Just to add to a previous review - the zoom actually can be locked so that it does not extend when being worn around the neck - this makes the lens magnificent for a full days action. This is the favourite lens in my collection and normally is resident on the body for general use.

Compact, lightweight and a wide magnification range - this standard zoom lens features a wide focal length range from normal to telephoto equivalent to 29-320mm in the 35mm format.. It features an Optical Image Stabilizer for up to 4-stops of effective correction even at full zoom.

Being an EF-S design this zoom is one of only a handful of lenses in Canons range that is suitable for use only on APS-C digital SLRs. Buyers who might be thinking of upgrading to a full-frame body in the future could be tempted to steer away from this lens for that very reason but there is no...

Covers a good range from wide to telephoto, focus speed is pretty quick for non-usm and accurate, you can get very sharp photos in good light. You can get by with one lens solution - great for non-pro users.Manual focus ring is tiny and loose, not easy to use.

Fast focus; good zoom range; good IS; high picture quality

No USM; manual focus not easy; expensive

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...

To sum up, the Canon 18-200mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 IS offers slightly better performance than we're accustomed to seeing with vacation lenses, with image stabilization thrown into a very portable form factor.

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 build quality in comparison to the 18-55mm and 55-250mm kit lenses; Well-placed zoom lock switch ;

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;