fizzog Loc: Barry,Wales , UK

I expect somebody has used a Canon10-18 zoom lens and I would like to know is it any good.I have a new Canon 760D body and a couple of other lens.A very Merry Xmas to all Hogs everywhere.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

It is a very well regarded lens for the price. Many on UHH have them and like them. Linda from Maine does good work with hers and is a strong advocate for it.

I have the older 10-22mm which is also very good, but a bit pricier.

Good luck.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Fizz, I am not aware that Canon makes any bad lenses, optically. Sure, you will get what you pay for but within their respective price ranges, I would buy any Canon lens!! Good luck. ;-)
SS

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I love mine! First and only I've owned where you don't hear it focus :) Super lightweight, great image quality.

If you haven't used an ultra-wide, there can be challenges regarding composition. First link below is some terrific discussion and examples (it's OK to look at my first photo posted, but not the second one - lol). Be sure to go all the way through the thread for some outstanding artistry from other members:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-336465-1.html

Other UHH discussion re this lens:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-351396-1.html

At Canon, refurbished for $199:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-s-10-18mm-f45-56-is-stm-refurbished

fizzog Loc: Barry,Wales , UK

Many thanks all who replied.I followed your advice Linda and run through the links so it looks as if I will get it. I was interested with the comments of a refurb and I will check with Canon if they do refurb lens in the UK although the new price here is around £175 or around $255 which for a Canon seems reasonable.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I love this lens for landscapes, although you have to watch for roads/cars/things sneaking in at the side of the frame. Check out my Gettysburg images in the HDR forum and it will give you an idea of the *expanse* which this lens can show...

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The EF-S 10-18mm is quite reasonably priced. In fact, I think Sigma and Tokina have lowered their prices, too, in order to stay competitive. Tamron doesn't appear to have dropped their prices yet. Sigma might also be clearing out their two 10-20mm models to make way for new "global vision" versions they have in the works.

Compared to Canon's own EF-S 10-22mm (which I'm still using and until recently have considered one of the best ultrawides on the market from any manufacturer):

Pluses...

Less than half the price of the Canon 10-22mm and at least $100 cheaper than any other ultrawide lens on the market today, except on the rare occasions when their manufacturers have a blow-out sale. The Sigma EX 10-20mm f4-5.6 DC HSM is probably the most comparable lens, "feels" better built (no telling if it really is) and is larger/heavier. That Siggy was reduced in price recently, then also has an instant rebate that brings the final cost down to the same as the 10-18mm.

It's every bit as sharp and flare resistant as the older EF-S 10-22mm USM. It's also smaller and lighter (240 grams versus 386 grams), and uses 67mm filters that are cheaper than the 77mm filters most other ultrawides use... a lot cheaper than the 82mm that some use. (Note, neither lens vignettes with standard filters, even deeper C-Pols. So more expensive "thin" filters aren't necessary.)

The EF-S 10-18mm is one of the few ultrawides that has image stabilization... Maybe the only one being made for APS-C. Not sure it really needs IS, but since it doesn't seem to increase the cost of the lens at all, it sure can't hurt!

7-bladed aperture, rounded. With specular highlights this will render a 14 point star. The 10-22mm has a 6-blade, rounded aperture which makes for 6 point stars. Both lenses mostly only blur down backgrounds when used for extreme close-ups and give pretty nice blur effects.

STM focus drive is quiet and smooth, making it great for video... much better than micro motor and even better than USM. For still photography, USM might be preferable, but there should be little noticeable difference between STM and USM with this type lens.

The 10-18mm focuses about 2" closer than the 10-22mm. About 7.5" versus 9.5" (both measured from the sensor/film plane of the camera).

Like most non-L-series Canon lenses, no lens hood is included. The EW-73C costs $25. It is more compact and a little cheaper than the rather large $30 EW-83E hood the 10-22mm uses. (There are cheaper, third party lenses hoods for both lenses.)

Minuses...

Plastic bayonet mount. This is part of what keeps the weight and cost low, and actually seems to hold up pretty well (though a pro user might wear it out faster than a good, metal bayonet mount).

A minor thing is that like all STM lenses, it uses fly-by-wire focus, which means manual focus only works when the camera and lens are powered on. This doesn't have as nice "feel" as mechanically-linked USM focus drive gives. STM, like USM, is not damaged by overriding the AF manually (as will occur with micro motor lenses... they require the AF be turned off at the switch, before manually focusing them). USM might be slightly faster and more precise than STM. However, an ultrawide lens only has to move it's focus group a tiny distance to go from one extreme to the other, so STM should achieve focus almost as quickly as USM. And this type lens typically has such great depth of field that focus needn't be all that exact.

Both the 10-18mm and 10-22mm are variable aperture lenses, meaning their maximum aperture changes when the focal length is zoomed. One situation where a non-variable aperture is preferable is when using manual flash or studio strobes. Another would be when shooting in fully manual mode and with the lens wide open. In these cases, any zooming with either of these lenses will cause a change in aperture that needs to be compensated for with other settings. These are completely moot points, though, if using TTL-controlled auto exposure flash or using the lens stopped down a bit in manual mode.

The 10-18mm has a slower f4.5-5.6 aperture, while the 10-22mm is 2/3 stop faster at the wide end, with an f3.5-5.6 aperture. In low light situations, this is more than offset by the 10-18mm's image stabilization and since background blurs are hard to achieve with this type lens anyway, besides a dimmer viewfinder, most users would likely see little difference. Both lenses are the same f5.6 at their "long" end.

The focal length range of the 10-18mm is obviously more limited than the 10-22mm and many other ultrawides. However, it dovetails quite nicely with an 18-55mm, 18-135mm or 17-whatever standard zoom. There's a bit more significant gap, though, if instead using a 24-70, 24-105 or 28-135 or similar.

Both the focal length range and the variable, rather slow aperture are factors that keep the 10-18mm's cost, size and weight low.

Neutral...

Neither lens is particularly well sealed against dust and moisture. But with ultrawides, even L-series that cost much more aren't fully sealed (though L's may be better sealed than these two EF-S lenses).

Aside from the bayonet mount, optics and perhaps some internal components, both lenses are mostly made of high impact plastic.

In summary, the only thing that would make me hesitate to buy an EF-S 10-18mm is its plastic bayonet mount. To be fair, those seem to hold up pretty well on other lenses that have used them for some years now. Certainly should be fine for most hobbyists and occasional usage. But I buy for the long run and use my gear fairly hard.... On the other hand, I don't use an ultrawide nearly as often as I do some other lenses. And, when I do take wide shots, I often use a full frame camera and other lenses, instead.

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

Very pleased with mine. Did a lot of research before purchasing even though these are only £180 (and £20 cashback from Canon) in the UK.

The lens actually gets a far better rating than its price would lead you to expect and overall beat its competitors including the Canon 10-22mm!
Checkout; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSyTOosOcc

There are many other test reports online by photo magazines and good reports on YouTube. There was also a big discussion on UHH a few weeks ago.

Unusually, these lens have image Stabilization which can be more useful than you may expect on an UWA. Additionally - it has a super quiet focusing making it ideal for video.
After getting the lens I went out for a days photo shoot with only this lens and was very pleased with the results. Some images were posted;
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-351283-1.html

fizzog Loc: Barry,Wales , UK

Thanks amfoto1 for a truly comprehensive list of what to consider and,along with other comments, have decided to buy the 10-18 Canon lens.I have a Canon 28-135 and a Sigma 18-250 so between the three lenses should be able to capture most of what I want.Thanks also to Crwiwy for some lovely shots.Your name suggests a bit of Welsh somewhere!!!

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I just noticed your location!!! I live in the US now, but during the 70s and early 80s I served in a British Army Band - the Queen's Dragoon Guards - Armoured regiment of Wales and the Border Counties, as they say.

We used to tour South Wales every couple of years, playing in town squares, schools, halls, anywhere that would put up with us. One of our regular gigs was a combined concert with the Barry Male Voice Choir. We would play some, they would sing some, *we* would sing some, then at the end of the concert everyone would move into the bar, and the real fun would begin. We would spend several hours drinking and singing together!

Happy days...!

fizzog Loc: Barry,Wales , UK

Hi Bloke.. What a small world..my father in law sang in the Barry Male Voice Choir but he died quite a while ago.The biggest musical event was when I was in the RAF and the Squadron had its Colours presented to it.The Queen was supposed to have done the honours but it ended up with the Air Chief Marshall doing the honours.I will never forget this ceremony because our parade was led by the RAF Central Band in full regalia (leopard skins the lot).They were bigger than the Squadron.I am trying to find your HDR images in the forum but not sure I know what I am doing.Anyway thanks for your input.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I'm not sure how most people pass on links to specific posts. Here is the url to one of my Gettysburg posts, but it doesn' look the same as most peoples'.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-354823-1.html

If you clicke the 'Home' link at the top of your page, it should give you the list of all the forums available. Select 'HDR Photography before and after' or something like that. You can scroll through the messages there. There are currently almost 50 pages available, but several of my Gettysburg posts are on the front page. I'm not claiming that they are wonderful pictures or anything, but I like them or I wouldn't have posted them. They are all shot with this lens, nearly all at the 10mm end too.

Also I just checked, and if you just type Gettysburg into the search feature at the top of this page, it will find all mine plus anyone else who used the word in their title.