Canon EF-S10-18 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens is known to be the world’s first ultra-wide lens that has a reasonable price. This lens works compatibly on a Canon APS-C DSLR camera. It is not known for its value for the price, but it is also known for being lightweight, making it very portable.
This lens is optically superb, as it is the sharper lens available in the market. If you would compare, it is way much better than a Canon EF-S 10-22mm in terms of its performance, plus it is twice, much cheaper. People labeled this product as the more affordable alternative for the 10-22mm lens.
Canon 10-18mm Review
Canon has continuously supplied APS-C users’ needs with an ultrawide classic EF-S lens for about a decade now. They have been consistent in giving excellent service, having foresight on what photographers will need in the future.
This lens undoubtedly is a welcome edition from Canon company that can shoot landscapes and architectural images. It has captured the attention of every photographer despite quite numerable glasses within the same range.
Canon 10-18mm Specs:
- Product Brand: Canon
- Product Dimension: Length of 74 mm, Width of 81.5 mm
- Product Weight: 230g
- Color: Black
- Focal Length: 10mm – 18mm
- AF Motor Type: STM
- Aperture Range: f/4.5-22 and f/5.6-29
- Number of Aperture blades: 7
- Compatibility: APS-C format cameras
Product Overview:
The Canon 10-18mm lens is the first of Canon products with an ultra-wide range lens. It has an added Image Stabilization (IS) to prevent capturing photos blurry and low-quality images. It is by far the sharpest, small, light but less expensive lens Canon has produced.
This product is highly portable as it has a dimension of 81.5 mm in length and 74 mm wide. Also, it is lightweight as it weighs only 230 grams.
It has a plastic-mount lens, but it can’t break easily as some assume it to be, but mind you, it is very durable. It has a beautiful black finish and a rubber-coated zoom ring. This lens has a robust and compact built.
The zoom action is quite noticeable since it can zoom smoothly without any wobbling from the lens’s inner barrel. Seeing on its external features, it has an autofocus (AF) and manual focus (MF) switch and image standardization (IS) toggle switch. It is firm, and the switches do not move without you being touching it.
You can also notice that this lens, looking at its external appearance, doesn’t have any markings indicating its focus distances or field-scale depth. It has only a simple marking that indicates focal length from 10mm to 18mm. Other observable things on the product are the branding and model name labels.
Stepper Autofocus Motor
Canon has incorporated the product with Stepper Autofocus Motor (STM) for faster Autofocus if you are doing video coverage. On the other hand, you can also set it to manual focus if you are keen on self-adjusting.
You can easily override the system by picking a manual focus setting and note that manual focus for this lens is electronic and not mechanical. It is a drawback for this lens as it lacks a tactile resistance because of its smoothness, which the users are not accustomed to, unlike mechanical focusing.
You can readily achieve smooth focusing, and landscape photographers will appreciate it. It doesn’t affect the images with any graduate ND filters or polarizers on the lens when turning the focus ring.
Although Canon has cut this lens’s cost down, it doesn’t mean that it is cheap. Unlike any other glass, composed of an all-metal and weather-sealed lens, this is specifically carbonated poly plastic to attain its desired weight with a plastic mount and plastic barrel.
They make this product with an ideal material composition to serve its reason for which it is built, giving ease and comfort to photographers while enhancing their photographic experience. Canon has saved a lot of weight on its composition.
For APS-C format
It is best to be carried on tours and travels outside the country, or only using it on the outdoor activity as this is exceptionally portable. This lens is for APS-C format Canon cameras.
It perfectly fits Canon models like Canon EOS 4000D, achieving an exceptional balance and an added weight on the photographer’s hand to hold firmly and steady the camera.
The lens interior optical layout includes one ultra-low definition (UD) element for chromatic aberration control, a spherical component, and other additional elements. These elements are useful to be understood as it features a multi-layer lens coating to improve basic settings of contrasting, color balancing and at the same time reduces the ghosting of image.
There is a seven-blade circular aperture diaphragm that is useful for smooth background blur.
Handling and Features
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM has caught the eyes of every. It had provided a wide field of view, and it is only for EF-S lens compatible Canon cameras. The autofocus feature is rapid and precise.
It is very unlike any other Canon USM lenses where full-time manual focus override is not possible. It has an option to set it up once and locked the glass into that setting. The manual focusing is lightly damped, but it is not an issue if you are taking a field with a depth of imagery on it.
Note that focusing is performed internally in the lens, meaning the 67mm filter thread doesn’t move. Thus, making this lens to be suitable for using polarization and graduate filters.
Performance
The lens at a maximum aperture has an outstanding quality in the center of the frame. The edges exceptionally display a clear image and frame it to an excellent level.
The desired sharpness can be achieved right in between the options of aperture f/5.6 and f/8. Adjusting the lens to 14 mm, the center frame’s sharpness at an optimal aperture remains excellent.
It is balanced and consistent throughout the frame. Next is the 18mm settings, in which the performance doesn’t significantly vary compared to the other focal lengths. The sharpness that it displays is pretty consistent at the optimal aperture.
Peak sharpness can be achieved at aperture settings of f/8, and it is consistent throughout the frame.
Chromatic aberration for this lens is well managed throughout the zoom range. Still, it is essential to disclose that at 10mm focal length. There are noticeable three-quarters of pixels exceed on the outer edges.
This minor difference can be overlooked since it can be barely visible, especially when taking images with high contrast settings. You can also encounter mild flares on the pictures, primarily shooting with the sun in the frame. Note that no lens hood is included upon purchase. You must buy it separately.
Image Quality
The 10-18mm focal length zoom shows a visible barrel distortion especially taking at a wide-angle. Although this can be ignored, as you reduce the zooming feature, it progressively reduces the distortion.
You visibly see also the shading on wide-open 10mm focal length settings. The minor fall-off in the image’s corners can be observed, but it can be fixed in image post-processing using photo editor software.
This lens has proved to be consistent in its imaging performance as you can look at the image. Whenever you capture beautiful scenery, the center’s sharpness is almost the same, with the edge across in a full-zoom range.
Pros:
- It gives great value for your money
- Exceptionally light and portable
- Smooth focusing
- User Friendly
Cons:
- Hood is not included in the package.
- Minor color fringing on the edges
Conclusion
The Canon 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens has proven its significance among the best performing Canon lenses in the market. It has an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens and has image stabilization to optimize and achieve high-quality images.
It has a smooth autofocus accuracy and competes with other expensive lenses available in the market. Considering the EF-S 10-22mm, which is a costly lens that has the performance almost the same as the EF-S 10-18mm.
This lens’s coverage encompasses a wide range of applications, such as capturing vast landscapes, huge buildings, and large group shots that you don’t necessarily step back to get the full view.
You’ll respect its optical quality and presence of STM feature for movie shooters. Plus, it is the most affordable lens available in the market. You can never be wrong if you choose to purchase this one. <-Affiliate link 🙂 This lens offers the best value for money.
