Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Pro Reviews

In short, the need to achieve a low price-point has compromised performance slightly but for users who want an affordable, yet versatile, point-and-shoot lens the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is worthy of consideration.

The Canon 18-55mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 IS EF-S lens is a remarkable upgrade to the standard kit-style lens. Even if you're not interested in the image stabilization that's been added, the addition of the aspherical lens element (and whatever other fine-tuning the lens wizards have been up to in the lab) shows off improved sharpness and resistance to chromatic aberration. Definitely worth the upgrade.

According to Canon, "The advantages of IS in the lens are, first, that each IS system can be designed and optimized for its specific application, yielding a level of performance unattainable by the in-body, shifting sensor technique. Second, one can see the image stabilization effect in the finder. The image is steady; accurate framing is possible; the AF point can be placed precisely, and the photographer can concentrate on the shot and capture the best moment. Panning is also easier and more effective than with the in-body approach." With that understanding along with the popularity of IS, it is not surprising that Canon introduced an image stabilized version of the value-priced Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens currently included in many Canon DSLR kits.

Canon's 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS is the latest in its line of inexpensive dSLR kit lenses which began with the original 18-55mm in 2003, as an accompaniment to the groundbreaking EOS Digital Rebel/300D (widely considered to be the camera which started the affordable dSLR revolution)...