This little RF-S 18-45mm was the first dedicated crop sensor lens released with the Canon R7 and R10 APSC camera models in June 2022.
It is a new design with an optical construction different
from that which we find in EF-M and EF-S system kit lenses. The usual and most
cost effective way to purchase the lens is in a kit with one of the entry level
RF mount APSC crop sensor camera bodies.
For instance in Australia today (30 November 2023) the lens
costs AUD550 if purchased separately but
only adds AUD240 to the price of an R10 body if packaged in a kit.
I notice that some vendors are also offering the R10, R50
and R100 in a twin lens kit with both the RF-S 18-45mm and the RF-S 55-210mm lenses at a very attractive price.
Add the RF-S 10-18mm ultrawide and we have a very light,
compact 3 lens kit covering the full frame equivalent focal length range of
16-336mm. Using the R10 body the
entire three lens, one body kit weighs only 1000 grams and fits into a small
carry bag. That could be very appealing to photographers on the move.
Some published reviews of the lens have been very favourable, others very unfavourable. One commentator said he thought Canon is “arrogant” and has decided to “punish and humiliate users” who have been so stupid as to purchase this lens.
I have used two copies over the last year and am happy to
report I have not felt either punished or humiliated in the process.
One reason for the varied reports might be sample variation,
a perennial issue with entry level kit zooms which I suspect have very little budget
for quality testing before they go out the factory door.
My own experience with the lens is very positive. I have
many favourable things to say about it and only one minor complaint. This is
the need to unlock the extending barrel before the lens is ready to use. The
reason for the collapsing/extending design is to minimise lens length when not
in use. This is all fine and good, but the need to unlock and set the lens to
shooting length every time I take it out of the carry bag is a minor nuisance.
Otherwise I find the lens to be a pleasure to use,
consistently delivering very good results in a variety of situations.
MTF charts (Canon) |
I suspect some of the criticisms of this lens might be from people fixated on what the lens is not and what it does not claim to be. An analogy might be to criticise a Toyota Corolla for not being a Lexus.
The RF-S 18-45mm is very compact, very light, and
inexpensive if bought in a kit but not if purchased separately. It produces
very good pictures for which no user need apologise.
The limited focal length and aperture range and
collapsing/extending design are part of
the deal and are the main factors which enable the lens to be built so small
and light.
The lens is styled like the other three RF-S lenses released
to date, with an external barrel diameter of 62mm, a zoom ring and a
focus/control ring, the function of which is set in the menus. AF/MF and
Stabiliser On/Off are also set in the menus. Some cameras also have an AF/MF
switch on the front of the body.
Construction is all plastic including the mount and probably
the two aspheric optical elements. Some people criticise plastic mounts but
they are perfectly suited to lightweight lenses and have never given me any
problems in many years of use.
The zoom ring turns smoothly with no discernible free play.
The focus/control ring turns smoothly.
Once unlocked, the lens inner barrel protrudes the most at
18mm (28mm) and least at 35mm (21.5mm).
Locked length is 44mm, mass 130 grams. The filter thread is
49mm. There are lugs for a reversing bayonet lens hood (Canon EW-53) on the
inner barrel but the hood is not supplied.
Really, Canon ? You want buyers to pay 550 bucks for this thing and
won’t include a one dollar plastic lens hood ??
Optical construction is 7 elements in 7 groups with two
(probably plastic moulded) aspheric elements. The published MTF charts indicate
very good sharpness and contrast except at the far periphery of the image
circle and that is what my tests find.
In use I find few problems with flares and very little color
fringing. I do not have the hood and I have a Hoya HD 49mm protect filter
fitted permanently with no adverse effect on image quality.
The out of focus rendition is not very soft but is not
unpleasant and does not attract unwanted attention to itself.
At the shortest focal length there is massive barrel
distortion in uncorrected Raw files with substantial peripheral shading. Some
lens reviewers are very exercised by this as if it were some kind of criminal
offence against optical purity. These people might serve their readers and
viewers better if they acknowledged that post-capture correction of lens faults is now
standard practice and is very effective. The distortion is almost fully
corrected in Raw files processed in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom or in the out
of camera JPGs.
Some peripheral shading remains but is easily corrected if desired.
Sharpness and contrast are very good in a large central area
at all focal lengths. On the test chart softening at the periphery is clearly
apparent at 18mm, less so as the focal length increases.
Centering on my current copy is good but not quite perfect.
Closing down the aperture one stop brightens the corners
significantly and does provide a slight increase in sharpness around the edges
of the frame.
The lens gives a more convincing account of itself in real
world use than on the test chart. I have
made many hundreds of pictures with this lens on an R10 body and find them to
be consistently sharp with good contrast and clarity.
One thing to be aware of with this lens is the limited range
of useful aperture settings which we can use for best results. At the wide end optimum sharpness across the
frame comes in around f5.6 and at the long end best sharpness is found at
around f7.1. However some degree of sharpness loss due to diffraction will
start to become evident on close inspection at around f9 on the 24Mpx R10. So there is not much wiggle room in aperture
selection.
At 30mm f5.6 |
Having said this I have often used the lens at its widest aperture, which admittedly is not very wide, with very good results in a large central area of the frame where most important subject elements will be found.
Users who want to render backgrounds smooth and soft will have no use for this lens. But for
street and documentary work where we usually want everything in the frame sharp
it works just fine.
Some commentators have opined that this lens is useless
indoors and/or in low light. There is some partial truth to this given the
aperture range of f4.5-6.3. However by utilising the image stabiliser and slow
shutter speeds at the capture phase and Adobe Denoise AI in post processing we
can produce very good results from this lens even in low light indoors.
The lens does not focus very close. Maximum magnification is
only 0.16.
If we are anticipating frequent need for close-up work the
RF-S 18-150mm is a better choice. In
addition the RF-S 18-150mm is a little better
optically at comparable focal lengths and offers a slightly wider
aperture. However it is more
expensive, longer and heavier.
At 45mm f8 |
Summary
The Canon RF-S 18-45mm kit lens is a practical example of
the general principle that good is usually better than perfect. It is an ideal
entry level APSC crop sensor kit zoom which is able to deliver very good
results in a wide range of circumstances.
I have no hesitation in recommending this lens provided it
is purchased in a kit with an entry
level body and provided the user understands and is prepared to work with the inherent limitations of the focal length
and aperture range.
28mm 1/15 sec f5 hand held |
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