Canon RF-S 18-45mm F/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Review

Having well-established its full-frame mirrorless cameras and lenses, Canon now turns its attention to a more compact range of APS-C, crop sensor kit. Aimed to appeal to those who want to travel light, for lifestyle applications, travel, family shots, and even vlogging. There are two camera bodies, the 24MP R10 and the 32.5MP R7, and two lenses. First, we look at the 18-45mm, and following is the review of the 18-150mm. For the 18-45mm, technical tests with the higher pixel count R7 body, plus sample shots using both the R7 and the R10 should give us a good idea of how the lens handles and performs. Let's see how it all works out and whether or not the lens fits in perfectly with its perceived slot in the photographers' arsenal.

Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Handling and Features

The lens is compact and weighs in at a very modest 130g, clearly helped by the extensive use of plastics. The standard EOS R mount is huge and the lens rapidly reduces diameter as we move away from the camera mount, giving it a slightly odd, unbalanced look. However, this is just appearance and it is so light that it hardly changes the balance of the camera body at all. The “35mm equivalent” field of view is 29-72mm, taking into account the Canon 1.6x crop factor. The lens diameter is 69mm, and the length is just 44.3mm in its retracted state. The camera will warn us to move the lens into its shooting position, should we forget to do so before we switch on. There is a bayonet fitting for lens hood EW-53, although the hood is not provided with the lens. As mentioned in other reviews, this is a pity as a lens hood has value in protecting the front element as well as reducing flare. Within the bayonet mount is a standard 49mm filter thread.

The thin control ring can be used as the manual focus ring, or by altering the function in the camera menu as a control ring, adjusting exposure compensation by default. The ring is only active when the shutter release is half depressed. This is useful as it prevents the ring from being accidentally nudged before the shot is taken.

Manual focus allows a slightly closer focus than AF, and this also varies with focal length.

AF is driven by a stepping motor and is virtually silent, very fast and very accurate. There may be many photographers who never switch to MF as for most purposes the AF system is spot on.

The ribbed zoom ring also has a click-stop position for retracting the lens for storage and carrying. The focal lengths are clearly and accurately marked at 18mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm and 45mm. The scale appears to be accurate as it agrees very precisely with the focal length as reported electronically in the camera display.

The lens mount is plastic, but this is not a negative as the fit is absolutely precise and the lens locks in with smooth ease. There is no rotational play in the mount. The lens is not compatible with either extension tubes or extenders.

Optical construction is 7 elements in 7 groups, including 2 PMo (plastic moulded) aspherical. The diaphragm consists of 7 blades. We have Canon's excellent SSC (Super Spectra Coating) but no fluorine coating on the front element and no dust and moisture resistance. We do have inbuilt OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) offering a 4-stop advantage. This is compatible with camera body IBIS and the two systems working together offer an advantage of 6.5 stops. This goes some way towards compensating for the fairly slow maximum aperture and enabling those travel shots to be continued as the light fades towards evening.

We might slot this handy little lens into the category of a “plastic fantastic” and in terms of handling it is so light that it melds really well with the Canon EOS R10 mirrorless body. The two gel together and make natural partners, ideal for vlogging and general holiday and travel applications. Let's see if the technical performance matches the superb handling of this tiny gem.