MaxY's reviews

  • Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    buld quality, image quality, versatility
    lens creep, CA

    I have this lens for about a month now and overall Iā€™m very happy with it.

    Build quality:
    Very good. Although there is a little play between the lens and the camera mount (40D).

    AF:
    Fast, quiet and accurate. So you need to switch to MF to focus manually.

    Image quality:
    The image is sharp. Inside camera sharpening (level 3 or 4) is sufficient to make the picture very sharp. Very good resolution, no flares, good color saturation.

    IS:
    Fantastic. In 200mm even with the steadiest hands, you can see some shake.
    Press the shutter half-way and the image stablizes lake magic.

    Distortions:
    CA ā€“ visible in high contrast
    Vignetting ā€“ not very noticable
    Pincusion ā€“ noticable at 18mm, not a problem at other focal legths
    In any case, if you see a one-in-a-milion shot, take it in RAW and correct using DPP. It works well.

    Pain in the a$$:
    Lens creep. Take a non-horizontal shot on a tripod? Forget about it.

    Bottom line:
    Unless you are a professional, get this lens.

    reviewed February 23rd, 2009 (purchased for $750)