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

Bought this lens because I got sick of kit lenses. Images are sharp and clear throught the range. Took pics of fireworks from a half mile away and they were outstanding in clarity and quality. I really like the lens lock feature as it does not allow the lense to move when not in use and it takes only a second to unlock it and focus. I put a UV filter on it and I'm stunned by the images I get now.

Sure, the fisheye is probably more fun, but you can't leave it on the camera all the time. This lens can be put on the camera at least 90% of the time unless you need super big aperature. I am not a pro, but do print about 10 photos a year at 30x40 inches. I have shot weddings, vacations, street art and landscapes with it. And I used to have a 5D+24-105 combo. That being said, looking back at thousands of shots, the 24-105 has more eyepopping shots due to it's slightly better contrast, but overall, the T2i+18-200 can get more acceptable shots total with less dust, better color balance, more effective stabilization, and the ability to snag the long shot is like having an ace in your pocket. Both lenses have terrible widest angle distortion, so no good for pure architecture. How useful is it? Well, everytime I slap on the 50 or 28 prime, I end up taking it off within the day for lack actual usefulness. The primes may be technically better, but we arent shooting for magazines here. Except for the absolute wide app blur, this is a great wedding lens. Great indoors, great outdoors. On a side note, I just went to Disneyland and got the dreaded loose screw problem. Good thing the Canon service center was within a 20 minute drive. I can't wait to get that lens back!

This is a good lense to have while on a vacation when you do not want to mess around with changing lenses. The images can be a little soft but you get what you paid for and for the price you really cannot complain. The major issue would be the slow auto-focus on this model. I would like to see this lense with USM, current auto focus is very slow and inaccurate.

When looking at the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens you see a lens that does a pretty good job at a lot of things, but is not perfect at any of them. It has a very nice zoom range, its wide angle ability is respectable, and its macro ability is adequate. All in all this lens does it all well and is the ideal first lens for any photographer. Then if you require a more task specific lens you may pursue at a later date. The AF is fairly fast, but a tad noisy. (it's not a USM motor, hence the noise) It handles low-light focusing well and the image stabilizer is very good. The lens lock ensures the lens won't be sliding down as it's slung over your shoulder provided you remember to lock it. All in all this is the ideal first lens for anyone. It works very well across the spectrum without any real problems.

I am an amateur photographer who prints mainly 4x6 images of family events. I use this lens on a Canon T2i dslr. Compared to the Canon 18-55mm kit lens, this one is heavy. The kit lens weighs about 7 ounces as compared to 21.5 ounces for this lens. This 18-200 lens is about an inch longer than the kit lens, for me, that makes it easier to use as my hand fits under it better. When mounted, it fits in my camera bag so I no longer need to fret about not carrying my 75-300 EF lens. I'm not sure I would want to carry this around mounted with a neck strap all day, it is a bit too heavy for that. For my 'grab and go' camera bag use it is perfect. The image quality, to me is good. I took some hand held shots of a full moon this morning, against a dark sky, with the kit lens and this one. I used various 18-55mm zoom settings, 1/60 - 1/750 s, at various f #s and ISO settings. No matter how I processed the raw images, this 18-200 was always clearer than the 18-55 kit lens. Although not very scientific, that was the only test I needed to convince me about the image quality. It even out performed my lower priced Canon 75-300mm, f4-5.6, EF lens, no surprise. I think the '-S' made the difference with that test. Conclusion: Although a big expense, for me, I am totally happy with this 18-200 lens. My 18-55 kit lens will only now be used when weight is of importance, as in a day long trip to Disney Land. Even in that case, it would be a hard choice not to carry this lens. :)