Canon EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens (Graphite)

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I bought the Canon M5 because I wanted a travel camera. I used to lug the 5DM3 around with a couple of L lenses. I wanted something more compact and lighter. I got the M5 and used my L lenses. Even that combination was not optimal for travel. The lenses were heavy and bulky. I finally decided to get the 18-150mm EF-M to go with the M5. Im glad I did because it provides a very useful focal length in a compact and lightweight package. Optically, it cant compare to an L lens. It cant even compare to the EF 35mm f2 IS. But it comes very close. It seems sharp across the whole focal length. Ive only had the lens for about half a day. Ill update this review later. I do have some reservations. This lens will struggle a bit in low light settings. I wouldnt use this lens for video due the variable aperture. Like others have said, its pricey and has a plastic mount. However, the 18-150mm lens is a perfect travel lens. Its really lightweight and compact. I can pack the M5, 18-150mm, and the 22mm in a compact case instead of a whole backpack of gear. It can handle most situations with ease. Its a must have lens if you own a Canon mirrorless camera.

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Ive had all the Canon M cameras and lenses. (I know...the M1 & M2 were painful, the M3 ok... but I love the M5) This lens, on the M5 is by far the best M-mount zoom lens to date. The colors are vibrant, not quite as good as my L-Lenses, but that was not my expectation. Compared to the EF-M 55-200 this is big improvement. You lose a little reach but the gain on the wide angle side, and most importantly the IQ makes this a much better lens. Another review commented that this lens seemed equivalent to the EF 24-105 L and on the I would second that opinion. The M5 & this lens is an excellent walk around camera that you will actually have with you. Canon seems to be making some headway in the mirrorless ILC market and this lens will help. Initially I started using the M-Series for backpacking, but I am finding that I often leave my EOS 5D-M3 & L-lenses at home as I have been very happy with the images from the EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. I have also started to leave my other EF-M lenses as well. This lens, the EF-M 22MM F/2 STM and the EF-M 11–22 f/4–5.6 IS STM cover well with a very small kit. Cons: #1 -Pricey #2 Not on the CPL list. #3 - Not a "L" weather/dust sealed lens

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Update after 4 months of use: I didnt realize the magnification factor of this lens is 0.31 until today. Very handy when I just want to snap a close-up picture of a flower or a butterfly (see my pictures). Not even 24-105L could do this. I did a quick check. It appears that only 100-400L ii has 0.31 magnification. This lens honestly isnt very contrasty like my L lenses. But its size and range is just darn convenient. I think M5 + 18-150 is the most convenient setup for travel. But for anything serious I wouldnt use it. ********************************************************* Update after 1 month of use: The more I use it the more Im impressed. It doesnt have the pop and high contrast of my 24-70L ii. Thats not my expectation either. To my eyes, the image quality of the 18-150mm is on par with 24-105L. To me this is plenty good enough. This lens is less than half the weight and size of the 24-105L, and more importantly the focal range is even wider (28-240mm equivalent). F6.3 at the long end is quite slow but sharp so theres no need to stop down more. Ive used efs 18-135 and i really think that this efm 18-150 is far superior. At 18mm there is a good amount of distortion but 24-105L does not fare any better. This is not a cheap lens but Im beginning to feel that its worth the cost. And Im very excited that I can now travel with a very compact system. And I dont have to change lens as frequently as I used to. ************************************************** My expectation before getting the lens: Hopefully itd match 18-55 but wouldnt expect it to be the same level as the 11-22 My impressions after having owned it for a few hours: First thing noticeable is the lack of chromatic aberration. I had a few shots of buildings against bright sky. Surprisingly I dont see any obvious CA. This beats 18-55. Sharpness is on par with 11-22. I was expecting the extreme ends (18 and 150mm) to be poor but Im wrong. Looking at 100% in LR the extreme ends dont look bad at all. Image stabilization is incredibly effective. I can get some keepers at 1/8s at 150mm. Like the 18-55 (as opposed to the 11-22), theres no lock. I like it this way. Just grab and zoom. Balance on the M5 is perfect. Cons: The mount is plastic. No hood. No soft pouch. A bit expensive.

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I have been impressed with this lens. Previously spent a lot of time swapping between the 18-55 and the 55-200. I am not missing the extra 50mm reach, and the lens seems to be sharp on both ends. Now I only swap to go below 18mm.

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One thing that the M-series had been missing was a good walkaround lens with decent range. With this lens I can capture 99% of the shots that I would want to get. I also carry the 11-22mm for wider angles. With any extended range lens, its not the fastest lens out there especially at the zoom end, but Ive not had too many problems getting shots with decent lighting. The auto-focus seems really quick compared to my older M series lenses. The sharpness has been great, at least at the sizes that Im viewing them at (up to screen size).

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The quality and range of this lens, its light weight with my lightweight M5 camera, and the fantastic quality of the photos I get with this lens make it my preferred hiking lens unless Im anticipating needing my much more cumbersome 5D with 100-400 lens. It is incredible the quality of this 18-150 IS lens on a mirrorless camera! Well worth the price. Id recommend this above all other EF-M lenses and I have them all.

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Been using Canon cameras and lenses for over five years. My go-to setup is my T3i DSLR with 18-135mm zoom lens. I consider myself a serious amateur, love to take landscape and architectural photos so that lens is perfect for me (although I do own other lenses for specific purposes). After reading lots of reviews I purchased the 18-150 EF-M lens along with the Canon M50 mirrorless camera. This combination has turned out to be disappointing. I have a hard time focusing and cannot take tack sharp photos. I bought the lens and camera September 2018 so Ive been using it for a while now. Decided to upgrade to a T7i with my original 18-135 lens.

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Best all around lens Ive had for the little canon. Granted its not grade A glass but still pretty sharp. Good for taking on a day trip where the range can be used... all in one lens.

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I have been waiting two years for Canon to come out with a 18-135, 18-150, or 18-200 lens to fit my M3. They finally did it, and this will definitely be my favorite lens if not the only lens that I would be using.

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This is becoming my favorite lens. I have a collection of Canon EF and L lenses but have never found a wide zoom range lens that was any good. Canon does make one, an L, but its very costly and very large and very heavy. I thought when I downsized to the Canon M5 that I would have even more of an issue and have to carry several lenses to have decent image quality. But, that is not the case. This lens is amply sharp from 18 to 150mm and wide open and is small and light and zooms smoothly (not silky smooth like an L, but smooth enough that you dont have trouble getting it to where you want it in the zoom range). Im still getting used to having the aperture go up to 6.3 as I zoom into the tele region, but todays sensors do much better noise-wise (at least the M5 does pretty well, not much over a stop short of my 5DIII). Bottom line is that this 18-150 and the 11-22 lens pair is light and convenient. Just two lenses to carry and not so much lens swapping as when I carried three L lenses. The 11-22 is also quite sharp. I also have the kit 15-45 and do use it as a casual walk-around lens, but if theres any chance Ill want a serious photo, I take the 18-150 and 11-22. Both are superior to the 15-45 in my experience.

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