Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Technical Specification | Latest Prices

The EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is a standard zoom lens specifically designed for the EOS 300D digital SLR. Its effective focal length is equivalent to 29-88mm in 35mm film format.

The EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 is an unusual Canon EOS lens. It was designed only to be mountable on the Digital Rebel (EOS 300D) body since it has a reduced image circle (enough for the Digital Rebel sensor, but not enough for full frame 35mm) and it sticks further into the camera body than a normal EF series lens. [Editor's Note: A variant of this lens is also part of the Canon Rebel XT when sold as a kit with a lens. That lens is called the Canon EF-S 18-55m f/3.5-5.6 II. It has been reported that the newer model has the same optics as the old model and the only differences are cosmetic.]

The "S" in EF-S stands for "Short back focus". Back focus is the distance from the rearmost point of the last optical surface of the lens to the film or sensor. There are certain advantages in lens design in having this distance small for wide-angle lenses, but the limit in SLR cameras is determined by the requirement that the SLR mirror must not hit the lens when it flips up. The mirror on the Digital Rebel is smaller than that of full frame 35mm cameras because the sensor is smaller and the mirror only needs to be large enough to cover the area of the sensor. This allows the use of a lens with a shorter back focus distance.

KEY FEATURES

• Standard zoom lens exclusively designed for the EOS 300D
• Compact and lightweight
• High image quality at all focal lengths
• Optimised lens coatings to minimise ghosting and flare
• Fast AF speed
• Very close focusing distance
• Lead-free optics
   

*Maximum number of Hood III/IV attachable. In case of zoom lenses, the maximum number applies to the short focal length