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Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Started May 24, 2017 | Polls
Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
2

To those who own or have owned the EF-M 11-22mm IS STM lens, the following question:

In terms of image quality, how good is the EF-M 11-22mm IS STM lens?

POLL
Excellent
79.7% 55  votes
Good
13.0% 9  votes
It's ok, so-so, average
4.3% 3  votes
Quite mediocre and underwhelming
0.0% 0  votes
A real dog
2.9% 2  votes
  Show results
lilBuddha Veteran Member • Posts: 6,258
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

It is a terrific lens, comparable to the Canon 17-40 f/4L.

OP Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Oh, it's better than the EF 17-40L. I can assure you of that. In fact, it is comparable to the much better EF16-35/4IS. Look at this comparo which mirrors my own findings and conclusions.

(unknown member) Senior Member • Posts: 2,153
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

I wouldn't be so fast on that. My ol 5DIII, with it mounted, trumps the 11-22, after corrections that is. Before corrections? 11-22 stomps on the 17-40L though. Less distortion and vignetting on the 11-22, IMO, could be I"m used to the corrections though. IS is nice on the 11-22, but could easily do without it truth told.

OP Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Lightgreen wrote:

I wouldn't be so fast on that. My ol 5DIII, with it mounted, trumps the 11-22, after corrections that is. Before corrections? 11-22 stomps on the 17-40L though. Less distortion and vignetting on the 11-22, IMO, could be I"m used to the corrections though. IS is nice on the 11-22, but could easily do without it truth told.

Once again, the focus is the lens's optical perfomance, not PP digital signal processing hacks. Cheers.

pawn Veteran Member • Posts: 3,261
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Hombre de Maiz wrote:

Oh, it's better than the EF 17-40L. I can assure you of that. In fact, it is comparable to the much better EF16-35/4IS. Look at this comparo which mirrors my own findings and conclusions.

I have both and do not agree with the statement above.  Corner-to-corner sharpness of  16-35 f/4 is outstanding.

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OP Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

pawn wrote:

Hombre de Maiz wrote:

Oh, it's better than the EF 17-40L. I can assure you of that. In fact, it is comparable to the much better EF16-35/4IS. Look at this comparo which mirrors my own findings and conclusions.

I have both and do not agree with the statement above. Corner-to-corner sharpness of 16-35 f/4 is outstanding.

Great. Post images disproving the point on that comparo thread. Thanks.

Maxmolly7
Maxmolly7 Senior Member • Posts: 1,480
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
1

This is by far my best wide angle lens/zoom until today!

The results are surprisingly, especially in corner to corner sharpness.
I had before very good samples of Tokina ATX 12-24mm f/4 MK I and EF-S 10-22mm and I had tested my friends EF 17-40mm L several times.

Before that I had a 24mm Minolta in the analog days.

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May THE LIGHT be with you!

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OP Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Maxmolly7 wrote:

This is by far my best wide angle lens/zoom until today!

The results are surprisingly, especially in corner to corner sharpness.
I had before very good samples of Tokina ATX 12-24mm f/4 MK I and EF-S 10-22mm and I had tested my friends EF 17-40mm L several times.

Before that I had a 24mm Minolta in the analog days.

Have you tried the EF16-35/4IS? Awsome lens.

davev8
davev8 Veteran Member • Posts: 4,833
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
2

Hombre de Maiz wrote:

Oh, it's better than the EF 17-40L. I can assure you of that. In fact, it is comparable to the much better EF16-35/4IS. Look at this comparo which mirrors my own findings and conclusions.

Oh its better than the EF16-45F4IS its a little better than the £2500GBP 11-24F4Lhere Both on APS-c of course.....so anybody that did not tick excellent are either wrong  or have a duff copy

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My 5D IS a MK1 classic
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There is no argument for FF vs APS-c (or m43) with shallow DOF..as it's a law of physics and a very subjective personal thing if you want to make use of the shallow DOF only FF can offer
...........................................................................................................
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Marco Nero
Marco Nero Veteran Member • Posts: 7,582
The 11-22mm lens is quite sharp... (PICS)
4

Hombre de Maiz wrote:

To those who own or have owned the EF-M 11-22mm IS STM lens, the following question:

In terms of image quality, how good is the EF-M 11-22mm IS STM lens?

.
It's quite sharp. I'd say it's easily one of the sharpest lens (corner to corner) that Canon have made. There's probably a good half dozen sharp Canon lenses but this is certainly one of them.
.
I used mine the day before yesterday. Some samples below:
.

M6: The sun was just literally on the horizon so this was pretty dark as a scene. (2 image pano)

M6: Single image - taken the day before yesterday.

EOSM - first shot with this lens.

EOSM

EOSM

EOSM

M6: HDR

M6

M6

M6

EOSM + mini tripod (lightning was caught at the same moment as the fireworks).

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Regards,
Marco Nero.

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OP Hombre de Maiz Regular Member • Posts: 273
It went with me to Angkor Wat...
3

...and it acquitted itself rather adroitly.

Maxmolly7
Maxmolly7 Senior Member • Posts: 1,480
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Hombre de Maiz wrote:

Maxmolly7 wrote:

This is by far my best wide angle lens/zoom until today!

The results are surprisingly, especially in corner to corner sharpness.
I had before very good samples of Tokina ATX 12-24mm f/4 MK I and EF-S 10-22mm and I had tested my friends EF 17-40mm L several times.

Before that I had a 24mm Minolta in the analog days.

Have you tried the EF16-35/4IS? Awsome lens.

I am not going back to EF-size & weight lenses with DSLR any time soon!

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May THE LIGHT be with you!

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Franz Kerschbaum
Franz Kerschbaum Senior Member • Posts: 1,242
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Which is a not very good lens ...  (I would compare it to the EF-S 10-22)

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Alastair Norcross
Alastair Norcross Veteran Member • Posts: 9,874
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Franz Kerschbaum wrote:

Which is a not very good lens ... (I would compare it to the EF-S 10-22)

Which is also an excellent lens. I've had both. If you've also had both and didn't like them, you either have very strange tastes or have had really bad luck to get bad copies of both.

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Franz Kerschbaum
Franz Kerschbaum Senior Member • Posts: 1,242
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

Think I was not clear enough: the ef-s 10-22 is a very good lens (I owned both)!  The 17-40 is in my view not deserving the red ring...

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lilBuddha Veteran Member • Posts: 6,258
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
1

Franz Kerschbaum wrote:

Think I was not clear enough: the ef-s 10-22 is a very good lens (I owned both)! The 17-40 is in my view not deserving the red ring...

Perhaps you had a bad copy. Regardless you are entitled to your opinion, though it isn't shared by the majority of reviewers or others who have owned it.

Franz Kerschbaum
Franz Kerschbaum Senior Member • Posts: 1,242
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
1

I know many will hate dxo tests:

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Canon/Canon-EF-17-40mm-F4L-USM

with e.g. the in all other aspects similar:

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Canon/Canon-EF-16-35mm-F4L-IS-USM

or here with the lens (11-22 at 17) in question:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=100&Camera=979&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=967&CameraComp=812&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=3&APIComp=0

The chromatic aberrations are horrible ...

And for the original poster  the 17-40 is a bad choice anyway because he is interested in something much wider (the 11-22)...

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nnowak Veteran Member • Posts: 9,074
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?
2

lilBuddha wrote:

Franz Kerschbaum wrote:

Think I was not clear enough: the ef-s 10-22 is a very good lens (I owned both)! The 17-40 is in my view not deserving the red ring...

Perhaps you had a bad copy. Regardless you are entitled to your opinion, though it isn't shared by the majority of reviewers or others who have owned it.

I am not sure what majority you are referring to, but the 17-40mm is not a highly regarded lens.  The 17-40mm looked good years ago when it was compared to the original 16-35mm f2.8 and 16-35mm f2.8 II.  All of those lenses were mediocre, the 17-40mm was just a little less mediocre.  This was back in the day when Canon had a reputation for being incapable of designing a good wide angle lens compared to Nikon.

Time moves on and 14 years later, the 17-40mm is no where near the quality of any of modern Canon wide angle zooms.  The lowly 10-18mm STM on crop easily trounces the 17-40mm on full frame.

lilBuddha Veteran Member • Posts: 6,258
Re: Optically how good is the EF-M 11-22 IS STM lens?

I am one who doesn't care too much for the tests. Not that they do not give good information, but that the results I get when I shoot are more important to me. And the results I get from the 17-40  have more than satisified.

The reviews I read were admittedly before I purchased the lens and I have not bothered to read any more of them on that lens, since I own it and it performs very well. I don't look into EF-S lenses because they do not work on my DSLRs.

New lenses should perform better than older designs. That doesn't make the older designs mediocre, just not current.

If you truly wish to compare Canon lenses in that FOV range, the EF 11-22 f/4L is the ticket. A bit spendy, though.

BTW, the L in the lens designation is also about build quality, which none of the EF-S lenses I have held match. The EF-M 11-22 and 18-55 feel more like L lenses than EF-S lenses. the 18-55 survived bouncing on the tarmac from the roof of a moving car with minor exterior marks and no loss in performance.

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