Disappointed

ttbek wrote:

Jon_T wrote:

In regards to the 18-xxxmm zooms the Canon EF-S 18-200 IS is one of the better 18-xxxmm super/ vacation zooms.

The zoom creep, barrel distortion, CA (Chromatic Aberration) and vignetting are common with all 18-xxx super zooms in this price range. Another item is the full 200mm focal length is only at infinity. In order to facilitate the 17.7” close focusing, the focal length has to be reduced as the camera to subject distance is reduced.

Vignetting:
Are your referring to jpg images or RAW images? If jpg, do you have the camera's "Peripheral illumin. correct." enabled? To obtain the optimum image quality recommend shooting RAW (or JPG+RAW) and use Canon's DPP program that came with your Camera (CD) to easily correct the barrel distortion, CA (Chromatic Aberration)/ purple and vignetting in RAW images

AF Problems:
Which AF mode are you using -- All 9-points or the Single Center AF point?

Using the EF-S 18-200 IS on my 60D and 70D using the single Center AF point I have not experienced the extent of AF problems you're having. "Low light" is vague description to evaluate your problem. I have used the EF-S 18-200 @ 200mm (with mono pod) in lighting conditions at an event requiring ISO 3200 and shutter speeds around 1/60. Never experienced the AF "hunting" in daylight conditions, with 60D, T2i I had, or 70D using the single Center AF point.

Just a FYI I've had the Canon EF-S 18-200 IS for over two years. Bought the 60D with EF-S 18-200 IS Kit on sale at Costco.

Curious, did you read any reviews on the EF-S 18-200 IS prior to buying? All the super zooms need to be stopped downed 1 or 2 f/ stops from the max aperture value of the focal length being used. When I use the EF-S 18-200 for the one-lens convenience, I use the Av mode set to f/8 to get decent edge-to-edge sharpness.

See the SLRGear EF-s 18-200 IS Review and play around with the "Blur Index" interactive tool. Provides a 3-D visual of the edge-to-edge sharpness at different focal lengths and aperture combinations.

Several other EF-S 18-200 IS reviews:

http://www.lenstip.com/306.1-Lens_review-Canon_EF-S_18-200_mm_f_3.5-5.6_IS_Introduction.html

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-18-200mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_18-200_3p5-5p6_is_c16

FWIW some samples of my results with the EF-S 18-200 IS (all jpg images from camera):

I like Roger Cicala's (LensRental.com) comment on super/ vacation type lenses:
_Unfortunately, many people want “great image quality in one lens that will cover everything”. That’s a lot like having a bumper sticker that says “honk if you love peace and quiet”.

Very true, but sometimes it seems like they're not even trying to make a good lens.... when they do try it costs around 78k and is a 20x zoom

Would tend disagree with your analogy. In reality more like backward engineering in away; i.e., Canon (and others) marketing have a good idea on how much novice/ enthusiast photogs would be willing to pay for such a lens, then designs the lens that can be mfg/ sold for a novice/ enthusiast photogs price level.

Looking at the lenses in your gear, assume you would know why the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM costs a lot more than the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III, ditto for the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM than the EF-S 18-200mm IS.

Cheers,
Jon