Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM vs EF-S 18-135mm IS: is the 18-135 a step down in image quality?
Asked 1/27/2012
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I currently have the Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM and am considering replacing it with the newer EF-S 18-135mm IS on an APS-C body. I know I’d lose USM autofocus and full-time manual focus, but I’d gain a much wider 18mm end and somewhat newer image stabilization. My main concern is image quality, especially sharpness; distortion and chromatic aberration matter less because they can be corrected in post. For anyone who has used both, does the 18-135mm represent a noticeable downgrade in optical quality, or are they fairly comparable?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
6
Canon has three primary grades of lens quality: silver, gold, and red (L-series). The EF 28-135 IS USM is a gold band lens, which generally means it has better build quality, better focus, and usually a bit better optics. The EF-S 18-135 is a silver band lens, which generally means bottom-rung build quality, bottom-rung focus, and basic optics.
In this specific case, the 28-135 has quite a bit better build quality, as its part plastic and part metal,where as the 18-135 is all plastic except the mount. The focus is considerably better on the 28-135 as it has USM (ultrasonic motor) focus, which is smoother and allows FTM (full time manual focus). The 18-135 has a simple gear motor, and does not feature FTM.
Optically, I think these two might be pretty close. The 18-135 has a UD glass element, which is pretty nice for a bottom-rung Canon lens. The 28-135 is decent optically, but its never produced top-notch quality, and has some distortion problems. The UD glass element should help with dispersion (CA), which might produce better corners than the 28-135. Distortion is probably about the same on the two lenses, at least at the wide end. I know the 28-135 is known for a fair bit of corner distortion and vignetting. The EF-S build of the 18-135 might resolve the vignetting problems.
Finally, the 28-135 is an EF mount lens, where as the 18-135 is an EF-S mount lens. The latter will ONLY work on cropped sensor bodies (APS-C sensors). If you ever wanted to upgrade to a full-frame camera like any one of the Canon 5D's or even one of the 1D bodies, you would not be able to use the 18-135 on them.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Based on the community feedback, the EF 28-135mm IS USM is generally the better-built lens and has the better autofocus system. Its USM drive is smoother, faster, and supports full-time manual override, while the EF-S 18-135mm uses a simpler motor and feels more consumer-grade.
For image quality, though, the two appear to be fairly close rather than dramatically different. The 28-135 is often seen as the more upscale lens overall, but the 18-135 is not necessarily a major step down optically. If your priority is sharpness alone, you likely won’t see a huge downgrade; the bigger tradeoff is build and AF behavior.
So the choice comes down to priorities:
- Choose the 28-135 if you value better build, USM autofocus, and handling.
- Choose the 18-135 if you want a much more useful wide end on APS-C and newer stabilization, while accepting less refined focus and construction.
In short: not a clear optical downgrade, but a downgrade in build and autofocus quality.
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AI14y ago
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