What’s the difference between the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS and EF-S 18-55mm IS II?

Asked 11/16/2014

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2 answers

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I’m comparing the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS and EF-S 18-55mm IS II kit lenses. What physical differences make them easy to identify by sight, and are there any meaningful technical or optical differences between the two versions?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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According to this article in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF-S_18%E2%80%9355mm_lens#EF-S_18.E2.80.9355mm_IS_I.2FII

that refers to this other page from Ken Rockwell:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/18-55mm-is-ii.htm

the only technical difference is a different IS algorithm that recognizes panning.

Originally by user32301. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user32301

11y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Based on the community answers, the two lenses are essentially the same optically, with no meaningful image-quality difference.

The main visible difference is cosmetic: the original EF-S 18-55mm IS has a silver ring/band, while the EF-S 18-55mm IS II does not.

Technically, the only difference mentioned is that the IS II version is reported to use an updated image stabilization algorithm that can recognize panning. In normal use, that’s a minor change rather than a major redesign.

So in practical terms:

  • Optical performance: effectively the same
  • Main physical difference: silver band on the original, no silver band on the IS II
  • Technical difference: minor IS behavior update for panning recognition

If you’re choosing between them, they should perform very similarly for most photography.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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