photo:canonefslenses
Table of Contents
Canon EF-S lenses
see also:
introduction
- the Canon EF-S lenses are designed for the Canon EOS APS-C cropped sensor dSLRs with 1.6x crop factor and thus have a smaller image circle which prevents these lenses being usable on Canon 1D or full frame dSLRs
- the early versions of the standard zooms were particularly poor that they were an embarassment, thankfully version II were significantly better but still not great
- unlike the Olympus Four Thirds dSLR system lenses, none of these are pro quality, none are weatherproofed, none have an aperture wider than f/2.8, and would struggle to beat even the consumer range of Olympus Four Thirds dSLR system or Micro Four Thirds system lenses in terms of optical quality across the frame.
- do yourself a favor, look at the better Canon EF lenses if you must have a Canon cropped sensor dSLR, or reconsider whether you really need a dSLR and could do with a more usable, compact and better optical image quality system - Micro Four Thirds system
wide angle zooms
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
- if you want the widest Canon branded zoom lens for a APS-C camera then this is it
- gives 16-35mm angle of view in 35mm full frame terms
- no IS
- minimum focus 0.24m
- 385g
- 84 x 90mm
- 77mm filter thread
- internal focus and zoom
- not weatherproofed
- ~$US850, $A1069
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6
11x kit zoom
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- a handy all purpose image stabilised kit lens
- not the sharpest kid on the block, particularly away from the centre of the frame
- pronounced barrel distortion at wideangle, and pincushion distortion around 50mm
- high levels of chromatic aberration at either end of the zoom range
- 29-320mm field of view
- unlike the Micro Four Thirds equivalents, it is not optimised for HD video
- minimum focus 0.45m
- micromotor AF
- not full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element
- 72mm filter
- build quality better than the twin kit lens kit but optically not much better
- 595g
- 79 x 102mm
- ~$US700, $A849
- compare the sharpness tests with the better built, smaller, video optimised Panasonic 10x zoom
standard kit zoom
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
- 24-136mm in 35mm format
- 2009 higher end model
- “4 stop” IS
- minimum focus 0.35m
- USM AF
- full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element
- 72mm filter
- 575g
- 82 x 88mm
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
- the current standard zoom introduced in 2011 but still not worth having optically, and because of its very annoying rotating front element
- a cheap lens to make new buyers think that the dSLR kit is affordable
- “4 stop” IS
- minimum focus 0.25m
- micromotor AF
- not full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- extending front focus
- rotating front element
- 72mm filter
- 200g
- 69 x 70mm
- $A229
- dpreview.com
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
- 27-136mm in 35mm format
- 2004 higher end model
- poor performance at wideangle, with marked barrel distortion, high levels of light falloff, and intense green/magenta chromatic aberration1)
- “3 stop” IS
- minimum focus 0.35m
- USM AF
- full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element
- 67mm filter
- 475g
- 79 x 92mm
- $A779
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- 29-216mm in 35mm format
- 2009 extended range model
- “4 stop” IS
- minimum focus 0.45m
- micromotor AF
- no full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element
- 67mm filter
- 455g
- 75 x 101mm
- $A699
wide aperture standard zoom
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
- 27-88mm in 35mm format
- 2006 higher end model
- “3 stop” IS
- minimum focus 0.35m
- USM AF
- full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element
- 72mm filter
- 645g
- 84 x 111mm
- $A1529
telephoto zoom lens
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
- 88-400mm in 35mm format
- 2011 cheap twin kit lens model
- “4 stop” IS
- minimum focus 1.1m
- micromotor AF
- no full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- extending front focus
- rotating front element??
- 58mm filter
- 390g
- 70 x 108mm
- $A199
macro lens
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
- 96mm in 35mm format
- 2005 consumer level macro lens model
- no IS
- minimum focus 0.20m for 1:1 macro
- USM AF
- full time manual focus
- not weatherproofed
- internal focus
- non-rotating front element??
- 52mm filter
- 335g
- 73 x 70mm
- $A615
- no match optically for the similarly priced Olympus 50mm f/2.0 macro which is 1 stop faster
photo/canonefslenses.txt · Last modified: 2011/12/21 23:23 by gary