the canon 18-55mm IS

anel

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i'm thinking of getting this one because it's cheap (100 euros) and looks pretty good. what i want to know is the difference in image quality, sharpness and all that compared to the 18-55mm non IS version, any comments are appreciated :blushing:
 
Righty. I have this lens and I find it quite a pleasure to use. IS as I'm sure you're aware reduces camera shake, which even the best photographers are prone to. On most shots you may not notice a difference, or if you do it may be very minimal, but I feel that it's best to get every bit of help possible. At the end of the day it will offer you a better photograph.

Now another point is that when you are wanting to take a low-light exposure and don't have a tripod (i.e. you want a shutter speed of perhaps 1s) you really notice the difference. An IS lens will give you a clear image, and a non-IS lens will more than likely give you a seriously blurred image unless you are amazingly steady.

All in all an IS lens really is great to have. Hope this is helpful.
 
Not only does the Image Stabilization allow you to take hand-held exposures with longer exposure time than would otherwise be possible without a tripod, the newer 18-55 IS lens is a bit sharper when zoomed in than the older 18-55 USM lens. Having said that, if you already have the 18-55 USM, rather than making this very small incremental upgrade, perhaps you should save for something like the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II lens, which provides a wider aperture.
 
If you do not have the older 18-55mm lens or any lens in that range, the newer kit lens with the IS is not bad at all from what I read from review sites. However, I agree with JustAnEngineer that if you already have lens cover that range, it maybe better save up a little more and to go with a nicer one such as the Tamron or the Sigma with the max aperture of F/2.8.
 
The Canon 18-55mm IS lens is quite ok for its price - lightweight and sharp. It doesn't have USM so the autofocus is not lightning fast. The manual focus ring is small and has a lot of play so manual focusing is tricky. Also, at some focal lengths the CA is visible outside the center.
 

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