Canon Europe announces EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Zoom Lens

By Robert • August 26, 2008

Canon EF-S 18-200m lens Canon Europe has announced the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Super-Zoom lens. It has an equivalent 35mm focal length of 29-320mm and offers an 11x zoom range.

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is designed exclusively for use with EOS cameras with an EF-S lens mount – including the new EOS 50D, EOS 40D, EOS 1000D, EOS 450D, and earlier models.

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS features a 16 element, 12 group construction. This includes UD and aspherical lens elements, which minimize chromatic aberration to ensure crisp, corner-to-corner detail across the zoom range. The close focusing distance is a short 45cm.

The lens includes a 4-stop lens-based optical Image Stabilizer which has been specially designed for the 18-200mm focal length range. It works to counteract image blur that can occur when shooting handheld, or at slow shutter speeds. Automatic panning detection ensures effective performance when tracking moving subjects.

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is 78.6mm (3.1 inches) in diameter, 162.5mm (6.4 inches) long at maximum extension, weighs 595g (21 ounces), and takes a 72mm filter.

Clearly the lens will appeal to the casual photographer as a lightweight alternative to carrying multiple lenses. It fills a hole in EF/EF-S lens product line as Canon is the only camera manufacturer without an APS-optimized superzoom with stabilization. The Nikon equivalent has been a hot seller for nearly 3 years

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS will be available from end of September 2008 priced at €729.99 (RRP inc. VAT). USA pricing is $699.99 (MSRP). This lens will be offered together with the new EOS 50D as a kit.

Go here for Amazon UK. For Amazon USA, see below.