Canon RF‑s 18‑150mm IS STMDo-Everything APS‑C MirrorlessSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100 Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM (55mm filters, 10.9 oz./310g, 0.4~1.4'/0.12~0.43m close focus, 0.5× macro ratio, $499). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. Hint: get this as part of a kit with your R7 or R10. This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
February 2024, September 2022 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews
Sample Images topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Falloff, Macro, Sharpness, Spherochromatism and Sunstars. These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery. These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL (stairstep icon) or FINE (quarter circle) JPGs, no tripods or RAW CR3 files were used or needed. Look at the high resolution images and original files at the links below; I'm impressed at the remarkable sharpness (more than I usually see from other cameras) with this R7 and RF-s 18-150mm IS STM combination: Southwestern Window, 10:05 AM, Saturday, 06 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 60mm (100mm equivalent) at f/10 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.0), as shot, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012). bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 22 MB FINE JPG file.
Cream Dashboard, 10:08 AM, Saturday, 06 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 84mm (135mm equivalent) at f/14 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 13 MB FINE JPG file.
Ferrari as Seen from Across the Street, 10:21 AM, Saturday, 06 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 125mm (200mm equivalent) at f/8 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.
Suburbia under Glorious Light with Distant Storm, 6:52 PM, Monday, 08 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 64mm (100mm equivalent) at f/8 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), as shot, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012). bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 11 MB NORMAL JPG file.
Palms in Golden California Sunset, 7:43 PM, Monday, 08 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 141mm (230mm equivalent) wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.4, exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 4 MB NORMAL JPG file.
Lifeguard Station Enrobed in a Golden California Sunset, 7:15 PM, Thursday, 11 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm (29mm equivalent) at f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13, Luminar Aurora HDR to make it explode in color, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012). bigger or full resolution. When I played this back in my R7's finder I thought camera motion had caused the double-images on the hand-written letters on the lifeguard station — but became perplexed when everything else was sharp. Walking up to the plaque, it turns out that that's how the dry-erase marker looked, as if it was erased and then written mostly the same the next day. Weird but true.
Afterglow, 8:03 PM, Thursday, 11 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 50mm (80mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 160 (LV 8.7), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors. bigger.
Construction site by Sodium Light, 8:10 PM, Thursday, 11 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 35mm (55mm equivalent) wide-open at f/5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 6,400 (LV 2.0), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors. bigger.
Beach, 6:58 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm (28mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/80 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full resolution.
Lifeguard Station in the Form of the Lunar Excursion Module, 7:03 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 150mm (240mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/80 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger.
Best Day Ever, 7:13 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Vertical crop from horizontal Canon EOS R7 shot, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 118mm (190mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors and then Perfectly Clear to take it further. bigger. Catch that? This is a horizontal shot, and I cropped this vertical from its center. Automatic leveling works great!
Three Palms at Sunset, 7:22 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 70mm (115mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/80 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.0), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors. bigger.
Yellow and Violet, 7:44 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 59mm (95mm equivalent) wide-open at f/5.6 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 1,600 (LV 5.6), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors. bigger.
Highway 101, 7:53 PM, Thursday, 25 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 150mm (240mm equivalent) wide-open at f/6.3 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 1,600 (LV 4.0), Luminar Aurora HDR to explode the colors. bigger. Luminar Aurora HDR is greatly lightening the deep, dark shadows, and letting us see much more noise in the sky than we would without it. I love this little R7 and 18-150mm IS STM combination. It's small enough to carry everywhere, and captures everything I can see, no tripod required. The two are a hugely capable system in a tiny package, especially the lens. Bravo!
Conoco Sign, Tom's Welding, Route 66, Barstow, California, 4:26 PM, Friday, 26 January 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 60mm at f/10, 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.0), Radiant Photo software. bigger.
The Pink Chair, Route 66, Barstow, California, 5:19 PM, Friday, 26 January 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm at f/6.3, hand held at 1/4 second at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 7.3), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger.
Ventura Circus, Route 66, Barstow, California, 5:54 PM, Friday, 26 January 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm at f/4, hand held at 1/8 second at Auto ISO 1,600, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 3.0), Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger.
DiNapoli's Firehouse, Route 66, Barstow, California, 7:15 PM, Friday, 26 January 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm at f/4, handheld at 1/15 at Auto ISO 320 (LV 6.3), Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger.
Tumbleweed and Sand at Last Light, Route 66, Barstow, California, 5:14 PM, Friday, 09 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 32mm at f/11 handheld at 1/10 at Auto ISO 100, -1 stop exposure compensation (LV 10.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger.
Casa del Desierto and Freight Cars, Route 66, Barstow, California, 7:18 AM, Saturday, 10 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 150mm wide-open at f/6.3, handheld at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.0), Radiant Photo software. bigger. I cropped this to the powerful 6×6 cm square format of HASSELBLAD, in this case equivalent to the extraordinary ZEISS TELE-APOTESSAR T✻ 500mm f/8. Of course if I shot this on 6×6 cm I would never have enough depth of field to have gotten it all in focus, which was on the train cars. We headed out to Newberry Springs along Route 66: Motel Henning, Route 66, Newberry Springs, California, 12:16 PM, Saturday, 10 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM with 55mm B+W Polarizing filter at 50mm at f/7.1 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 12.6), Radiant Photo software. bigger.
Motel Henning and Jet Aeroplane, Route 66, Newberry Springs, California, 12:18 PM, Saturday, 10 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM with 55mm B+W Polarizing filter at 18mm at f/7.2 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.6), Radiant Photo software. bigger. I selected and copied the jet plane and its contrail to a new layer and then enlarged that layer to make the plane much more visible (in Photoshop: select the new layer with tyhe plane, then click Edit > Transform > Scale and use your mouse to drag the selection box to a larger size). I cropped this to the powerful 6×6 cm square format of HASSELBLAD, in this case equivalent to the ZEISS DISTAGON T✻ 60mm f/3.5.
Roy's Motel Key, Route 66, Amboy, California, 4:05 PM, Saturday, 10 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 81mm at f/6.3, handheld at 1/20 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 9¾), as shot. bigger.
Moonset Over Fueling Station, Route 66, Yermo, California, 6:09 PM, Saturday, 10 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 150mm at f/7.1, handheld at 1/15 at Auto ISO 6400 (LV 3.6), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger. I cropped this to the powerful 6×6 cm square format of HASSELBLAD, in this case equivalent to the extraordinary ZEISS TELE-APOTESSAR T✻ 500mm f/8. Of course if I shot this on 6×6 cm I would never have enough depth of field to have gotten it all in focus and would have needed a tripod. Not bad: handheld at 1/15 at 240mm equivalent zoom? Hint: I made many exposures and picked the one without camera shake.
Pipes, Route 66, Barstow, California, 9:51 AM, Sunday, 11 February 2024. Canon EOS R10, Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm at f/10 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), split-toned print. bigger. Introduction topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
This RF-s 18-150mm IS STM is a tiny, stabilized ultrasharp 28~240mm equivalent, ultra close-focusing do-everything lens for Canon's mirrorless cameras — all for under $500! This tiny 18-150mm lens is a landmark, letting us replace our larger lenses with just one tiny lens. It even replaces a dedicated macro lens for many people. Technology marches on. Grab this and an R7 or R10 and you're good for anything. It focuses so close that things just an inch or two across fill the frame, and it can do this at 150mm for better macro perspective rendering than a 100mm macro lens. At shorter focal lengths it can focus right up to the filter ring! I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New intro topCanon's first do-everything APS-C lens for its EOS-R mirrorless system.
Good intro topSuper sharp. Image Stabilization, rated 4½ stops optical and 7 stops with internal camera stabilization. Tiny size. Ultra-light. Ultra close focussing, with a 1:2 (0.5 ×) macro ratio. Ultra useful zoom range. Programmable focus or control ring. 100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro topNo Stabilizer switch; you have to set this in a menu in your camera.
Missing intro topNo always-responsive instant manual-focus override unless you enable this in a menu in your camera. No Stabilizer switch; you have to set this in a menu in your camera.
Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM. bigger.
Compatibility topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras. It will not even mount on any other camera.
Specifications topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications topCanon calls this the RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM:RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras. -S: Only covers APS-C (full-frame cameras will crop accordingly). IS: Image Stabilization. STM: STepper (autofocus) Motor.
Optics specifications topInternal Optical Construction. UD and Aspherical elements. IS section. 17 elements in 13 groups. 2 aspherical elements. 1 UD element. The front section with filter threads moves in and out as zoomed, while the rear section is fixed. Internal focus. Super Spectra multicoating.
Diaphragm specifications topCanon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM. bigger. 7 rounded blades. Electronically actuated. Stops down to f/22 ~ f/40.
Optical Image StabilizationRated 4½ stops optical. Rated 7 stops with in-camera stabilization.
Filters specifications top55mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications topAPS-C (15 × 23mm) only.
Angles of View on APS-C specifications top74° 20′ ~ 10° 25′ diagonal.64° 30′ ~ 8° 40′ horizontal. 45° 30′ ~ 5° 45′ vertical.
Focus Scale specifications topNot on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications topNo. You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications topNot on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infrared Focus Index specifications topNo.
Close Focus (distance from subject to the image plane) specifications topAt 150mm: 1.4' (17" or 0.43m), auto or manual focus, measured. AF: 0.56' (6¾" or 0.17m) from 18mm to 35mm, specified. MF: 0.4' (4¾" or 0.12m) from 18mm to 24mm, specified.
Working Distance (distance from subject to front of lens at close-focus distance) specifications topAt 150mm: 0.93' (11.2" or 0.28m), auto or manual focus, measured. AF: 0.22' (2.63" or 67mm) at 18mm; 0.20' (2.36" or 60mm) at 35mm. MF: About 0.2" (5mm) at 18mm to 24mm, measured.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications topAt 150mm: 1:3.06 (0.33 ×), measured, AF or MF. At 50mm, AF: 1:2.3 (0.44 ×), rated. At 35mm, MF: 1:1.7 (0.59 ×), rated, trick fuzzy-corners mode.
Minimum Subject Field specifications topAt 150mm: 1.8 × 2.7" (45.5 × 68.3mm), AF or MF. AF: 1.3 × 2.0" (33.8 × 50.7mm) at 50mm. MF: 1.0 × 1.5" (25.2 × 37.8mm) at 35mm in trick fuzzy-corners mode.
Image Stabilizer specifications topRated 4½ stops optical. Actually measures about 2⅔ stops in my R10. Rated 7 stops along with in-camera stabilization. Actually measures about 5 stops in stabilized R7. No system gives 7 stops as claimed; 5 stops is excellent. Caps specifications topCanon E-55 55mm front cap (p/n 8266B001), included. Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001), included.
Hood specifications top
Case specifications top
Size specifications top2.72" ø maximum diameter × 3.33" extension from flange at 18mm, growing to 5.00" extension at 150mm. 69 mm ø maximum diameter × 84.5 mm extension from flange at 18mm, growing to 127mm extension at 150mm. When calculating working distances, the sensor is 20mm behind the lens flange.
Weight specifications top10.9 oz. (310g.)
Announced specifications topTuesday, 24 May 2022 at 12:18 AM NYC time.
Promised for specifications topLate 2022.
Actually starts shipping specifications topI received my R7 and 18-150mm IS combo at the very beginning of August 2022.
Included specifications topLens. Canon E-55 55mm front cap (p/n 8266B001). Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001). No hood. No case.
Canon's Model Numbers specifications topProduct code: 5564C002 (5564C001 in Japan). Model number: RF-S18-150ISSTM. JAN code: 4549292-195798.
Made in specifications topTaiwan.
Price, U. S. A. specifications topJanuary ~ February 2024$499 at B&H, at Adorama and at Crutchfield. About $330 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. I was right, it did go up from 2022.
August ~ September 2022$499 at B&H, at Adorama and at Crutchfield. About $250 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. This will probably climb over time; I assume many people had no choice but to get the hard-to-get R7 or R10 with this lens as a kit, and those folks aren't getting much for them because the smarter people are already ordering their cameras with this lens. Thus I think the used market is temporarily relatively flooded with these.
Optional Accessories topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Optional EW-60F hood.Optional LP-1016 sack.
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. This section applies in the U. S. A. only. Canon EOS R7 and RF-S 18-150mm IS kit USA Warranty Card. bigger. I got my lens as part of a kit. The kit will have both the body and lens on the same warranty card; if you get the lens alone it will have its own card. You must have e a U. S. A. warranty card like the one shown above from Canon U.S.A., Inc. It should be on top inside your box as you open it. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the bottom of your lens, on the outside near the lens mount. If you have no card or the serial number doesn't match, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it! Shifty dealers may include copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. product in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage. The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but it should. It will be hidden someplace on the sticker with all the bar codes. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used lens if anyone other than you took it out of the box. If a gray market version saves you $200 the risk might be worth it, but for $100 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support. Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Distance Recording Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes Lens Corrections Macro Min & Max Apertures Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance topThe RF-s 18-150mm IS STM is fast, sharp, tiny and focuses ultra-close. If you want one, get it!!!
Autofocus performance topAutofocus is fast, but not instantaneous. It will depend on your camera, the subject and the light level.
Manual Focus performance topManual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder. How to get manual-focus override.
Focus Breathing performance topFocus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth. From 18mm to 24mm the image goes through some odd distortions as focussed over its entire range. The center gets a bit smaller and the corners get a bit bigger as focused more closely. Only if you're going through the entire range from sitting on the front element to infinity at f/22 to keep things sort of in focus are you likely to notice anything. I doubt you'll see any breathing in actual use where we use much larger apertures and much smaller ranges of focus from near to far. At 35mm the center of the image becomes a bit smaller (while the sides stay the same) as focused more closely at a small aperture like f/22 where things stay in focus enough to notice; in real-world use at larger apertures and smaller focus changes I doubt you'll ever see anything. At 70mm and 150mm the image doesn't change size as focused.
Focus Distance Recording performance topThe focused distance is recorded in the EXIF data. I read this in the lower left of my screen in Photoshop's lens correction filter.
Bokeh performance topBokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is superb at large apertures as ahown below. Stopped down to around f/8 ~ f/11 from 70 ~ 150mm bokeh is awful, so be sure to use larger apertures if you care. Stopped down it becomes little donuts rather than circular blobs. Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click any for the © camera-original file: Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, Saturday, 07 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 18, 35, 70 and 150mm (28, 55, 110 and 240mm equivalent) at 1/3,200, 1/2,500 , 1/1,250 , and 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15¼, 16.0, 15¾, and 15.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full resolution. As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 150mm at f/6.3 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance topThere's no visible distortion shot as JPG with distortion correction ON in my R7. Without distortion correction, there is strong barrel distortion at 18mm, minor barrel distortion at 24mm, moderate pincushion distortion from 35mm through 100mm, and minor pincushion distortion at 150mm:
* Slight waviness remains after this correction. If you use raw data rather than JPG image files, you may or may not have to correct at some point if your particular choice of software doesn't.
Ergonomics performance top
Ergonomics are great. This tiny little lens is a joy to carry and use. The zoom ring ribs are very much in the style of a LEICA M lens: very grippy and never uncomfortable. They're hard plastic, meaning they'll never get gooey or turn white as rubber sometimes does over the decades. The front (usually focus) ring is easy to find by feel. Its diamond knurling feels very different from the zoom ring so they're easy to find without looking. The only oddness is that this lens is so small that it's not much to hold when you're trying to frame a long (150mm) shot precisely. The stabilization works great, but it's tough to point precisely because you don't have the length we do with 200mm lenses for full frame to make a big, long handle! There's no always-responsive instant manual-focus override unless you enable this in a menu in your camera.
Falloff performance topFalloff is invisible in actual shooting. I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images you may — or may not — be responsible to correct this on your own. Here's how it looks uncorrected, and again this is a deliberate exaggeration using flat gray fields:
Filters, use with performance topThere's no need for thin filters. There's no vignetting even at 18mm with one thick rotating 55mm filter, and I just barely can use two stacked regular filters at 18mm. If you want to stack more than two filters, zoom a little longer until the problem goes away. Even at 35mm you can use with a stack of filters if you want.
Flare & Ghosts performance topIt has the occasional blob if you really force things (for instance, my examples Sunstars) while otherwise there are no problems here.
Lateral Color Fringes performance topThere are nearly no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction left ON in my R7. Other than a tiny bit of red/green at 18mm, there's none. If you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there's a bit of green/magenta at 18mm and 35mm, none at 70mm, and a little bit of magenta/green at 150mm. This is great performance; it used to be so much worse ten years ago, while today this is a thing of the past with automated correction. If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images you may — or may not — be responsible to correct this on your own. There is almost no spherochromatism, which is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes.
Lens Corrections performance topThis will change as the years roll on, but my EOS R7 and R10 have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations. The EOS R, R5, R6 and EOS RP have this, too; I just don't have them handy to check the specifics with this lens. Falloff and the Digital Lens Optimizer are ON by default. Uncorrected, this lens can have have plenty of distortion, but I don't see Distortion correction ON by default. I'd leave it ON, but suit yourself. If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction — at least on my EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS RP.
Macro Performance performance topMacro performance is outstanding, replacing the need for a dedicated macro lenses for most uses. Even better than most dedicated macro lenses is that this lens zooms to 150mm, which compared to a 100mm macro lets us stand 50% further away so we don't have to be right on top of our subject or block the light, and standing further away gives a much better perspective rendering of 3D subjects. While it focuses physically much closer at the shorter focal lengths, since those are shorter the actual image size doesn't grow that much, and at 18~50mm this lens focuses pretty much right up to its filter thread, making it impractical for just about any kind of shooting since you block your light. As far as the lens goes, this is wonderful because it means that you'll probably never have the lens limit how close you want to focus.
At 150mm wide-open at f/6.3It gets super close, to 1/3 life size, and it's super sharp even wide-open. Bravo! Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at 150mm wide-open at f/6.3 at close-focus distance, 9:45 AM, 07 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at f/6.3 at 1/800 at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.0). bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (5.84× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file. Remember that there is almost no depth of field this close at large apertures like this, so many part of the watch face like the hands or letters at the top behind a window, simply aren't in focus. If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (8cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 23 × 35" (59 × 89 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 47 × 70" (119 × 178 cm).
At 50mm wide-open at f/5.6It gets even closer at 50mm, but what you can't see here is that the Mondaine watch is so close to my lens that I had to work very carefully to let the light stream in from the top left without casting the lens' shadow on the watch face. I had to position the watch very carefully, either the sun wouldn't shine on the watch or I'd cast a shadow. It does get close, and it is surprisingly sharp. This watch has a convex mineral glass crystal, so don't fret that the minute marks aren't super sharp. I didn't have the luxury of making sure that everything was parallel, either. Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at closest autofocus distance at 50mm, 31 August 2022 (I was too lazy to set my watch for this photo). Canon EOS R7, RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 50mm wide-open at f/5.6 at 1/1,250 at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.4). bigger.
1,200 × 900 pixel (5.84× magnification) crop from above. bigger. Wow! I never realized the painted face of this Swiss watch had a slight texture to it. This is a sharp lens. This watch has a convex mineral glass crystal, so don't fret that there's some slight color fringing on the MONDAINE letters. At even shorter focal lengths (18-24mm) at even closer manual-focus-only distances Canon cautions that this would be a trick mode, with much softer corners. Stay at 50mm or longer and in the autofocus range and you're sharp, use the shorter focal lengths and ultra-close manual focus and you have softer sides, but by then you're so close that your subject is right on the front of the lens and not easy to photograph. If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (8cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 23 × 35" (59 × 89 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 47 × 70" (1.2 × 1.8 meters).
Maximum & Minimum Apertures performance top
Mechanical Quality performance topCanon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM. bigger. This is a very well made lens, made entirely out of plastic except for the screws, glass and electronics. This what you get in a lens that weighs only 10.9 oz. (310g).
FinishBlack plastic.
Front BumperNone.
Filter ThreadsPlastic.
Hood Bayonet MountPlastic.
Barrel ExteriorPlastic.
Zoom RingPlastic.
Front Control RingPlastic.
IdentityAlmost invisibly printed around front of lens in dark gray paint on black plastic, also "18-150" printed on top rear of barrel.
InternalsSeem like all plastic.
Dust Gasket at MountNo.
MountPlastic.
MarkingsPaint.
Serial NumberLaser-engraved on bottom of barrel near the mount.
Date CodeNone found.
Noises When ShakenUsually none, but there can be some mild rattling if you shake it really hard.
Made inCanon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM. bigger. Made in Taiwan.
Sharpness performance topThis is an ultrasharp lens. I have no problem counting every pine needle from across the street: Tree with Glorious Sun Shining Through It, 6:44 PM, Monday, 08 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 31mm (50mm equivalent) wide-open at f/4.5 at 1/1,600 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.0), Perfectly Clear to get it started and Luminar Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) to make it explode in color (instead of washed-out sky and dark grass), all from just one NORMAL JPG file. bigger or camera-original (unprocessed) 32 MP © 8 MB NORMAL JPG source file. The hazy aura around the sun is my fault from pushing the software too hard to make an otherwise dull image explode. Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that. If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 or smaller at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image. People worry waaaaay too much about sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; today they are all pretty much equally fantastic. This lens is ultrasharp. The only slight imperfection I can see is in the very far corners at 18mm at f/3.5 it can be just a tiny bit softer, but you're not going to see anything other than perfection in actual real-world shots. Here's how sharp it is wide-open at 18mm: Canary Palm, 9:33 AM, Sunday, 08 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm (28mm equivalent) wide-open at f/3.5 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10.6). bigger or camera-original (unprocessed) 32 MP © 14 MB NORMAL JPG source file. Remember that very little is in focus; I'm focused on the ball of the pineapple. Stopped down to f/8 more is in focus: Canary Palm, 9:33 AM, Sunday, 08 August 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 18mm (28mm equivalent) at f/8 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10.6). bigger or camera-original (unprocessed) 32 MP © 15 MB NORMAL JPG source file.
Canon's MTF wide-open at f/3.5 and f/6.3 at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Spherochromatism performance topSpherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down. It has just a little spherochromatism. I really had to go out of my way to make it visible here; with a lens this slow spherochromatism is rarely a problem: Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at 150mm wide-open at f/6.3, Sunday, 07 August 2022.Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 150mm (240mm equivalent) wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/1,500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 16.0). bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (5.84× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file. If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (8cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 23 × 35" (59 × 89 cm). If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 47 × 70" (119 × 178 cm).
Image Stabilization performance topThis lens has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)), and it also works great with in concert with in-camera stabilization if you have it. In-camera sensor-shift Image Stabilization (IS) in my R7 works great, giving a measured 5 stops of combined real-world improvement with this optically stabilized lens. No system gives 7 stops as claimed; 5 stops is excellent. Hand-held telephoto shots at one full second under moonlight? No problem! Moonset over America, 9:29 PM, Friday, 02 September 2022. Canon EOS R7, OWC ATLAS S PRO 256GB SDXC card, Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at 50mm (80mm equivalent) wide-open at f/5 handheld for 1 full second at Auto ISO 6,400 (LV minus 1.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger. On my unstabilized R10 I get about 2⅔ stops of real-world improvement. "Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. This is a very strict test; in actual shooting at typical print sizes I get acceptable sharpness at much, much slower speeds, but for the purposes of seeing how much improvement an IS system gives, this is the most precise and repeatable method. I'm evaluating these images at the equivalent of 8 × 12 foot prints viewed from just 30" (2½ × 3½ meter prints viewed from just 75 cm). Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
On the Stabilized R7In-camera sensor-shift Image Stabilization (IS) in my R7 works great, giving a measured 5 stops of combined real-world improvement with this optically stabilized lens. No system gives 7 stops as claimed; 5 stops is excellent. With stabilization, I can get perfect sharpness most of the time at 1/4 second at 18mm and 35mm, 1/8 second at 70 and 1/15 at 150mm — and viewed at reasonable print sizes, I can get perfectly usable images at two full seconds hand-held at 18mm!
At 18mm (28mm equivalent) on the Stabilized R7
* I'm evaluating these images at the equivalent of 8 × 12 foot prints viewed from just 30" (2½ × 3½ meter prints viewed from just 75 cm). Even at 4 seconds some of the images looked sharp at normal print sizes with stabilization ON! I see a 4½ stop real-world improvement.
At 35mm (55mm equivalent) on the Stabilized R7
I see a 4 stop real-world improvement.
At 70mm (115mm equivalent) on the Stabilized R7
I see a 5 stop real-world improvement.
At 150mm (240mm equivalent) on the Stabilized R7
I see a 5⅓ stop real-world improvement.
On the Unstabilized R10On my unstabilized R10 I get about 2⅔ stops of real-world improvement:
At 18mm (28mm equivalent) on unstabilized R10
I see a 2⅔ stop real-world improvement.
At 35mm (55mm equivalent) on unstabilized R10
I see a 2⅔ stop real-world improvement.
At 70mm (115mm equivalent) on unstabilized R10
I see a 3 stop real-world improvement.
At 150mm (240mm equivalent) on unstabilized R10
I see a 1 stop real-world improvement, although if I wasn't so picky about the perfect sharpness level, the optical stabilizer is working very hard and well down to 1/15, or a wishy-washy 4 stop improvement. This lens stabilizes much better on the stabilized R7 at 150mm because it's such a tiny lens with such high magnification that the stabilization system needs to be able to correct for a lot of shift or offset, and the optical-only system runs out of room that adding in-camera stabilization restores.
Sunstars performance topWith a 7-bladed rounded diaphragm, I can get excellent 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at the smaller apertures. Click any to enlarge:
Compared topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Versus the EF 18-135 IS USMThe EF 18-135 IS USM is a fantastic lens, however especially after you add the EF to RF adapter ring, it's much bigger and somewhat more expensive than this tiny RF-s lens. The EF 18-135 IS USM takes 67mm filters while this RF-s 18-150mm takes 55mm filters. The EF 18-135 IS USM weighs 18.2 oz. (515g), or 22.6 oz. (641g) total with the EF to RF adapter ring versus this RF-s 18-150mm at just 10.9 oz. (310g) total. If you already own the EF 18-135 IS USM then don't worry about it, but you're going to love how tiny and sharp is this new RF-s 18-150mm. While the EF 18-135 IS USM is bigger, heavier and more expensive, it does have enough room to include both AF/MF and Stabilizer switches, all missing on this tiny RF-s 18-150mm. The choice really comes down to size and controls. Both are ultra sharp and even macro performance is about equally excellent, while the EF 18-135 IS USM is bigger and has controls lacking on the RF-s lens.
Versus the RF-s 18-45mm IS STMCanon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM and RF-s 18-45mm IS STM. bigger. The RF-s 18-45mm IS STM is smaller, lighter and even collapses, while honestly I find its zoom range too limiting. The RF-s 18-150mm isn't that much larger or more expensive, and has over three times the zoom range, eliminating the need for a telephoto lens, and often substitutes very well for a dedicated macro lens. I'd only get the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM if every gram of weight matters.
User's Guide topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared
I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Manual-Focus Override user's guide topBy default, there is no always-responsive instant manual-focus override as we take for granted in our DSLRs. EOS R cameras need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF. Find the "Lens electronic AF" option in your AF menu (AF 6 in R7 and R10, AF 4 in EOS R5 and EOS R6 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑> enabled" or "One‑Shot‑> enabled (magnify)." Canon should have it set this way by default, but they don't. No big deal now that I figured it out. In ONE SHOT mode manual focus now takes over and stays wherever you set the focus manually, however in SERVO mode this setting lets the lens focus manually as you turn the ring, but as soon as you stop turning the ring the AF system takes back over and keeps tracking focus! Oh well.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
There is no AF/MF switch on the lens.
EOS R7 and R10The AF - MF switch is on the front of the camera near the lens mount. Full frame cameras don't have this switch, so in the:
EOS R5Select manual focus at MENU > AF 1 > Focus mode > MF. In manual focus you have options of 6× or 15× magnifiers. I assign this to my SET button at MENU > CUSTOM 3 > Customize buttons > SET > Magnify. Now just tap SET and it toggles among 1×, 6× and 15×. Select the in-finder focus-distance scale at MENU > CAMERA 7 > Shooting info. disp. > Focus distance disp. Focus peaking is enabled and set at MENU > AF 2 > MF peaking settings. I add this option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
EOS R6Select manual focus at MENU > AF 2 > Focus mode > MF. In manual focus you have options of 5× or 10× magnifiers. I assign this to my SET button at MENU > CUSTOM 3 > Customize buttons > SET > Magnify. Now just tap SET and it toggles among 1×, 5× and 10×. Select the in-finder focus-distance scale at MENU > CAMERA 7 > Shooting info. disp. > Focus distance disp. Focus peaking is enabled and set at MENU > AF 2 > MF peaking settings. I add this option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
EOS RPSelect manual focus at MENU > CAMERA page 7 > Focus Mode > MF. I add this option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
Stabilizer Switch user's guide topThere is no stabilizer switch. Instead set this in the R7 and R10 at MENU > CAMERA page 8 > IS (Image Stabilizer) mode. It's in similar places in the other cameras. I add this option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
Recommendations topSample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing Compatibility Specifications Accessories USA Version Performance Compared I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. This tiny 18-150mm lens is a landmark, letting us carry but one lens for wide, tele, macro and everything else — on APS-C cameras. It's sharp and focuses ultra close, and is nearly free. On full-frame EOS-R cameras, use the full-frame RF 24-240mm lens instead. I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either. The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 55mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints. For less money, the B+W 55mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best. Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt. All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 40 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s! I got my RF-s 18-150mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
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07, 18 Feb 2024 sample pix, 29 Jan 2024 prices & bokeh, 11, 12 September 2022, 30 August ~ 02 September 2022