needs.

ephotozine reviewed the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. Some excerpts:

• Autofocus is very swift and precise and virtually silent
• The lens barrel is constructed from high quality plastics
• At maximum aperture and 10mm sharpness is already outstanding
• Distortion is pretty well controlled for an ultra-wide zoom lens

In the conclusion they write:

It is quite amazing that budget lenses like this are able to deliver image quality you’d expect from top of the range,professional quality glass from a few years ago. This lens delivers excellent sharpness, low CA and reasonable distortion, which is fantastic for a lens costing under £300.

ephotozine’s review has test charts, sample pics, and more information. The lens was tested on a Canon EOS 70D.

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM (16-28.8mm equivalent) is one of those lenses where Canon shows what they can do (when they want) and how much engineering skills they have when it comes to lenses. DigitalRev’s Kai reviews the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM in a hands-on video review.

The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM was announced a few weeks ago, and is a high performing ultra-wide angle lens for APS-C DSLRs at a bargain price. The EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM sells for $299/€280 and is in stock almost everywhere (check links below). Kudos to Canon for making such a good lens and for selling it at an affordable price.

Photozone‘s verdict on the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM:

[…] Canon showed once more that the quality crown still belongs to DSLR systems – even and especially regarding low cost lenses. The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM may be very slow but it is darn sharp in the relevant aperture range. In fact it is every bit as good as the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM here … at half the price! The amount of lateral CAs is well controlled. In critical scenes (e.g. architecture) you will be able to spot some barrel distortions at 10mm but we’ve seen a lot worse here. The only significant weakness is vignetting especially at 10mm.

At a price of $299 the EF-S 10-18mm delivers a lot of band for the bucks!

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Product description after the break.

The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is on the best way to become a best seller. Very good performance at a more than affordable price. The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM sells for $299 and is in stock at Adorama and B&H Photo. Kudos to Canon for making such a good lens and for selling it at that price.

German photographer Michael Schmidt posted a video review of the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. The lens was tested on a Canon EOS 70D. Michael Schmidt writes:

– makes optically nice & sharp pictures
– great wide-angle look 
– great & silent Auto-focus works smooth in Video-mode
– good Images stabilizer (IS)
– good close focus range … almost macro feel to it
– works good for taking stills
– good price (around 270 EUR in Germany and $299 in the US)

con’s:
– manual focus ring is small and has no hard stops or markings on it so its a bit hard to manually focus
– non-constant aperture 
– built quality is not the best / its not exactly weather sealed 
– does not come with a Lens Hood

[via fstoppers]