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

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is presented as a versatile, budget-friendly, and compact walk-around option for APS-C DSLR users. Key advantages include the stepping motor (STM) system for fast, silent, and smooth autofocus suitable for video, alongside highly effective 4-stop image stabilization. Conversely, the lens has a slow, variable f/3.5-5.6 aperture, limiting its low-light performance and bokeh capabilities. While generally sharp at f/8, optical drawbacks include noticeable barrel distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration, with reduced sharpness at the 135mm telephoto end.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS is a versatile zoom lens designed for APS-C DSLR bodies, offering a convenient 7.5x zoom ratio with a 29-216mm full-frame equivalent focal length. Canon redesigned the optical construction for this version by introducing a large diameter UD element and an aspherical element, aiming to fix the flaws of its predecessor. On the positive side, the lens boasts decent plastic build quality, tight tolerances, a metal mount, and a smooth-operating zoom and focus ring. A standout feature is the new stepping motor (STM) autofocus, which provides very high speeds, smooth and noiseless transitions optimized for video, and a non-rotating focus ring during AF. Additionally, it features a dynamic optical image stabilizer that switches automatically between static and panning modes. Despite these upgrades, the lens has several limitations. Its slow maximum aperture (f/3.5-5.6) restricts its creative potential, particularly in low-light environments and depth-of-field control. The real-world performance of the image stabilizer is also noted to fall somewhat short of its advertised 4-stop advantage. Furthermore, users looking for complete kits will find that the lens hood...

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is a highly versatile 7.5x super-zoom lens designed for APS-C crop-sensor cameras, offering a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 29-216mm. According to DXOMARK's review, its standout feature is the Stepping Motor Technology (STM) autofocus system, which eliminates the typical "pump effect" of older systems by providing fast, continuous, and near-silent subject tracking. It is particularly optimized for videography, boasting an electro-magnetic diaphragm (EMD) for precise shutter control and an intelligent 4-stop image stabilization system that automatically detects panning to lock stabilization along the vertical axis. On the optical side, it integrates an ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass element and high-precision-molded optics (PMO) with a Super Spectra coating to suppress flare and ghosting. However, DXOMARK's broader testing reveals that despite the massive functional upgrade for video, the lens shows no significant leap in raw optical performance over its predecessor. The primary pros center around its quiet, smooth video autofocusing, solid build, and highly capable dynamic image stabilization. On the downside, the cons include a slow, variable maximum aperture (f/3.5-5.6) that restricts low-light flexibility and...

The Radojuva review characterizes the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM as a versatile, all-in-one upgrade over standard 18-55mm kits, highlighting fast, near-silent STM autofocus ideal for video and an effective 4-stop image stabilizer. The lens features a durable metal mount, a non-rotating filter thread, and a wide 7.5x zoom range for general photography. YouTube · However, the 18-135mm STM shows significant optical limitations, including heavy vignetting, pronounced barrel distortion at 18mm, and severe chromatic aberrations on the edges. While it delivers pleasant, sharp images, it lacks high-end crispness, possesses a slow variable aperture, and lacks weather-sealing.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is a highly versatile super-zoom kit lens designed for APS-C cameras, offering a 35mm equivalent focal range of 29–216mm that makes it ideal for travel and general photography. Its standout feature is the addition of Stepper Motor (STM) technology, which provides ultra-quiet continuous autofocus during video capture. Tested on a Canon EOS 7D, the lens achieved a DxOMark score of 12 and a sharpness rating of 7 P-Mpix, making it the sharpest super-zoom in its category and outperforming rivals like the Sigma 18-250mm. It provides a homogeneous sharpness performance across the frame when wide open, and its vignetting is remarkably well-controlled, disappearing completely at apertures of f/5.6 and smaller. Additionally, its built-in Image Stabilization (IS) provides 4-stops of anti-shake performance to compensate for light loss when zooming. Despite its excellent category ranking, the lens suffers from classic optical trade-offs inherent to super-zooms. Its variable maximum aperture lets in four times less light at 135mm than a professional f/2.8 lens, and sharpness noticeably suffers across all focal lengths if the aperture is closed down...

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is a versatile, lightweight zoom lens designed for APS-C sensors, featuring an upgraded Stepping Motor (STM) that delivers fast, quiet autofocus optimal for video capture. Optically, the lens performs well for its price, achieving its tack-sharp peak performance across the frame when stopped down to 50mm at f/8. Its high-quality plastic construction keeps the build light at 17 ounces, while still feeling solid with a metal lens mount, smooth 90-degree zoom ring action, and a non-rotating 67mm front filter thread. Additionally, it features built-in image stabilization and an electronic focus-by-wire ring that allows manual overrides after a half-press of the shutter button. However, the lens has several optical and physical limitations. It suffers from noticeable chromatic aberration as magenta-green fringing at both extreme wide and telephoto ends, along with a maximum 2/3 EV corner shading when shot wide open at 18mm. Distortion is also highly dramatic, pushing a significant 1% barrel distortion at wide angles that shifts into consistent pincushion distortion from 35mm to 135mm, requiring software post-processing to correct. Furthermore, corner sharpness...

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is described by ePHOTOzine as a versatile kit lens upgrade for APS-C DSLRs, offering good sharpness, effective optical stabilization, and quiet, fast autofocus suitable for video. While lightweight and well-built, it suffers from a lack of true full-time manual focus override, relying on electronic motor-driven focusing that requires the camera to be powered on. Despite the improvements in focus, the review notes the STM technology isn't a massive performance leap, and the initial high price makes it less competitive value-wise against the older non-STM version. Ultimately, it is a recommended choice for those seeking a one-lens solution, provided the price is justified.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is a highly versatile, lightweight zoom lens designed exclusively for Canon APS-C crop-sensor cameras like the 650D or 60D. It features an impressive 7.5x zoom range that makes it an excellent all-in-one vacation or "walkaround" lens, capable of covering subjects from wide-angle landscapes to telephoto portraits. The biggest upgrades in this version include a new stepper motor (STM) that delivers incredibly fast, silent continuous autofocus tailored for video, and an intelligent optical Image Stabilizer that provides a proven 3-to-4-stop advantage for handheld shooting. Optically, the lens yields pretty good center sharpness starting at full aperture and handles flare remarkably well due to its Super Spectra coating. However, the lens does come with several distinct drawbacks. Its uncorrected RAW files exhibit noticeable barrel distortion below 30mm, pincushion distortion above 100mm, and visible chromatic aberration (green and purple edges) along high-contrast boundaries. Additionally, corner sharpness noticeably lags behind the center at the extreme focal lengths of 18mm and 135mm. Reviewers also noted that the electronic control manual focus feels less responsive than older models, the...

The Ehab Photography review highlights the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM as a highly versatile, general-purpose zoom lens priced at $550, making it an excellent all-in-one option for everyday and holiday photography. The reviewer praises its solid build quality, featuring a metal lens mount and smooth mechanical rings, along with an integrated optical image stabilization system that prevents camera shake during handheld shooting. A major standout feature is the STM autofocus motor, which delivers remarkably fast, quiet, and smooth transitions, making the lens exceptionally well-suited for video recording and continuous Movie AF. Additionally, it achieves excellent image sharpness in the center of the frame, especially at the wider 18mm focal length when stopped down slightly. The-Digital-Picture.com However, the lens suffers from several prominent optical shortcomings typical of wide-range consumer zooms. The review notes a severe barrel distortion of up to -4.22% at the widest 18mm setting, alongside noticeable mustache distortion and pronounced vignetting (1.55 F-stops) at maximum aperture settings. Optical resolution and sharpness also drop to only acceptable levels at the telephoto end (135mm), particularly toward the edges of...