The Canon EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM ($249.99) is not likely to be purchased by many photographers. It will most likely be purchased with the Canon SLR bundle, which is usually $150 less than the price of the body alone. It's an excellent value for the price. But if you want a better zoom lens, consider spending a bit more. Two Sigma options are our favorites: the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 Contemporary lens and Sigma 18-35mm Art lens. While they are more expensive, both will produce better images.
Related Reading: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Review
Design
Amazon's 18-55mm F/4-5.6 is one of many latest versions. The maximum aperture is f/4 to5.6. This means that it collects less light when you zoom in, as opposed the more common f/3.5-5.6. The lens is now 2.4x2.6 inches HD smaller than its predecessor, the EF-18-55mm f/3.5-55.6 IS STM (2.7 by 2.7 inches).
The smaller size means that it doesn't need to be retractable. This allows you to take photos without the hassle of a twist-and lock extension. And while it does have an advantage in size over the previous version of the lens, it doesn't in weight—it's a little heavier (7.6 ounces) than the f/3.5-5.6 IS STM ($79.00 at Amazon) iteration (7.2 ounces).
The lens is simple and has a single mount. You can use circular polarizers without any problems because the front element is compatible with 58mm filters. The barrel has a toggle switch that allows you to turn off image stabilization. You can switch between autofocus and manual operation with a second toggle.
It is located at the top of the barrel, and it is extremely narrow. Because the manual focus system works electronically, turning the ring will activate the internal motor that adjusts focus. Because of this you need to have the switch set to MF in order to manually focus, and manual focus will only work if the camera is turned on—this is in contrast to lenses with mechanical focus rings that can adjust focus even when the camera is powered down.
STM is the focus motor, which is the same as the old version (which can still be purchased at $249). The focus motor is compatible with Canon SLRs that support Dual Pixel AF. This motor produces a smooth and quiet focus while recording video.
It occupies most of the barrel and is wider. The zoom ring is covered with textured rubber, and can be easily adjusted by twisting. You can zoom in and the lens will telescope. The focal length settings for 18, 24, 35 and 55mm are clearly marked. This lens has a focus distance of 9.8 inches. That is a great working distance.
Related Reading: Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2,8/28 ZM Review
Image quality
The 18-55mm was tested with the 24MPSL2. The sharpness scores of the Imatest are excellent despite its low price. It scores an 18mm f/4 score of 2,219 lines per image height in a center-weighted sharpness testing, which is better than our 1,800 line minimum. This is a very acceptable, but not exceptional result. It has a weak edge performance (1,666 lines), however this is to be expected with an 18-55mm zoom.
The overall resolution is increased to 2,350 lines by reducing the aperture to f/5.6. Edges are also better (1,947 lines). At f/8 (2301 lines), or f/11 (2213, lines), there is no discernible improvement. Shooting at smaller f-stops isn't recommended—image quality suffers at f/16 (2,020 lines) and f/22 (1,545 lines).
The maximum aperture is f/5 when you zoom in to 35mm. This lens has a solid performance, 217 lines per inch, and edges close to 2,000 lines. Average score is not affected at f/8 (2194 lines), however edges perform better, giving results just as good or even better than the average. You get 2,196 lines at f/11, and you see a small drop at 2/3 (-2,039 lines) but a noticeable increase at 1/535 lines at f/22 (1-535 lines). This is to be expected.
The f-stop at 55mm has decreased to f/5.6. At its broadest, the average score of 2,289 lines is recorded. Strong results are also seen up to the edges (2,130). The average score is only slightly higher at f/8 (2.344 lines) than at f/11 (2.343 lines), but quality drops at f/16 (2.132 lines) or f/22 (1.600 lines).
A zoom like this can cause distortion. To remove distortion, you can turn on in-camera correction for JPGs. However, the final image will look slightly different to what is visible through your viewfinder because of the distortion correction. We see noticeable barrel distortion at 18mm—3.3 percent—which draws straight lines with a noticeable outward curve.
This is followed by pincushion distortion at 35mm (1 percent) and 55mm (1 percent). These lines bow toward the middle of the frame due to the effect. You can fix distortion with third-party software like Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, if you choose to not use in-camera adjustment or shoot Raw.
Images can be reduced in strength by using In-camera Corrections. You'll see dimmed corners when the camera is turned off. It depends on what zoom settings you use and the aperture. The strength of this vignette will vary. The vignette is strongest at 18mm (f/4) (-2.8EV), and less so at f/5.6 (1.77EV). At f/8 and narrower it's a negligible -1EV—that means the extreme corners are about half a bright as the center of the image.
The deficit at 35mm f/5 is -1.5EV. However, it's barely noticeable on most images taken at f/8 or narrower. The corners of 55mm f/5.6 lag behind their center by -1EV. Again, this is not an issue for most images. Corner dimming can be eliminated by enabling the in-camera adjustment when you shoot in JPG format. Lightroom can be used to correct Raw images using the same lens profile as Raw.
Related Reading: Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS Review
Conclusions
Canon EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens is not one that will excite everyone. Canon makes a wide range of SLRs and many of them come with an 18-55mm lens. It's an excellent starter lens, and you can add it to your SLR for just $150. If you're on a budget and don't have the money to start with a better zoom, it'll get the job done until you upgrade—although beware that the narrow maximum f-stop means you'll be pushing the camera ISO further or relying on the flash when shooting in dim light.
Although the Sigma 17-70mm costs $500 more, it has an F/2.8-4 lens that captures twice as much light than the 18-55mm with comparable zoom settings. The premium Sigma 18 35mm F1.8 has a smaller zoom range but captures 4x as many light at wide angles than the 18 55mm and 8x at maximum zoom. Our Editors' Choice is the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8, however it is a premium lens that is meant for professional photographers and costs $800.