Canon EF-M 18-55mm Sample Images

Sample Images Taken with the New Canon EOS M Mirrorless and the New EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens

We were able to take a few photos this afternoon with the new EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 STM Lens for Canon's new mirrorless camera, the EOS M.  With a 35mm equivalent of 28mm to 88mm, the EF-M 18-55mm covers the standard "walk around" zoom range.

The lens is compact and lightweight, and is a really very good looking lens, unencumbered by buttons or rubber dials; the zoom is very smooth. The lens includes Canon's Image Stabilizer technology, which Canon claims provides up to four stops of shake correction.  It is also built with three aspheric lens elements, which help reduce aberrations and provide high resolution and contrast.

Finally--and certainly most importantly--focusing seems to be much quicker than with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM.  This unscientific observation is confusing, since one might expect the prime lens to focus a bit quicker.  But perhaps the reach of the zoom lens allows for quicker focusing and fewer attempts to focus at infinity.  Autofocus is by no means perfect, but it seems much improved with the 18-55mm lens.  To me it is about managing expectations--shooting anything in Canon's LiveMode will render less than ideal results as compared to using a viewfinder.

Here are some sample images taken around 3 p.m. on a cold, cloudy afternoon in Manhattan:

Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/200 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 1600.  Skin tones are great, and colors come out quite well even at this relatively high ISO.

Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/80 sec. at f/5.0, ISO 800.

Four disaster-response nurses from Colorado, in New York to help out in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, look down at the few skaters on the Rockefeller Center rink.  Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/60 sec. at f/5.0, ISO 800, at 24mm.

Watches in a window in the Diamond District, shot with the widest angle zoom at 18mm.  Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/160 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.

Zoomed in at 55mm on the same watches.  Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/320 sec. at f/9.0, ISO 400.

Two more photos for zoom range comparison purposes:

At 18mm, Canon EOS M with the Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/400 sec. at f/3.5, ISO 800.

At 55mm, the Canon EOS M with the Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/60 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 800.

Canon EOS M with the Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/160 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 800.