Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM review

Samples

taken with Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi
The following images were taken with the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens using the Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi. Each image was recorded using the 400D’s Evaluative Metering, Large Fine JPEG mode and Standard Picture Style. The individual file size, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and lens details are listed for each image.

The crops are taken from the original files, reproduced at 100% and saved in Adobe Photoshop CS2 as JPEGs with the Very High quality preset, while the resized full images were made in Photoshop CS2 and saved with the High quality preset. The three crops are typically taken from far left, central and far right portions of each image.

Landscape: 5.79MB, Aperture Priority, 1/200, f18, ISO 400, 10-22mm at 10mm (equivalent to 16mm)

Ultra-wide lenses like the EF-S 10-22mm are great for compositions where a huge depth of field is desired. In this shot we stopped the aperture down to f18 and focused a few meters away.

The resulting depth of field has allowed pretty much everything from the distant mountains to the nearby ferns to be in focus. There’s inevitably some softness due to diffraction at the small aperture, but it illustrates the kind of effects possible.        

 

Dock: 2.8MB, Aperture Priority, 1/50, f22, ISO 100, 10-22mm at 10mm (equivalent to 16mm)

As explained above, the lens is capable of sharper results with larger apertures (see examples below), but considering the f22 setting here, it’s not a bad result and again illustrates the kind of depth of field possible. A similar approach was used for this shot of a boat in dock. Once again the foreground was within 50cm, but a very small aperture allowed a massive depth of field to be captured from there to infinity.        

 

Indoor: 3.38MB, Program, 1/25, f3.5, ISO 400, 10-22mm at 10mm (equivalent to 16mm)

Ultra-wide angle lenses are also popular for small interiors. This image was taken at 10mm (equivalent to 16mm), and to put it into perspective, compare it with a shot taken just a few steps to the left at an equivalent of 43mm in our Canon G7 gallery. The difference is quite astounding. Suffice it to say Estate Agents love ultra wide lenses.

The crops are also very sharp and detailed even with the aperture fully opened.

 

Building: 4.83MB, Program, 1/250, f10, ISO 100, 10-22mm at 10mm (equivalent to 16mm)

Here’s another example taken with the lens fully zoomed-out to 10mm. We were stood very close to the church building, but careful framing has minimised the effects of distortion. Under bright light in Program mode, the EOS 400D selected an aperture of f10 and again the crops reveal plenty of sharp detail. The EF-S 10-22mm is clearly a very good performer when zoomed-out to wide angle.        

 

Landscape: 4.36MB, Program, 1/250, f13, ISO 200, 10-22mm at 18mm (equivalent to 29mm)

It’s so much fun using the EF-S 10-22mm when fully zoomed-out that you often forget it also offers standard wide angle coverage. Here we’re zoomed-in to an equivalent of 29mm with an aperture of f13 in Program mode.The crops are again very detailed, with only slight coloured fringing around a high contrast subject on the far right side. You’d need a large print to see this in practice though.

 

Portrait: 2.88MB, Aperture Priority, 1/1000, f4.5, ISO 100, 10-22mm at 22mm (equivalent to 35mm)

Ultra wide zooms are rarely considered suitable for portraiture, but with a longest equivalent focal length of 35mm, you can achieve good, undistorted results of groups or individuals – so long as you don’t try for a tight head and shoulders shot anyway. By standing reasonably close to the subject and setting the aperture wide open, the background can also be thrown effectively out of focus.        

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