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Customer Reviews for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Covers a wide zoom range (equivalent to 29mm-216mm in 35mm format)
Winning combination of size, range and features and is a perfect complement to APS-C cameras
High-quality optics, dedicated image stabilization
16 elements in 12 groups
Average Customer Rating:
(44 Reviews) 44
Rating Snapshot (44 reviews)
5 stars
15
4 stars
15
3 stars
8
2 stars
5
1 star
1
30 out of 44(68%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Review 1 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Joe
Location: Florida
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Mostly satisfied
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:May 29, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, nice zoom range
Cons: poor in low light
I like the 18-135 mm range, it covers most normal scenarios. It is fast focus and reliable. However, when taking pictures in low light, does not performes well. Ex: museum with low light, old paintings etc...
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Beliven
Location: Yuma, AZ
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
It was fuzzy? No... That was my fault.
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:May 5, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I read many reviews before I wrote this to try and figure out what I should say. First of all my pictures were slightly fuzzy and the focus was slow... Um hello self, have you checked your cameras settings? No? Maybe you should. Now that I have checked them, the fuzzy shots with lots of graininess are completely gone. So anyone who reviewed this lens as being anything but sharp needs to fiddle with their camera settings some more and read the manual or another how to book.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Eddythepixer
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Good lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:March 24, 2013
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Good lens, Good quality pictures...
The stabilizer works well
The stabilizer works well
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: X-san
Bad quality images
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:February 2, 2013
Cons: Semi-sharp images, color aberration
The power that gives you the lense's range in great. Images are not that great.
Seen lot of color aberration, not sharp as wanted images.
Seen lot of color aberration, not sharp as wanted images.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Emily Jane
Location: Chicago, IL
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
An Average Lens, Barely, Barely Acceptable
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:November 9, 2012
Pros: none
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Poor build quality, auto focus mechanism jerky, not sharp, Poor Color Reproduction
I purchased this lens to use with my 50D. I wanted a lens that had a good zoom range, which this lens has. However, the lens has issues which doesn't make it a good buy for the price Canon is asking.
First of all, I'm not at all happy with the sharpness of this lens; it just isn't there, no matter what shutter speed/f-stop you use. The first one I received was returned for not being sharp, and the second one I received wasn't any better. There just absolutely isn't any 'snap' to the images. When taking portraits, it looks like a mild soft focus filter was used, with facial features not being very well detailed.
Various images taken with both lenses, never rendered colors very accurately at all. This was still showing to be the case even with camera settings at their defaults. I tried all the white balance settings, and still nothing reproduced colors accurately as was showing in my original scene.
I could go on about the terrible auto focus and its noisy working mechanisms constantly heard inside the barrel while focusing, and the jerky image shifting that occasionally occurs while focusing. The barrel also drops constantly on its own when pointed downwards, very annoying. Bottom line, don't buy this lens. You'd think Canon would make a better lens, considering the popularity of this zoom range!
18 of 24 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: LaPix
Location: Burlington, VT
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Great lens and value
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 31, 2012
Pros: Super-sharp images, good value
I find this lens to be a great value. It produces sharp images, focuses well and has the basic features of image stabilization and AF switches on the lens.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: tomalan
Location: Davenport, IA.
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Good overall lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 10, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
This lens works in everyday shooting. Good zoom and close ups too.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: bigron452
Location: Hopewell Junction, NY
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Good Lens for Starter
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:June 4, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I bought the Canon T3i 3 months ago as my first DSLR. I wasn't impressed with the 18-55mm kit lens, so I decided to upgrade. Now I'm just getting back into taking pictures after years of point and shoots. The AF is very quick in good light, but slows down alot in low light. That aside, the lens is light weight, has good range and takes fantastic pictures. I used it on my trip to Florida, took 350 shots .. I have a 50 mm 1.8 that I also picked up at the time of my purchase, but it doesn't get much use and this lens seems to stay fixed on my camera. Now I'm not a pro - (and don't look at the extreme details), but I'm an active user and take a lot of pictures on vacations of friends and family. I love the detail, sharpness and the vibrant colors of my pictures! If you're a beginner and want versitility, take a look at this lens - you won't regret it!
35 of 36 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Osompurno
Location: Bangladesh
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Great walk around lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:April 13, 2012
Pros: lightweight cheap sharp and crisp pictures.
Cons: slow focusing at low light
I have been using this lens for about 3months with my 60D.considering the price its a great value for money, Due to its good range its a great walk around lens.Focusing is fast and accurate, but in low lights focusing is a bit slow but not that bad. as it is lightweight you can talk with it all day long without feeling tired.The images are very sharp and crisp within 24-85mm range. i would recommend it to anyone who wants a walk around lens of great value at a reasonable price.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: MickeyD
Location: Winter Springs, Florida
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Good Everyday companion
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 13, 2012
Pros: light, good focusing, quality construction, very stable at distances
Cons: no zoom lock
I have had this lens for almost 2 months. When I got my T2i, I was not impressed with the 18-55mm kit lens, so I bought this lens. It has the focal length that covers most of my shooting needs when I travel. It is light weight, quick AF and feels good in my hands with the camera.
I use it mainly for landscape, buildings, wildlife and I have not been disappointed.
I use it mainly for landscape, buildings, wildlife and I have not been disappointed.
I do not use it indoors or in low light, for that I have the CANON 50mm, f/1.4 USM.
I am very pleased with the photo's, very crisp, excellent color and depth.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Saatchi
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
I'm Upgrading
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:February 10, 2012
Pros: inexpensive, lightweight
Cons: soft focusing, autofocus doesn't function well in low-light, auto-focus sluggish at telephoto end, doesn't have distance measure on body
I bought this when I bought my 50D last spring. I travel and need a good travel lens. What I found is that this lens focusing capability was sluggish, especially in low light/flash and when at a greater focal distance. It struggles to focus in these conditions. There is a distortion around the edges that I don't like either. So...since I have my first big job coming up, I am going to trade up to a nicer lens ( or two).
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Nan
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Good quality lens makes the photograph.
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 31, 2012
This canon EF 18- 135 is just like a fixed lens on my camera, because it provides mostly of what i need in capturing a photograph. For a standard zoom lens, i recommend this one for you, this is efficient and fantastic.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Payson
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Fantastic
Overall Rating
Date:January 30, 2012
Lens has great clarity and precision. The focal lengths are incredibly convenient and has great optics for the price. Great lens for any serious amateur.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: cazzy
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Great, versatile lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:December 30, 2011
Pros: versatile, fast shutter speed, good zoom
This lens came in a kit with my 60D when I got it at Best Buy. This is my first DSLR and I'm definitely learning, but this is a great lens to use. The option to switch from AF to MF allows you to get great pictures but still learn how to use a focusing ring, and the IS is an excellent feature. It also takes great picture in almost every situation. I've taken it to football and baseball games and zoomed in as far as I can, and I still take amazing photos. I take pictures of my dog at the dog park that are very clear and detailed. The only complaint I have is it doesn't take pictures very quickly in extreme low light, which is only a problem taking pictures of my dogs and cats in my house at night. But overall, I LOVE this lens.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: FD Nut
Location: Pensacola, FL
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Solid Mid Level Zoom
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:December 26, 2011
Pros: price / value, light weight
Cons: semi sharp images, not compatible w/ full frame
I have just started with digital after 60 years of film, with the last 50 using Canon equipment. That being said I am spoiled by using mostly L Series, both prime and zoom, on my F1's and A1's. For my trial jump to the "Dark Side" (digital) I went with a T2i & the 18-135 kit lens, which has better build quality than the 18-55 kit lens.
My initial impressions based on shooting over 1,000 shots and printing about 50 8X10's in a week are: (1) the sharpness is very good except some marked softness around the edges, (2), the autofocus is spot on except in very low light and extreme distances, (3) colors as recorded are exceptional, (4) the IS is amazing, I hand held @135mm and 1/15 sec with no visible shake (I have hand held my FD 400mm F4 L at 1/250). The major short coming that I observed is the front focusing and zoom seems sloppy compared to my FD 20-35mm L zoom, and an EF 24-105 F4L IS USM that I borrowed to test.
Overall a very capable lens with more than adequate build quality, and performance for most applications. If you need more lens than this in the wide to short tele range spend the extra $$$ and buy an L Series.
32 of 33 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: photoeye
Location: South Carolina
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
18-135 lens, have concerns
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:November 28, 2011
Pros: good walk round lens
Cons: disappointing quality
I've been shooting digital as an amateur for 15 years. Stepping into the Canon world I bought a 60D with this kit lens. I thought I would like the reach plus wide angle. I got this but I am very disappointed with the quality of the pictures. Color saturation is only OK, there's no snap to the results. I have reset the camera in different ways to increase saturation, changed other settings, etc, but still disappointed. Compared to the 18-55 kit lens this one falters. Compared to the 55-250 there's no comparison. Sharpness is only barely acceptable. I suspect this lens was developed for video shooters, which I am not. Get the body but not the lens.
14 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Babenyu
Location: New York,NY
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Nice walk-around lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:November 16, 2011
Pros: lighweight, good picture quality
Cons: barrell distortion
If you're looking for the perfect long zoom lens, there's probably no such thing. All of these zooms are composed of compromises. This Canon lens is no exception. I found the build quality to be very good. It is relatively light in weight. I had the 28-135mm and found it very heavy. The 18-135mm has the additional benefit of being image stabilized. I've found the picture quality to be quite good. I've taken some beautiful , sharp nature shots at 135mm and been very pleased with the results. The only negative I've found is that there is considerable barrel distortion in the 18-24mm range. For me it hasn't proven to be a significant problem, I usually just crop it out. I also have a point and shoot that fills that gap nicely. Overall, the price was right and the lens performs well.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Ft. Collins, CO
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Save your money
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:November 3, 2011
Cons: Semi-sharp images, Poor build quality, unreliable focus
I got this lens with my 60D as a kit. The lens has better build than the cheapest plastic mount lenses, but rattles a lot and has loose front elements and doesn't feel very sturdy.
I find that frequently the lens is much sharper with the IS turned OFF when shooting on a tripod. Sometimes this is very pronounced.
Image quality is at best so-so, but most of the time images look smudged, even when on a tripod and fired with a remote cord. The very center of images can be fairly sharp, but the sharpness falls off quickly toward the edges, even at f/8. On occasion I get fairly good images (never great), but it's so hit-and-miss (mostly miss) I can't trust it fully.
Buy the camera, but don't buy the kit with this lens. Spend your money on a different lens. I suspect even the cheap 18-55 might outperform this lens optically.
7 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: Gram
Location: Spokane, WA
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Not a great kit lens
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:October 20, 2011
Pros: discounted as kit lens
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Poor build quality, slow lens
Bought with my 60D at recommendation of authorized Canon Dealer store salesman as "great kit lens". Great perhaps as 18-135 is good theoretical range. Don't care for lens as image quality seems poor, too slow to use indoors without flash, find autofocus slow and noisy and basically feels cheaply made.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Nickname: aretalha
dont be fooled by the metal mount
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:September 17, 2011
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images
I've had this lens for 3 months and all images produced using this lens was not good at all.
autofocus performance is not so good,
produces a lot ghosting, CA, and vignietting.
loose front element.
zoom ring was smooth enough but focus ring was too light.
contrast and color representation is so bad.
autofocus performance is not so good,
produces a lot ghosting, CA, and vignietting.
loose front element.
zoom ring was smooth enough but focus ring was too light.
contrast and color representation is so bad.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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