Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III review

For the opportunity EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III lens overview Many thanks to Vitaliy Kukota.

Canon EF 75-300mm f / 4.0-5.6 III

Canon EF 75-300mm f / 4.0-5.6 III

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is a kit lens, that is, the lens that comes with the camera.

TTX Canon Zoom LENS EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 III
Focal length: 18-55 mm
Maximum Aperture: F / 3,5-f / 5,6
Minimum Aperture: F / 22-f / 38
Number of aperture blades: 6
Optical design: 11 elements in 9 groups
Minimum Focus Distance: 25sm
Front Filter Diameter: 58 mm
The weight: 200g

There are a huge number of modifications of the lenses of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 series, in modifications the devil himself will break his leg.

The simplest versions (without IS, USM, STM):

Versions with USM-motor:

Versions with Image Stabilizer IS:

Versions with STM-motor and image stabilizer IS:

Versions for mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount Ef-m:

Version for mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount R (RF-S):

The main parameters of all Canon 18-55 for SLR cameras

The main parameters of all Canon 18-55 for SLR cameras. increase.

Many modifications are most likely due to the fact that the first lenses produced very poor image quality, which actually earned notoriety. But over time, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 line has become quite usable. You can see more Review of the second version of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 II.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

This review presents just the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III without image stabilizer, one of the simplest versions. Despite the fact that my Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is one of the cheapest lenses, it can produce quite normal image quality.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

The lens has a very short name Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

  • Canon - indicates that the lens is designed for Canon cameras
  • EF-S - EF-S mount type, this lens can only be attached to Canon APS-C cameras that support EF-S mount lenses
  • 18-55mm is the focal length of the lens. When used with Canon APS-C 1.6x cropped cameras, EGF will fit 29-88mm.
  • f / 3.5-5.6 III - indicates the f-number values. Roughly speaking, this shows the value of the lens aperture.
Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III lens has only one switch on its body, which is responsible for switching between focus modes. In AF mode, only auto focus is available, which works with all Canon APS-C cameras. In M mode, only manual focus is available. With manual focus, the lens focus ring rotates approximately 90 degrees. Focusing manually is very inconvenient, since the focus ring is very narrow, and when focusing it moves back and forth. The focusing method is the most primitive, due to the fact that the front lens rotates and moves back and forth, it will be problematic to use specialized filters. I recommend using at least protective filter for this lens, since the protective filter does not care if the front lens rotates or does not rotate.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Auto focus speed is average. I did not feel any lack of focusing speed, all the more, at the short end (18mm) the lens is almost always focused in the area of ​​infinity. Of course, this simple Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III cannot compete with the focusing speed with advanced lenses of the type Canon EF-S 17-55mm f / 2.8 IS USM.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is not a fast lens. This means that it is very difficult for them to shoot in low-light conditions. Moreover, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III does not have an image stabilizer. The aperture value f / 3.5-5.6 is quite normal.

Photo on Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Photo by Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III. Sun glare.

The focal length of the lens is very good for basic tasks, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III has a wide angle, which is very important, and a 3x zoom allows you to quickly compose the desired frame. A good feature of the lens is the ability to shoot at very close range. You can even shoot good macro.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Image quality

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III at open apertures gives a sharp image in the center of the frame, sharpness drops at the edges and corners. Good sharpness appears around F / 8.0 throughout the field. The lens suffers from strong 18mm distortion and strong vignetting. Chromatic aberrations also present in sufficient quantities. The lens weakly catches hares and showed itself well in the backlight. Due to the fact that this is a standard dark zoom, it cannot boast of good bokeh.

Xa lens

HA lens

Sample Photos on Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

All photos in the review were shot on camera. Canon 550D, photo without processing. RAW -> JPEG, Q80%, downsized to 2MP and printed from EXIFIn EXIF missing the 'III' at the end of the lens name.

Personal experience

Writing a review of the simplest whale lens is quite an interesting thing. On the one hand, it turns out that this is one of the most primitive lenses, and on the other hand, you can always squeeze a good shot even on it. If you buy a camera just for use at home, in order to take it to the sea, parties and take pictures of relatives, then the whale lens will normally cope with the tasks. Of course, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS with a stabilizer it will be much better, but even the simplest Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is a very useful lens. It must be remembered that important how to take pictures, and not by any means. All in all, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III has many drawbacks, but there are also strengths. The whale lens has always been an unusually controversial lens.

Sample photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

Example photo on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III. Bokeh lens.

Prices for the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III lens in popular stores can look at this link.

Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.


Conclusions:

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is one of the simplest lenses, boasting small size and light weight.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

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Comments: 48, on the topic: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III review

  • Catherine

    Hello! Please tell me the lens. I have a 550D, for a long time I shot on a whale Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III
    I mainly shoot portraits and general photos, as well as walks in the park and the like. I photograph only my family) they bought for themselves. But already I want more high-quality photos, so that the bokeh is .. and not to sit with each photo in Photoshop .. because I do not always shoot on the street, often at home, and there is noticeably not enough light.
    What can you advise for me? Maybe the lens may not be exactly the canon, but to come up to my camera) well, I can’t get it at a very expensive price. Thank you in advance! :)

    • anonym

      Volume in the photo gives work with the flu.
      On crop 1.6 it is difficult.
      Google what is the depth of a sharply depicted space, for example
      https://fototips.ru/praktika/grip/
      And you will be able to determine what you need for your goals.

      • Catherine

        Yes, I read it, thanks! :)

    • B. R. P.

      Regular kit: Sigma 17-50 2.8, Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 (4,5), Tamron AF 17-50 2.8 for Canon, Canon EF-S 24 2.8 STM, Canon EF 50 1.8. Or from YONGNUO for Canon something like 50 1,8 or even 85 1,8 (not for cramped spaces).

      • Catherine

        Thanks! I'll keep an eye on something! :)

        • ba3lur

          ... try a penny Helios 44-2 with an M42-EOS adapter, it's fast at f \ 2.0 gives great bokeh but everything is in manual mode

  • Rostyslav

    Good afternoon!

    Immediately, I’m not in the topic of cameras, for this I ask for help. My daughter wants to take up the camera, I don’t know which one to buy for a start. This camera looks like a good middle ground, however, I do not really understand 2 points:
    1. Does this whale lens not allow you to take pictures with more than 3x magnification?
    2. If I understood correctly about the magnification, which lens can I buy in order to have a good (32 or 40 times) magnification.

    Thank you,
    Rostislav.

  • kotofei

    It only seems to me that he is sharper than his stabilized counterparts? Eh, there is no kitten at hand, check / compare with the switched off stub.

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