The pictures below illustrate the focal length range from wideangle to telephoto:

Huge 11x focal length range; ideal general purpose and travel lens; Excellent image stabilization system; consistently delivering three to four stops benefit; Good central sharpness at all focal lengths (but inconsistent corners; Attractive rendition of out-of-focus regions of the image; Improved...

Poor sharpness across much of the frame at 18mm and wider apertures; Pronounced barrel distortion at wideangle; and pincushion distortion around 50mm; High levels of chromatic aberration at either end of the zoom range

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS was announced in August 2008 alongside the EOS 50D DSLR. One of the most-requested Canon lenses in recent times, it equips EF-S compatible bodies with a long 11.1x super-zoom range that's equivalent to 29-320mm.

Enormously flexible 11.1x optical range; Effective Image Stabilisation; Lock control to prevent barrel from extending; End section doesn't rotate when focusing

Noticeable barrel distortion at 18mm; Softness and fringing in corners; No USM focusing or full-time MF; Some creep on the barrel

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens features an awesome focal length range (one that completely covers the needs of many photographers) and an excellently-performing IS system in a nicely-sized body.

A popular all-in-one lens covering a massive 11x zoom range that costs around ￡410 and includes a silent ultrasonic focusing motor and image stabilisation.

A 29-320mm equivalent on APS-C Canon EOS models, this lens ($700, street) boasts the broadest zoom range of any interchangeable optic from Canon to date: 11X. A high-end kit option for EOS 50D owners, it probably owes its existence to the phenomenal success of Nikon's 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR Nikkor.

EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS Specifications Focal Length & Maximum Aperture 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Construction 16 elements in 12 groups, including UD-glass and aspherical lenses Diagonal Angle of View 74° 20' - 7° 50' (with APS-C image sensors) Focus Adjustment Gear-driven by DC monitor Closest...

Gary Wolstenholme reviews the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, a popular all-in-one lens covering a massive 11x zoom range.

Good optical performance for a superzoom; Excellent image stabiliser; Decent build quality; Fast focusing

Zoom creep; Barrel distortion at 18mm; No lens hood supplied

All other superzooms I tested are better: Nikkor 18-200 VR, Sigma 18-200 OS, Sony E 18-200 OSS, PanasonicLeica 14-150 OIS

zoom reach

IQ

Canon is often at the forefront of technological advances but for whatever reason they are the last of the Mohicans regarding their entrance into this specific market segment. This is insofar surprising because these affordable "super" zoom lenses are THE hot sellers in the entry-level segment with...

Priced at $780, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS is an archetypal vacation lens, offering the convenience of an 11x optical superzoom point-and-shoot digicam with the image quality of a Canon DSLR.