Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras

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One of the best pro-am lenses Ive ever used. Not only did I use it for my personal nature photography, I used it repeatedly on my job. Ive had it for more than 5 years now and have never had a problem, even though its taken considerable wear. Its greatest advantage is versatility. At 18mm, its a sprawling landscape lens, and at 200mm its a great medium-range telephoto. Images are crystal clear and sharp. And Ive been using a Canon 20D for the last 10 years, so, despite the limits of the camera with just 10 mpx and an ISO max of only 1600, this lens has helped compensate for the cameras shortcomings. Cant wait to latch it on to my 70d. If youre a high-end pro, this is probably not your lens. But if, like me, youre a mid-range pro-am looking for a versatile lens with professional quality, this is a great lens.

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I purchased this lens to go with my Canon EOS 20D digital SLR, which I inherited from a friend who unfortunately had passed away. The camera came to me with only a wide angle zoom, but most of the photos I shoot are in the normal to telephoto range. So I chose this lens because of its good zoom ratio, and its relatively compact size. The latter makes it a good all-around lens to travel light, such as on overseas vacations. This lens is really sharp, so much so that I can blow up a selected portion of a photo in Photoshop and its still pretty sharp. This effectively comes close to giving me the equivalent of a 600 mm telephoto (in 35 mm film) in a walk-around lens. Unfortunately, the lens vignettes (i.e. the corners of the photos are dark relative to the center of the photo). The vignetting is most pronounced in the longer telephoto range. It is especially noticeable with a background thats uniform in color and lighting, such as a blue or overcast sky. Further, the darkening is more pronounced in the upper left corner compared to the upper right. I can correct most of the vignetting in Photoshop, but that program does not deal so easily with the differential darkening between the corners, thus some darkening remains. (Advanced Photoshop techniques should be able to deal with that, but so far I have not expended the necessary effort). Because photos I shoot tend to be more varied in color, lighting, and with more detail in the lower corners, the vignetting is not so noticeable there; thus I have no comment at this time re the behavior in those corners. The lens also has a very heavy front element. When the lens is on the camera,and that combination is on the strap around my neck, this tends to keep pulling the combination down and then the weight further pulls the lens out into the fully extended telephoto position. Rather inconvenient! But for these problems, I have would given this lens a 5 star rating; instead I gave it a 3. Update: The lens is incredibly sharp. I took this lens as my only lens on a recent Mediterranean cruise. While docked in Pireas (Athens) I took a rock-steady, hand-held photo of a distant cruise ship at the 200mm setting -- like a 330mm shot for an old 35mm film guy like me. The cruise ship was still kinda small, so I cropped the photo in Photoshop to whats the equivalent of about a 1000mm shot (for 35mm film) and its still incredibly sharp! Imagine having that kind of telephoto magnification in a camera you can carry around your neck! On this same cruise, I took lots of other photos at all the focal lengths offered by this lens, and all are good except when I myself messed them up! Vignetting is still a problem though, and I had to spend a lot of time in Photoshop applying fixes to many of the photos from that same trip: So still a 4 rating.

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AWESOME PRICE! Sure, its not official boxing; mine came in a white cardboard box with lots of wrapping, but who cares! The lens is pretty good; Ive taken some pretty decent shots ranging from: sports photography, portraits, landscapes, and common objects! Cons: Hmm, dont know if this is normal, but 135mm-200mm doesnt seem too drastic of a difference; Ive taken shots at both ranges and they seem to be nearly the same :(. Is there a defect with mine? Lens creep does come in when youre zoomed at 24mm and facing the lens toward the ground. Pros: Great grip; the zoom bar is very wide and has a nice grip! The zoom placement is also very nice; you use your index finger to adjust the zoom! Its also not too heavy either! Overall: Get this. Its cheaper than an 18-135, and works just as well if not better!! Update: December 1, 2013. At 18mm you will be at f/3.6. 24mm youll be at f/4.0. Roughly 40mm youll be at f/4.5. 50mm f/5.0. 80mm+ f/5.6. Love the fact that you can lock the lens at 18mm. Good for carrying it around without getting "boner lens." Sports photography can be a pain sometimes (indoors) when you have to constantly adjust the iso and or shutter speed due to the change in aperture.

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Hmmm….This Lens. I loved it. I had saved up to buy it. Then maybe 6-9 months went by and it started getting stuck. I would try and zoom in and it wouldnt go. It locks into place and with much effort and trying to move it back and forth it will finally unstick. It is very aggravating when you need to get a quick shot. I have taken care of the lens, it is always in a camera case that is cushioned with 3/4 of an inch of foam. It doesnt get bumped or jostled. So I complained to one of my friends who has the same lens and hers had done the EXACT same thing. Whether it be a design flaw, or something else it is very annoying. The pictures it takes are great but the actual "Quality" of the lens just isnt there if they are all having the same issue.

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Bought this used, little dust but even brand new lenses have dust due to breathing. Absolutely flawless lens. Great if you only want to carry one

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Ok, so just took a gamble and ordered and received this lens. Yes its BRAND NEW. Apparently this lens was being packaged with new 60Ds (or another Canon DSLR) and they have been removed from the kits, to be sold separately. You get the over $200 savings. Mine came boxed like others have said, in a white canon box, not much padding, but arrived just fine. - I assume thats the way it was packaged in the original box. I am a semi-pro photog., have several lens, mostly "L" glass. This is not an "L" of course, but light, and pretty sharp wide open at 18mm, and gets better from there as you stop down. Not the fastest lens out there, but you probably know that if you are like me and read a lot before purchasing. As others have said, this makes a really good walk around lens, and will take great pictures without you having to swap lenses. Its Canon quality, and you save over $200 off retail. I wouldnt hesitate to purchase again. Great deal.

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Recommending a lens or even discouraging one for that matter is a challenge because in my opinion it is relative to the person. For me, as a beginner photographer that was really still experimenting with many areas of photography this was a great buy. Dont get me wrong it is not a great lens if you are comparing to an L quality lens. However, it does provide a perfectly acceptible image quality across a large range. This lens along with a T3i has been a great beginner kit for both my wife and I. The problems I have seen are really not any different from what I had read before buying. The lens walks unless you lock it, and even still it walks even with the lock in place from time to time. In low light situation it does tend to hunt quit a bit. I have also had many situations where I have simply been to close to focus (without being really all that close). For anyone fairly new to photography looking to upgrade from the kit lens (or even better they purchased the body only). Then this would make a great lens to buy to be able to try many types of photography. This really is a great all around lens for traveling were you might take a wide variety of types of shots. My only real caveats on this lens is that it really doesnt offer a wide enough of an aperture for most professional shooting. Good luck with your lens shopping!

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First time I bought a Used Lens. Saved over 50% off the price of a new lens. My particular Used Lens was in perfect condition. I have zero complaints. I had previously used a friend’s camera with this Canon 18-200mm lens, so I already knew I would like the product, but wasn’t willing to pay the full New Price. It is a very good all around lens for just being a tourist and taking pictures. Slightly heavy, but very well built and the 18 to 200 provides a very large range of capability.

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I have been researching this Canon lens for a couple of months, both in stores and online. When I saw it here on Amazon, advertised for several hundred dollars less than everywhere else I was very skeptical of its authenticity. After doing some more research and reading reviews I decided to order it. I am so glad I did! It arrived the next day, shipped very securely in the original factory box with everything inside, including the product registration card and the CD-ROM manual. I verified the serial number on the box with the one on the lens and on the registration card, and then I registered it on the Canon website. It is an authentic brand new Canon lens. I am a purely amateur photographer who mostly takes pictures of my kids, my dog, and our family vacations. Im using this lens on my Rebel XS and I love it! I was very tired of constantly switching between my standard and zoom lenses, and Im so happy with this combination lens. Its obviously heavier than the standard lens but its actually more lightweight than I thought it was going to be. The pictures are crystal clear and the image stabilization is a "must have" on any lens you buy. The focus is a little slower than the standard lens but, again, its faster than I thought it was going to be. All in all I couldnt be happier with this lens and I cant wait to take pictures at my kids sporting events!

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This is now the mainstay on my camera. I own the most entry level DSLR, the Canon T1i. This lens costs probably more than what my camera is worth these days for sure. I still loved the photos that the DSLRs, no matter how "cheap" (which is definitely a relative term compared to some point and shoot cameras) had given me over the years, and when I thought about upgrading to something better, I looked into getting either a 70D for a whole lot of money, or just living with what I had and becoming more experienced with cameras by getting a better lens. I used to think that this would be the lens that I safeguard and use sparingly, and it just has stayed on my camera the whole time, I dont use the kit lens anymore, because the image quality is just so vastly different between them when shooting subjects up close, and then the added zoom that this lens affords makes it way more versatile than the kit lens on my T1i. So far I am very happy with it, and if you are looking to upgrade the look of your photos without spending money on a new DSLR, definitely go with a better lens that will take your photos to a new level.

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