Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens

I have given this lens a 5 star rating for value for money.
It can take excellent photographs and if you critically test this lens against digital compact cameras, it wins hands down.
An ideal lens to get anyone started, or 95% of anyone else for that matter. The focus is really fast with the Ultrasonic motor and it is very light weight.
It is not a professional lens by any means, but then it does not cost £400 which is the lowest you will have to spend if you have specialist needs in this zoom range.
Most zooms are better in the middle of the range and this lens is very good here.
I have used this lens to A4 size prints and have had several comments that "They are the best photos I have ever seen" so there you are.

The downside is that handling is difficult as the lens is so 'free' that a gust of wind can blow it off focus in manuall focus mode. Also using a polaroid filter, which is esential for high quality landscapes and holidays, is difficult due to the rotation of the lens when focussing.

Summary: - Excellent value for money that will cover 95% of anyones needs. If you want to significantly improve on this lens you need to spend between £350 to £700

Unfortunately, the lens was not USM, not the sellers fault at all but more the auto listing template. However I returned lens to the seller for a full refund. I still lost out on postal charges though, but hey, everybody makes mistakes. I have tried my utmost to get EBay to change the listing but 'head - stonewall' sums it up.

The 18-55 is a nice starter or kit lens, there is a USM version out, but hard to come by. I wanted the USM as it suited my photographic ambitions. I have now settled on a much better, and far more expensive 28-105 MkiUSM lens, the difference, phenomenal. I would recommend anyone seeking a better lens than the 18-55 try either the 24-85 or the 28-105

The EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM, 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM . The Japanes made ones are said to be the best. Mkii USM 28-105 are made in Taiwan
Medium-sized, medium-priced and medium-speed lenses popular with many amateur photographers. The 24-85 is particularly popular with subframe digital EOS users owing to its wider short end. Do not confuse the 28-105 3.5-4.5 lenses with their cheaper and slower 4-5.6 cousins.

The EF-S 18-55mm USM is the standard kit lens with the EOS 400D. With cropped sensor digital cameras (EOS 400D, 350D, 40D and 30D) this translates into a 35mm equivalent of 29-88mm. This range of focal lengths makes the lens ideal for portraits, architectural shots and, to a lesser extent, landscape photography.

On the positive side, image quality is excellent particularly between 25-45mm and f5.6-f11.0. As with most Canon USM lenses, auto focus is rapid, accurate and virtually silent. This lens scored 77% in a recent ‘What Digital Camera’ test, a score that compares very favourably with many more expensive lenses.

The negatives really need to be to be seen in the context of this lens’ price point. Build quality is certainly not up to the standard of Canon’s L series (obviously) or their mid-range consumer lenses. The plastic mount and lack of ‘torque’ in the zoom betray the budget nature of the lens. However, the money has clearly been spent on the glass which, in my book, is what matters in a starter lens.

As a versatile and very capable budget lens the EF-S 18-55mm takes some beating, I don’t think you’ll regret buying one!

I have had this lens on my Canon 300D fo about 3yrs. It has been fine up until recently when it has started failing to set the aperture correctly while taking the shot. To date it has done about 10,000 photos. Recently I have been getting the Err99 message when trying to take a photo. Prior to that I had noticed a few shot where the picture has been over exposed but I put it down to me rather than the camera. It is as though the battery has not enough charge to drive the mirror, but this is not the case. I have tried various things, new batteries, reformating the CF card, all to no avail. The problem occurs when the lens is set to 18mm focal length but not always if set half way say 28-35mm. It is as though the camera is not communicating to the Iris correctly or perhaps the Iris is getting stiff and not operating fully and putting too much load on the mechanism. Time for a new lens, or another make of more reliable camera. Other users have listed the same Err99 problem on another website - "AskRichard" or something like that.

This lens is the starting point for all budding photographers having recently acquired a Canon camera body.
In my case, I needed a general wide angle and zoom lens and was reluctant to purchase two separate lens for the job. This EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM lens impressively incorporates both, also keeping within the budget of the newbie.
The image captures are of overall good quality and the mechanism when in use is very quiet.

This is the zoom lens that came with the Canon 300D and similar models. It is a handy range of focal lengths and operation could not be easier.
Build quality is adequate for the price point but it is plasticky to the touch and the front assembly tends to wobble alarmingly though apparently they are menat to be like that to allow the autofocus to work (according to Canon!)
Definition is actually quite good for the purpose intended just dont use it too heavily.

This is the standard lens for the Canon Digital SLR like the Rebel and id first rate vale for money.

Clear, sharp and wide, it's just what I wanted for my Landscapes :0)

I bought the body and my other Telephoto Lens elsewhere, but was lacking the width which I now have with this Lens.

I had an accident with my lens and needed a new one urgently. I found out about this lens and seeing that he was happy to post to Cyprus, I bidded for this product and upon arrival, and checking the lens out, I can say that the lens were in great condition, good as new and a real bargain.
The seller was not saying any white lies nor making things up. Good ebayer, speedy service and thumbs up. :)

This a fantastic lens and I personally would buy anything from this seller, the item was exactly as stated and packed so no damage would be caused in any way, the lens was flawless and worked perfectly. I have added this seller to my favorites list and will be buying more items in due course. Its just a shame the highest rating is excellent as I really would give this seller 5* +++++
Price packaging and as described was spot on. cannot be faulted.

An excellant lens, and having used it on holiday, found it to be very useful.
Most Canon rebel camera's have this as a standard lens, mine didn't, and my small zoom always left me frustrated as I couldn't get close enough, hence my reason for purchasing this one.

This lens "IS" feature is not really needed on this size with only 3x mag camera shake is not much of an issue and being only small does not off balance your grip.

Excellent lens for close up work, especially if attaching a wide angle lens with an extra 45 degrees to give you a similar scope to a 10-20mm lens which would be a lot more expensive. Also very quiet on AF

I received this lens promptly from the seller. It was in superb condition and so far I find that it performs esxcellently. If you check reviews on the EOS400D digital SLR, they often say that the this "standard" lens is not particularly marvellous.
Well, I disagree - I find it versatile, and perfectly suits my photographic needs.
Maybe I'm not that demanding....

Compact.Smooth manual focusing.Good auto-focus.18mm.is needed for digital wide-angle.Up to 55mm.for portrait shots.This EF-S lens fits the EOS D20 and 300D models only,as far as I know.For the price-Brilliant.

The lens was in excellent, was good as new. Delivered within just a few days. Any questions I had about the product was answered quickly and hoenestly

This lens comes with a wide sellection of Canon cameras for a reason, its a great little starter lens that will let you take sharp pictures first time and blurred or arty shots the very next picture.

Value for money is high, the space it takes up is only small. handy if you want a camera and lens to take to an event and not stick out like a sore thumb.

I use other bigger and faster lenses which do perform better, granted these lenses are 5 times the cost but pound for pound you cant go wrong with this one if you want `out of the bag` ready shots.

The item was received in very good condition and came with a UV and polarising filters. Item was received without a box and was wrapped in bubble wrap twice over. I decided to buy the item because my present item required repair and the item description was just what caught my eye.

I bought it because my Son purchased a Canon 400D body only and needed a basic lens, He then borrowed mine 18-55mm lens and I have kept this one for my Canon camera