Canon EF-S 18 135mm F 3 5 5 6 IS Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a versatile, lightweight (16-ounce) plastic-body kit zoom lens designed specifically for Canon APS-C sensor cameras. Performance highlights include solid center sharpness across all focal lengths when shot wide open, which improves dramatically across the entire frame when stopped down—reaching its absolute peak performance at 50mm and f/8. Additional advantages include a highly effective image stabilization system, smooth zoom ring mechanics, a metal lens mount, and a non-rotating front element that keeps attached filters perfectly in place during focusing operations. However, the lens has several distinct drawbacks, particularly regarding its optical distortions and focusing mechanisms. Users will encounter notable barrel distortion at the wide 18mm end, distinct pincushion distortion between 35mm and 50mm, and significant chromatic aberration (magenta-green fringing) at both focal extremes. Corner sharpness also suffers noticeably at the longer 85mm and 135mm telephoto settings. Furthermore, because it utilizes a slower and slightly audible DC motor rather than a USM motor, autofocusing is somewhat sluggish; manual focus override is completely unavailable unless you physically toggle the lens switch to manual mode.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens provides valuable image stabilization (IS) that benefits photographers at both wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths. Testing shows that the IS system is particularly effective for less-stable shooters, offering remarkable shake reduction at the telephoto end. Specifically, at 135mm, the lens delivers about 3.5 stops of stabilization, performing exceptionally well at shutter speeds of 1/60, 1/30, and 1/15 of a second. This strong telephoto performance aligns closely with Canon's marketing promises for the lens. However, the lens has a notable performance gap at the wider end of its focal range. At 18mm, it produces only about two stops of image stabilization. While this still yields a reasonable number of sharp shots at slow shutter speeds between 1/8 and 1/2 second, it falls significantly short of Canon's advertised 4 stops of improvement. Ultimately, the lens offers great stabilization utility for telephoto shooting and everyday handshake reduction, but users looking for maximum wide-angle correction may find it underperforms expectations.

Based on the OpticalLimits (formerly PhotoZone) review by Klaus Schroiff, the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a budget-friendly "super"-zoom lens designed exclusively for APS-C format DSLRs, yielding a full-frame equivalent focal range of 29-216mm. Priced around 400€/450US$ or bundled as a kit lens, it stands out for offering significantly better build tolerances and material tighteness than Canon's typical low-end entry lenses, featuring a durable metal mount and a static front element that allows for seamless polarizer use. Additionally, its built-in Optical Image Stabilizer proves valuable in real-world situations, reliably offering about a 3-stop advantage to minimize camera shake outside laboratory conditions. Despite its improved construction, the review highlights notable drawbacks in its autofocus performance and mechanics. Instead of Canon's premium Ultrasonic Motor (USM), the lens utilizes a conventional micro-motor (DC) which results in slower autofocus capabilities. While general AF speed is acceptable, accuracy noticeably degrades at the wide end, and the lens completely lacks Full-Time Manual focusing (FTM). Users may also find it annoying that the manual focus ring rotates during autofocus operations, and focusing becomes exceptionally slow when...

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS is highly praised by Ken Rockwell as a versatile "do-everything" lens for 1.6x crop-sensor DSLRs, offering a perfect zoom range, excellent image stabilization, and good optics in a lightweight package. It is deemed a superior, more ergonomic alternative to the 18-200mm, featuring quick autofocus and impressive close-focusing capabilities. Conversely, the original version features cramped zoom spacing at the wide end, a slightly noisy autofocus motor, and requires a switch to change between AF and manual focus. While these mechanical and focus limitations exist, they are noted as being addressed in later STM and USM iterations, say Ken Rockwell.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a versatile "vacation zoom" lens designed for digital SLR cameras equipped with APS-C sensors. Tested on a Canon 600D, the lens features a plastic-heavy build that feels somewhat cheap, a metal mount, and a non-rotating filter ring. Rather than a USM drive, it uses a standard motor that focuses efficiently in 0.24 seconds but produces audible noise and struggles slightly in low-light environments. Ultimately, while the lens delivers moderate optical quality, its low retail price makes it a budget-friendly starter option with a reasonable price-to-quality ratio. The core advantages of the lens include its highly effective image stabilization system that provides nearly 4 stops of correction, a highly practical focal range, and an affordable retail price. However, the lens suffers from notable optical drawbacks. It exhibits strong distortion across all focal lengths—peaking at 18mm—making it poorly suited for architectural photography without software correction. Additionally, users must deal with heavy vignetting and high chromatic aberration at 18mm, significant image softening due to flare, and poor resolution consistency that lags noticeably in the corners.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, reviewed by The Digital Picture, is characterized as a highly versatile, budget-friendly "all-in-one" option, boasting a 7.5x focal length range and effective 4-stop image stabilization. The lens is described as compact and lightweight, providing decent center-frame sharpness, particularly when stopped down to f/8. However, it suffers from notable disadvantages including a noisy micro-DC autofocus motor, significant barrel distortion and chromatic aberration at 18mm, and overall softness at wide apertures. Additionally, the variable aperture reaches f/5.6 quickly, and the build includes a plastic mount, reflecting its entry-level design.

The Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens offers a surprisingly solid build quality for its price segment, featuring a metal mount and a smooth zoom ring with constant resistance. Its optical construction consists of 16 elements in 12 groups, including one aspherical and one low-dispersion UD glass element to help manage distortions. In terms of performance, the built-in image stabilization system is a major highlight; while it falls short of the manufacturer's 4 EV claim, it delivers a highly commendable and praised 3 EV efficiency in real-world testing. On the downside, this lens completely lacks an ultrasonic autofocus motor, which is a standard feature found in all of its immediate rivals. The 12 mm focus ring is also somewhat restrictive, as it completely lacks a distance scale and provides mediocre precision with a short rotation throw of only 80 degrees. Additionally, due to its exceptionally wide focal range, the lens is physically the longest among its competitors and expands by an extra 4 centimeters when extended to 135 mm. Finally, Canon offers poor out-of-the-box value by failing to include...