2014 Superzoom Lenses Group Test (Part 1)
The ideal travelling companion, a superzoom lens
covers all the angles, from wide to telephoto, in one convenient package
For convenience and versatility, a good superzoom lens comes
up trumps. It enables everything from wide-angle shooting to telephoto reach
with a quick twist of the zoom ring, saving you the chore of changing lenses –
and that can be a big bonus when you’re out in dusty conditions and don’t want
the inside of your D-SLR getting plastered with grit.
Another key advantage of superzooms is that you can react
quickly to different photo opportunities. Take weddings, for example: you can
be pulling back to get everyone in a group shot one minute, then zooming in for
a candid portrait the next, while keeping a discrete distance. Similarly, you
might be all set up to shoot a grand landscape vista, but still be able to snap
some passing wildlife. Superzoom lenses also reign supreme when you’re on your
travels: whether you’re flying to the other side of the world, exploring a city
or taking a trek through the countryside, it’s nice not to be weighed down by a
bag full of lenses.
A superzoom lens
can cover all the angles, from wide to telephoto, in one convenient package
You may be thinking at this point that a superzoom is the
only lens you’ll ever need, so where’s the catch? Well, a big zoom range
inevitably means some compromise in terms of image quality. Compared with prime
lenses or a lens with a modest zoom range, you’re likely to notice an increase
in distortions, and perhaps a drop in outright sharpness. Even so, the latest
designs have a great deal to offer, as we’ll see…
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
This lens is refreshingly light in weight and features
Canon’s latest edition of Image Stabilizer, which lives up to its four-stop
claims as well as having automatic panning and tripod detection. Build quality
is a small step up from the 18-55mm IS kit lens, as it features a metal rather
than plastic mounting plate. Other finery includes a UD (Ultra-low Dispersion)
element to help control chromatic aberrations.
Canon EF-S
18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Less impressively, the lens is large considering its
relatively meagre 7.5x zoom range. Zoom creep is quite pronounced, and there’s
no zoom lock switch. The autofocus is micro-motor rather than USM, but it’s
fairly fast and not overly noisy. The manual focus ring rotates during
autofocus but it’s positioned right at the front end of the lens barrel, so
there’s minimal risk of fouling its action with your fingers.
A plus point of the modest zoom range is that distortions
are minimal, and the lens is pretty sharp at all focal lengths. Colour fringing
can be noticeable towards corners, but overall image quality is good.
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Verdict
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Price: $550
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For: Good overall image quality with minimal distortions; quite
light in weight
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Against: Limited zoom range; no USM autofocus; lens hood costs
$40 extra
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Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Not exactly a big brother to the Canon EF-S 18-135mm, this
lens has virtually the same physical dimensions, although it’s 140g heavier,
and the filter thread is resized from 67mm to 72mm. Similarities between the
lenses include the same new-generation Image Stabilizer system, a UD element
and Super Spectra coatings, plus reasonably quick micro-motor autofocus.
Canon EF-S
18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
The major plus point of this lens, compared with EF-S
18-135mm, is its more generous 11.1x zoom range. Both have an effective focal
length of 29mm at the wide-angle end but telephoto reach for the 18-200mm is
boosted from 216mm to 320mm, which makes a big difference. With heavier glass,
zoom creep is an issue, but at least this lens has a lock switch.
Image quality is a little more compromised than with the
EF-S 18-135mm lens. Sharpness drops off more noticeably at the telephoto end of
the zoom range, while barrel distortion is more pronounced in wide-angle
shooting and chromatic aberrations are also more noticeable.
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Verdict
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Price: $700
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For: Offers the biggest zoom range of any genuine Canon lens
for APS-C cameras
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Against: Fairly basic feature set, considering it’s one of the
most expensive lenses in the group
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