Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (New, White Box)

This lens is a good upgrade from a range wise from the kit lens with was little restrictive at 55 mm. I was seriously considering switchin to Nikon D90 systme with the 18-105 VR lens and 70-300 mm VR lenses. I am not a professional to invest in L or high end Nikkor glasses. But at the same time wanted decent quality. The issue with Canon , though off-late they seem to address is making quality lenses for the APS-C size camera. And for the very reason I stated, the best quality lenses are reserved for the pros or serious amateurs. I wanted to get the 18-200 but heard of its IQ issues, considered 28-135 lens, but same there with IQ, though build quality was great and had USM. 17-85 f2.8 is in L territory. So as I was about to make the decision to jump, canon released this and the 15-85 USM EFS lenses. I would say that was a move that canon should have done long back. So I purchased this one and so far it has been impressive. Even without USM, the focus speed is good. As usual pretty sharp through 5.6 to f11. Can gget some good bokeh when zoomed out to 135 and shooting closeby subjects. I have a 50mm 1.4 for that anyway. Good walkaround lens when I just need the camer and one lens and dont want to carry my full gear. For those looking to make a decision, I would say it is worthwhile. You wont get L quality, but very competent within what you get, good image stabilization. Decent zoom range. On the price I would suggest getting it under $350...I got mine for $325 from a market place vendor who made prompt UPS delivery - but I no longer see this price. As usual the price on amazon fluctuates like stock market.

I'll leave the detailed reviews to others, and there have been some very good ones posted here. I'd just like to add a few observations and comments. This lens does an excellent job for a wide-to-medium telephoto zoom. The focus motor is not USM, but it's quick and not very noisy. It's noticeably lighter than the f/2.8 Tamron 28-75mm non-IS zoom that it's replacing even though the dimensions are the same. It produces more zoom range, quicker focusing, and sharper images than the Tamron. Even with it being f/3.6, the Image Stabilization feature lets it get low-light pictures that the Tamron can't handle at f/2.8. IS seems to come on-line much quicker than the 18-55mm kit lens, which has about a 1/2-second delay for first use (or if it goes into standby mode). It seems solidly built, produces excellent and consistent results, and is comfortable to carry. I'm much more satisfied with this lens than I was with the slower-reacting 18-55mm kit lens. My wife is the serious photographer in the family, and I tried to find her something that I thought was not too heavy and bulky, yet had good zoom range, versatility, and consistency. I've found it in this lens. As a last note, this lens has been criticized in some outside reviews for vignetting at long zoom lengths. The Canon T2i's EOS Utility software has a database of Canon lenses, and it allows the camera to internally apply vignetting correction to pictures taken by this lens (and a few dozen others). The EOS utility even offers extensive remote control of the camera when attached to a computer by a USB cable. The versatile and powerful T2i, this lens, and a computer provide a formidable arsenal for serious photography.

I think that a lot of people realize at some point that to share or archive what gets one excited about a beautiful or emotion packed scene, they need a camera and lens that bring out the colors, light, and depth of the scene in a realistic way. So much for point and shoots, although my Canon S3 could take some nice portraits. Then comes the DSLR with the kit lens. Better, but still not like the inspiring, breathtaking images in the photography books. Then starts the itchy fingers over the wallet for something that will give me the, "Aha, this is what I wanted to express". OK, so after giving my XS away and getting an XSi, this lens finally got me the rich realism that I was looking for. Is it a 5D with an L lens? I know it isn't. But for myself and the people I want to share some of the special moments of life with, it can share that vision. So, if you feel that many of the people in your life, and the scenes that you see deserve to be brought out and shared in the way that can convey what you saw special in them, I think that you'll be happy with this lens. Update 6/16/10: To see some very good examples of what this lens can render, see the review at dpreview of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens . At the end of the review there are a lot of sample pictures (click on any one to see a slideshow), and the captions include which lens was used. They are full size and can give you a much better idea of the quality of the lens than the compressed pictures on Amazon. Update 4/1/11: It is true that shooting in low light without a flash does not get the best results. Best to have a good flash on hand, think Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras , and read a great book about on camera flash, i.e. On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography and you can get exciting results. Update 4/26/11 After uploading two web albums to our family web site, one shot with a T2i and a 24-105L lens and another shot with a XSi and this lens, I asked a friend who is a professional photographer to try to tell which one was which. After saying that they were "both very good indeed", he said he couldn't tell the difference! And if he had to guess he would say that the photos shot with this lens were shot with the L lens! Both albums were post processed by me in Lightroom with various presets. Great quality for less than half the price.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS is an affordable all purpose lens designed especially for Canon beginner digital SLR camera users. The built quality are very similar to Canon Rebel XS, XSi and T1i body. It does not feel heavy and too long. Focal length of 18-135mm (equivalent to 29-216mm) is very versatile. It is wide enough for indoor or long enough for outdoor. There is no USM (ultra sonic motor) in the lens, so it will make a a bit of noise when the lens auto focus is activated. AF is moderately fast and very good for everyday use. Image quality is very good relative to consumer grade lens, it is certainly not as good as expensive high grade Canon L lenses. Bokeh is round and quite pleasing. Alternative lenses are * Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras which has longer reach but also more expensive and longer. * Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras which is not wide, compatible to full frame Canon body and has USM. Built quality of this lens is better, but image quality is average. Check out full size image samples at my website. Look for my web address by viewing my profile. Thanks for reading.

I was more than a little apprehensive about purchasing this lens before many official reviews came out, but I'm really glad I did. I have an 18-55 kit, 70-300, 60mm f/2.8 Macro, and 50 prime (all great beginner lenses, BTW) but I needed something I could stick on my camera and forget about when going out around town. As a young lady that likes small purses, this is a constant internal struggle- hang my awesome camera around my neck like an "I'm on a project and shouldn't be hit on" necklace, or stuff it in a big camera bag with my other lenses in a "I don't have kids but I might as well cause this looks like a diaper bag" fashion. I deflect male advances either way. It's just a matter of how light I travel when I do it. And if I can leave some highly-stealable stuff at home, I will. How does it feel? This seems to have the same feel as my 70-300. Not a plastic-y light feeling like the 18-55, slightly rubber ridges and hefty, but not heavy, weight to it. I wouldn't use this lens to bludgeon enemies, but it doesn't feel as though it came out of a gum ball machine either. What's the color like? We compared this lens to the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (took identical photos at same focal length, f-stop, settings, etc.) Both lenses were incredibly sharp at the sweet spots and still great at the edges (when taken at F8) but the colors of the 18-135 were much less washed out. We definitely had the white balance settings locked for both photos, but the 18-135 just showed reds, purples, blues, greens, all colors were more vibrant and true. Now if you want your family photos to look like they came straight from a comic book with crazier-than-life color explosions, you'll have to look to post-processing for that. Weirdo. All I'm saying is that I won't have to change the color balance to cloudy to experience non-prison looking color in family portraits. Nothing kills the vibe of a party photo montage like grayish Alcatraz hues. Yeah, but I can get this from an 17-85 or the new 15-85, right? Good point, friend. But the extra focal length after 85mm is really worth it, especially when shooting things across a street or shooting semi-close wildlife. And if the 15-85 is way more expensive and the 17-85 is about the same price, why not go for the longer length? You could make the same argument for the 18-200, but I don't think that the compromised sharpness (and heavy 21 oz weight, vs the 16.1 oz of the 18-135) is worth the extra focal distance. Also, you get the latest version of the image stabilization system with this one. But there is no USM, and the 17-85 has USM. I MUST HAVE USM ON ALL MY LENSES! Calm down there, buddy. True, there is no USM on this lens. But having used both the 17-85 and 18-135, the latter is just as fast to autofocus. It may not have the USM, but you wouldn't notice a big difference. The motor is super fast and doesn't autofocus hunt like my 70-300 USM tends to do. You can hear the motor, but it's not as loud as the Canon 70-300 USM motor. Image stabilization is also great- there were plenty of pictures that have been saved with that feature, especially in low light/no flash situations. Finally, I want to mention the "The Digital Picture" ISO 12233 Crops (google this; I can't provide a link). This test scared the crud out of me, and is making a lot of people spew hate about this lens. It makes this lens look soft compared to some other lenses. When I started shooting, I thought at first that there was a sharpness issue until I realized that my little brother had changed my ISO to 1600. Thanks, little bro! After that was fixed, everything was as sharp as I could hope for. Having done my own sharpness tests, I realized that the ISO 12233 crops weren't telling the whole story. I don't plan on sticking this sucker on a tripod and shooting tiny black and white lines with it all day (I have more interesting subjects, and they are in color!) I've taken hundreds of pictures with this lens and just don't see any image quality or sharpness difference when compared to my other lenses. So chill, people. In conclusion, if you love the pictures your DSLR gives you, but hate the lens diaper-bag/bookbag look, this is a great choice. It's not going to make you into a magical Ansel Adams photo spouting machine, but no equipment will do that. This lens takes some pretty nice pictures when you stop worrying about 100% crops and start enjoying life. Shoot and be happy.

I got this lens to be my go to wide-angle. I was using a 24-135mm before this one, which was a USM. This 18-135 EF-S is a bit lighter than the is, and you can also definitely feel a difference in the mechanical workings when it starts auto-focusing. The EF-S may not be as robust on the insides, but EF-S is still REALLY good. This is a GREAT lens to get a wide shot, and is nice to have a lighter wide-lens when you're carrying a number of other lenses in your bag. It's a great starter lens if you're a beginner and relatively affordable. I've been enjoying taking it out with me whenever I go out and don't need a telephoto lens.

First, the lens. I bought the 18-135 for my Canon T2i because I tired of having to always carry two lenses and to make frequent changes, depending on the different subjects I wished to photograph. Now, with the 18-135 on the camera I only have to carry the camera unless I know that I will be in a situation where I should use the 55-250. Another benefit is the reduced risk of getting dust on the sensor, a risk that always concerned me when I changed lenses. Before ordering the lens, I read many reviews and made a list of all the problems I could expect and the recommendations as to how to overcome or work around them. But either the Gods smiled on me or Canon has made some improvements in the lens since the reviews were written because so far I have not noticed the problems the reviews warned about. I have not yet taken shots at all focal lengths, F numbers or exposure speeds,. but at 18mm (a focal length warned about), f3.51, 1/32 I got good,fully usable photos. I may still see evidence of problems and will update this review if I do, but so far I'm pleased, getting photos as good as those when using the 18-55 but without the need to carry two lenses most of the time. I bought it knowing it is not fast enough to be a good low light. However, the Canon 50 1.8 is quite inexpensive and will probably get it for those few times when I want to photograph in a low light situation. It may not be good for macro, either, but that is not where my interests lie. The lens comes without the lens hood, however, I purchased an inexpensive bayonet Canon look-alike made by Fotodiox and sold by Amazon and solved that problem I also bought a couple of $1.95 Fotodiox lens caps with the center pinch from Amazon so that I can put on and take off the lens caps without removing the hood. The 18-135 is not an L lens, but for the money it is a very good walk-around for most photographers. My issue with Amazon has to do with what I thought I was ordering and what I received. At the time I placed the order, and still true today, I had the choice of paying approximately $420 or $320, the latter described as coming in a white box. I was very tempted to order the lens for $320, but ordered the more expensive option, reasoning that the lens in the white box is more likely to be one that somebody else removed from their new camera kit because they were not satisfied with its performance. In other words, I was sure that because I was paying the additional $100 that I would be getting a lens, new and untouched by others, in a Canon box. However, when I opened the shipping box, inside was a lens in a white box, the same as I would have gotten had I paid $100 less. I got the customer service webpage and made a complaint, explaining why I bought the more expensive lens and saying that I felt Amazon had let me down when it charged me about $100 more than I would have paid for a lens shipped in a white box. Almost immediately I got a reply, telling me that my credit card was being credited with a $40 refund. With the refund, I am still paying more than the going price for a white box, but the lens I got was shipped free, which reduces a little more the difference, and I may have gotten better shipping service. So all in all, I am satisfied with the response I got from Amazon And the lens is definitely a keeper even though it was in a white box. Update 1 January 2012. Still very pleased that I bought this lens. The only time I take it off the camera is when I want more reach than is provided by 135mm. Sure is great to be able to walk around with one lens instead of 2 in order to cover the range I normally shoot when in the "walk around" mode.

Week after buying Canon T1i camera I went to Mt St Helens National Park and realized how much I need extra zoom. So I ordered the new Canon 18-135IS. My first impressions are very positive: - The build quality is pretty decent. - The lens is relatively light and feels pretty balanced on the T1i body. - Front of the lens doesn't turn during auto focus which is a plus if you use a polarized filter. - AF is quick and very accurate - it easily finds focus even in dark conditions. - Image Stabilizer supports horizontal and vertical panning. - I think sharpness is comparable with the kit 18-55IS (looks like corners are a bit softer). - Zoom range is perfect for vacation/outdoor photography. - There is no zoom creep (so far). - Very smooth bokeh (background blurring) Few cons: - No zoom lock. - Doesn't have USM/full-time manual focus - this is the feature I'd expect in the $500 lens. - Distortions on the wide end (18-24mm) - More CA than 18-55IS. P.S. I've spent the last couple of weeks reading endless forum posts and reviews. Here are my notes about the similar/competing products: 1. Canon 55-250IS - My friend got this lens - it's sharp but some shots have bad color saturation/contrast. He also told me that he needs to change lenses too often. 2. Canon 28-135 IS USM - sharp, has full-time manual focus, but the lens is quite big and heavy for T1i and has a zoom creep. 28mm is too much for the wide shots on the x1.6 cameras. 3. Sigma 18-125 OS HSM - good zoom range/color/price, relatively sharp. I almost bought this lens but then I noticed that almost every review mentions the constant background noise produced by the image stabilizer. Sometimes I use the camera for short videos so that was a deal breaker for me. 4. Sigma 18-200 - good zoom range/color/price, but too heavy. Sharpness is very inconsistent. Also not much extra zoom comparing to the 135mm. Overall I think this lens is a good choice for nonpro photographers looking for a multipurpose zoom lens.

I will admit I was very weary about purchasing this lens as the price was incredibly cheap on Amazon compared to everywhere else, including the Canon store (where it was almost double). I purchased the express shipping as I wanted the lens before my trip to NYC. I ordered on a Sunday and the lens was at my door Tuesday morning. The lens was packaged with the Canon box and had the Canon 1 year warranty card. The lens fit on my T3i perfectly and the images are sharp. I was in the market for a wide angle lens with IS and zoom - this was the perfect choice. I wish the angle was a little wider but nonetheless, I am quite happy with this purchase!'

El lente es todo lo que esperaba, llegó a tiempo y sin ningún detalle

早速写真撮りました。 静物より風景が気に入りました。 良い取引させて頂きありがとうございました！

This camera lens was purchased for our daughter, who is quickly sharpening her photography skills with every shot she takes. She is delighted (as are we) at the beautiful imagery she has been able to capture, in many different settings. Highly recommend this product and the seller, who got it delivered to us in perfect condition and in great time. Thanks so much!

Buen precio, seriedad con la entrega