Difference between canon Ef-s IS and canon Ef-s IS II?

[MikesCanon]

Hey, does anyone know the difference between the Canon 18-55mm Ef-s IS, and the canon Ef-s 18-55mm IS II? I seem to be having some trouble, figuring this out.

Any help?

Thanks Michael

 

[jaomul]

I read somewhere that the II version has better optics. They are both light and plasticky but the mark II gets very good ratings on picture quality.

 

[Big Mike]

With a little digging, I found this...

According to Canon, only very slight cosmetic changes were made for the "II" designation. "The major changes are the shape of the zoom ring rubber grip and the tapered area at the front of the lens." (Canon) These two lenses share the same manufacturer MTF charts.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-f-3.5-5.6-II-Lens-Review.aspx

 

[jaomul]

With a little digging, I found this...

According to Canon, only very slight cosmetic changes were made for the "II" designation. "The major changes are the shape of the zoom ring rubber grip and the tapered area at the front of the lens." (Canon) These two lenses share the same manufacturer MTF charts.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens Review

Sorry for the wrong info I gave, I actually thought the mark II was the superior one to get

 

[Big Mike]

I just noticed that the page I pulled that from...isn't talking about the IS versions of that lens....so you may still be correct.

 

[Big Mike]

Here are some snippets from the review for the 18-55mm IS II.

As I said in the beginning of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens review, the "II" replaces the "I". "The version II of this lens includes new IS algorithms to distinguish between normal photographing and when the camera is panning to automatically provide the optimal level of image-shake correction."

From what I can tell, the only other "I" to "II" changes are cosmetic (version "I" is on the left):

As I mentioned a couple of times in the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens review, the "II" replaces the "I". Optically, I'm not seeing many differences between the two lenses - my "I" is my very slight preference to my "II" optically. And Canon does not indicate that any optical design changes have been made.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Review

 

[jaomul]

I searched for the article but it was a while back, I think in Photoplus, the canon magazine, but it may have(and more than likely was) been that the IS version was optically better than the non-IS version. I know a recent enough canon kit lens was a big improvement over its predecessor. I'm not 100% but your research seems more sound

 

[Big Mike]

I think you may be correct, the 'big' improvement in the evolution of the 18-55mm kit lens, was when they first introduced IS.

I still maintain that this lens (all of them) get more of a bad reputation than they deserve. I mean, we're talking about a $100 lens....so you can't really expect it to compare well against $1000 lenses.

 

[jaomul]

To be honest I never had a problem (in ok light) with mine and think the photos are fine, but I may be easily enough pleased. I was very recently thinking of upgrading to a wider aperture one but I have bought a lot the last year or so and have to draw the line. Its ok to up the ISO every now and then when your not getting paid for photos. We would all of course love all our lenses to be fast and expensive, but a lot can be said for a light cheap lens also

 

[MikesCanon]

Thanks for all of your reply's they helped me greatly. right now i have the Canon ef-s 18-55mm and was just looking at the IS one and saw the version II.

Thanks again!
Michael

 

[mangtarn]

i wouldn't get another canon 18-55. I have the non-IS myself and I have also used the IS version. Neither of them are very impressive (it is a $100 lens after all)

if you want something in the similar focal range check out the tamron one (17-50 f2.8). it's faster and delivers higher image quality. i use it as my main lens.