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Title: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens - Ugrade from the IS only version? Post by: Johnny on March 21, 2013, 12:27:25 PM Bob, what do you think of the new lens? It seems to have better resolution and contrast but will it be noticeable?
http://usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/eos_slr_camera_systems/lenses/ef_s_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6_is_ii Title: Re: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens - Ugrade from the IS only version? Post by: Johnny on March 21, 2013, 12:28:08 PM This is the chart for the new IS STM version.
http://usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/eos_slr_camera_systems/lenses/ef_s_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6_is_stm PS! Do you know if the IS STM version really have UD glass? No mention about it from Canon? Title: Re: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens - Ugrade from the IS only version? Post by: Bob Atkins on March 22, 2013, 05:35:44 PM The original data I was sent said it has a UD element. On the Adorama website it is described as having a UD element. However, you are right that Canon don't mention it, don't give it a "UD" symbol and a UD element in a low cost wide to normal zoom would be unusual.
I'll probably correct my initial preview and try to research this a little more. Stay tuned... Title: Re: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens - Ugrade from the IS only version? Post by: rixtix on April 20, 2013, 02:26:08 PM I just received mine from Adorama. It takes awesome video very sharp. I don't think I will be using it for still shots just video it is absolutely silent.
Title: Re: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens - Ugrade from the IS only version? Post by: Johnny on May 11, 2013, 09:45:00 AM Bob,
If/when you review the new 18-55 lens I would like to know if the differences are big enough that I should get one. Some sites have tested it and it looks great but the old one is not bad either. Title: New Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens Post by: Bob Atkins on May 11, 2013, 12:30:39 PM I'm expecting to be able to get my hands on one fairly soon (within a month maybe), though a side by side comparison with the old version may be difficult since I don't have one on hand to do that test with right now.
I never put a lot of faith in the Canon MTF plots. I believe they are theoretical and don't take diffraction into account, plus they don't really tell you what the image looks like in the regions of lower MTF. Lower MTF can be a result of coma, astigmatism, field curvature and chromatic aberration and though they may all lower MTF, they all look different My gut feeling, based on experience, is that unless you specifically want the STM feature for video work, I'm not sure it will be worth the cost of "upgrading", which currently looks like it will be around $250 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00BW6LVW2/bobatkinsphotogr) The "upgrade" money might be better put towards another lens, like maybe a Canon 35/2 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009XVCU/bobatkinsphotogr) (while they are still available) or maybe a Canon 50/1.4 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009XVCZ/bobatkinsphotogr) It's hard to see Canon making significant quality upgrades to their most basic and inexpensive kit lens while keeping the price "rock bottom" and it's still going to be a pretty slow zoom even if it's a bit sharper. Video sharpness probably isn't a good guide because video is heavily downsampled and the sharpness depends as much on the downsampling software as it does on the intrinsic lens sharpness. However the silent operation and focus speed control of the STM focusing motor is a plus for video. Time will tell though. When I test it it will be an unbiased test. If it is that much better, it should be obvious from my MTF and resolution tests as well as my visual assessment of the image. |