Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is an awesome standard zoom lens that was released in August 2008. It was first introduced as the ideal companion for the Canon EOS 50D and is perhaps Canon’s most ambitious consumer-level zoom with its 11x zoom range. If you travel frequently and are looking for the perfect “all-in-one” or “walkabout” lens, you are certainly looking in the right direction!

Design

The lens has a great sturdy feel to it and has a build quality similar to Canon’s mid-range zoom lens such as the widely popular Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS USM lens, albeit just a tad larger than its Nikon equivalent. This Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens features two small switches on the top left hand side of the barrel to control both autofocus (AF) and image stabilization (IS). And on the opposite side of the lens, there is a zoom lock switch for locking the lens at its shortest focal length, which can prove to be extremely useful for heavy lens such as these tend to extend to the maximum zoom when carried over the shoulder.

When placed on a camera such as its intended companion, the Canon EOS 50D or even on the lightweight Canon EOS Rebel XSi, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens feels perfectly balanced.

One thing to note though, is its AF micro motor system which is louder and less refined than the usual ring-type ultrasonic focusing motors used in most of the other mid-range zoom lens. Considering the micro motor system it utilizes, it also means that the focus ring spins around during AF and manual mode is used with a flick of the AF/MF switch.

Actual user review:
“I started out with the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 and the thing just would not focus correctly. Then I switched to the Canon 18-200 IS lens and am sure glad I did. The comparison is apples to oranges because the lenses are different fundamentally so take it for what it is. I do miss the fast f2.8 of the Tamron but for a carry around lens the 18-200 rules the roost IMO. The focus is tack sharp 95% of the time. I think at least 3% of that is due to the camera choosing an unintended focus point when I have it in 9 point focus mode. If you are looking for a lens that will focus perfectly almost every time then this is a good choice. I’m very satisfied with this lens, the IS works as advertised. Would not hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a good all around carry lens. One note, if you are putting this on a Canon XSi or similar small body DSLR this lens weighs more than the body. It is a heavy lens but I wouldn’t consider that as a deterrent. Get the Canon battery grip to add more bulk and weight to the body and it evens out nicely.” – F.Buercklin (USA)

Features

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is a compact and lightweight “all-in-one” lens solution that boasts a wide magnification range and a wide focal length range from normal to telephoto equivalent to 29-320mm in the 35mm format. It owns a focal length of 18-200mm with a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6, 74° 20′ – 7° 50′ diagonal angle of view and focuses as close as 1.48ft. with a maximum close-up magnification of 0.24x.

It is also packed with an Optical Image Stabilizer for up to 4-stops of effective correction even at full zoom and a circular aperture which presents beautiful background blur effects.

Performance

In normal use, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens’ autofocus is fast and positive with the usual tendency of slow maximum aperture zooms to hunt in low light. While its focus tracking abilities are reasonable, it is no where near outstanding and certainly no match for a fast, internal focusing USM lens.

Also, despite its less than excellent wide angle performance, slight distortion and not too brilliant image quality at close focus distances, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is incredibly sharp at longer focal lengths. Most notably, this lens has an amazingly flexible room range which is able to capture great shots in almost any photographic opportunity that arises. Not to mention, its image stabilizer works great to further enhance the lens’ ability, even in low light conditions.

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens displays a good resistance to flare and presents a surprisingly attractive rendition of out-of-focus regions of any image while giving the user impressive macro coverage.

Bottom Line

While the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens certainly has a better build quality and offers greater convenience, saving photographers the hassle of switching lenses, as compared to its predecessors the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS and Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS. Not to mention, it also boasts a non-rotating front element which is certainly an advantage for filter users. Yet, we must note that the two lenses do give a longer reach.

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is likely one of the best options for travel and certainly saves any photographer the hassle of having to switch lenses all the time. Yet, some minor optical sacrifices have to be made for the convenience. Hence, this lens is certainly not for avid photographers looking for near perfect image quality but is perfect for folks wanting a convenient general purpose lens at a bargain price!

Average User Rating:

• “I did a lot of research on this lens before I purchased it. I bought it for my first SLR camera in many years. It works perfectly with my Canon xSi DLSR camera body. I did not want to be constantly changing out lenses so I got this lens as a compromise. Some of the reviewers mentioned some distortions at the extreme ends of the lens focus but I can honestly say I have not seen that yet. But, then again I am a hobbyist not a professional photographer so maybe my eye is not as discerning as others. I was reluctant to get any lens that was less than 300mm but thanks to the 12.1mp on the Canon body I am able to crop and stretch the picture with no real loss of resolution. The stabilizer function on the lens seems to work great. All my pictures taken at the 200mm length are perfectly clear with no shake. I was a little concerned about the weight of the camera/lens combination. But, I recently bought a Tamrac 5767 camera sling pack that works great with even this longer range lens.” – R.J.Walters (USA)
• “I am very pleased with this lens on my 50d. Yes, it does have noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end (which decreases significantly by around 24mm) and chromatic aberration (purple fringing, noticeable on tree branches and wires against the sky) but not to a degree that overshadows the sharpness, quick accurate auto-focus and faithful color rendition that I get from this lens. I won’t be giving up my 17-55 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/4 lenses, but for a single walk-around lens solution, I think this is tough to beat – better in all respects (except for giving up 70mm on the long end) to my Tamron 18-270.” – F.R.Daniel (USA)

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