Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM vs Canon EF-S 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS II

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EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM compared with EF-S 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS II

	CanonEF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM	CanonEF-S 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS II
Overview
Released
Released	September 2018	March 2011
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	70–200 mm	18–55 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/3.5–5.6
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/32	f/22–36
Optical construction
Optical construction	23 elements in 19 groups; retains the optical layout of the EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS II USM	11 elements in nine groups; retains the optical design of the original EF-S 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS
Special elements
Special elements	One fluorite and five UD elements	One high-precision aspherical element
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	–	Minimum f/22–36 with third-stop settings in Canon's EOS 1100D manual; the UK specification also lists f/38 at the long end with different aperture increments
Coatings
Coatings	Air Sphere Coating and revised optical coatings; fluorine coating on front and rear element surfaces	–
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Eight blades with a circular aperture	Six blades with a circular aperture according to Canon Camera Museum
Angle of view
Angle of view	Diagonal 34°–12°; vertical 19°30′–7°; horizontal 29°–10°	Horizontal 64°30′–23°20′; vertical 45°30′–15°40′; diagonal 74°20′–27°50′
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF-S
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	APS-C
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF mount full-frame and APS-C cameras	Canon EF-S compatible APS-C cameras
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	EF1.4X III gives 98–280 mm f/4 and 0.30× maximum magnification; EF2X III gives 140–400 mm f/5.6 and 0.44×; autofocus remains available but is slower	–
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	1.2 m	0.25 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.21×	0.34×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring-type USM; full-time manual override after One-Shot autofocus while holding the shutter button halfway	Micromotor autofocus; no full-time manual override according to The Digital Picture and Focus Review
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Internal focusing; maximum 0.21× magnification at 200 mm	Front element rotates and extends during focusing; select MF before turning the narrow manual focus ring according to The Digital Picture and Ken Rockwell
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	–	Maximum 0.34× at 55 mm; EF12 II gives 0.64–0.23× and EF25 II gives 1.00–0.51× according to Canon UK, with wide-angle incompatibility
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Up to 3.5 stops under CIPA testing at 200 mm on an EOS-1D X Mark II; Mode 1 for still subjects and Mode 2 for panning; Canon notes tripod results depend on the tripod and shooting conditions	Four-stop launch claim based on a shutter speed of 1/(focal length × 1.6) seconds according to Canon Camera Museum; lens-shift stabilisation
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	–
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	58 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	88.8 mm	68.5 mm
Length
Length	199 mm	70 mm
Weight
Weight	1,480 g	200 g (better)
Controls
Controls	AF/MF, IS on/off and IS mode switches; focus limiter selects 1.2 m–infinity or 2.5 m–infinity	–
Zoom design
Zoom design	Internal zooming maintains physical length (Digital Camera World)	–
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with a rubber gasket at the mount	–
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	88.8 mm maximum diameter × 199 mm length, measured from the mount to the lens front; add 24.2 mm for front and rear caps	68.5 mm maximum diameter × 70 mm retracted length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 1,480 g lens only according to Canon's instruction manual, UK store and Camera Museum; a Canon USA one-page specification chart instead lists approximately 1,440 g	–
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Included removable rotating B (W II) tripod mount ring; detach the lens from the camera before removing the collar	–
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-87, with release button and reversible mounting for storage	EW-60C hood and LP814 case sold separately according to Canon's EOS 1100D manual
In the box
In the box	ET-87 hood and LZ1326 lens case according to the UK store; tripod mount ring included according to Canon's instruction manual	–
Release detail
Release detail	Marketed in September 2018 according to Canon Camera Museum; Canon USA's 7 June announcement had scheduled US shipping for August 2018	Canon Camera Museum records March 2011 introduction. This is retail-month precision; no separately confirmed UK first-sale day is published in these sources.