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

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS: Handling and features

Weighing 595g, this lens isn't overly large or heavy for one that covers such a range and it balances extremely well on the EOS 7D used for testing. Build quality is good, with much of the lens barrel being constructed from high quality textured plastics, typical of Canon's higher-end EF-S lenses. The lens mount is metal and as it is an EF-S has a baffle protruding from the rear to prevent mounting of the lens on incompatible cameras, such as the EOS 10D.

The zoom action is smooth, requiring little force to move it through the range. Unfortunately, this also means the lens suffers with zoom creep, making it difficult to use on a tripod with the camera pointed up or down at anything but 18mm. A zoom lock switch is provided to stop the lens extending beyond 18mm whilst the lens is transported.

Focusing is powered by a silent Ultrasonic focusing motor which is quick and accurate in use. Full time manual focus isn't available with this lens and it has to be switched over to manual focus before adjustments can be made. The focusing ring rotates during AF, and there is no way to disengage it. As a result care needs to be taken not to catch fingers on the focus ring as it rotates back and forth. The minimum focus distance of 45cm throughout the range makes this lens suitable for frame-filling close-ups at 200mm. As focusing is performed internally, the front filter thread does not rotate, which makes this lens ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters.

The image stabiliser fitted to this lens promises to allow sharp shots to be taken at shutters speeds up to four stops slower than would normally be allowed by the usual rule of thumb. In use I found sharp shots are attainable about three quarters of the time at 1/20sec, which is roughly fours stops slower than the 1/320sec required without the IS system. The stabiliser does a great job of keeping the viewfinder image stable, which also helps with composition and focusing at the telephoto end of the range.

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