
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS-
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Written by Gordon Laing
- Intro
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS design, build quality and focusing
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS coverage and stabilisation
- Real-life sharpness when zoomed-out - Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS vs EF-S 18-55mm IS vs EF-S 18-135mm IS
- Real-life sharpness at 50mm - Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS vs EF-S 18-55mm IS vs EF-S 18-135mm IS
- Real-life sharpness at 85mm - Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS vs EF-S 17-85mm IS vs EF-S 18-135mm IS
- Real-life sharpness at 135mm - Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS verdict
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS Geometric distortion
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS Vignetting / Light fall-off
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS sample images
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS coverage and stabilisation
- Real-life sharpness when zoomed-out - Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS vs EF-S 18-55mm IS vs EF-S 18-135mm IS
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS sample images
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS verdict
Intro
In our full review of Canon’s latest kit lens, we’ll compare its build, focusing and optical quality against the budget EF-S 18-55mm IS zoom to see what you can expect when upgrading, or opting for the longer lens with a new body from day-one.
We’ve also compared it against the more up-market EF-S 15-85mm IS USM, along with the earlier EF-S 17-85mm IS USM, again to see what you can expect in terms of build, focusing and optical quality. You’ll also find a number of results which include the EF-S 18-200mm IS super-zoom for comparison. So if you’re in the market for an affordable kit zoom lens, or are wondering what exactly you get when paying double the price, you’ve come to the right place!
Testing notes
We tested a final-production EF-S 18-135mm IS lens (serial number 5902504695) with various Canon bodies including the EOS 7D and EOS 450D / XSi. The EF-S 18-135mm IS will work with all EF-S compatible Canon DSLRs, which includes all but the 1D and 5D series. It is not compatible with bodies employing larger sensors such as full-frame or APS-H models, nor those which predate the EF-S standard, such as the EOS 10D.