Canon EF-S 18-200mm lens
Encyclopedia
The Canon EF-S 18-200mm lens is a superzoom
lens, manufactured by Canon. It is the higher end kit lens for the Canon EOS 60D
digital camera, and supplants the previous EF-S 17-85mm
, in Canon's product line-up, losing 1mm off the wide end, but offering a roughly 2.5x longer telephoto end.
While Canon has produced superzooms for the full frame EF mount
, they function only as normal length
to long telephoto
lenses on cameras equipped with APS-C
sensors. This is the first EF-S
lens made by Canon to offer both wide-angle and telephoto shooting range in the same package. Other manufacturers, including Sigma
and Tamron
have had similar lenses available for EF-S cameras for some time; however, their lenses generally only work at 6.3 when fully zoomed in, which can make autofocusing unreliable (Canon's APS-C cameras are only designed to autofocus up to 5.6). Canon's version is a third of a stop faster when fully zoomed in, which means that autofocusing is more reliable, and the lens is slightly faster as well.
It is almost functionally identical to the Canon 28-300L lens
, which also has image stabilization and comparable apertures and focal lengths when mounted on a 35mm (or full-frame) camera. Reviews indicate that the 18-200 does not compare to the 28-300L in terms of image quality, though this is understandable since the latter is priced much higher, due to it belonging to the L-series
line. Most reviewers have criticised the lens for high levels of barrel distortion
at the wide end, and chromatic aberration
and softness evident at all focal lengths and apertures. The lack of an UltraSonic Motor
has also been noted by reviewers, and along with the 18-55 IS
has given rise to concerns that Canon may be moving towards removing USM from their lower-end lenses. It has generally been rated higher than Sigma and Tamron's offerings however, and has gotten generally positive reviews with the caveat that it is designed for convenience rather than image quality.
A combination of similar-class EF-S lenses that covers this range of focal lengths is the EF-S 18–55mm
and the EF-S 55–250mm
.
Superzoom
The term hyperzoom or superzoom is used to advertise photographic zoom lenses with unconventionally large focal length factors, typically more than 5× and ranging up to 15×, e.g., 35 mm to 350 mm. The largest ratio for digital SLR cameras is held by the Tamron 18–270 mm, giving 15×....
lens, manufactured by Canon. It is the higher end kit lens for the Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 60D
The Canon EOS 60D is a digital single-lens reflex camera from Canon. It is part of the Canon EOS line of cameras and succeeds the EOS 50D. It was publicly announced on August 26, 2010....
digital camera, and supplants the previous EF-S 17-85mm
Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens
The Canon EF-S 17–85mm 4-5.6 IS USM is a standard zoom lens for Canon digital single-lens reflex cameras with an EF-S lens mount. The EF-S designation means it can only be used on EOS cameras with an APS-C sensor released after 2003. The field of view has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of...
, in Canon's product line-up, losing 1mm off the wide end, but offering a roughly 2.5x longer telephoto end.
While Canon has produced superzooms for the full frame EF mount
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
, they function only as normal length
Normal lens
In photography and cinematography a normal lens, also called a standard lens, is a lens that reproduces perspective that generally looks "natural" to a human observer under normal viewing conditions, as compared with lenses with longer or shorter focal lengths which produce an expanded or...
to long telephoto
Telephoto lens
In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a telephoto group that extends the light path to create a long-focus...
lenses on cameras equipped with APS-C
APS-C
Advanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives...
sensors. This is the first EF-S
Canon EF-S lens mount
The EF-S lens mount is a derivative of the EF lens mount created for a subset of Canon digital single-lens reflex cameras with APS-C sized image sensors. It was released in 2003. Cameras supporting the EF-S mount are backward-compatible with the EF lens mount and, as such, have a flange focal...
lens made by Canon to offer both wide-angle and telephoto shooting range in the same package. Other manufacturers, including Sigma
Sigma Corporation
is a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
and Tamron
Tamron
is a Japanese company manufacturing photographic lenses, optical components and commercial/industrial-use optics. Tamron Headquarters is located in Saitama City in the Saitama Prefecture of Japan....
have had similar lenses available for EF-S cameras for some time; however, their lenses generally only work at 6.3 when fully zoomed in, which can make autofocusing unreliable (Canon's APS-C cameras are only designed to autofocus up to 5.6). Canon's version is a third of a stop faster when fully zoomed in, which means that autofocusing is more reliable, and the lens is slightly faster as well.
It is almost functionally identical to the Canon 28-300L lens
Canon EF 28-300mm lens
The EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM lens is a superzoom lens made by Canon Inc.This lens has an EF type mount, that fits the Canon EOS line of cameras....
, which also has image stabilization and comparable apertures and focal lengths when mounted on a 35mm (or full-frame) camera. Reviews indicate that the 18-200 does not compare to the 28-300L in terms of image quality, though this is understandable since the latter is priced much higher, due to it belonging to the L-series
Canon l lens
An L lens is a line of SLR photography lenses made by Canon.L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. The "L" officially stands for "Luxury", a reference to the lenses' high price and proclaimed build quality. The use of "ASPH" was common to notate aspherical elements throughout Canon's and...
line. Most reviewers have criticised the lens for high levels of barrel distortion
Barrel distortion
In geometric optics and cathode ray tube displays, distortion is a deviation from rectilinear projection, a projection in which straight lines in a scene remain straight in an image...
at the wide end, and chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration
In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light...
and softness evident at all focal lengths and apertures. The lack of an UltraSonic Motor
Ultrasonic motor
An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
has also been noted by reviewers, and along with the 18-55 IS
Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens
The Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens 3.5-5.6 is a wide-angle to mild telephoto zoom lens for digital single-lens reflex cameras with an EF-S lens mount. The field of view has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 28.8-88mm, and it is the standard kit lens on Canon's consumer DSLRs.There have been four releases...
has given rise to concerns that Canon may be moving towards removing USM from their lower-end lenses. It has generally been rated higher than Sigma and Tamron's offerings however, and has gotten generally positive reviews with the caveat that it is designed for convenience rather than image quality.
A combination of similar-class EF-S lenses that covers this range of focal lengths is the EF-S 18–55mm
Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens
The Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens 3.5-5.6 is a wide-angle to mild telephoto zoom lens for digital single-lens reflex cameras with an EF-S lens mount. The field of view has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 28.8-88mm, and it is the standard kit lens on Canon's consumer DSLRs.There have been four releases...
and the EF-S 55–250mm
Canon EF-S 55-250mm lens
The Canon EF-S 55-250mm 4-5.6 IS lens is a telephoto zoom lens for Canon EOS digital single-lens reflex cameras with a Canon EF-S lens mount.It provides a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 88-400mm....
.