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

Canon’s original is losing ground to newer competition

Being a more upmarket design than Canon’s newer 10-18mm lens, this one costs more than twice the price, and you still have to pay extra for the hood (EW-83E, £30/$30).

More than 50 per cent heavier than the Canon 10-18mm lens, the 10-22mm feels more robust, has a metal mounting plate and a 77mm rather than 67mm filter attachment thread. There’s a more conventional ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system, with the usual full-time manual override, and a focus distance scale positioned beneath a viewing panel. As with all these other lenses, the focus ring doesn’t rotate during autofocus but, unlike Canon’s smaller lens, the ring is placed towards the rear of the lens barrel rather than at the front.

The minimum focus distance isn’t quite as short as the 10-18mm lens, at 0.24m compared to 0.22m, but then the longer maximum focal length enables a slight increase in the maximum magnification factor.

Performance

Autofocus speed is a little faster than the Canon 10-18mm, but there’s not much in it. Differences are negligible in terms of sharpness and contrast, and both lenses are similarly resistant to ghosting and flare. With six rather than seven diaphragm blades, the aperture isn’t as well-rounded as the 10-18mm lens, and lack of image stabilization makes sharp handheld shots under low light levels more difficult.