the canon 18-55mm IS

[anel]

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:

 

[Ziggy Nortox]

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.

 

[JustAnEngineer]

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.

 

[Dao]

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.

 

[apertoire]

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.