I was able to take a few photos yesterday afternoon with the new EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens for the EOS M.
The lens is compact and lightweight, and is great looking, unencumbered by buttons or rubber dials; the zoom is very smooth. The lens includes Canon's Image Stabilizer technology, which Canon claims provides up to four stops of shake correction. It is also built with three aspheric lens elements.
Finally--and certainly most importantly--focusing seems to be much quicker than with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM. This unscientific observation is confusing, since one might expect the prime lens to focus a bit quicker (although not necessarily the case with some expensive L series lenses like the 85 f/1.2L as compared to, say, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, which is lighting quick). Perhaps the reach of the zoom lens allows for quicker focusing and fewer attempts to focus at infinity. Autofocus is by no means perfect, but it seems much improved with the 18-55mm lens. To me it is about managing expectations--shooting anything in Canon's LiveMode will render less than ideal results as compared to using a viewfinder.
Below are some sample images taken around 3 p.m. on a cold, cloudy afternoon in Manhattan, with additional images at HandBDigital's blog at http://bit.ly/SZ9AQl.
Happy shooting,
Dan at H and B Digital
Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/200 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 1600. Skin tones are great, and colors come out quite well even at this relatively high ISO.
Four disaster-response nurses from Colorado, in New York to help out in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, look down at the few skaters on the Rockefeller Center rink. Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/60 sec. at f/5.0, ISO 800, at 24mm.
Watches in a window in the Diamond District, shot with the widest angle zoom at 18mm. Yes, some distortion at this wide angle, but not completely unexpected for a zoom in this range (any vignetting is due to the store's lighting and not, I believe, due to the lens). Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/160 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.
Zoomed in at 55mm on the same watches (very sharp in the original). Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/320 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.
The lens is compact and lightweight, and is great looking, unencumbered by buttons or rubber dials; the zoom is very smooth. The lens includes Canon's Image Stabilizer technology, which Canon claims provides up to four stops of shake correction. It is also built with three aspheric lens elements.
Finally--and certainly most importantly--focusing seems to be much quicker than with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM. This unscientific observation is confusing, since one might expect the prime lens to focus a bit quicker (although not necessarily the case with some expensive L series lenses like the 85 f/1.2L as compared to, say, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, which is lighting quick). Perhaps the reach of the zoom lens allows for quicker focusing and fewer attempts to focus at infinity. Autofocus is by no means perfect, but it seems much improved with the 18-55mm lens. To me it is about managing expectations--shooting anything in Canon's LiveMode will render less than ideal results as compared to using a viewfinder.
Below are some sample images taken around 3 p.m. on a cold, cloudy afternoon in Manhattan, with additional images at HandBDigital's blog at http://bit.ly/SZ9AQl.
Happy shooting,
Dan at H and B Digital
Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/200 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 1600. Skin tones are great, and colors come out quite well even at this relatively high ISO.
Four disaster-response nurses from Colorado, in New York to help out in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, look down at the few skaters on the Rockefeller Center rink. Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/60 sec. at f/5.0, ISO 800, at 24mm.
Watches in a window in the Diamond District, shot with the widest angle zoom at 18mm. Yes, some distortion at this wide angle, but not completely unexpected for a zoom in this range (any vignetting is due to the store's lighting and not, I believe, due to the lens). Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/160 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.
Zoomed in at 55mm on the same watches (very sharp in the original). Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/320 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.
