THE CONTENDERS
After all the Christmas and festive fun and spending, we’re all feeling the pinch. If you’re not, please write in and tell us your secrets. And if you didn’t get the gifts you really wanted (don’t write in, we know how that is), it’s only natural to want to treat yourself. With all of this in mind, we’ve rounded up the most alluring lenses for Canon EOS DSLRs that go large on performance, little on price.
With so much focus on mirrorless EOS R System cameras, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that many of us still shoot with Canon EOS DSLRs, which still have a great deal to offer, financially as well as in quality, versatility and handling prowess, not to mention battery life. We’re therefore majoring on best-buy budget lenses in EF and EF-S mount for this Super Test. And let’s not forget that these cut-price Canon lenses are also eminently suitable for R-system cameras with the addition of a mount adapter. That said, independent manufacturers, as well as Canon, have been phasing out DSLR lenses, so you may need to be quick to find a bargain.
There are also some great budget RF and RF-S lenses. Along the bottom of the following pages you’ll find mini-reviews of our favourite wallet-friendly RF lenses. We’re not including ‘kit’ lenses that are offered with cameras as the chances are you’ve probably got one already. For best-buy additions, read on…
CANON EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM £249/$299
A real lightweight with a price tag to match, this lens is particularly compact and affordable
Carrying around additional lenses is no fun when they’re big, heavy and cumbersome. This offering from Canon is refreshingly small for a wide-angle zoom and tips the scales at less than half the weight of many competing lenses. Its 67mm filter thread is also a lot smaller than usual, so filters are relatively inexpensive to buy.
One weight-saving feature is the plastic mounting plate but build quality feels reasonably robust. It features an STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system which is fast for stills, smooth for video and virtually silent. The electronically-coupled focus ring enables manual override of autofocus but, as usual for an STM lens, there’s no focus distance scale.
Less than half the price of Canon’s relatively ancient EF-S 10-22mm wide zoom for APS-C cameras, this lens adds the bonus of image stabilization. As normal with non L-series Canon
