Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens Review

The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens is currently Canon's widest lens in its entire EF/EF-S lens line up. And we do mean WIDE. 10mm when used on a APS-C format sensor camera yields the same apparent field of view as would a 16mm lens on a full-frame or film SLR. The 10-22 is in fact the crop camera equivalent (at least in respect to apparent field of view) of a 16-33 lens.

Technical Specs:
Focal Length: 10-22mm (16-35mm equivalent)
Filter Size: 77mm
Length: 89.8mm (3.5inches)
Diameter: 83.5mm (3.3inches)
Weight: 385g (13.6oz)
Lens Arraignment: 13 elements in 10 groups, super UD glass elements with 3 aspherical elements.
Closest focusing distance: .24m
Maximum Aperture @ 10mm: f/3.5
Maximum Aperture @ 22mm: f/4.5
Minimum Aperture: f/27
Aperture Blades: 6 (circular)

Right out of the box, you notice this particular lens is very well put together. It does not have the plastic feel that sometimes plagues some of Canon’s other non-L lenses. The controls feel smooth and not tight. The lens focuses very quickly and quietly thanks to its ring USM motor. The lens mount is thankfully made of metal and not plastic. You will also notice that the lens barrel does not extend or rotate during focusing, so you can use a circular polarizer. Just be warned that you may see some additional vignetting if you do not use a slim polarizer, although you probably will not have any real issues.

Wide-angel lenses are very useful in several photographic specialties. They truly shine in landscape photography. Nothing captures the grand vistas of the great outdoors better. You can really see from horizon to horizon. No other group of lenses allows you to capture so much. They are also widely used (sorry) in architectural photography where they excel in capturing both exterior and interior details. Real estate agents love being able to show entire interiors in one photo. They also can be quite useful in bringing out the creative side in most everyone. The natural distortion created by the wide field of view created some most unusual perspective on everyday objects.

I was pleasantly surprised with the image quality this lens is able to deliver. Imagers are crisp and clean throughout the most of the focal length range. There is only the slightest hint of blur at about 11mm, with it becoming more noticeable once you reach 10mm. Still you really have to look for it. There just isn’t much difference in center sharpness when shooting wide open or stopped down a step or two, although there is a small amount of loss of sharpness in the corners throughout the focal range.

I was also expecting distortion to be an issue, but on this particular wide-angle lens, it just really is not that noticeable. There is just the smallest amount of barrel distortion at 10mm and even less pincushion distortion once you reach 22mm. Everything from about 12mm-20mm is virtually distortion free, something almost unheard of in a wide angle lens. Also surprising was the little amount of chromatic aberration present. Actually, there was an apparent total lack of CA at 22mm. At 10mm the amount is very acceptable and can easily be removed in post-production.

On most wide-angle lenses, flare can be an issue just due to the physical nature of the lens. When you are shooting outside with a field of view that spans 107 degree at 10mm, you are more than likely to have some degree of flare. The 10-22 does a fairly good job in controlling lens flare, but for best results, you might want to spend the extra cash and get the EW-83E hood. Too bad Canon does not include lens hoods on all but their “L” glass.

Overall, this is an impressive lens. Optically, the EF-S 10-22mm would match up with most of Canon’s higher end professional glass. Then only apparent drawbacks I can see are a lack of weather sealing and also the unfortunate lack of an included hood and case. Even though it does not come with the highly coveted “L” designation, in all truthfulness, it should. Not to mention this is one of the most fun lenses out there to shoot with. I would highly recommend the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Ultra-Wide Angle Lens to anyone wanting to live life on the “wide side”.