Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (New, White Box)

This lens is a good upgrade from a range wise from the kit lens with was little restrictive at 55 mm. I was seriously considering switchin to Nikon D90 systme with the 18-105 VR lens and 70-300 mm VR lenses. I am not a professional to invest in L or high end Nikkor glasses. But at the same time wanted decent quality. The issue with Canon , though off-late they seem to address is making quality lenses for the APS-C size camera. And for the very reason I stated, the best quality lenses are reserved for the pros or serious amateurs. I wanted to get the 18-200 but heard of its IQ issues, considered 28-135 lens, but same there with IQ, though build quality was great and had USM. 17-85 f2.8 is in L territory. So as I was about to make the decision to jump, canon released this and the 15-85 USM EFS lenses. I would say that was a move that canon should have done long back. So I purchased this one and so far it has been impressive. Even without USM, the focus speed is good. As usual pretty sharp through 5.6 to f11. Can gget some good bokeh when zoomed out to 135 and shooting closeby subjects. I have a 50mm 1.4 for that anyway. Good walkaround lens when I just need the camer and one lens and dont want to carry my full gear. For those looking to make a decision, I would say it is worthwhile. You wont get L quality, but very competent within what you get, good image stabilization. Decent zoom range. On the price I would suggest getting it under $350...I got mine for $325 from a market place vendor who made prompt UPS delivery - but I no longer see this price. As usual the price on amazon fluctuates like stock market.

I think that a lot of people realize at some point that to share or archive what gets one excited about a beautiful or emotion packed scene, they need a camera and lens that bring out the colors, light, and depth of the scene in a realistic way. So much for point and shoots, although my Canon S3 could take some nice portraits. Then comes the DSLR with the kit lens. Better, but still not like the inspiring, breathtaking images in the photography books. Then starts the itchy fingers over the wallet for something that will give me the, "Aha, this is what I wanted to express". OK, so after giving my XS away and getting an XSi, this lens finally got me the rich realism that I was looking for. Is it a 5D with an L lens? I know it isn't. But for myself and the people I want to share some of the special moments of life with, it can share that vision. So, if you feel that many of the people in your life, and the scenes that you see deserve to be brought out and shared in the way that can convey what you saw special in them, I think that you'll be happy with this lens.Update 6/16/10: To see some very good examples of what this lens can render, see the review at dpreview of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens. At the end of the review there are a lot of sample pictures (click on any one to see a slideshow), and the captions include which lens was used. They are full size and can give you a much better idea of the quality of the lens than the compressed pictures on Amazon.Update 4/1/11: It is true that shooting in low light without a flash does not get the best results. Best to have a good flash on hand, think Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, and read a great book about on camera flash, i.e. On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photographyand you can get exciting results.Update 4/26/11 After uploading two web albums to our family web site, one shot with a T2i and a 24-105L lens and another shot with a XSi and this lens, I asked a friend who is a professional photographer to try to tell which one was which. After saying that they were "both very good indeed", he said he couldn't tell the difference! And if he had to guess he would say that the photos shot with this lens were shot with the L lens! Both albums were post processed by me in Lightroom with various presets. Great quality for less than half the price.

Let me start by saying that this review is by an photographically active amateur, not a professional. I am returning to SLR use after many years of using a more simpler camera. While I do not take professional pictures, I do consider myself quite active in taking pictures so wanted to step up to the next level of camera, and lens, without going to the really high end equipment. I now have several lenses, but this one was my first. In this lens, I was looking for versatility - a "walk around" lens as it were. After several weeks of research, including reading as many reviews as possible through customer ratings on Amazon and other sites, I felt that this lens would meet my criteria of a walk-around lens with some telephoto as well as wide-angle capability. Over the last month, I have take nearly 1,000 pictures and while this lens, according to some reviews, may not produce quite as good a picture as one of the equivalent Canon "L" lens, it is more than adequate for me, not nearly as expensive at this stage of my involvement, nor as heavy. Nor does it have the "lens creep" reported through reviews of Canon's other equivalent (28-135) lens which I also considered. As an interesting anecdote, during a recent trip on the train from Central Florida to the Washington, DC, area, I wanted to take some photos out of the train window showing snow scenes as we entered Virginia. The train was traveling at approximately 50-70 MPH so I knew I had to adjust for blur. I set my camera speed at 1/1200; let the aperture adjust automatically, as well as the ISO, and found that I could take sharp photos out the window without problem. It also made me realize how important a lens with Image Stabilization was for these type of shots. While not all were perfect (due to user error), most were very good considering that this was my real first attempt at doing "speed shots." After further review of my shots later in the trip, I noticed that I shifted my zoom from 35mm to 85mm, back and forth, depending upon the type of picture I wanted to take. This process was quite easy to do with this lens. In summary, I find this to be a very capable lens for the purpose I intended it to be and would unequivocally recommend its purchase for similar needs.

I really like this lens. It's light weight and meets my photography needs.