Camera Labs

Hi when i bought my 400D i went for the body only and bought the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG macro to go with it, as i read the kit lens supplied wasn't upto much.

Now the Siggy i have is a great lens & pin sharp I have a good copy, only thing is it's a big heavy lump to use as an everday lens, so was thinking about getting the new 18-55mm IS lens that Canon recently released.

Now here the bit im not sure about Ive read that this new IS lens is optically better than the standard kit lens and with a price of around £150 is very tempting, but to me it looks like they not changed much apart from add IS.

It would be good if Camera Labs could do a review on this lens compared to the standard kit lens to see how they compare.

Hi Ste, I'll be doing a test of this lens when I get hold of one. I agree with you though - optically it looks like being similar, and at first glance the only differecne appears to be the inclusion of IS... we'll see...

Cheers for that look forward to the review when ya can get hold of one.

Also have a feeling this lens will be supplied with the 450D when it released sometime next year.

I agree...

Well there's a couple of reviews knocking about now of this lens and this is a big suprise it good actually very good.

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses ... /index.htm

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showprod ... 114/cat/11

http://www.saoner.it/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=22

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Olympus E-30.. HDL-4 grip.. 7-14mm SWD.. 12-60mm SWD.. 50-200mm SWD.. Metz 48-AF1

Canon seems to have really made an improvement in terms of IQ. Does the introduction of IS require a different optical design? Is it possible to add the stabilizing elements without modifying the rest of the lens elements? I was expecting an exact copy with the only difference being the addition of IS.

No USM to compete with the Nikkor AF-S VR18-55?

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Graham
Flickr

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And this is a kit lens? Wow!

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Great to see an inexpensive alternative that performs so well. I think this may be good move for Canon to include a kit lens with IS. Now customers can have a good lens with IS right out of the box. I wonder if this is a strategic move by Canon to help keep those that may be swayed over to an in-body IS system? Either way, it's good for everyone.

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Leica M9, Nikon D300s, Leica X1, Canon S95, Zero Image 6x9

Well ive decided to buy this lens now over the 17-85mm which i was planning on getting this Friday.

Cheapest ive seen it knocking about on the net here in the uk is £129.99 which isn't to bad considering the 17-85mm around £340.

Maybe i get the new 55-250mm IS lens aswell

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Olympus E-30.. HDL-4 grip.. 7-14mm SWD.. 12-60mm SWD.. 50-200mm SWD.. Metz 48-AF1

Hmm, call me a cynic, but this could be a case of good and bad copies... I've seen some big variations on the original EF-S 18-55mm, with some quite good copies, although generally not so good from the rest.

I hope they've made improvements - or that we all get good copies! - but just don't expect miracles at that price.

Lol cheers Gordon you've put me off getting this lens now just in case and with my luck recently i get a bad copy.

Im now stuck between this and the 17-85mm again
if you had a choice of either would you folk out the extra for the 17-85mm?

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Olympus E-30.. HDL-4 grip.. 7-14mm SWD.. 12-60mm SWD.. 50-200mm SWD.. Metz 48-AF1

Yes definitely. I'm expecting the new 18-55mm to be pretty much like the old one but with IS. I expect the build will be similar to before, the front element will rotate and the focusing won't be USM - so the 17-85mm beats it in all respects - apart from price and weight!

There is a non IS, USM version of the 18-55 lens.

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rv65
C-5050Z | SD700IS (IXUS800 IS) | JamCam | Quantaray RZ 800 w/ 50mm prime lens (just found but broken) (aka Cosina CT-7, Various other brands) | EOS 50D

There sure is - it's quite a popular bundled option in Japan, and also used for some 'special' packages elsewhere. I saw Jessops in the UK selling it once and had a quick go - it's certainly quieter, but the front element still rotates. It's not like having USM on a 'proper' Canon lens.

Well yesterday came and i couldn't decide if i wanted either the 18-55mm IS or the 17-85mm IS USM.

Soooooooooooo

I opened up my wallet a little bit more and decided to invest in this bit of glass instead



Not had chance to really test it outside yet because atm it's done nowt but bloody rain typical also with it being only 17-40mm I think it compliments my Siggy 24-70mm well so now i have both a decent wideangle & zoom for general purpose shooting.

Anyways hope it clears up today so i can out and about with it, also can anybody recommend a hood for this lens as it looks like the one that comes with the 17-40mm isn't upto much on a crop sensor.

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Olympus E-30.. HDL-4 grip.. 7-14mm SWD.. 12-60mm SWD.. 50-200mm SWD.. Metz 48-AF1