Digital Camera World (2019-06)

K i t Z o n e

our years on from

the launch of Canon’s

18-135mm IS STM lens,

the ‘IS USM’ edition arrived

in 2016. The autofocus system isn’t

based on the usual ring-type or

motor-based ultrasonic mechanisms:

Nano USM uses an ‘elastic metal’ body

with a ceramic voltage element and

drive unit. The direction and speed of

autofocus can be controlled in a very

linear fashion, without noticeable start

and stop steps. It enables super-fast

autofocus for stills, along with smooth

AF tracking during movie capture.

Performance

The optical design of this lens is

identical to that of the preceding IS

STM edition. There’s therefore no

real difference in image quality. As

promised, the new autofocus system is

smoother for video tracking and faster

for stills. The four-stop image stabiliser

is also about half a stop more effective.

nyone after a superzoom

lens for a Fujifilm X-mount

camera is limited to a

choice of one. At least

it goes large in terms of quality

and credentials, with a string

of letters after its name.

It’s weather-resistant, with weather

seals applied to 20 key areas and a

ventilator to prevent dust and moisture

from being sucked in during zooming.

It has a linear-motor autofocus system

in which the focus ring remains

stationary but enables electronically

coupled manual override. You also

get a physical aperture ring and

an optical image stabiliser.

Performance

The autofocus system is super-fast

for stills, and smooth and silent

for movie capture, and the optical

stabilizer has class-leading five-stop

performance. However, image

quality is good rather than great.

FA

Canon

EF-S 18-135mm

f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

£469/$599

With a new autofocus system

Lens mount Canon EF-S

Fujinon

18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

WR LM R OIS

£699/$899

In a class of its own

Lens mount Fujifilm X

Sharpness

Lab scores don’t look too

great, but resolving power

proved very good.

Sharpness

The lens impresses in the lab

at short-mid zoom; real-world

results are more average.

Fringing

Short 2.42 Long 2.27

Colour fringing is pretty

average for a superzoom.

Fringing

Short 1.75 Long 0.64

Fringing can be noticeable

at short zoom settings.

Distortion

Short -2.98 Long 1.62

As with fringing, the amounts

of distortion are typical.

Distortion

Short -1 .03 Long 0.05

There’s remarkably little

distortion for a superzoom.

Digital Camera verdict Digital Camera verdict

4.5 Outstanding 4.0 Excellent

4.5 5.0

Features Features

4.5 3.5

Performance Performance

4.0 3.5

Value Value

4.5 5.0

Build &

handling

Build &

handling

If you don’t mind

the relatively modest

zoom range, this is a

good performer at a

reasonable price. It’s

great for video, and

works a treat with Dual

Pixel AF Canon bodies.

The most expensive

lens in the group

delivers excellent build

quality and handling.

However, mid-aperture

sharpness proved

disappointing in

our shooting tests.

120 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/3.5 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

18mm 50mm

85mm 135mm

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/3.5 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

18mm 55mm

100mm 135mm

BEST FOR

FUJIFILM