Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a versatile, well-built walkaround lens that's a steal on the used market. Its 29-216mm equivalent range and solid stabilization make it perfect for travel and everyday stills. Just avoid it for video due to the loud, dated autofocus motor. Shop around, as prices vary wildly from $238 to absurd highs.

Optically, this lens is a solid performer that punches a bit above its weight for a kit-level zoom. With 16 elements in 12 groups, including an aspherical and an ED element, it does a decent job keeping distortion and fringing under control. The Super Spectra Coating helps with flare, and in real-world shooting, you'll get pleasingly sharp images in the center, especially when stopped down a bit. Our optical score puts it well above average, which feels right. It's not going to embarrass a prime lens, but for a superzoom, it delivers the goods for everyday snaps and even some decent macro-ish close-ups.

The weak spot here is the autofocus. The micro motor is an older design, and you'll hear it. It's not a silent, speedy USM or STM drive, so if you're shooting video with the onboard mic, the grinding noise will absolutely end up in your footage. For stills, it's about average in speed, landing right in the middle of the pack in our AF rankings. The stabilization, on the other hand, is a real asset, giving you a few extra stops of hand-holding leeway that makes a difference at the 135mm end.

The biggest threat to this Canon is the wave of modern superzooms from third-party makers. The Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD is a direct competitor that offers a much longer reach, faster and quieter autofocus, and is generally sharper across the frame. You'll pay more for the Tamron, but the jump in performance and video capability is significant. The Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS is another monster range option that makes the Canon's 135mm long end feel a bit limited, though you trade away some wide-angle coverage.

If you're sticking with first-party glass, the Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is a similar vibe for that system, but it gives up a lot of telephoto reach. The Canon's real advantage is its price on the used market and its build quality. It feels better in the hand than many of the plasticky alternatives. But if silent video AF or maximum reach is a priority, the newer third-party lenses are the ones to beat. The Canon is the budget-friendly, jack-of-all-trades that still makes sense if you find it at the right price.

Pricing on this lens is all over the map, and that's putting it mildly. We're seeing a spread from $238 to a completely absurd $10,990 across vendors, so you absolutely need to shop around. The sweet spot is clearly at the low end, where picking one up for under $300, especially as a refurb or white box deal, is a fantastic value for the versatility you're getting. At that price, it's a no-brainer upgrade from a basic 18-55mm kit lens.

If you're paying closer to the $400-500 mark for a new copy, the value proposition gets a little shakier. You're then in the territory of some newer, sharper, and quieter-focusing alternatives. The key is to avoid the overpriced listings. Stick to the reputable sellers offering it in the $200-300 range, and you'll feel like you got a steal for a lens that can do a bit of everything.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is one of those lenses that just makes sense for a lot of people. It's the classic walkaround zoom, covering everything from a useful wide angle to a proper telephoto reach on Canon's APS-C bodies. You're looking at a 29-216mm equivalent range, which means you can shoot a group photo in a tight room and then zoom in on a bird in a tree without ever swapping glass. For travel and everyday shooting, that kind of flexibility is hard to beat, and our database puts its versatility right near the top of the charts.

This isn't a lens for pixel-peeping pros who need razor-sharp corners wide open. It's built for the enthusiast who wants one lens to do most of the work. The build quality is a standout in this class, and the image stabilization is a genuine help when the light dips. But there are trade-offs, especially with the older autofocus motor and the variable aperture that gets pretty slow at the long end. We'll dig into all of that.

What's interesting here is the market for this lens. It's often bundled with cameras or sold as a refurb, and the price spread across vendors is wild, from around $238 to over ten grand for some bizarre listings. If you're hunting for a deal on a solid all-rounder, this is a lens that pops up a lot. Just know what you're getting into before you click buy.

Video shooters should absolutely skip this lens. The loud AF motor is a well-documented headache that will contaminate your audio tracks. You'd be much better served by a Canon STM lens or a modern third-party option like the Tamron 18-300mm with its silent VXD motor. This is also not the lens for professional work where corner-to-corner sharpness and weather sealing are non-negotiable. Our professional score for this lens is its weakest area, and for good reason.

If you're a pixel peeper who demands prime-like sharpness or a photographer who often shoots in dimly lit venues, the slow variable aperture and soft corners will frustrate you. In those cases, skip the superzoom convenience and invest in a fast standard zoom like a 17-55mm f/2.8 or a set of fast primes. This Canon is a daylight companion, not a low-light champion.

For the stills photographer who wants a single lens to leave on their camera for vacations, family events, and general wandering around, this Canon is a great pick, provided you snag it for a good price. The range is liberating, the stabilization is genuinely useful, and the image quality is more than enough for sharing online and making prints. It's the definition of a convenient, reliable workhorse that won't weigh you down.

But if you shoot any video at all, or if you need the best possible image quality and low-light performance, you should look elsewhere. The loud autofocus is a dealbreaker for video, and the slow aperture means you'll be cranking the ISO indoors. In that case, saving up for a lens with an STM or VXD motor, or even pairing a fast prime with a shorter zoom, will make you a lot happier in the long run.